Amsterdam (pronounced /ˈæmstərdæm/; Dutch Nl-Amsterdam.ogg [ɑmstərˈdɑm] (help·info)) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. The city, which had a population of around 1 million (with suburbs) on 1 January 2008, comprises the northern part of the Randstad, the 6th-largest metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of around 6.7 million.
The 17th century is considered Amsterdam's Golden Age, during which it became the wealthiest city in the world.[18] Ships sailed from Amsterdam to the Baltic Sea, North America, and Africa, as well as present-day Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Brazil, forming the basis of a worldwide trading network. Amsterdam's merchants had the largest share in both the VOC (Dutch East India Company) and the WIC (Dutch West India Company). These companies acquired overseas possessions that later became Dutch colonies. Amsterdam was Europe's most important point for the shipment of goods and was the leading financial centre of the world.[19] In 1602, the Amsterdam office of the VOC became the world's first stock exchange by trading in its own shares.[20]
See this link for a picture of the West India House in Amsterdam. Headquarters of the Dutch West India Company from 1623-1647.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:West-Indisch_Huis.jpg
