The Hague is the capital of the province of South Holland. It is also the city where the Dutch government is housed and where over the years also quite a few members of the Court of Orange were housed. It is the third largest municipality in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The Hague is the largest city on the North Sea and has a total of just under 11 kilometers of coastline.
Zeeland is different from any other province of a completely different geography. Zeeland is a province that is characterized by the division into the different islands. This southernmost province of the country is one with history. The most in our memory is the flood disaster of 1953 in which large parts of the country were flooded after a severe storm in the North Sea.
If you listen carefully to the name, you will hear what the running heart of the province is namely the river IJssel. This runs like a red thread through the province. History also shows the great importance of the IJssel, which throughout history was seen as a blessing and at the same time as a curse.
Noord-Brabant is generally seen as the province of good Burgundian food and the associated lifestyle. The people from Brabant certainly love good food, there is nothing wrong with that, but the province covers a little more than just food.
North-Holland is historically probably the most closely connected province with the State of the Netherlands. In fact, at the end of the 9th century, the Netherlands more or less originated here. Noord-Holland is therefore the province where the capital of the Netherlands is located, namely Amsterdam.
Utrecht is the smallest province in the Netherlands and is also the historical and cultural heart of the Netherlands. Due to its central location, the province has always been an important province over the years. Utrecht is a very old province where people have settled for thousands of years. What is now called the Utrecht hillridge (Utrechtse heuvelrug) was one of the first areas where people settled.
Limburg is the southernmost province in the Netherlands. Limburg is enclosed between North Brabant in the west and a very small part of Gelderland in the north, Belgium in the south west and Germany in the east. All too often when one talks about Limburg, one talks about South Limburg but with this you do the rest of the province shortage.
South Holland is located on the south-west coast of the Netherlands and is the most built-up province in the country. With over 3.3 million inhabitants, this is the busiest and most densely populated province. Three-quarters of the county territory is cultivated. It is also the largest industrial area in the Netherlands with the extensive glasshouse horticulture of the Westland and the Rotterdam ports.
If you ask the average Dutch person what they think is the most beautiful province in our country or where they would prefer to live, in many cases you will hear the province of Gelderland passing by. It’s no coincidence that Gelderland is the most visited province when it comes to visitors from the Netherlands.
Flevoland is the youngest province in the Netherlands. The province was officially named as a province in 1986. Nevertheless, Flevoland is connected to a large piece of history, namely the containment of the Zuiderzee, which is now the IJsselmeer. The Zuiderzee was known for its rough weather and treacherous seas.
