The Netherlands

The City of Groningen is the location of the ISCOMS. This city is lies in the northern part of the Netherlands, also known as Holland. The city is proudly known to be a "student city" and is therefore a perfect location for a student congress.

Groningen

The city of Groningen will be the setting of the ISCOMS. With 180,000 inhabitants it is the economic and cultural capital of the northern Netherlands. The city boasts with a large academic hospital, the UMCG, University Medical Center of Groningen, where the ISCOMS will take place. It also has several theatres and museums, many art galleries, bookshops and an excellent range of markets, shops and restaurants with range of foods from all over the world. Groningen is a culturally diverse city that has hosted many musical and theatrical events.
Groningen is also industrially successful; it has the largest natural gas field in Western Europe and one of the largest worldwide. It has the world's largest sugar factory and one of the Netherlands' largest shipbuilding centre.

Moreover Groningen is also renowned for being the most bicycle-friendly city in the Netherlands. The suburbs are connected to the city by special bicycle routes. Secure bicycle parking facilities are available everywhere, and it is a priority of the city council's environmental policy to free up the city centre for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

Another remarkable characteristic of the City of Groningen is its relatively young population. One out of every five people in the city is a student, and over half the population is younger than 35 years old! This has resulted in a wide range of restaurants, bars, sporting activities, culture and recreation at reasonable prices.
To get an impression of Groningen follow this link to go to the internet site of the university.

The Netherlands

If you look up the Netherlands on a globe the first thing you notice is its size; it is very small. Which we are not going to lie about- it is; you can drive from the furthest point of the country to the other side of the country in just four hours! But don't be deceived by its size; the Netherlands is one of the most thriving countries in the world and despite its size it is densely populated: more than 15 million people live in about 41.000 km2! The Netherlands is geographically located north of Belgium and west of Germany, and on the northwest it borders the North Sea, giving it a wonderfully broad beach. Sixty percent of the population lives in the western side of the country, around the flourishing capital Amsterdam, this is also called the Randstad conurbation.

Like every country, the Netherlands has a rich culture. The Dutch aren't just the stereotypical clog-wearing, tulip harvesting, windmill builders that so many people still think of when they hear "Dutch". Throughout the years the Dutch have grown to become an incredibly modern and international community. However, to fully describe the Dutch culture in words is almost impossible, seeing and meeting the Dutch is of course the best way of getting to know the culture, which is of course another reason to attend the ISCOMS.
Although one thing can definitely be said about the Dutch: they're very friendly and willing to help and we hope to do our best to keep this image true to you before and during the congress.

More about the Netherlands can be found on: www.holland.com.

Language

The spoken language in the Netherlands is Dutch. Although most of the Dutch population can speak English, knowledge of some basic Dutch can never go amiss! Of course the spoken language in the congress is English, so for the ISCOMS comprehension of English, as opposed to Dutch, is essential.