The Hague is where the parliament is, it's where all the foreign embassies are, it's where the royal family lives, ergo it's the capital. Haarlem is dead and alive by comparison. Amsterdam is certainly the financial capital, but. It also has a monopoly on red lighting in Europe. I love Amsterdam (having spent quite some time working out of there in 1997!). But The Hague is top dog.

And, yes, I goofed over the spelling. Big deal!