Amsterdam is the capital and the largest city of The Netherlands. Its name is derived from "Amstel dam", pointing to the city's origin: a dam on the river Amstel. The city is known for its historic port, the Rijksmuseum, its red-light district, its liberal coffee shops, and its many canals which have led to Amsterdam being called the "Venice of the North". During the Dutch Golden Age, Amsterdam was one of the most important ports in the world, because of its innovative developments in trade. Amsterdam became the leading centre for finance and diamonds.The city, founded in the late 12th century as a small fishing village, has grown to become the largest city in the Netherlands with a population of 751,251 inhabitants, containing at least 175 nationalities.Amsterdam and its surrounding metropolitan area have a population of 1 million to about 1.5 million people, depending on definition, and is part of the Randstad conurbation, which has a population of 6,659,300. Also, Amsterdam is a six-point Gamma Global City.