- The Netherlands is regarded as one of the main transportation hubs of Europe. The port of Rotterdam, the second largest city in the country, has consistently been cited as one of the busiest ports in the world. Since joining the euro currency in 2002, the Netherlands has been one of the main recipients in Europe for attracting foreign direct investment. In addition, it is one of four largest investors in the United States economy.
- On the European continent, Dutch is the official language of two countries: Belgium and the Netherlands. In addition, Dutch is the official language of Suriname, a nation of nearly 500,000 people (as of 2011) on the northeastern coast of South America. It's also the official language of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint-Maarten, three Caribbean island nations. The language is unofficially spoken by a minority of people in Indonesian. Afrikaans, a language spoken in South Africa, is an offshoot of Dutch.
- Another benefit of learning Dutch is gaining access to the literature of the Netherlands and Belgium. Multatuli's novel, "Max Havelaar" (1860), is a scathing critique of the Dutch colonial presence in Southeast Asia. Another major 19th-century novelist was Louis Couperus. Anne Frank's diaries were also written in Dutch. In the post-World War II era, Harry Mulisch emerged with his internationally renowned novels, "The Assault" and "The Discovery of Heaven." A major Flemish writer of the postwar era was Hugo Claus.
- Because Dutch is a Germanic language, those who have learned it may be able to learn German with more facility. Learning English may be easier as well since English shares many words with Dutch. In both cases, Dutch may be regarded as a "gateway" language. For those who enjoy watching films in their original language, Dutch cinema provides film directors such as Paul Verhoeven and Fons Rademakers.
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