Which is better? Belgium or the Netherlands? What two countries should I compare next? Also, two reminders here.... 1. Don't forget to check out History with Hilbert's video here: th-cam.com/video/T5FekxDNmwc/w-d-xo.html 2. If you're in the market for a new mattress, supporting Birch helps my channel. Visit birchliving.com/mrbeat to get $400 off your Birch mattress plus two free pillows!
1:36 "While nearly everyone in the Netherlands speaks Dutch." He was too kind to say the truth, which is: "Everyone in the Netherlands speaks Dutch, except for English and American expats." 😂 (Natuurlijk spreek ik Nederlands omdat ik een immigrant ben, geen expat)
When I lived there, I would try to practice my Dutch, but the second they heard my accent they would switch to English. They’re just too efficient sometimes..
Yay, you saw this! I'm a big fan of your channel, and your videos definitely influenced me to make this video. Oh, and I somehow forget to mention Belgium roads, but at least Hilbert took care of that for me. 😄
Watching from Belgium, as a Belgian. Most Flemings are able to speak English, Francophones much less but I'd say more than half of the Belgians can speak English on a conversational level. We rank 6th in the world and would be 2nd I believe if it were not for the Francophones, I met exactly one Fleming who was not able to speak a moderate amount of English in my life.
The educational level is better in Flanders. I am Walloon but I work for a Flemish company and each time I am amazed to see that even the delivery mens are relatively good in French. But that' not only that. Quite often, people who speak a language with a large audience like French or Spanish are not very good at English, all of their products are written in their language in stores, movies are in their language in theaters etc. .. The Americans and the English for that matter are very bad at languages other than their own, and it makes sense, their language is absolutely everywhere, they should never make this effort to translate anything.
Belgium’s a lot like the Netherlands, except Frencher. Belgium’s also a lot like France except Dutcher It’s also Germaner than either of those countries as well
I sometimes wonder if Belgium really should be considered one country. They have three areas that speak entirely different languages, at least 2 or even 3 distinct cultures, and each has their own set of political parties. To me, it honestly feels like a union of 2-3 microstates under one crown (though even less united than Britain, since at least the British technically share a language, even if Wales has its own as well). Belgium truly is one of the most bizarre countries on earth.
@@thunderbird1921 It’s been a “marriage of convenience” country for quite some time All of Belgium’s Flemish, Walloon, and German people quarrel but are happier together than they would be as part of the Netherlands, France, or Germany
It's still more catholic, culturally. That's a big difference in look at life that runs through everything. From architecture to food to degree of organization and the way people behave.
@@thunderbird1921 you're a bit wrong though. We do speak 3 distinct languages, but we most definitely do not have distinct cultures. For centuries flanders and Wallonia, and the Netherlands and even Luxemburg were a loose coalition of city states that traded together, and were part of the same or different kingdoms through mostly feudal systems of vassalage, marriage, religious links and such. For example the Flemish city of Mechelen was part of the principality of Liège in most of the Burgundian and Austrian/Hapsburg times even though now Mechelen is considered very much Flemish and Liège very much walloon. And there were plenty of these complex feudal relationships between the different provinces of the low countries for centuries. And even now today, our ''cultures'' do not differ that much at all. In fact ask most Frenchmen and they'll say Walloons are more Belgian than french, and ask a dutch man and most will say Flemish are more Belgian than Dutch. "Simple" things like Flemish enjoy a much more "Burgundian lifestyle" than the dutch, just like the Walloons do, and Walloons enjoy more of a beer culture than the French wine culture, just like the Flemish (just to name some somewhat stereotypical, but true examples). We have much more in common than that divides us, even though a lot of Belgians seem to have forgotten that in the last few decades. Which is probably why we've stuck together in a complex federal political union, instead of separating and becoming Independent states, or even re-annexing with either the Netherlands or France. Flanders and Wallonia have been together through the centuries, and even now have much more in common with each other than with our respective neighbours France and the Netherlands except the language. And even there both the Flemish and walloon have their own distinct dialects of both Dutch and French.
Yeah, the current leading party (liberals) which is right by our standards is (right-winged)but is considered centrist, with a touch of right stuff in the US
1. most of his audience (and himself) is American so I understand why he would see it from that view 2. the government of a country does not always accurately reflect the country in general as democracy is more than just who you agree with the most 3. it probably would be worth mentioning what pov he is saying subjective opinions from, so i agree with you on that
Yeah, it's kinda funny how that works. I'm a Dutch right wing voter, but if i for example move to the US that might all change. Probably because i'm used to the more social healthcare system that we have around here. Which right wing Republicans in the US don't seem to be a big fan of.
I think that's one of the biggest misunderstandings about the Netherlands. It's not really a left-leaning country. It's one of the few countries in the world that practices a grown-up version of libertarianism. (The American version of libertarianism is infantile, by the way, and doesn't compare.)
What I like about my country, as a Belgian: - Amazing food (moules frites, beef stew, waffles, chocolate, beer, etc.) - some really charming cities like Ghent, Bruges and Dinant - a very rich history and culture - an open and free society - a very good social security system What I dislike about my country: - a complete lack of patriotism. There is some Flemish nationalism in the north, but it's mostly based on animosity towards strangers and French-speaking Belgians, not really on love for the country. National monuments are hardly maintained and national heroes are all but forgotten. Nobody even knows the founding fathers of our country. - urban planning is a disaster. Due to linear settlement there is almost no countryside left in Flanders. Walloon cities are mostly depressing and unkempt. Since having an apartment at the coast is a status symbol, almost the entire little coastline we have is crammed with apartment blocks making it one of the ugliest places in Western Europe. - our overly complicated state structure
The Netherlands is the same when it comes to the complete lack of patriotism unfortunately, everytime you hear the same "ach we zijn zo'n klein, onbelangrijk kikkerlandje" and otherwise they are just really annoying about it (hurr durr GEKOLONISEERD) and a lot of the immigrants here also talk very lowly of us which influences the locals.
Oostend is ugly in your opinion? I always thought the beachfront promenade looked quite nice Also I’m guessing most Belgian patriotism appears during the World Cup haha
@@coyotelong4349 I like the promenade but unfortunately it's one of the only things that remains from the time when Ostend was internationally reknown as "la reine des plages". Have you seen pictures of what Ostend used to look like in the early 20th century? The Royal Palace Hotel, the former casino, Hippodrome Wellington, etc. Most of these buildings were destroyed during the war, but still the ugly architecture that replaced it saddens me.
A pleasure working together with you on this one Mr Beat - let's link up and do another again soon - maybe over some Belgian waffles or Dutch pancakes eh ;)
As to anyone interested why carrots are orange: In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange - who led the the struggle for Dutch independence - and the color stuck. A thousand years of yellow, white and purple carrot history was wiped out in a generation. So basically, the Dutch are still conquering every corner of the world with their orange carrots.
Wrong, Wild carrots started off as either white or pale yellow, but changed to purple and yellow when people first domesticated the vegetable almost 5,000 years ago in the Persian Plateau area, according to a 2011 report that Stolarczyk co-authored. These domesticated carrots were later split into two main classes: the Asiatic group, which was cultivated around the Himalayas, and the Western group, which grew largely in the Middle East and Turkey. Yellow carrots in the Western group probably mutated into more orange hues, which farmers then selectively planted.
I am from Belgium (Flanders). I think most people here can speak english really well. It's the older generation that has a little mre difficulties with English but I think I can say that all young adults can speak English or at least understand it even better than they can speak French or German
Speaking english isnt impressive is a very easy language to learn gramatically And dutch people seem to prefer english than their own native language how sad
@@jazzcatjohn who cares??? The language is still easy and most of its vocabulary is just french words inserted in it as a french person i literaly see french everywhere in it
Great video, just earned yourself a subscription from the Netherlands. Hearing an American talk about our two countries makes me realize how much we have in common. So all the love to our southern neighbours from Holland. Now I am going to watch Hilbert's video, because after all this "feel-good emotion" I want to know why those southern traitors decided to leave our glorious union ;)
This an honor. Thank you so much! And yeah I try to keep it positive here. Now Hilbert, on the other hand, immediately calls Belgium a speed bump in his video. 😄
When you grow up in an actual bilingual environment, learning a third language gets way easier than when you grow up only speaking one. Especially learning english when you speak both a Germanic and Roman Language already (Dutch and French)
I love the story of my grandparents walking into a coffee shop in Amsterdam and fairly quickly being directed to the right kind. My grandmother remarked they were very nice people
Me having gone to both countries, personally these are the 2 best countries i’ve visited. The people are so nice, the food is great. Everything you could want.
"The food is great" should refer to Belgium only. The food in the Netherlands is rather uninspired, the result of hundreds of years of Dutch Calvinism, a religion which considers enjoying yourself - including eating - a sin.
@@flitsertheo In the Dutch snackbar is much more variety in food and snacks, so I’m not sure where the “uninspired “ comes from. If you want to eat healthy start cooking at home.
I would love to see you compare education systems in different countries. It would be cool to know what other kids around the world learned and compare it to what I learned at that grade.
thats a pretty complex issue considering belgium has 3 different standards of education, every language group government is authorized to make decisions about education for their language group so thats different standards for flanders, wallonia and the small german speaking part of wallonia with both french and flemish in brussels
Thanks for comparing our nations! Even though we kinda laugh at eachother's accents and culture, we wouldn't wanna do it with anybody else. The Netherlands and Belgium have been great friends and I hope it will stay that way for many more centuries to come. Groetjes van België! Greetings from Belgium!
Belgium actualy did a lot in WW1. It were belgian troops that flooded the iron river and then dug the first trenched, this all to keep the germans on the belgian side of the river for long enouf to give the french army a chance to mobelise, whitch worked
I would love to see something different in the compare series, first thing that comes to mind could be rivers such as the rhine vs danube or Mississippi vs st Laurence
Fun fact : During its territorial expansion during the first Republic and the first Empire, France had departments in Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy and had direct borders with Denmark and the Ottoman Empire
As a Belgian citizen that worked for a Dutch company and spent a fair share of my time in the Netherlands I can say we have more in common than that which separates us. That said: Footbal and Beer (note the capital on both ;) ) are grounds for almost war-like discussions. That and the usage of peanut sauce on fries (seriously ;) )
The highest wealth inequality thing has recently been disproved by a lot of economists, the one video they say this in has been debunked several times by now...
Cool. I'm an American who lived in Belgium for 3 yrs, in Northern Wallonia, and I learned French there (I had to). And I lived close to Flanders, and I never met a Flemish person who was not a fluent English speaker, and the same is true in the NL, and all throughout Scandinavia.
Weird isn't it, almost half of us Belgians speak both dutch and french and almost half of us speak english as well... Surprisingly(or not) it are the people that know both dutch and french who also speak english (Flanders region). This has a lot to do with the education system. In Flanders dutch french are mandatory and most schools also teach english and german. In Wallonia they learn french... and that's it.
Great ideas for comparison: -Arkansas and Missouri -Beijing and Shanghai - Portland Oregon and Portland Maine - Vegas and Atlantic City(casinos) - Scotland and Wales
You better talk about how the roads in my homestate in Missouri are way better kept than Arkansas. I live right on the border and my tires hate me when we're going into Arkansas
Mr. Beat you did not mention Vincent van Gogh. He was one of the most famous artists who was born in the Netherlands on March 30th, 1853. He traveled to Belgium to study at the Antwerp Academy for learning how to paint. He often clashed with his teacher Eugene Siberdt and quickly got in trouble. One time when Van Gogh was required to draw the Venus de Milo during a drawing class, he produced the limbless, naked torso of a Flemish peasant woman. Siberdt regarded this as defiance against his artistic guidance and made corrections to Van Gogh's drawing with his crayon so vigorously that he tore the paper. Van Gogh then flew into a violent rage and shouted at Siberdt: 'You clearly do not know what a young woman is like, God damn it! A woman must have hips, buttocks, a pelvis in which she can carry a baby! Some sources say this was the last time he attended the Antwerp Academy, and he was kicked out after the temper outburst along with 16 other students and then he fled to Paris to be with his brother Theo that same year.
As a Dutchman, I was expecting a comment section full of Flemish and Dutch making jokes about each other, instead all the comments seem to be rather nice and informed. What's wrong with you people?!
You should do a 3 way comparison for 1. Poland, Slovakia and Czechia 2. Norway, Sweden and Denmark 3. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia 4. El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras
@Quelqu'un I was just thinking because the classic Scandinavian trio is Norway Sweden and Denmark where Finland is more or less just considered Nordic and not Scandinavian because of linguistic and historical differences
Can you do Guatemala with Costa Rica and Panama but for me I prefer El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras with Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama than El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
One of the biggest differences between both countries is urban planning. The Netherlands is probably the best planned-out country in the world with dense towns and cities and lots of spare farmland. Meanwhile, Belgium did not have any formal urban planning until relatively recently and, it used to highly encourage people to build their own houses on big lots in the countryside because of politics. Belgium is now the most suburban country in continental Europe.
Currently living in one of the very few Justish kingdoms in England. Kent. However we always get glossed over. Dam angles and saxons. Hogging the lime light. Great video as always. Hilbert is always good too!
Correction; Rotterdam (where i'm from) and Den Haag do not have more than a million people. Alltough our super small country has 18 million, only Amsterdam house more than one million.
Not true. “Most” of us don’t speak German😂… We are able to communicate to some extend with Germans if we speak Dutch, but most of us don’t speak it “quite well”.
Its true that the both countries have much in common but the netherlands is way more advanced. For example the infrastructure. I have lived in both countries and i can tell that people from the netherlands are more social aswell.
I wouldn't call the Netherlands "way more advanced". I lived in both countries aswel and yes, NL have better roads but behind the scenes a lot of things are better regulated in Belgium (healthcare, no waiting lists, housing, daycare, etc...) And don't forget a more gastronomical culture and more wild nature (Ardennes) :) Both countries have different strong points.
Yet if you don't like to live too urban and prefer some green and build a beautiful house, then the Dutch living in their flats, woonwijken or boring places with every house being the same, then Flanders trumps. Of course not everywhere in the Netherlands, but most parts are way more urban and have more 'stadsvolk' while in Flanders there are way more municipalities where you can live quietly close to the fields and forests while still being a 10 min walk away from the center where the church and stores and all are.
Honestly, i think there are few countries that have closer ties than we do. In all aspects of life. We make fun of eachother and may "fight" like siblings, but we will always have eachothers back if an outsider picks on any one of us. I can accept being mocked by the dutch from time to time, coz thats family , it's all good fun, but any one else doing it will have a very bad day 😂. I think the swedes and danes have a similar vibe going on if i'm not mistaken. ✌️❤️🇧🇪🇳🇱
I have lived in Netherlands for 2 years and now I live in Belgium for 11yrs but if I compare these two countries I love Belgium more, I will never go back to Holland, the country is too expensive to live in, I'm happier in Belgium.
I love Mr Beat’s videos so much I went and watched the partner video and came back 😭 Great work per usual! You’re making a more informed world, one video at a time!
We have to blame the Dutch tourists for that. Each summer hordes of them pass through Belgium on their way to the South, their cars and caravans (over)loaded with the full contents of a Dutch supermarket. They cause more damage to the road surface than a company of Leopard tanks.
@@flitsertheo actually, its because Belgium has a huge road network and low fuel taxes, in the netherlands fuel is really expensive, and even tho millions of germans pass through, the roads still arent shit
My wife and I visited Netherlands and Belgium in 2019. Our reasons for the trip was basically twofold. First, we both enjoy travel and those countries have been on our list for awhile, partially due to my ancestors immigrating to the US from there. Notice my last name? The other reason was a scouting trip to see if we would like to live there when I retire in about three years. Great countries! I am currently researching our options for moving there as I really do want to move out of the USA when I retire and either Netherlands or Belgium would be great though I am leaning towards Netherlands the most. Covid has delayed follow-up trips but hopefully next year, we will be there again.
You also have a very Belgian sounding first name, I wouldn't be surprised if there are quite some people in Belgium that have the exact same name as you. That being said, may I ask why you're leaning towards the Netherlands? As you're American, the dutch are generally very similar to Americans in that they're loud (in a Belgian restaurant you will hear the two Dutch guys talking over the rest of the entire restaurant), very opinionated and feel the need to tell you what you should do. Belgians are completely the opposite in that regard. Maybe also interesting, in Belgium people live more like the "Burgundian" lifestyle where great food and drinks are an important part of their lives. Health care is probably one of the best in the world here and housing is cheaper than the Netherlands. Roads are better in the Netherlands however(but keep in mind that the dutch pay more taxes on their cars)
@@vincenzooccidentale7979 Hi. Thanks for asking. There are three main reasons that we are likely to choose the Netherlands over Belgium although we love both countries. One is that the percentage of the population that speaks English in the Netherlands (90%) is higher than in Belgium (60%). Even though we will likely learn to speak Dutch, the higher percentage of English speakers will definitely make things easier. The second reason and a very big one is the DAFT visa in the Netherlands. This will allow me to very easily start a freelance style small business and establish residency. The third reason is that my wife's US employer has an office in Weert and even though I will be retiring from my current employer before moving over there, she might continue working for a few more years as she is several years younger than me. It is very likely however that we will spend a lot of time in Belgium as well.
@@davidvandenbroeck5068 Regarding the first reason, I can tell you that the only reason is that Walloonia significantly pulls down this number. In Flanders, basically everyone speaks English (fyi Flemish students score the highest in English proficiency in Europe together with Swedish students). I have no idea about the second one, might be different in Belgium indeed. And I can see why the third reason might be a pivotal factor for your choice. Either way enjoy your stay and when in Belgium, we will welcome you with open arms
@@vincenzooccidentale7979 Damn right Dutch are very oppiniated and feel the need to tell you what you should do. The Dutch will be straight up to you in your face and most Belgians talk about others behind their back. I know what I rather would deal with.
@@devild4907 only partially true. When matters are important Belgians will also tell it to your face - they will just formulate it friendlier than the Dutch (the dutch will say "my idea is right and your idea is wrong" while Belgians will say "maybe we should consider both ideas"). When matters are not so important, Belgians might say it "behind ones back" when they for example don't like the dress you're wearing but don't want to hurt your feelings - the dutch have no issues with this. And if you prefer one over the other, that's your opinion of course.
I lived in Belgium (with my immediate family) for a couple of years, and my folks lived in Den Haag for a couple of years... and we'd all happily go back to either place. :-)
19:23 add vehicle manufacturing to this, DAF/GINAF, VDL/NEDCAR are dutch and VDL loans factories to BMW(MINI) and there are loads of vehicle parts factories.
The biggest difference between The Netherlands and Belgium is imo the culture. Belgium is a Catholic country and the Netherlands are Protestant. This translates in everything...from interpersonal relations to governance.
@@felixvergro to which degree? The hello my name is level or being able to hold a more than very simple conversation? Don't forget that noy everyone is your age
As a Walloon, I don't understand why our education system is so flawed. I had immersion classes in English ever since I started school, but Dutch was only available to me in highschool, which I find odd.
the issue is that you need to choose between dutch and english in school. (I choose english first and only got a bit of dutch for 3 years, not enough to speak with anybody at all) In my time, it was 80% choosing dutch and 20% english but it reversed a lot since then
I've been to Belgium, but not the Netherlands. It was the only time I had mussels for Thanksgiving dinner (the only turkey I found was a soup tureen in the museum attached to the royal palace)! Unfortunately, the 10 days I was there were cold, overcast and snowy, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the country's beauty and sites. I really enjoy these comparison videos.
Well I live in belgium near antwerp for about 4 years now, and I know a lot of people between the ages of 22/30 that did not get english in school, it shocked me. So it is true. I'm from the Netherlands btw.
I would've preferred comparing the Netherlands to Denmark and Belgium to itself (Flanders to Walloonia), I still liked the video lots. As for next time: Finland & Estonia, or Russia & Ukraine or Belarus
A Dutchman, an Englishman and a Belgian are standing on the roof of a burning flat. The Dutchman takes an umbrella and jumps down, now there is only one umbrella left. The Englishman also grabs an umbrella and jumps down. The Dutchman encounters the Englishman with a few scratches and says: “Shall we go and see the Belgian in the hospital?” They find the Belgian in intensive care completely wrinkled. The Englishman asks “How did you get down?” To which the Belgian replies “I ran out of umbrellas, so I put on my rain suit!” Only Belgians don't understand this.
I am from Germany and I drove through the Netherlands and Belgium in order to get to England and what I saw was really nice, especially the flat countryside.
@@iammrbeat No not really, I was 2 years ago with my mom in Belgium, and the only thing I noticed it that Belgians are crazy drivers, a lot worse than Greeks, but the roads were honestly good in Flanders. They were working on the highway and signs that the speed limit was 50km and they passed us at 130km. And in Brussels the signs were also just street decoration.
Loved the video! I’ve lived in Belgium before and it is a wonderful country! Same for the Netherlands. Both have very interesting history and culture. Maybe in the future I’d like to come back and live in either of them!
21:06 It is also 18 in Belgium for hard Liquor, beer and wine are still 16. (or that is what I have been told about 20 years ago when working summers for a retailer, and what the bar owners I know tell me)
18:50 slight correction, this is in fact not true and has been disproven. This mistake is the result of a faulty research by economics explained. The channel Money and Macro had a video which highlighted why this is just plain wrong.
Hello Mr. Beat. Watching this thanks to Hilbert. Enjoyed it, but kept expecting him to come up with a historical picture of the Dutch flag and the Dutch anthem. His viewers will get it. I kept thinking that this is like comparing the historic English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, each of which has a population similar to Scotland at over 5 million. I have visited all the Benelux countries. I expected pictures of double decker trains, chips (US fries) with mayonnaise (yum) and Belgian fish and chips with the fish on a kebab stick. I am old enough to remember the old Astra satellite TV that had RTL4 we could watch in UK.
I did spent 6 months in the Netherlands from the UK. LOVED IT! I'd move there in a heartbeat if the right job comes along. It used to be much easier to do so before Brexit. By the way Dutch & Belgians make the best beers in the world imo 🍺😋. Discovered that in whilst I was in the Netherlands.
@@iammrbeat it was pretty good. One small thing you could have mentioned is how the Netherlands is the second biggest agricultural exporter in the world. I did really enjoy the mention of: not just bikes
Hey mr. Beat! ...awesome video! ...I've been to both countries and they are one of my favorites! ...how about comparing Switzerland and Austria next time?
Are Americans aware that few if any American that is an expat in The Netherlands ever wants to go back to the USA? One of the 'weird experiences' Americans report on back home is that for the first time in their lives they felt safe when walking the streets, and that goes for ANY neighbourhood, can you believe it?
I am from Germany and was in Amsterdam and Zandvoort in one weekend and it was awesome. So unreal to see people smoking weed everywhere. Anyway, it wasn't my last visit for sure and I am looking forward to further explore the Netherlands and visiting Belgium for the first time one day.
I rode a bike solo over 1,000 miles around both countries and loved every second of it (maybe because it was flat?). Loved the cities, countryside, culture, food, beer, everything.
Im Belgian, some facts are wrong or partly true. 1. The drinking age for soft alcohol is 16, hard alcohol 18 (which is the same in holland (Belgians refer all Dutch people as people from holland, not only the ones from the two provinces)). 2. Since a few years back, it isnt mandatory to vote anymore. 3. Not only brussels is metropole. Also Antwerp, which is the 2nd biggest city in Belgium. 4. Although we indeed speak Dutch, in Flanders our Dutch is called Flemish! And, its very important to us!! If someone asks if i speak Dutch, I would argue that I speak Flemish (with subtext explaining that it is the same language though) Funny facts that are a big shame you left out: 1. Antwerp is the EU capital of cocaine. 2. Antwerp is the capital of diamonds of the world! 3. BELGIANS (more accurately, people from Flanders aka the north) invented fries. Therefore, STOP SAYING FRENCH FRIES!!! Say fries or Belgian fries. 4. If you eat fries in the whole french part of belgium, dont... They suck. They dont know how to fry them well. 5. The only reason why Belgians speak less English than the Dutch is because we have a large french community that dont speak any other language than French.. (duh, nobody likes the french). However, the majority of Flemish people speak at least two languages and many 3 or 4 as for us it is mandatory to learn French and English in primary school and German in secondary depending which program you choose. Whereas Dutch people either dont speak a second language or speak english. But no 3rd or 4th language unless they choose to learn this after high school.
The Netherlands is a good country. I live in the Netherlands and i understand every thing. We got a lot of language's. Some schools get in kindergarten already english. In 7 grade we got french and in grade 8 we've got Deutsch.
I like belgium and the people. Great food, beautiful nature, old cities, like Durbuy..travel 2,5 hours and I’m on vacation!. Groot bakske patat!. Greets from you’re neighbors, Holland!.
A few comparing ideas: Norway and Sweden Vatican City and San Marino Australia and new zeland Eswatini and Lesotho Vietnam and laos Iraq and Iran Colombia and Venezuela Israel and palastine (whoa) Botswana and Zimbabwe Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands Paraguay and Uruguay Hati and Dominican Republic Sudan and South Sudan Kazakhstan and Mongolia Alegría and Libya Greece and turkey Chille and Argentina Kenya and Tanzania Japan and the Philippines Nepal and Bhutan Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and principe Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand Oman and Yemen Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan And the best one: TAIWAN AND WEST TAIWAN (sometimes know as China) And sorry if anything is poorly spelled, English is not my native language.
@@Zidan07166I was exited to Compare Germany and Poland Pope Francis’s two immediate predecessors are non Italian of Pope John Paul II of Poland and Pope Benedict XVI of Germany
Very nice video 🙂. I have a few remarks though. When you say the low countries became part of the holy roman empire, the most important part of the low countries at the time (one of the most important regions of Europe then), the county of Flanders, was part of France. After that Flanders became part of Burgundy, which trough marriage became part of the Habsburg empire. But the most important part of Flanders history (known by historic cities like Bruges and Ghent, and important painters which influenced Italians like Leonardo da Vinci) isn’t really spoken of. 😅 Also the neutrality of Belgium during the world war was questioned… Belgium just stopped being neutral when it was invaded. Being neutral does not mean you let armies pass through your country to let them invade another country.
Bicycles in Belgium... Not reeaaaally. I guess Flemish cities have pretty good cycling infrastructure (but not as good as the Netherlands), Brussels is going through a rapid improvement in that regard, Wallonia is definitely trailing behind. The changes in Brussels are starting to give us ideas, but it's still very slow going
Ok, if you're doing country/foreign provinces/cities comparisons, here's a few you could do: Hungary and either Austria or Romania Finland and Estonia Latvia and Lithuania Czechia and Slovakia Kosovo and Taiwan Bavaria and Baden Würtemberg Qatar and the UAE Singapore and Hong Kong Macau and Monaco Chile and Argentina Greece and Turkey Beijing and Shanghai Moscow and St Petersburg
13:07 both the Dutch and Belgians *also* collaborated with the Nazi’s during the war. Netherlands: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dutch_collaborators_with_Nazi_Germany Belgium: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Belgian_collaboration_during_World_War_II
Every occupied country did. On the other hand, there were also plenty of Belgians fighting for the allies, the 5th SAS for example was a mostly Belgian unit fighting under the British flag. Also lots of Belgians in the British RAF, Navy, etc.
as usual i'm going to have to make a lot of remarks, very dutch-history heavy, no mention of the flemish cities, trade and art in the renaissance period, no mention of the earlier attempts by belgians at independence like the United states of Belgium in 1789 and the attempt to restore it in 1898 ... also "not really neutral after all" is a very shitty remark to make to a country that defended itself, neutrality does not mean you can't guard your borders :p
Which is better? Belgium or the Netherlands? What two countries should I compare next?
Also, two reminders here....
1. Don't forget to check out History with Hilbert's video here: th-cam.com/video/T5FekxDNmwc/w-d-xo.html
2. If you're in the market for a new mattress, supporting Birch helps my channel. Visit birchliving.com/mrbeat to get $400 off your Birch mattress plus two free pillows!
I would like make a compared Omaha and Lincoln from Nebraska #geography #omaha #lincoln
Zambia and zimbabwe must be compared
I would like make a compared Omaha and Lincoln from Nebraska #geography #omaha #lincoln
compare france and germany :)
@@NotPeachy_100 He did Tornoto and Montreal
1:36 "While nearly everyone in the Netherlands speaks Dutch."
He was too kind to say the truth, which is: "Everyone in the Netherlands speaks Dutch, except for English and American expats." 😂
(Natuurlijk spreek ik Nederlands omdat ik een immigrant ben, geen expat)
I love your channel.
Who is this Dutch speaking Canadian that can speak Dutch? He surely doesnt know the dutch love their bikes?
When I lived there, I would try to practice my Dutch, but the second they heard my accent they would switch to English. They’re just too efficient sometimes..
Yay, you saw this! I'm a big fan of your channel, and your videos definitely influenced me to make this video. Oh, and I somehow forget to mention Belgium roads, but at least Hilbert took care of that for me. 😄
I’ve been watching since March 2020 (was still small) keep up the great work :)
Watching from Belgium, as a Belgian. Most Flemings are able to speak English, Francophones much less but I'd say more than half of the Belgians can speak English on a conversational level. We rank 6th in the world and would be 2nd I believe if it were not for the Francophones, I met exactly one Fleming who was not able to speak a moderate amount of English in my life.
Yes, I had great doubts about that claim too. Thanks for the confirmation that this is not true :)
As a Dutchie I am going to have to agree with this, all Flemish people speak English very well.
The educational level is better in Flanders. I am Walloon but I work for a Flemish company and each time I am amazed to see that even the delivery mens are relatively good in French. But that' not only that. Quite often, people who speak a language with a large audience like French or Spanish are not very good at English, all of their products are written in their language in stores, movies are in their language in theaters etc. ..
The Americans and the English for that matter are very bad at languages other than their own, and it makes sense, their language is absolutely everywhere, they should never make this effort to translate anything.
it is not "fleming" but "flemish"
@@remi1239 Fleming is Vlaming, Flemish is Vlaams.
Belgium’s a lot like the Netherlands, except Frencher. Belgium’s also a lot like France except Dutcher
It’s also Germaner than either of those countries as well
I laughed out loud at "Frencher," "Dutcher," and especially "Germaner."
I sometimes wonder if Belgium really should be considered one country. They have three areas that speak entirely different languages, at least 2 or even 3 distinct cultures, and each has their own set of political parties. To me, it honestly feels like a union of 2-3 microstates under one crown (though even less united than Britain, since at least the British technically share a language, even if Wales has its own as well). Belgium truly is one of the most bizarre countries on earth.
@@thunderbird1921
It’s been a “marriage of convenience” country for quite some time
All of Belgium’s Flemish, Walloon, and German people quarrel but are happier together than they would be as part of the Netherlands, France, or Germany
It's still more catholic, culturally. That's a big difference in look at life that runs through everything. From architecture to food to degree of organization and the way people behave.
@@thunderbird1921 you're a bit wrong though. We do speak 3 distinct languages, but we most definitely do not have distinct cultures. For centuries flanders and Wallonia, and the Netherlands and even Luxemburg were a loose coalition of city states that traded together, and were part of the same or different kingdoms through mostly feudal systems of vassalage, marriage, religious links and such. For example the Flemish city of Mechelen was part of the principality of Liège in most of the Burgundian and Austrian/Hapsburg times even though now Mechelen is considered very much Flemish and Liège very much walloon. And there were plenty of these complex feudal relationships between the different provinces of the low countries for centuries.
And even now today, our ''cultures'' do not differ that much at all. In fact ask most Frenchmen and they'll say Walloons are more Belgian than french, and ask a dutch man and most will say Flemish are more Belgian than Dutch. "Simple" things like Flemish enjoy a much more "Burgundian lifestyle" than the dutch, just like the Walloons do, and Walloons enjoy more of a beer culture than the French wine culture, just like the Flemish (just to name some somewhat stereotypical, but true examples). We have much more in common than that divides us, even though a lot of Belgians seem to have forgotten that in the last few decades. Which is probably why we've stuck together in a complex federal political union, instead of separating and becoming Independent states, or even re-annexing with either the Netherlands or France.
Flanders and Wallonia have been together through the centuries, and even now have much more in common with each other than with our respective neighbours France and the Netherlands except the language. And even there both the Flemish and walloon have their own distinct dialects of both Dutch and French.
"Left-leaning" only from a very American point of view. The Netherlands have not had a truly left-wing government since the 70s.
Yeah, the current leading party (liberals) which is right by our standards is (right-winged)but is considered centrist, with a touch of right stuff in the US
Good point
1. most of his audience (and himself) is American so I understand why he would see it from that view
2. the government of a country does not always accurately reflect the country in general as democracy is more than just who you agree with the most
3. it probably would be worth mentioning what pov he is saying subjective opinions from, so i agree with you on that
Yeah, it's kinda funny how that works. I'm a Dutch right wing voter, but if i for example move to the US that might all change. Probably because i'm used to the more social healthcare system that we have around here. Which right wing Republicans in the US don't seem to be a big fan of.
I think that's one of the biggest misunderstandings about the Netherlands. It's not really a left-leaning country. It's one of the few countries in the world that practices a grown-up version of libertarianism. (The American version of libertarianism is infantile, by the way, and doesn't compare.)
What I like about my country, as a Belgian:
- Amazing food (moules frites, beef stew, waffles, chocolate, beer, etc.)
- some really charming cities like Ghent, Bruges and Dinant
- a very rich history and culture
- an open and free society
- a very good social security system
What I dislike about my country:
- a complete lack of patriotism. There is some Flemish nationalism in the north, but it's mostly based on animosity towards strangers and French-speaking Belgians, not really on love for the country. National monuments are hardly maintained and national heroes are all but forgotten. Nobody even knows the founding fathers of our country.
- urban planning is a disaster. Due to linear settlement there is almost no countryside left in Flanders. Walloon cities are mostly depressing and unkempt. Since having an apartment at the coast is a status symbol, almost the entire little coastline we have is crammed with apartment blocks making it one of the ugliest places in Western Europe.
- our overly complicated state structure
The Netherlands is the same when it comes to the complete lack of patriotism unfortunately, everytime you hear the same "ach we zijn zo'n klein, onbelangrijk kikkerlandje" and otherwise they are just really annoying about it (hurr durr GEKOLONISEERD) and a lot of the immigrants here also talk very lowly of us which influences the locals.
Oostend is ugly in your opinion? I always thought the beachfront promenade looked quite nice
Also I’m guessing most Belgian patriotism appears during the World Cup haha
@@coyotelong4349 I like the promenade but unfortunately it's one of the only things that remains from the time when Ostend was internationally reknown as "la reine des plages". Have you seen pictures of what Ostend used to look like in the early 20th century? The Royal Palace Hotel, the former casino, Hippodrome Wellington, etc. Most of these buildings were destroyed during the war, but still the ugly architecture that replaced it saddens me.
@@coyotelong4349 The only really different looking seaside resort though is De Haan, because of local building restrictions.
I still have nightmares about Zeebrugge.
A pleasure working together with you on this one Mr Beat - let's link up and do another again soon - maybe over some Belgian waffles or Dutch pancakes eh ;)
I propose Limburgish nonnevotten.
I was gonna say, I'll be in Europe hopefully next year. Sounds good to me!
Guten Tag
@@iammrbeat 😳😳 sussy baka
Lay off the carbs you two.
As to anyone interested why carrots are orange: In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange - who led the the struggle for Dutch independence - and the color stuck. A thousand years of yellow, white and purple carrot history was wiped out in a generation.
So basically, the Dutch are still conquering every corner of the world with their orange carrots.
Well put and thanks!
ah, learned something today, cool
The netherlands is my favorite country by far.
Wrong,
Wild carrots started off as either white or pale yellow, but changed to purple and yellow when people first domesticated the vegetable almost 5,000 years ago in the Persian Plateau area, according to a 2011 report that Stolarczyk co-authored. These domesticated carrots were later split into two main classes: the Asiatic group, which was cultivated around the Himalayas, and the Western group, which grew largely in the Middle East and Turkey. Yellow carrots in the Western group probably mutated into more orange hues, which farmers then selectively planted.
First video that actualy shows how deeply routed the benelux region is in european history
Well glad to hear it!
I am from Belgium (Flanders). I think most people here can speak english really well. It's the older generation that has a little mre difficulties with English but I think I can say that all young adults can speak English or at least understand it even better than they can speak French or German
Speaking english isnt impressive is a very easy language to learn gramatically And dutch people seem to prefer english than their own native language how sad
@@francoisdaureville323 And yet your grammar is horrendous. If you're going to talk trash, make sure you don't make a fool of yourself in the process.
@@jazzcatjohn who cares??? The language is still easy and most of its vocabulary is just french words inserted in it as a french person i literaly see french everywhere in it
@@francoisdaureville323 What does that have to do with anything? Language isn't a competition.
Thanks for the great video. I actually studied in Ghent, Belgium. One of the nicest and most historic cities in Europe!
That's awesome, and thanks 😊
ENJOY ! That city is one of the greatest in Belgium ! But do not forget to visit other belgian cities, you will learn so much about European history !
Great video, just earned yourself a subscription from the Netherlands. Hearing an American talk about our two countries makes me realize how much we have in common. So all the love to our southern neighbours from Holland.
Now I am going to watch Hilbert's video, because after all this "feel-good emotion" I want to know why those southern traitors decided to leave our glorious union ;)
This an honor. Thank you so much! And yeah I try to keep it positive here. Now Hilbert, on the other hand, immediately calls Belgium a speed bump in his video. 😄
We left becausse of the cheese. To much is to much.
@@iammrbeat still looking for anyone who asked
We were sick of the blinding orange everywhere, that is why. Oh, and being treated as second class citizens did not help your case, that too.
I mean it makes sense, we used to be the same country after all.
When you grow up in an actual bilingual environment, learning a third language gets way easier than when you grow up only speaking one. Especially learning english when you speak both a Germanic and Roman Language already (Dutch and French)
English is a Germanic language btw
Every time you make a video, it’s the highlight of my day!
Hello Mr. President! James K. Polk is my 7th favorite president!
@@abrahamlincoln937 That’s great! Lincoln is my third favorite president
@@thelegoyoda6065 Which presidents do you think were better than Lincoln?
@@abrahamlincoln937 Washington and FDR
@@thelegoyoda6065 Lincoln is my favorite president. Washington is my 2nd favorite president. FDR is my 3rd favorite president.
I love the story of my grandparents walking into a coffee shop in Amsterdam and fairly quickly being directed to the right kind. My grandmother remarked they were very nice people
I believe it!
Me having gone to both countries, personally these are the 2 best countries i’ve visited. The people are so nice, the food is great. Everything you could want.
"The food is great" should refer to Belgium only. The food in the Netherlands is rather uninspired, the result of hundreds of years of Dutch Calvinism, a religion which considers enjoying yourself - including eating - a sin.
@@flitsertheo It's not like this is still the life style of most Dutch people. But I have to agree that the food is not that special
@@flitsertheo You clearly never visited a Dutch snackbar.
@@hunchbackaudio Fastfood is the same everywhere, usually unhealthy.
@@flitsertheo In the Dutch snackbar is much more variety in food and snacks, so I’m not sure where the “uninspired “ comes from. If you want to eat healthy start cooking at home.
I would love to see you compare education systems in different countries. It would be cool to know what other kids around the world learned and compare it to what I learned at that grade.
I have had this planned for a while actually. You've just inspired me to prioritize it. :)
@@iammrbeat thanks Mr. Beat!
@@iammrbeat can't wait for such a video!
thats a pretty complex issue considering belgium has 3 different standards of education, every language group government is authorized to make decisions about education for their language group so thats different standards for flanders, wallonia and the small german speaking part of wallonia with both french and flemish in brussels
Fun fact regarding that topic. You might want to keep an eye out on the Netherlands😁
Thanks for comparing our nations! Even though we kinda laugh at eachother's accents and culture, we wouldn't wanna do it with anybody else. The Netherlands and Belgium have been great friends and I hope it will stay that way for many more centuries to come.
Groetjes van België!
Greetings from Belgium!
Precies!
Groetjes van Nederland.
Juist gesproken Maxime , zo is het maar net gr.
That’s what you say, Nederland on top🔛🔝🗣️🗣️🗣️ /j we love yall too
As a Dutch national living in Spain I have always considered Belgium a fantastic neighbour country.
As a Greek, I admire the friendship you both have.
"A Dutch national living in Spain"
That's very Habsburg of you
Average L spaniard traitor opinion /j
Belgium actualy did a lot in WW1. It were belgian troops that flooded the iron river and then dug the first trenched, this all to keep the germans on the belgian side of the river for long enouf to give the french army a chance to mobelise, whitch worked
They certainly did!
I would love to see something different in the compare series, first thing that comes to mind could be rivers such as the rhine vs danube or Mississippi vs st Laurence
🤯 YAS
I agree. How about comparing the rivers Yangtze and Ganges? Or the Nile and the Amazon?
AVIAN! Omg this is small world stuff!
@@buddy_mc137 woah! yeah that’s odd
I second the Rhine and Danube comparisons
Fun fact : During its territorial expansion during the first Republic and the first Empire, France had departments in Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy and had direct borders with Denmark and the Ottoman Empire
But do not forget that the French were even defeated by a Swiss army ! Not something I would be proud of !
As a Belgian citizen that worked for a Dutch company and spent a fair share of my time in the Netherlands I can say we have more in common than that which separates us.
That said: Footbal and Beer (note the capital on both ;) ) are grounds for almost war-like discussions. That and the usage of peanut sauce on fries (seriously ;) )
Dutch people can be weird sometimes, but belgian ones too so...
Patatje oorlog, of is het een Frietje ? :P
Very fun to see my own country coming up in this series! I am a big fan off this channel from the Netherlands. Thank you for making this😃
Yay, represent! Hopefully I didn't disappoint. 🙂
De Witte is one of the most dutch names ive ever heard
@@avian972 Haha yes that's true
The highest wealth inequality thing has recently been disproved by a lot of economists, the one video they say this in has been debunked several times by now...
source ?
@@niccolorichter1488 th-cam.com/video/tW_kw6OPXc0/w-d-xo.html
i don’t know if it’s the highest. But it is still quite big.
My dads side is from the Netherlands. I live in Iowa, and there’s a big Dutch community near me that does tulip times every year.
You are talking about Pella, right? One of my Patreon supporters lives there.
@@iammrbeat I am 😊
I heared of that!
Cool. I'm an American who lived in Belgium for 3 yrs, in Northern Wallonia, and I learned French there (I had to). And I lived close to Flanders, and I never met a Flemish person who was not a fluent English speaker, and the same is true in the NL, and all throughout Scandinavia.
How dare you forgot to tell about the in Belgium invented "French-" Fries 😂
Obviously because most Americans know France and not Belgium !
@@guyvandurme7228 Also, fries are from Friesland, which is in The Netherlands 😉
@@ericdane7769 1 jaar te laat ma nee maat tis van België
Thank you for the interesting lesson. Could you compare Sweden and Finland? 😄
How about Sweden and Norway instead?
That would be fun
@@iammrbeat I am from Finland, so I prefer Finland🤩
@@katriinasorsa527 But do you like Norway too?
@@whyamihere832 Of course. Norway is fine too.
Weird isn't it, almost half of us Belgians speak both dutch and french and almost half of us speak english as well... Surprisingly(or not) it are the people that know both dutch and french who also speak english (Flanders region). This has a lot to do with the education system. In Flanders dutch french are mandatory and most schools also teach english and german. In Wallonia they learn french... and that's it.
Great ideas for comparison:
-Arkansas and Missouri
-Beijing and Shanghai
- Portland Oregon and Portland Maine
- Vegas and Atlantic City(casinos)
- Scotland and Wales
Great suggestions! Beijing and Shanghai is coming in December. :)
You better talk about how the roads in my homestate in Missouri are way better kept than Arkansas. I live right on the border and my tires hate me when we're going into Arkansas
Vegas and Macau, that would be fun
As a recent Dutch subscriber, I am thrilled to see you talk about my country!
This is amazing. Hope I didn't disappoint!
@@iammrbeat You didn't, it was a great video!
"Between France and Germany" is the most perfect description of the low countries.
How? We are better than both those countries.
I came across this video by chance. Man, your TH-cam work is AWESOME!
Thanks for more Comparisons Mr. Beat! If you're running out of ideas, here's some more idea suggestions for more Comparison Videos in the Future! 😁:
*Luxembourg* 🇱🇺 & *Liechtenstein* 🇱🇮
*France* 🇫🇷 & *Italy* 🇮🇹
*China* 🇨🇳 & *Japan* 🇯🇵
*Brazil* 🇧🇷 & *Argentina* 🇦🇷
*Mexico* 🇲🇽 & *Guatemala* 🇬🇹
*Poland* 🇵🇱 & *Lithuania* 🇱🇹
*Colombia* 🇨🇴 & *Venezuela* 🇻🇪
*Kazakhstan* 🇰🇿 & *Mongolia* 🇲🇳
&
*Australia* 🇦🇺 & *New* *Zealand* 🇳🇿
What a list! Australia and New Zealand is coming in January btw!
@@iammrbeat Nice! Can't wait for that! 👍
@@iammrbeat Pakistan and India would be an interesting topic too 👍🏽
Mr. Beat you did not mention Vincent van Gogh. He was one of the most famous artists who was born in the Netherlands on March 30th, 1853. He traveled to Belgium to study at the Antwerp Academy for learning how to paint. He often clashed with his teacher Eugene Siberdt and quickly got in trouble. One time when Van Gogh was required to draw the Venus de Milo during a drawing class, he produced the limbless, naked torso of a Flemish peasant woman. Siberdt regarded this as defiance against his artistic guidance and made corrections to Van Gogh's drawing with his crayon so vigorously that he tore the paper. Van Gogh then flew into a violent rage and shouted at Siberdt: 'You clearly do not know what a young woman is like, God damn it! A woman must have hips, buttocks, a pelvis in which she can carry a baby! Some sources say this was the last time he attended the Antwerp Academy, and he was kicked out after the temper outburst along with 16 other students and then he fled to Paris to be with his brother Theo that same year.
I feel like Luxembourg should have been included for a 3 way comparison
we (belgium) have really nothing similar to luxembourg (except our provence :p ) you should compare luxembourg to germany
@@obsidian501 it’s so true
@@obsidian501 TRUE !
Hello Mr. Beat! I get excited when you release a new video on Friday!
Yay, always glad to see President Lincoln here in the comment section. :)
@@iammrbeat Thank you very much, Mr. Beat!
Hey Mr. Beat! just wanted to let u know i love ur vids!
Thank you!
As a Dutchman, I was expecting a comment section full of Flemish and Dutch making jokes about each other, instead all the comments seem to be rather nice and informed.
What's wrong with you people?!
Hey, it's nice to see we belgians aren't forgotten. Thanks for the video !
Thanks for watching!
Hey mr beat great video greetings from Belgium
Hello there!
You should do a 3 way comparison for
1. Poland, Slovakia and Czechia
2. Norway, Sweden and Denmark
3. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
4. El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras
@Quelqu'un I was just thinking because the classic Scandinavian trio is Norway Sweden and Denmark where Finland is more or less just considered Nordic and not Scandinavian because of linguistic and historical differences
Can you do Guatemala with Costa Rica and Panama but for me I prefer El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras with Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama than El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
@@Alexander-987Finland is common with the Baltics than the Scandinavians
The two countries discuss in this video with Luxembourg
The lower level of English in Belgium is due to Wallonia.
Wallonia brings a lot of our statistics down 😶
I can believe that
Why am i not supprised
Uh oh, Tibo is talking trash! 😏
@@iammrbeat Bot teese ise howe frensche speeking belgians speeke inglish
Possibly it moves some figures of happiness further up being more outgoing people.
Small thing but at 18:50, i assume you meant “wealth equality” instead of “inequality”?
One of the biggest differences between both countries is urban planning. The Netherlands is probably the best planned-out country in the world with dense towns and cities and lots of spare farmland. Meanwhile, Belgium did not have any formal urban planning until relatively recently and, it used to highly encourage people to build their own houses on big lots in the countryside because of politics. Belgium is now the most suburban country in continental Europe.
Currently living in one of the very few Justish kingdoms in England. Kent. However we always get glossed over. Dam angles and saxons. Hogging the lime light.
Great video as always. Hilbert is always good too!
Well shoot I'm not surprised you already knew about Hilbert then!
Stop saying stupid things about the soncalled great invasion of the Anglo saxons. Read History Books.
Correction;
Rotterdam (where i'm from) and Den Haag do not have more than a million people. Alltough our super small country has 18 million, only Amsterdam house more than one million.
I Live in Belgium, and in the Dutch part, most people speak English. Same as in the Netherlands. Most of us also speak German quite well.
Not true. “Most” of us don’t speak German😂… We are able to communicate to some extend with Germans if we speak Dutch, but most of us don’t speak it “quite well”.
Wij praten geen Duits…
It's been so long since these videos, I love them, totally forgot about your channel
Welcome back! And more Compared videos to come in the coming months. :D
Its true that the both countries have much in common but the netherlands is way more advanced. For example the infrastructure. I have lived in both countries and i can tell that people from the netherlands are more social aswell.
I wouldn't call the Netherlands "way more advanced". I lived in both countries aswel and yes, NL have better roads but behind the scenes a lot of things are better regulated in Belgium (healthcare, no waiting lists, housing, daycare, etc...) And don't forget a more gastronomical culture and more wild nature (Ardennes) :) Both countries have different strong points.
Yet if you don't like to live too urban and prefer some green and build a beautiful house, then the Dutch living in their flats, woonwijken or boring places with every house being the same, then Flanders trumps. Of course not everywhere in the Netherlands, but most parts are way more urban and have more 'stadsvolk' while in Flanders there are way more municipalities where you can live quietly close to the fields and forests while still being a 10 min walk away from the center where the church and stores and all are.
The Dutch know how to get stuff done. The Belgians are horrible at maintenance.
Honestly, i think there are few countries that have closer ties than we do. In all aspects of life. We make fun of eachother and may "fight" like siblings, but we will always have eachothers back if an outsider picks on any one of us. I can accept being mocked by the dutch from time to time, coz thats family , it's all good fun, but any one else doing it will have a very bad day 😂. I think the swedes and danes have a similar vibe going on if i'm not mistaken. ✌️❤️🇧🇪🇳🇱
As a Belgian fuck the Dutch.
I have lived in Netherlands for 2 years and now I live in Belgium for 11yrs but if I compare these two countries I love Belgium more, I will never go back to Holland, the country is too expensive to live in, I'm happier in Belgium.
I love Mr Beat’s videos so much I went and watched the partner video and came back 😭 Great work per usual! You’re making a more informed world, one video at a time!
I appreciate that!
Here before Not Just Bikes complains about how bad the roads in Belgium are
Well they should compare them to the roads here in Kansas.
Surprisingly he commented and kept it nice. :)
We have to blame the Dutch tourists for that. Each summer hordes of them pass through Belgium on their way to the South, their cars and caravans (over)loaded with the full contents of a Dutch supermarket. They cause more damage to the road surface than a company of Leopard tanks.
@@flitsertheo actually, its because Belgium has a huge road network and low fuel taxes, in the netherlands fuel is really expensive, and even tho millions of germans pass through, the roads still arent shit
My wife and I visited Netherlands and Belgium in 2019. Our reasons for the trip was basically twofold. First, we both enjoy travel and those countries have been on our list for awhile, partially due to my ancestors immigrating to the US from there. Notice my last name? The other reason was a scouting trip to see if we would like to live there when I retire in about three years. Great countries! I am currently researching our options for moving there as I really do want to move out of the USA when I retire and either Netherlands or Belgium would be great though I am leaning towards Netherlands the most. Covid has delayed follow-up trips but hopefully next year, we will be there again.
You also have a very Belgian sounding first name, I wouldn't be surprised if there are quite some people in Belgium that have the exact same name as you. That being said, may I ask why you're leaning towards the Netherlands? As you're American, the dutch are generally very similar to Americans in that they're loud (in a Belgian restaurant you will hear the two Dutch guys talking over the rest of the entire restaurant), very opinionated and feel the need to tell you what you should do. Belgians are completely the opposite in that regard. Maybe also interesting, in Belgium people live more like the "Burgundian" lifestyle where great food and drinks are an important part of their lives. Health care is probably one of the best in the world here and housing is cheaper than the Netherlands. Roads are better in the Netherlands however(but keep in mind that the dutch pay more taxes on their cars)
@@vincenzooccidentale7979 Hi. Thanks for asking. There are three main reasons that we are likely to choose the Netherlands over Belgium although we love both countries. One is that the percentage of the population that speaks English in the Netherlands (90%) is higher than in Belgium (60%). Even though we will likely learn to speak Dutch, the higher percentage of English speakers will definitely make things easier. The second reason and a very big one is the DAFT visa in the Netherlands. This will allow me to very easily start a freelance style small business and establish residency. The third reason is that my wife's US employer has an office in Weert and even though I will be retiring from my current employer before moving over there, she might continue working for a few more years as she is several years younger than me. It is very likely however that we will spend a lot of time in Belgium as well.
@@davidvandenbroeck5068 Regarding the first reason, I can tell you that the only reason is that Walloonia significantly pulls down this number. In Flanders, basically everyone speaks English (fyi Flemish students score the highest in English proficiency in Europe together with Swedish students). I have no idea about the second one, might be different in Belgium indeed. And I can see why the third reason might be a pivotal factor for your choice. Either way enjoy your stay and when in Belgium, we will welcome you with open arms
@@vincenzooccidentale7979 Damn right Dutch are very oppiniated and feel the need to tell you what you should do. The Dutch will be straight up to you in your face and most Belgians talk about others behind their back. I know what I rather would deal with.
@@devild4907 only partially true. When matters are important Belgians will also tell it to your face - they will just formulate it friendlier than the Dutch (the dutch will say "my idea is right and your idea is wrong" while Belgians will say "maybe we should consider both ideas"). When matters are not so important, Belgians might say it "behind ones back" when they for example don't like the dress you're wearing but don't want to hurt your feelings - the dutch have no issues with this. And if you prefer one over the other, that's your opinion of course.
I lived in Belgium (with my immediate family) for a couple of years, and my folks lived in Den Haag for a couple of years... and we'd all happily go back to either place. :-)
19:23 add vehicle manufacturing to this, DAF/GINAF, VDL/NEDCAR are dutch and VDL loans factories to BMW(MINI) and there are loads of vehicle parts factories.
Hey Mr Beat! Your Channel is awesome! The videos I love the most is your Comparing Videos! I really like you a lot! ❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks so much, and I hope to make many more in 2022!
The biggest difference between The Netherlands and Belgium is imo the culture. Belgium is a Catholic country and the Netherlands are Protestant. This translates in everything...from interpersonal relations to governance.
All Belgians are Catholic they speak different languages Dutch, French and All Dutch are speak Dutch their religions are Protestant and Catholic
Wait, only half of belgians speak english? Wow, that's even less than I expected... Greetings from the Netherlands!
They have walonia😂
Completely irrealistic, way more people speak basic English than that in Belgium
@@felixvergro to which degree? The hello my name is level or being able to hold a more than very simple conversation? Don't forget that noy everyone is your age
Apparently that statistic might be a little outdated now?
@@Arcaviiouse I’m 19, and Belgian, trust me when I tell you more than 60% of people will be able to tell you the way or whatever
I admire all the other channel shoutouts. Been a long-time fan of you, Mr. Beat!
As a Walloon, I don't understand why our education system is so flawed. I had immersion classes in English ever since I started school, but Dutch was only available to me in highschool, which I find odd.
the issue is that you need to choose between dutch and english in school. (I choose english first and only got a bit of dutch for 3 years, not enough to speak with anybody at all)
In my time, it was 80% choosing dutch and 20% english but it reversed a lot since then
I've been to Belgium, but not the Netherlands. It was the only time I had mussels for Thanksgiving dinner (the only turkey I found was a soup tureen in the museum attached to the royal palace)! Unfortunately, the 10 days I was there were cold, overcast and snowy, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the country's beauty and sites. I really enjoy these comparison videos.
2:30 this is not true at all, in Belgium almost everyone learns English in school. Only a few schools in Walonia teach Dutch instead of English
Well I live in belgium near antwerp for about 4 years now, and I know a lot of people between the ages of 22/30 that did not get english in school, it shocked me. So it is true. I'm from the Netherlands btw.
@@kevin4422 so what? English is a dumb language, i rather speak our native languages
Thanks a lot Mr Beat ! Love the Channel and your sense of humour. Love from Brasil !
Well thank YOU Bruno
I would've preferred comparing the Netherlands to Denmark and Belgium to itself (Flanders to Walloonia), I still liked the video lots. As for next time: Finland & Estonia, or Russia & Ukraine or Belarus
Great suggestions. I could have also compared Belgium to Luxembourg
@@iammrbeat also, I'm from the Netherlands and I have some Flemish relatives, so it was nice to have my ancestry featured in one video too 😊
A Dutchman, an Englishman and a Belgian are standing on the roof of a burning flat. The Dutchman takes an umbrella and jumps down, now there is only one umbrella left. The Englishman also grabs an umbrella and jumps down. The Dutchman encounters the Englishman with a few scratches and says: “Shall we go and see the Belgian in the hospital?” They find the Belgian in intensive care completely wrinkled. The Englishman asks “How did you get down?”
To which the Belgian replies “I ran out of umbrellas, so I put on my rain suit!”
Only Belgians don't understand this.
I am from Germany and I drove through the Netherlands and Belgium in order to get to England and what I saw was really nice, especially the flat countryside.
Was it really a "speed bump" in Belgium? 😆
@@iammrbeat haha there were two gas stations between the German and French border so its really not that hard to get through
@@iammrbeat No not really, I was 2 years ago with my mom in Belgium, and the only thing I noticed it that Belgians are crazy drivers, a lot worse than Greeks, but the roads were honestly good in Flanders. They were working on the highway and signs that the speed limit was 50km and they passed us at 130km. And in Brussels the signs were also just street decoration.
Loved the video! I’ve lived in Belgium before and it is a wonderful country! Same for the Netherlands. Both have very interesting history and culture. Maybe in the future I’d like to come back and live in either of them!
Happy thanksgiving 🦃🍁 Mr Beat😀🇺🇸
Same to you!
21:06 It is also 18 in Belgium for hard Liquor, beer and wine are still 16. (or that is what I have been told about 20 years ago when working summers for a retailer, and what the bar owners I know tell me)
I think it's 16 only for beers.
@@Simonbe09 Beer and wine, hard liquor at 18
Most Belgians know English very well, just not as perfectly fluent as the Dutch.
Most Belgians I know speak at least 4 languages. Dutch people speak English with a heavy accent and can't speak understandable French.
@@justaguyonabike2055 French speaking Belgians just speak French. Most Dutch don’t bother to much with speaking a third language. Who needs French?
WRONG. And NO Belgian speaks German. Gfkys
18:50 slight correction, this is in fact not true and has been disproven. This mistake is the result of a faulty research by economics explained. The channel Money and Macro had a video which highlighted why this is just plain wrong.
Living here just prives to me that its wrong.
Hello Mr. Beat. Watching this thanks to Hilbert. Enjoyed it, but kept expecting him to come up with a historical picture of the Dutch flag and the Dutch anthem. His viewers will get it.
I kept thinking that this is like comparing the historic English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, each of which has a population similar to Scotland at over 5 million.
I have visited all the Benelux countries. I expected pictures of double decker trains, chips (US fries) with mayonnaise (yum) and Belgian fish and chips with the fish on a kebab stick. I am old enough to remember the old Astra satellite TV that had RTL4 we could watch in UK.
Thanks for coming by. I can't wait to visit myself.
I did spent 6 months in the Netherlands from the UK. LOVED IT! I'd move there in a heartbeat if the right job comes along. It used to be much easier to do so before Brexit. By the way Dutch & Belgians make the best beers in the world imo 🍺😋. Discovered that in whilst I was in the Netherlands.
Could you do Australia versus New Zealand next? That would be cool :)
Coming in January!
Yes please G'day from Adelaide Australia
Flying out to visit both in 2 weeks! Couldn't have asked for a better time for this video to come out :)
Woahness! Have a wonderful time!
When you are in Netherlands, check out Giethoorn
woooooo. as a dutch person i'm exited for this video. (i havent watched it yet)
I hope you approve of it. Sorry in advance for any mispronuciations!
@@iammrbeat it was pretty good. One small thing you could have mentioned is how the Netherlands is the second biggest agricultural exporter in the world. I did really enjoy the mention of: not just bikes
Hahaha, love your videos! They teach me a lot of stuff I usually find boring. You have new fan sir!
Hey mr. Beat! ...awesome video! ...I've been to both countries and they are one of my favorites! ...how about comparing Switzerland and Austria next time?
I'm not sure what I'm going to do about Switzerland yet. I plan on comparing Austria with Hungary.
@@iammrbeat ...well...it's a possibility...maybe there's no other country Hungary is so comparable anyways... :)
@@euskadirlzPoland and Hungary
Great video!
Thank you!
I’m American too, but it’d be cool to see some more European countries compared, it’s a subject I’ve found interesting
Well more to come in 2022!
Come to Belgium ! But I must warn you : you might never want to go back !
Are Americans aware that few if any American that is an expat in The Netherlands ever wants to go back to the USA? One of the 'weird experiences' Americans report on back home is that for the first time in their lives they felt safe when walking the streets, and that goes for ANY neighbourhood, can you believe it?
I am from Germany and was in Amsterdam and Zandvoort in one weekend and it was awesome. So unreal to see people smoking weed everywhere. Anyway, it wasn't my last visit for sure and I am looking forward to further explore the Netherlands and visiting Belgium for the first time one day.
I rode a bike solo over 1,000 miles around both countries and loved every second of it (maybe because it was flat?). Loved the cities, countryside, culture, food, beer, everything.
"because if was flat". Obviously you've not visited the Ardennes, in eastern/southern Belgium.
@@jfrancobelge So what?
Amazing analysis. I hope to see more comparisons between european countries.
More definitely to come!
Im Belgian, some facts are wrong or partly true.
1. The drinking age for soft alcohol is 16, hard alcohol 18 (which is the same in holland (Belgians refer all Dutch people as people from holland, not only the ones from the two provinces)).
2. Since a few years back, it isnt mandatory to vote anymore.
3. Not only brussels is metropole. Also Antwerp, which is the 2nd biggest city in Belgium.
4. Although we indeed speak Dutch, in Flanders our Dutch is called Flemish! And, its very important to us!! If someone asks if i speak Dutch, I would argue that I speak Flemish (with subtext explaining that it is the same language though)
Funny facts that are a big shame you left out:
1. Antwerp is the EU capital of cocaine.
2. Antwerp is the capital of diamonds of the world!
3. BELGIANS (more accurately, people from Flanders aka the north) invented fries. Therefore, STOP SAYING FRENCH FRIES!!! Say fries or Belgian fries.
4. If you eat fries in the whole french part of belgium, dont... They suck. They dont know how to fry them well.
5. The only reason why Belgians speak less English than the Dutch is because we have a large french community that dont speak any other language than French.. (duh, nobody likes the french). However, the majority of Flemish people speak at least two languages and many 3 or 4 as for us it is mandatory to learn French and English in primary school and German in secondary depending which program you choose. Whereas Dutch people either dont speak a second language or speak english. But no 3rd or 4th language unless they choose to learn this after high school.
I have no connection to the Netherlands or Belgium but I'm learning dutch because it being somewhat similar to English.
Come in Belgium, you will see how welcoming we are !
The Netherlands is a good country. I live in the Netherlands and i understand every thing. We got a lot of language's. Some schools get in kindergarten already english. In 7 grade we got french and in grade 8 we've got Deutsch.
I like belgium and the people. Great food, beautiful nature, old cities, like Durbuy..travel 2,5 hours and I’m on vacation!. Groot bakske patat!. Greets from you’re neighbors, Holland!.
Groot bakske patat, nice way to hybridise (is that a word) Hollandic and Belgian speech
Welke natuur hier
Patat would be a word used in the netherlands. While in (Flemish) belgium we would use the word "Friet"
@@ikporu actually friet is also said in the southern parts of the Netherlands!
I live just on the convergence zone between friet and patat lmao
A few comparing ideas:
Norway and Sweden
Vatican City and San Marino
Australia and new zeland
Eswatini and Lesotho
Vietnam and laos
Iraq and Iran
Colombia and Venezuela
Israel and palastine (whoa)
Botswana and Zimbabwe
Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands
Paraguay and Uruguay
Hati and Dominican Republic
Sudan and South Sudan
Kazakhstan and Mongolia
Alegría and Libya
Greece and turkey
Chille and Argentina
Kenya and Tanzania
Japan and the Philippines
Nepal and Bhutan
Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and principe
Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand
Oman and Yemen
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
And the best one: TAIWAN AND WEST TAIWAN (sometimes know as China)
And sorry if anything is poorly spelled, English is not my native language.
Romania and Moldova
Spain and france
Ukraine, Belarus and Russia
France and Germany
Germany and Poland
The baltics
@@Zidan07166 good ones, except I would say Romain and Bulgaria instead just because they are a bit more comparable
@@Shane_Green
I was going to do more. But thanks
@@Zidan07166I was exited to Compare Germany and Poland Pope Francis’s two immediate predecessors are non Italian of Pope John Paul II of Poland and Pope Benedict XVI of Germany
@@vernicejillmagsino9603
Cool
Very nice video 🙂. I have a few remarks though. When you say the low countries became part of the holy roman empire, the most important part of the low countries at the time (one of the most important regions of Europe then), the county of Flanders, was part of France. After that Flanders became part of Burgundy, which trough marriage became part of the Habsburg empire. But the most important part of Flanders history (known by historic cities like Bruges and Ghent, and important painters which influenced Italians like Leonardo da Vinci) isn’t really spoken of. 😅 Also the neutrality of Belgium during the world war was questioned… Belgium just stopped being neutral when it was invaded. Being neutral does not mean you let armies pass through your country to let them invade another country.
Bicycles in Belgium... Not reeaaaally. I guess Flemish cities have pretty good cycling infrastructure (but not as good as the Netherlands), Brussels is going through a rapid improvement in that regard, Wallonia is definitely trailing behind. The changes in Brussels are starting to give us ideas, but it's still very slow going
Ok, if you're doing country/foreign provinces/cities comparisons, here's a few you could do:
Hungary and either Austria or Romania
Finland and Estonia
Latvia and Lithuania
Czechia and Slovakia
Kosovo and Taiwan
Bavaria and Baden Würtemberg
Qatar and the UAE
Singapore and Hong Kong
Macau and Monaco
Chile and Argentina
Greece and Turkey
Beijing and Shanghai
Moscow and St Petersburg
My Friend Would Probably Like To See That
Finland and Estonia
@@nathanminor6383 Finland Is (Possibly) The Most Happy Country On Earth
Nice list there. I appreciate the suggestions!
13:07 both the Dutch and Belgians *also* collaborated with the Nazi’s during the war. Netherlands: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dutch_collaborators_with_Nazi_Germany
Belgium: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Belgian_collaboration_during_World_War_II
Every occupied country did. On the other hand, there were also plenty of Belgians fighting for the allies, the 5th SAS for example was a mostly Belgian unit fighting under the British flag. Also lots of Belgians in the British RAF, Navy, etc.
Could you do a video on Ontario and Quebec for another Canada video?
Heck yeah!
Ah finally. I've been waiting for this video for a long time. I'm happy my country (the Netherlands) now has a comparison video on this channel.
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@iammrbeat Absolutely!
as usual i'm going to have to make a lot of remarks, very dutch-history heavy, no mention of the flemish cities, trade and art in the renaissance period, no mention of the earlier attempts by belgians at independence like the United states of Belgium in 1789 and the attempt to restore it in 1898 ... also "not really neutral after all" is a very shitty remark to make to a country that defended itself, neutrality does not mean you can't guard your borders :p
As someone travelling to both frequently I enjoy both of them.
I can't wait to visit