The tallest people are Dutch. Dutch men and Latvian women are the tallest

Hello, dear friends, site readers! Vadim Dmitriev is in touch again. It's no secret that the Dutch are now considered the tallest people in the world, but few people wonder why this nation is tall. Today I bring to your attention an article by a girl named Maria Worrell. She moved to Holland from the USA and wrote on her blog about why the Dutch are so tall. I found her article and translated it from English to publish here. The story contains very interesting observations, you should like it.

I had a conversation on Twitter with several people about why Dutch people are the tallest in the world. My friend is 195 cm tall and the people around him are tall. Even the women here are tall and proud of it. Later, I had a conversation with my friend Amber, who is working on a project related to the availability of local food. All this got me thinking.

My short stature gives me some difficulties here. Shelves and racks are high, toilet seats are high, and so on. Much has been written about why Dutch people are so tall and here are the arguments I've come across:

• Genetics
• Abundant consumption of dairy products containing calcium. The Dutch consume tons of milk and dairy products. You can easily see people walking down the street with cartons of milk.
• Healthy lifestyle. They walk a lot. This likely reduces cholesterol levels from dairy products and improves their health. Most people ride bicycles regardless of height, weight and age. It's also surprising how active the elderly people are here. If they don't ride bicycles, they walk or ride in wheelchairs, but they certainly don't sit at home waiting to die.
• The Dutch eat in cafes and restaurants less often than Americans. It's quite expensive here. It is preferable to have a snack with homemade food from a bag, taken with you. Many times I have seen people on bicycles taking out food wrapped in foil to snack on. Apples are very popular. At the same time, they love snack bars where everything except the ice cream is well-done... sometimes twice.
• Affordable medical care. Every person should buy a medical insurance policy and use it when necessary. If you cannot afford it, you receive an allowance to pay for medical care. And it's not just for the poor. Even people earning 30 thousand euros a year receive a small benefit. I come here, but I receive my allowance. Easy access to medical care likely influences their health and height.

Since moving to Holland, there is one thing that has bothered me the most - the cost of eating out. They are quite big. Weekly markets near the city help out, where you can buy cheap and fresh products. I buy a lot of fruits and vegetables for less than 20 euros. They cost much more at the grocery store or farmer's market in the US.

Let's take a recent food outing as an example. I went to a small market near my house, where the prices are a little higher, but it's still cheap. Here's what I bought for 19 euros (please note that I took several expensive products that I don't eat regularly - strawberries, mangoes, avocados): 1 kg plums, 3 grapefruits, 4 oranges, 8 tangerines, 5 large apples, 3 avocado, bunch of basil, bunch of mint, bunch of parsley, bunch of green onions, green salad, 2 large heads of broccoli, sweet peas, 250 grams of mushrooms, 2 bags of strawberries, red bell pepper (about 10 pieces), 2 chili peppers, 1 large cucumber , 1 zucchini, 4 lemons, 3 limes.

True, none of this is positioned as “organic”; some products were from local producers, but they are available to the population. I don't know what food prices are like in America these days, but I don't remember being able to buy that much food for less than 25 bucks. For this money, I could, of course, fill the refrigerator with fast food or discounted, rotten fruit, but definitely not with fresh fruits and vegetables. Everything here is fresh and of pretty good quality. The Dutch are big on freshness when it comes to their food.

Still, I miss America with its abundance of take-out restaurants, especially now that I am a student again. After all, there you can find not only establishments with fatty, disgusting dishes, but also really healthy food, if you set your mind to it. And in Holland you only have to choose from McDonald's, KFC or fast food restaurants, because all healthy food restaurants are incredibly expensive and require more than 12 euros per dish. But in general, the Dutch and Europeans have done a better job than Americans of making sure they have local, cheap sources of healthy food within reach.

Best regards, Vadim Dmitriev

All tourists are told the story that Montenegrins are the tallest people in Europe. Today I decided to delve into various statistics and check this fact. It turned out that according to the latest data, they share 1st place in height with the Dutch, and in the world, and not just in Europe! Meeting a 2-meter guy (or taller) here is not surprising! And Montenegrins are not deprived of beautiful appearance in their youth, it’s a delight to the eye. But, unfortunately, only the eyes are happy; I will not mention the presence of intelligence in this article...

Indeed, in Montenegro I began to feel like I was of normal height, in my native Ukraine I was considered tall at 175 cm, and in the Perm region in the Russian Federation, where my grandparents live, I was generally considered a giantess, I always hit my head there when I go into any It’s the waiting room, but getting off the train in Perm, it seems that the number of people has sharply decreased...

At the bottom of the Wikipedia article there is a table where you can check the average height data for different nationalities.

1. Dutch and Montenegrins - 183.2 cm
2. Danes and Norwegians - 182.4 cm
3. Serbs - 182 cm
...
8. Germans - 181 cm
9. Croats - 180.5 cm
10. Slovenes - 108.3 cm

In general, the Dinaric Highlands, where ex-Yugolsavia is located, leads the ranking in terms of tall men. But women with an average height of 171 cm from this region are generally in 1st place!!! I took a sign from the Serbian website for some countries, so here the Serbs are in the top line.

I found a map of the world where nations are sorted by height by color. I don’t know what year it is, but Montenegrins also stand out here. The average height of men is taken as a measure.

• Red color - from 180 cm and above


• Yellow color - 175 - 179.9 cm


• Blue color - 170 - 174.9 cm


• Green color - 165 - 169.9 cm


• Purple color - from 164.9 cm

Since I am a lover of old photos, I will show you how they looked before - the growth is visible even here. In the photo - Montenegrins are walking around Cetinje at 6 am! Apparently they dressed up for a trip to the nearest kafana, where they could wash the bones of their wives-mistresses. Eh, there were no tourists then :)


The famous magazine The National Geographic about a hundred years ago photographed Montenegrins in their nationality. clothes. It is noticeable that mustaches predominated back then :) I looked at various military photographs of those years - all the men were slender, elongated, with a proud posture and for some reason with a mustache... It’s good that they became fashionable in Montenegro.

By the way, over the past 100 years, European men have grown by 11 cm. This is data from scientists from Australia and Great Britain. Before this, for thousands of years, max. the growth rate did not exceed 2 cm per century. Even two world wars did not stop the intensity of the process. According to scientists, this sharp jump in growth indicates a tremendous improvement in health, nutrition and social hygiene conditions.

Over the last century in Europe (including Russia), men and women have grown by about 10 cm. But Americans have now dropped somewhat in stature and gained a lot of weight - fast food and all sorts of Coca-Cola will soon turn them into pot-bellied dwarfs: )

And I will show modern Montenegrins, of whom the country is proud - these are water polo players. They are one of the best in the world in this sport. I looked at the data for the Olympics for 2008 and 2012 - both times they were in 4th place.

Interestingly, those who eat more meat grow faster: chicken, pork, beef. Montenegrins have a great love for meat, they are still meat-eaters!!! But lamb lovers are not tall. This fact is confirmed by the Turks. When I walk through Istanbul Ataturk Airport in search of my gate (and here you can see people from all over the world at the same time), I see Montenegrins from afar due to their height, and everyone else immediately gets lost against their background :)

I am glad to announce the launch of my website, now read all the most interesting about Montenegro and the Balkans on

The first thing you see from an airplane window when flying over the Netherlands is a perfectly contoured surface. Plots of land are clearly separated by roads, canals, even the world-famous Dutch tulips grow in strict rows. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the fact that such a landscape is in connection with the character of the inhabitants of this country. Flat, perfectly demarcated terrain, incredible open space, dim, watercolor landscapes of fields - all this is reflected in the character and behavior of the Dutch. Spaciousness and a certain monotony of the landscape are also inherent in the character of the inhabitants of the Netherlands. They reverently value personal freedom, but at the same time, they are inclined to moderation in everything. The Dutch subjugate their passions, just as they once subjugated the seas, isolating themselves from the water with dams. They also apply to any excesses. “Doe maar normaal, dan doe je a gek genoeg,” they say. “Behave normally, this is already crazy.”

Everyone coming to the Netherlands is already familiar with some general concepts: the country's national color is orange, the Dutch wear wooden “klompen” shoes, eat herring, grow tulips, they have legalized a lot of things.

But still, what are they like without this standard set of stereotypes?

Let's start with what they call themselves Dutch, because Holland is one of the provinces of the Netherlands. But we will say “Dutch” in the old fashioned way.

Firstly, the inhabitants of the kingdom are considered perhaps the cleanest nation in Europe. Indeed, every weekend you can see the Dutch cleaning their cozy homes: “poetsen”.

Secondly, the Dutch are really tolerant, flexible, and calm. Programs for multicultural development of relations with refugees and immigrants work quite well in the Netherlands, despite the obvious difficulties in this area.

Showing that they have nothing to hide, some Dutch people leave their curtains open in the evening. For the uninitiated, observing the personal lives of neighbors may seem like a very strange activity. But the Dutch believe that since they are honest, they are open to scrutiny. This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. In times of religious strife, the Protestant Dutch showed that an honest man has nothing to hide.

Thirdly, it is worth mentioning separately the notorious Dutch frugality. This is exactly how the Dutch see themselves: thrifty and frugal. This trait shocks many foreigners at first. The Dutch seem to be real "Scrooge McDucks", greedy misers. But the residents of the Netherlands themselves are proud of their practicality and ability to count money. This is part of their national "financial management". So, the million-euro questions: “Are the Dutch practical? – “Very!”, “Do they know how to manage finances correctly and spend money carefully?” – “Absolutely!”

So, the Dutch are very proud of this national trait and consider frugality to be a positive quality. It’s not for nothing that they have so many proverbs and sayings about thrift and economy. And they themselves make fun of their ability to “count small things.”

(pictured: Queen Maxima received a discounted bouquet of tulips as a gift)

Ieder dubbeltje omdraaien (spin each coin)

Wie wat bewaart, die heeft wat(he who saves also has)

Interesting fact: at the same time, the Netherlands has one of the highest percentages of donations to charity. Still, there is something about such careful financial planning.

And finally, one of the most famous Dutch traits: straightforwardness. It is very difficult for foreigners to adapt to the straightforward, no-nonsense Dutch people. “What I think is what I say” - this is about them. When you first encounter the directness of the Dutch, it seems that you have met a bull in a china shop. Their directness may sound rude, ugly, be associated with bad manners, and it may seem that the interlocutor is poorly educated. Yes, just some kind of barbarity! In fact, the Dutchman has no intention of offending anyone. They are really so categorical and straightforward. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” is not an insult. The Dutchman just thought so. This feature strikingly distinguishes the inhabitants of the Netherlands from other Europeans.

A little advice: if you have just arrived in the Netherlands and are not yet accustomed to their directness, it is better to avoid “hot” topics: religion, politics, etc. If you want to maintain a discussion with the Dutch and defend your point of view, you need to learn how to be direct. Once you step over this mental barrier, overcoming the first shock and misunderstanding of straightforwardness, you will understand that the Dutch can become excellent friends. They, like no one else, know how to joke about themselves, without fear of looking ridiculous. They will not infringe on your freedom of opinion and personal space, and will expect the same attitude from you. If a foreigner demonstrates a genuine interest in the Netherlands, language and culture, the Dutch will make every effort to help assimilate.

10 interesting facts about the Netherlands.

1. You cannot ride a bicycle without a flashlight in the dark - you may be fined.

Now about national cuisine

The first and most famous is Dutch cheese. As of 2004, the Netherlands ranks 3rd in cow cheese exports. Back in the Middle Ages, their neighbors, the Germans and Belgians, dubbed the Dutch Jan Kaas - Ivan the Cheese. It turns out that cheese can even give a city its name: they say that the city of Gouda is named after the cheese and not vice versa!

Fryske Sukerbole - Frisian sugar bread - the softest butter bread with the aroma of cinnamon, ginger and delicate pieces of sugar. I use ginger syrup when making this bread.

Snert - what do you think this is? This is Dutch pea soup. Soup! Old-fashioned, rustic - as they write about it, soup, the quality of which is determined not only by taste or aroma, but also by how well a spoon costs in the soup))

In the Netherlands, herring is respected, and even more so is the salted fish Haring. Haring - Hollandse Nieuwe - "Dutch new" - is a young Haring that has a fat content of at least 16%. It usually reaches this fat content by mid-May and then the season begins. The season opens with a big holiday - Vlaggetjesdag, when fishermen sail out on their ships for the first haring. The fish is cleaned and salted in a special way immediately on the ship. Traditionally, haring is eaten in this way - the fish is taken by the tail, lifted up and placed in the mouth whole.

What else can I tell you? The Netherlands has a unique brewing culture; each village has its own variety and recipe.

One of the most striking features of Holland is its love of tulips! The Dutch passion for tulips and floriculture in general has become a legend in the modern world. You can read an interesting article about tulip mania and what one small tulip bulb can do

Today the Netherlands can rightfully be called the capital of European floriculture; the country has many plantations, large and small, many national holidays, including those dedicated to tulips, for example the Tulpendag Free Tulip Day holiday and many others!