South Holland - Facts and Figures
South Holland, Netherlands at a glance: largest cities, biggest companies, tallest towers and the major event venues in The Hague, Rotterdam, Delft, Leiden and surroundings...

Holland vs. the Netherlands
There is a misconception that the terms Holland and The Netherlands refer to the same thing...
- The Netherlands is the name of the country; Holland is the name of a region in the country.
- The Netherlands has 17.0 million residents; Holland has 6.4 million residents.
- The Netherlands has 12 provinces and 3 'special' Caribbean municipalities; Holland has 2 provinces.
Dutch provinces and special municipalities
The Netherlands*:
- Provinces: Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland
- Special Municipalities: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Holland:
- Provinces: Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland
*Interesting to note: the Kingdom of the Netherlands is not the same thing as The Netherlands...
Kingdom of the Netherlands:
- Countries: The Netherlands, Sint Maarten, Curacao and Aruba
South Holland Information
Population and Geography
- Land Area: 2,818 km2 (5th largest province)
- Population: 3.7 million (1st in population)
- Elevation: At or below sea level
Ten Largest Municipalities in South Holland
(Based on population. Numbers quoted in 000's)
- Rotterdam 629.1
- The Hague 519.4
- Zoetermeer 124.2
- Leiden 122.6
- Dordrecht 118.8
- Alphen aan den Rijn 108.0
- Westland 105.0
- Delft 101.1
- Spijkenisse 85.4
- Schiedam 77.1
*Data: Citypopulation 2016 estimates.
Regions and Municipalities
South Holland is broken down into 60 administrative municipalities ('gemeenten'). In some cases, the geographic boundaries of a municipality is the same as the city with the same name (for example, the Municipality of The Hague is same as the City of The Hague). But in other cases, a municipality may be comprised of several towns or villages (for example, the Municipality of Westland includes the villages of De Lier, 's-Gravenzande, Monster, Naaldwijk, Schipluiden and Wateringen).
For reporting purposes, the Dutch national statistics bureau CBS, breaks down South Holland into 6 regions:
- Leiden and Bollenstreek (bulb-growing region)
- Haaglanden (The Hague metropolitan area)
- Delft and Westland
- Rijnmond (Rotterdam metropolitan area)
- Oost Zuid-Holland (including Gouda and Alphen aan den Rijn)
- Zuidoost Zuid-Holland (including Dordrecht and Alblasserdam)
Transport and Shipping
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest deep water sea port in Europe. Over 175,000 people work in or for the port, which extends 42 kms from the Wilhelminapier near the city center to the Maasvlakte II which juts out into the North Sea. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
South Holland is well connected by rail service; NS is the national train operator and runs both express (intercity) and local (Sprinter) rail service.
RandstadRail is a light rail service which only operates in South Holland, connecting the metropolitan area of Rotterdam with that of The Hague. It runs on a combination of tracks: train, tram and metro. There are two RandstadRail lines:
- Metro E - connects Rotterdam and The Hague (via Bergschenhoek, Berkel en Rodenrijs, Pijnacker, Nootdorp, Leidschendam and Voorburg). It is operated by the RET.
- Tram 3/ Tram 4 - connects The Hague and Zoetermeer (via Voorburg and Leidschendam). It is operated by the HTM.
Both The Hague and Rotterdam operate extensive tram and bus services. Rotterdam also operates an underground metro system.
- Find more information about South Holland Public Transport
Businesses and International Organizations
There are approximately 130,000 registered businesses in South Holland. Among these are the the global, European or Dutch headquarters for Royal Dutch Shell, Siemens A.G., TNT Post, T-Mobile, Unilever, APM Terminals, Aegon, KPN, ABN AMRO, ING and Hudson's Bay.
The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government and where the Dutch Royal Family resides. As such, it is also where most foreign embassies, consulates and trade missions are located.
The city is also home to the famed Peace Palace ('Vredespaleis') which houses the prestigious International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court, the primary judicial branch of the United Nations.
Other European or International organizations located in South Holland include:
- European Police Office (EUROPOL) - The Hague
- Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - The Hague
- International Criminal Court (ICC) - The Hague
- Unicef Netherlands - The Hague
- European Patent Office (EPO) - Rijswijk
- European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) - Noordwijk
- International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences (AIESEC) - Rotterdam
- Institute for Water Education (UNESCO IHE) - Delft
These organizations have large international staffs, which contribute to the sizable expat community in the region.
- More information on international and European organisations based in The Hague
- How To Guide: Working in the Netherlands
- How To Guide: Starting a Business in the Netherlands
- Business in the Netherlands: Ten largest Dutch companies
Architecture
Tallest Structures by Type in South Holland
Church Towers
- Nieuwe Kerk (1496), Delft: 108.8m
- Grote Kerk Den Haag (1424), The Hague: 92.6m
- St Jacobus Kerk (1878), The Hague: 91.1m
Attractions
- Euromast (1960, 1970), Rotterdam: 186m
Skyscrapers
- Maastoren (2010), Rotterdam: 165m
- New Orleans (2010), Rotterdam: 158 m
- Delftse Poort (1992), Rotterdam: 151m
- De Rotterdam (2013), Rotterdam: 151m
- Ministry of Justice (2012), The Hague: 146m
- Ministry of the Interior (2012), The Hague: 146m
- Hoftoren (2003), The Hague: 142m
- New Babylon (2013), The Hague: 142m
- Montevideo (2005), Rotterdam: 140m
- Millennium Tower (2000), Rotterdam: 132m
Key Entertainment & Sports Venues
Delft
- DHC Stadion (sports venue) - Sportring 2, 2616 LK Delft
- Theater de Veste (theater) - Asvest 1, 2611 PK Delft
Dordrecht
- Bibelot (music venue) - Noordendijk 148, 3311 RR Dordrecht
- Kunstmin Schouwburg (theater) - Sint Jorisweg 76, 3311 PL Dordrecht
- Riwal-Hoogwerkers Stadion (sports venue) - Krommedijk 210, 3312 LH Dordrecht
Gouda
- De Goudse Schouwburg (theater) - Boelekade 67, 2806 Gouda
Leiden
- Leidse Schouwburg (theater) - Oude Vest 43, 2312 XS Leiden
- Leidse Stadsgehoorzaal (music venue) - Breestraat 60, 2311 CS Leiden
- Theater Ins Blauw (theater) - Haagweg 6, 2311 AA Leiden
- Vijf Meihal (sports venue) - Boshuizerlaan 3, 2321 SG Leiden
The Hague
- AFAS Circustheater (theater) - Circusplein 50, 2586 CW Scheveningen
- Cars Jeans Stadion (sports venue) - Haags Kwartier 55, 2491 BM Den Haag
- De Uithof (sports venue) - Jaap Edenweg 10, 2544 NL Den Haag
- Korzo Theater (theater) - Prinsestraat 42, 2513 CE Den Haag
- Onderwijs & Cultuur Centrum (theater) - Opening 2020
- Paard van Troje (music venue) - Prinsegracht 12, 2512 GA Den Haag
- Sportcampus Zuiderpark - Meester P. Droogleever Fortuynweg 22, Den Haag
- The Hague Beach Stadium (sports venue) - Strandweg 4, Scheveningen
- Theater aan het Spui (theater) - Spui 187, 2511 BN Den Haag
- World Forum Theater (theater) - Churchillplein 10, 2517 JW Den Haag
- Zuiderstrandtheater (theater) - Houtrustweg 505, 2583 WB Scheveningen
Rijswijk
- Rijswijkse Schouwburg (theater) - Generaal Spoorlaan 10, 2283 GM Rijswijk
Rotterdam
- Ahoy Rotterdam (arena and expo center) - Ahoyweg 10, Rotterdam
- De Doelen (music venue) - Schouwburgplein 50, 3012 CL Rotterdam
- Oude Luxor Theater (theater) - Kruiskade 10, 3012 EH Rotterdam
- Nieuwe Luxor Theater (theater) - Posthumalaan 1, 3072 AG Rotterdam
- Rotterdamse Schouwburg (music venue) - Schouwburgplein 25, 3012 CL Rotterdam
- Sparta Stadion (sports venue) - Spartapark Noord 1, 3027 VW Rotterdam
- Stadion Feyenoord/De Kuip (sports venue) - Van Zandvlietplein 1, 3077 AA Rotterdam
- Theater Zuidplein (theater) - Zuidplein 62, 3083 CW Rotterdam
- Topsportcentrum Rotterdam (sports venue) - Van Zandvlietplein 20, 3077 AA Rotterdam
- Willem-Alexanderbaan (sports venue) - Nely Gambonplein 1, 2761 EH, Zevenhuizen
- Van Donge & De Roo Stadion (sports venue) - Honingerdijk 110, 3062 NX Rotterdam
Wassenaar
- Cultuurcentrum Warenar (theater) - Kerkstraat 75, 2242 HE Wassenaar
Zoetermeer
- Cultuurpodium De Boerderij (music venue) - Amerikaweg 145, 2717 AV Zoetermeer
- Silverdome (sports venue) - Van der Hagenstraat 20, 2722 NT Zoetermeer
- Stadstheater Zoetermeer (theater) - Theaterplein 10, 2711 EK Zoetermeer
Contributed by Hollywood2Holland ©2018