So I have to wonder if I will meet a lot of tall Hollanders on my trip. I’m half Dutch and a bit too tall for the place that I live. My grandparents on my father’s side are from Rotterdam. Unfortunately we don’t have any contact with our relatives from there. So first are there many tall people in Holland? Second will I actually be able to go into a store and find clothes that fit? And lastly what is the best way for me to get out and meet the locals in Amsterdam? I will be visiting with some friends that I am assuming will want to spend most of their time in the cafés.
Hey It is said that the Dutch are the tallest people in the world I think.. you probably use another system, but I'm 1.72 m which is about the average for a girl here. For a guy the average length is about 1.85 m, but since that's the average, a lot of people are taller than that.. so you should have no problems buying some clothes, unless you're reallllly tall Have fun!
I´m a guy and Only 1, 70 m (or 5 foot 7 inches) and I didn´t feel out of place in holland,...but then...I´m a short arse wherever I go ... I have to put turn ups on my boxer shorts The dutch are not overly tall as a race... Iwould say the Germans are taller. You did not say your height?, but you should be able to get clothes for tall people (anything to 1,90 is normal).
Of course it would help if I said my height. I was too lazy before to find the conversion. The site that I visited said I am 1.98 meters or 6 feet 6 inches. So does that change things? Maybe I should have become a basket ball player. Then I could've had my clothes fitted.
Im half dutch, my Oma (gran) is five foot nothing. My Opa wasnt huge, pretty average. Me and mum are about 5" 3. News to me that dutch people are tall!
Source: http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5099197 Dutch just keep growing AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch, already the tallest people on the planet, are still growing in height while also packing on the pounds. The market research organisation GfK said on Thursday that data collected over the last seven years showed increasing demand for larger clothing sizes in the Netherlands, where the average man is about 185 cm (6 foot 1 inch) tall. "The Dutch are growing," said GfK spokesman Koen Snoeren. The Dutch are nearly 10 cm (four inches) taller on average than the British and Americans, and almost 15 cm (six inches) taller than they were four decades ago. GfK's analysis supports recent studies, including one for the Pan American Health Organisation, that ranks the Dutch as the tallest people on the planet. Fogel and other researchers put it down to affluence, a diet rich in dairy products, and good hygiene and health care. Studies by the Health Council of the Netherlands suggest the Dutch could grow another 10 cm (four inches) in the next few decades. But some data, including GfK's, also suggest junk food is limiting the health advantages that wealth has brought. Reuters
Source: http://www.rnw.nl/health/html/tall_dutch.html It's official - the people of The Netherlands are the tallest in the world. The average Dutch man measures 184 cms - or just over 6 feet, and the average Dutch woman measures 170.8 cms or just over 5 foot 7 inches. [size=-1]The next tallest are the Scandinavians - the men in Sweden, Norway and Denmark for example average 179 - 180 cms or about 5 foot 11 inches. But - unlike the Dutch - the Scandinavians seem to have stopped growing, having averaged the same height for the last 40 years or so. Some way behind in the league of heights come [/size][size=-1]North American and British men[/size][size=-1] who average around 176 cms - or about 5 foot 9 -10 inches. So the question is [/size][size=-1]why are the Dutch so tall[/size][size=-1] - and why are they still growing??? [/size] [size=-1]1 in every 1000 young Dutch men is over 2 metres or 6 foot 6 and-a-half inches tall [/size] [size=-1]Protestants taller than Catholics[/size][size=-1]Even in a country as small as Holland there are noticeable differences in height between the people in the north of The Netherlands and the people of the south. The latest study revealed a 5 cms or 2 inch difference in height between the young men in the northern provinces of The Netherlands - and those of the south just 400 kilometres or 250 miles away. Young Dutch women show a 3 cms or 1.5 inch difference. So why should this be? Dr Machteld Roede is a Human Biologist at the University of Maastricht and [/size][size=-1]an auxologist[/size][size=-1]. She suggests that this difference is due less to genetic factors than to religious ones: "The fact is that the very north of The Netherlands is clearly a Protestant area - and the south is a very Catholic one. And until fairly recently, the Catholics of the south tended to have larger families...We now know that in general, people from larger families tend not to be so tall. Why? Well firstly if a mother has a lot of children she will be that much older when the later children are born. Moreover her uterus (womb) will not be in such a good state as when the first child was born..." [/size]
Im pretty short for a Dutchie, being 5'5 or 1.66 m., but Dutch people in general are pretty tall compared to foreign people i guess.
Hey man, The Dutch are taller than normal. Nearly all the guys are 6ft plus. Im also 6ft6 and i dont feel as out of place. I saw lots of people around the same size and taller than me. I didnt go clothes shopping when iwas there buti assume you will be able to get clothes. If you are really stuck for clothes try www.highandmighty.co.uk . Hope this is of some help to you, i know what a bitch it can be trying to get clothes.
"a diet rich in dairy products" - NO SHIT! And full of GROWTH HORMONES for the last 4 decades as well. Yup, the Dutch do grow some fine shit! Oh, wait we're talking about the Dutch themselves, sorry... And yes you CAN DEFINITELY find clothing to fit you here, like nowhere else! I can never find anything to fit me, and I am considered pretty normal height & shape in the US. Pants in Holland have an almost non-existent waist with long, long legs. You'd easily find 28 x 38 (inches). Fortunately the do use the same measurements for men, but not the same sizes like in the states. Shirts etc, are no problem.
Want to see how tall the Dutch are? Just go to a concert (festival style) where without faill the tallest Dutch people are always standing in front of you (moving around never seems to help!). You have no hope of seeing the stage much less anyone on it!
Thanks to all for responding. And thanks velvet for that interesting info. I am off to the airport in a couple of hours. I really can't wait. I will just go where the wind blows. Unfortunatly I will only be on vaca for three days and then it's time to go home. Hmmm how much trouble can I get into in three days. I am staying at the flying pig downtown. If you are around look me up. Cheers, Brian
Hey.. have fun! You'll have blast.. I'm in Amsterdam as well tomorrow but on a date so.. sorry Let me know how it was when you get back!
