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all about Amsterdam, Holland
Orientation
The 'Amsterdam' that most people know is the city centre, the semicircle with the Central Station at its centre. It corresponds to the old city, as it was around 1850: its boundary is the Singelgracht canal, the old city moat. Three other major canals ring the old city; the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht, the latter of which runs alongside the roads Nassaukade, Stadhouderskade and Mauritskade. These form the outer ring road around the old city canal system. Almost everything outside this line was built after 1870. The semicircle is on the south side of the IJ, which is called a river, but is more exactly an estuary. Going east from central station, the railway passes the artificial islands of the redeveloped Eastern Docklands. North of the IJ is mainly housing, although a major dockland redevelopment has started there too.
The river Amstel flows into the city from the south. Originally, it flowed along the line Rokin-Damrak. The dam in the Amstel, which gives the city its name, was located under the present Bijenkorf department store. The original settlement was on the right bank of the Amstel, on the present Warmoesstraat: it is therefore the oldest street in the city. The city has expanded in all directions, except to the north of the ring motorway. The region there, Waterland, is a heavily protected rural landscape.
The radius of the semicircle is two km. All major tourist destinations, and most hotels, are located inside it, or just outside it. As a result much of Amsterdam is never visited by tourists: at least 90% of the population lives outside this area. Most economic activity in Amsterdam - the offices of the service sector, and the port - are located on or outside the ring motorway. It is about four to five km from the centre.
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