The New Student's Reference Work/Amsterdam

Am′sterdam or Amsteldam, the capital and largest city of the Netherlands.  The city is built on an arm of the Zuyder Zee, in the shape of a half-moon, and as the site is a marsh it is founded on piles driven deep into the mud.  Dikes guard it against the tides, which rise higher than the city’s level.  A system of canals with the river Amstel divides the city into about ninety islands, with nearly 290 bridges; hence the name of the city, Amsterdam, meaning “the dam or dike of the Amstel.”  There are many fine public buildings, the finest being the palace, built in 1648.  There are several public societies, such as the Society of Public Welfare, whose object is to promote education and the improvement of all classes, and which has branches in nearly every town and village of Holland.  From a small fishing village in the 13th century, Amsterdam became, by the close of the 17th century, the first commercial city of Europe.  After years of decline, it has again risen into commercial prominence.  The Amsterdam canal, uniting the city (17 miles distant) with the North Sea, has recently been greatly enlarged and deepened, tidal locks being affixed at either end—the Zuyder Zee end and the North Sea entrance.  Population 568,130.