and btw, Since it's our capital
Ah, a perfect opportunity to confuse people:
Amsterdam is probably the only capital in the world that does not host the government. The largest government that is located in Amsterdam is the municipal government of Amsterdam.
The government of the Netherlands is located in a city called 'The Hague' in English, which corresponds to 'Den Haag' in Dutch. But in Dutch that city is sometimes also called "'s Gravenhage". To confuse foreigners, I believe that is the name they put on road signs.
Den Haag is also the capital of its province, Zuid (South) Holland. But the largest city in Zuid Holland is actually Rotterdam.
Speaking about Holland: that is not the name of the country, it's only the name of two (originally one) provinces. You might insult the people from other provinces if you make that mistake! In English, I believe 'the Netherlands' is the correct country name. The people are called the Dutch, but that is something specific to the English language. I guess the English mistook us for the Germans, who call themselves 'Deutsch'.
Amsterdam is not the capital of a province either: it is located in Noord (North) Holland, but the capital of Noord Holland is Haarlem.
But Amsterdam
is the largest city in the Netherlands. However, with a population of about a million, it might be a bit disappointing for experienced travelers, unless they like the smaller cities of course.
I've not been often in Amsterdam, but when I was there I enjoyed it. If you don't mind (or like) the brothels and coffee shops (which sell more than just coffee, if they sell coffee at all), you'll like the city center with its canals and traditional architecture. I never really felt unsafe, but I think (like in all cities) that people who look/behave like tourists are always a bit less safe.
I think Amsterdam is the cultural center of the Netherlands, as well as the center for media production (not limited to pornography) and many Internet companies and ISPs. The second city of the Netherlands, Rotterdam, has a more pretending skyline with its tall buildings, which were created when rebuilding it after WWII, and it is a large business center, partly because of its huge port. Personally, I prefer Amsterdam, even while I live closer to Rotterdam.