The Port of Amsterdam is the fifth largest in Europe. The city was ranked 4th place globally as top tech hub in the Savills Tech Cities 2019 report (2nd in Europe), and 3rd in innovation by Australian innovation agency 2thinknow in their Innovation Cities Index 2009. In 2022, Amsterdam was ranked the ninth-best city in the world to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit and 12th globally on quality of living for environment and infrastructure by Mercer. Many of the world's largest companies are based in Amsterdam or have established their European headquarters in the city, such as leading technology companies Uber, Netflix and Tesla. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters in the city, including: the Philips conglomerate, AkzoNobel,, TomTom, and ING.

The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, founded in 1602, is considered the oldest 'modern' securities market stock exchange in the world.

Primarily known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow canal houses with gabled façades well-preserved legacies of the city's 17th-century Golden Age, and the establishment of the Van Gogh Museum, displaying the work of the famous Dutch modern artist, have attracted millions of visitors to Amsterdam annually. The city is also well known for its nightlife and festival activity with several of its nightclubs ( Melkweg code: nld promoted to code: nl, Paradiso) among the world's most famous. Īmsterdam's main attractions include its historic canals the Rijksmuseum code: nld promoted to code: nl, the state museum with a vast collection of Dutch Golden Age art the Van Gogh Museum the Dam Square, where the Royal Palace of Amsterdam and former city hall ( stadhuis code: nld promoted to code: nl ) are located the Amsterdam Museum Stedelijk Museum, with modern art Hermitage Amsterdam, the Concertgebouw code: nld promoted to code: nl concert hall the Anne Frank House the Het Scheepvaartmuseum code: nld promoted to code: nl, the Heineken Experience, the Natura Artis Magistra code: lat promoted to code: la Hortus Botanicus, NEMO, the red-light district and many cannabis coffee shops. Cycling is key to the city's modern character, and there are numerous biking paths and lanes spread throughout the entire city. The city has a long tradition of openness, liberalism, and tolerance. Sloten, annexed in 1921 by the municipality of Amsterdam, is the oldest part of the city, dating to the 9th century. The canals of Amsterdam and the 19-20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are both on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were planned and built. Amsterdam was the leading center for finance and trade, as well as a hub of production of secular art. Originally a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became a major world port during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, when the Netherlands was an economic powerhouse.

Īmsterdam was founded at the mouth of the Amstel River that was dammed to control flooding the city's name derives from the a local linguistic variation of the word dam. Located in the Dutch province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the ' Venice of the North', for its large number of canals, now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a population of 921,402 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. 'The Dam on the River Amstel') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. Amsterdam ( / ˈ æ m s t ər d æ m/ AM-stər-dam, UK also / ˌ æ m s t ər ˈ d æ m/ AM-stər- DAM, Dutch: ( listen) lit.

Body exchange downtown