Holland

Holland

North and South Holland (in orange) shown together within the Netherlands

Country Netherlands Largest settlements List[show] Area Total 5,488 km2 (2,11 s! mi) Population ("#to$er 2%1&)[1] Total ',&14,48& Density 1,2%%(km2 (&,%%%(s! mi) Demonym Hollander Time zone )*+ (,+)-1) Summer (DST) )*S+ (,+)-2) Holland is a region and .ormer /ro0in#e lo#ated on the western #oast o. the Netherlands1 +he name Holland is also .re!uentl2 used as a pars pro toto to re.er to the whole o. the #ountr2 o. the Netherlands1 +his usage is generall2 a##e/ted, $ut some indi0iduals, /arti#ularl2 .rom the other /arts o. the Netherlands, dislike the use o. 3Holland3 as a su$stitute .or 3the Netherlands31[2] 4rom the 1%th to the 1'th #entur2, Holland /ro/er was a uni.ied /oliti#al region within the Hol2 5oman *m/ire as a #ount2 ruled $2 the )ounts o. Holland1 62 the 17th #entur2, Holland had risen to $e#ome a maritime and e#onomi# /ower, dominating the other /ro0in#es o. the newl2 inde/endent 8ut#h 5e/u$li#1

+oda2, the .ormer )ount2 o. Holland roughl2 #onsists o. the two 8ut#h /ro0in#es o. North Holland and South Holland, whi#h together in#lude the Netherlands9 three largest #ities: the #a/ital #it2 o. ;msterdam< the seat o. go0ernment o. +he Hague< and 5otterdam, home o. *uro/e9s largest /ort1

Contents

1 *t2molog2 and terminolog2 2 Histor2 o 211 )ount2 o. Holland o 212 8ut#h 5e/u$li# o 21& ,nder 4ren#h rule o 214 =ingdom o. the Netherlands & >eogra/h2 o &11 5e#lamation o. the land 4 )ulture o 411 Language 5 New Holland ' 5e.eren#es 7 *?ternal links

Etymology and terminology

+he name Holland .irst a//eared in sour#es in 8'' .or the region around Haarlem, and $2 1%'4 was $eing used as the name o. the entire #ount21 62 this time, the inha$itants o. Holland were re.erring to themsel0es as 3Hollanders31[&] Holland is deri0ed .rom the @iddle 8ut#h term holtland (3wooded land3)1[4] +his s/elling 0ariation remained in use until around the 14th #entur2, at whi#h time the name sta$ilised as Holland (alternati0e s/ellings at the time were Hollant and Hollandt)1 Ao/ular, $ut in#orre#t et2molog2 holds that Holland is deri0ed .rom hol land (3hollow land3) and was ins/ired $2 the lowBl2ing geogra/h2 o. Holland1[4] +he /ro/er name o. the area in $oth 8ut#h and *nglish is 3Holland31 3Holland3 is a /art o. the Netherlands1 3Holland3 is in.ormall2 used in *nglish and other languages, in#luding sometimes the 8ut#h language itsel., to mean the whole o. the modern #ountr2 o. the Netherlands1[2] (+his e?am/le o. pars pro toto or s2ne#do#he is similar to the tenden#2 to re.er to the ,nited =ingdom as 3*ngland31)1[5]['] +he /eo/le o. Holland are re.erred to as 3Hollanders3 in $oth 8ut#h and *nglish1 +oda2 this re.ers s/e#i.i#all2 to /eo/le .rom the #urrent /ro0in#es o. North Holland and South Holland1 Stri#tl2 s/eaking, the term 3Hollanders3 does not re.er to /eo/le .rom the other /ro0in#es in the Netherlands, $ut #ollo!uiall2 3Hollanders3 is sometimes mistakenl2 used in this wider sense1

Cn 8ut#h, the 8ut#h word 3Hollands3 is the adDe#ti0al .orm .or 3Holland31 +he 8ut#h word 3Hollands3 is also #ollo!uiall2 and o##asionall2 used $2 some 8ut#h /eo/le in the sense o. 3Nederlands3 (8ut#h), $ut then o.ten with the intention o. #ontrasting with other t2/es o. 8ut#h /eo/le or language, .or e?am/le Lim$urgish, the 6elgian .orm o. the 8ut#h language (34lemish3), or e0en an2 southern 0ariet2 o. 8ut#h within the Netherlands itsel.1 Howe0er, in *nglish there is no #ommonl2 used adDe#ti0e .or 3Holland31 38ut#h3 re.ers to the Netherlands as a whole, not Dust the region o. Holland1 3Hollands3 is ordinaril2 e?/ressed in *nglish in two wa2s:

a /ossessi0e #onstru#tion (e1g1 3Holland9s e#onomi# /ower3)< or an 3o. Holland3 or 3.rom Holland3 #onstru#tion (e1g1 3the @aid o. Holland3< 3a girl .rom Holland3)1

+he .ollowing usages a//l2 in #ertain limited situations $ut do not ordinaril2 ser0e as the *nglish e!ui0alent o. the #ommonl2 used 8ut#h adDe#ti0e 3Hollands31

"##asionall2, the noun 3Holland3 is used in a//osition (e1g1 3the Holland So#iet23)1 +he adDe#ti0e 3Hollandi#3 is o##asionall2 used $2 some historians and other a#ademi# writers as an adDe#ti0e .or Holland1 Historians who use the word tend to reser0e it to /reBNa/oleoni# Holland1 Hollandi# is also the name linguists gi0e to the diale#t s/oken in Holland1 +he adDe#ti0e 3Hollandish3 is a word in *nglish $ut is no longer in use1

History
*a#h o. the /ro0in#es in the Netherlands has a histor2 that deser0es .ull attention on its own1 Howe0er, to a #ertain e?tent at least, the histor2 o. Holland is the histor2 o. the Netherlands, and 0i#e 0ersa1 See the arti#le on 3Histor2 o. the Netherlands3 .or a more detailed histor21 +he arti#le here .o#uses on those /oints that are s/e#i.i# to Holland itsel. or that highlight the nature o. the role /la2ed $2 Holland in the Netherlands as a whole1

County of Holland
4urther in.ormation: )ount2 o. Holland

)oat o. arms o. the )ount2 o. Holland1 ,ntil the th #entur2, the inha$itants o. the area that $e#ame Holland were 4risians1 +he area was /art o. 4risia1 ;t the end o. the th #entur2, Holland $e#ame a se/arate #ount2 in the Hol2 5oman *m/ire1 +he .irst )ount o. Holland known a$out with #ertaint2 was 8irk C, who ruled .rom 8 ' to &11 He was su##eeded $2 a long line o. #ounts in the House o. Holland (who were in .a#t known as #ounts o. 4risia until 11%1)1 Ehen Fohn C, #ount o. Holland, died #hildless in 12 , the #ount2 was inherited $2 Fohn CC o. ;0esnes, #ount o. Hainaut1 62 the time o. Eilliam G (House o. Eittels$a#h< 1&54H1&88) the #ount o. Holland was also the #ount o. Hainaut and Iealand1 ;t the time /art o. 4risia, Eest 4riesland, was #on!uered (as a result, most /ro0in#ial institutions, in#luding the States o. Holland and Eest 4risia, would .or #enturies re.er to 3Holland and Eest 4risia3 as a unit)1 +he Hook and )od wars started around this time and ended when the #ountess o. Holland, Fa#o$a or Fa#!ueline was .or#ed to gi0e u/ Holland to the 6urgundian Ahili/ CCC, known as Ahili/ the >ood, in 14&21 Cn 14&2, Holland $e#ame /art o. the 6urgundian Netherlands and sin#e 1477 o. the Ha$s$urg Se0enteen Aro0in#es1 Cn the 1'th #entur2 the #ount2 $e#ame the most densel2 ur$anised region in *uro/e, with the maDorit2 o. the /o/ulation li0ing in #ities1 Eithin the 6urgundian Netherlands, Holland was the dominant /ro0in#e in the north< the /oliti#al in.luen#e o. Holland largel2 determined the e?tent o. 6urgundian dominion in that area1 +he last #ount o. Holland was Ahili/ CCC, $etter known as Ahili/ CC king o. S/ain1 He was de/osed in 1581 $2 the soB#alled ;#t o. ;$Duration, although the kings o. S/ain #ontinued to #arr2 the titular a//ellation o. )ount o. Holland until the Aea#e o. @Jnster signed in 1'481

Dutc !epu"lic

; ma/ o. Holland .rom 1'821 Cn the 8ut#h 5e$ellion against the Ha$s$urgs during the *ight2 Kears9 Ear, the na0al .or#es o. the re$els, the EatergeuLen, esta$lished their .irst /ermanent $ase in 1572 in the town o. 6rill1 Cn this wa2, Holland, now a so0ereign state in a larger 8ut#h #on.ederation, $e#ame the #entre o. the re$ellion1 Ct $e#ame the #ultural, /oliti#al and

e#onomi# #entre o. the ,nited Aro0in#es, in the 17th #entur2, the 8ut#h >olden ;ge, the wealthiest nation in the world1 ;.ter the =ing o. S/ain was de/osed as the #ount o. Holland, the e?e#uti0e and legislati0e /ower rested with the States o. Holland, whi#h was led $2 a /oliti#al .igure who held the o..i#e o. >rand Aensionar21 +he largest #ities in the 8ut#h 5e/u$li# were in the /ro0in#e o. Holland, su#h as ;msterdam, 5otterdam, Leiden, ;lkmaar, +he Hague, 8el.t, 8ordre#ht and Haarlem1 4rom the great /orts o. Holland, Hollandi# mer#hants sailed to and .rom destinations all o0er *uro/e, and mer#hants .rom all o0er *uro/e gathered to trade in the warehouses o. ;msterdam and other trading #ities o. Holland1 @an2 *uro/eans thought o. the ,nited Aro0in#es .irst as Holland rather than as the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands1 ; strong im/ression o. Holland was /lanted in the minds o. other *uro/eans, whi#h then was /roDe#ted $a#k onto the 5e/u$li# as a whole1 Eithin the /ro0in#es themsel0es, a gradual slow /ro#ess o. #ultural e?/ansion took /la#e, leading to a 3Hollandi.i#ation3 o. the other /ro0in#es and a more uni.orm #ulture .or the whole o. the 5e/u$li#1 +he diale#t o. ur$an Holland $e#ame the standard language1

#nder $renc rule

4urther in.ormation: =ingdom o. Holland +he .ormation o. the 6ata0ian 5e/u$li#, ins/ired $2 the 4ren#h re0olution, led to a more #entralised go0ernment1 Holland $e#ame a /ro0in#e o. a unitar2 state1 Cts inde/enden#e was .urther redu#ed $2 an administrati0e re.orm in 17 8, in whi#h its territor2 was di0ided into se0eral de/artments #alled Amstel, Delf, Texel, and /art o. Schelde en Maas1 4rom 18%' to 181% Na/oleon st2led his 0assal state, go0erned $2 his $rother Louis Na/oleon and shortl2 $2 the son o. Louis, Na/oleon Louis 6ona/arte, as the 3=ingdom o. Holland31 +his kingdom en#om/assed mu#h o. what would $e#ome the modern Netherlands1 +he name re.le#ts how natural at the time it had $e#ome to e!uate Holland with the nonB6elgian Netherlands as a whole1[7] 8uring the /eriod the Low )ountries were anne?ed $2 the 4ren#h *m/ire and a#tuall2 in#or/orated into 4ran#e (.rom 181% to 181&), Holland was di0ided into the dM/artements Iu2derLMe and 6ou#hesBdeBlaB@euse1

%ingdom of t e &et erlands

;.ter 181&, Holland was restored as a /ro0in#e o. the ,nited =ingdom o. the Netherlands1 Holland was di0ided into the /resent /ro0in#es North Holland and South Holland in 184%, a.ter the 6elgian 5e0olution o. 18&%1 +his re.le#ted an histori#al di0ision o. Holland along the CF into a Southern Nuarter (Zuider !artier) and a Northern Nuarter (Noorder !artier),[citation needed] $ut the a#tual di0ision is di..erent .rom the old di0ision1 4rom 185%, a strong /ro#ess o. nation .ormation took /la#e, the Netherlands

$eing #ulturall2 uni.ied and e#onomi#all2 integrated $2 a modernisation /ro#ess, with the #ities o. Holland as its #entre1[8]

'eograp y
4urther in.ormation: >eogra/h2 o. the Netherlands

North Holland

South Holland Holland is situated in the west o. the Netherlands1 ; maritime region, Holland lies on the North Sea at the mouths o. the 5hine and the @euse (@aas)1 Ct has numerous ri0ers and lakes and an e?tensi0e inland #anal and waterwa2 s2stem1 +o the south is Iealand1 +he region is $ordered on the east $2 the CFsselmeer and .our di..erent /ro0in#es o. the Netherlands1 Holland is /rote#ted .rom the sea $2 a long line o. #oastal dunes1 @ost o. the land area $ehind the dunes #onsists o. /older lands#a/e l2ing well $elow sea le0el1 ;t /resent the

lowest /oint in Holland is a /older near 5otterdam, whi#h is a$out se0en meters $elow sea le0el1 )ontinuous drainage is ne#essar2 to kee/ Holland .rom .looding1 Cn earlier #enturies windmills were used .or this task1 +he lands#a/e was (and in /la#es still is) dotted with windmills, whi#h ha0e $e#ome a s2m$ol o. Holland1 Holland is 7,4 4 s!uare kilometres (land and water in#luded), making it roughl2 1&O o. the area o. the Netherlands1 Looking at land alone, it is 5,488 s!uare kilometres in siLe1 +he #om$ined /o/ulation is '11 million1 +he main #ities in Holland are ;msterdam, 5otterdam and +he Hague1 ;msterdam is .ormall2 the #a/ital o. the Netherlands and its largest #it21 +he Aort o. 5otterdam is *uro/e9s largest and most im/ortant har$our and /ort1 +he Hague is the seat o. go0ernment o. the Netherlands1 +hese #ities, #om$ined with ,tre#ht and other smaller muni#i/alities, e..e#ti0el2 .orm a single #it2Pa #onur$ation #alled 5andstad1 +he 5andstad area is one o. the most densel2 /o/ulated regions o. *uro/e, $ut still relati0el2 .ree o. ur$an s/rawl1 +here are stri#t Loning laws1 Ao/ulation /ressures are enormous, /ro/ert2 0alues are high, and new housing is #onstantl2 under de0elo/ment on the edges o. the $uiltBu/ areas1 Sur/risingl2, mu#h o. the /ro0in#e still has a rural #hara#ter1 +he remaining agri#ultural land and natural areas are highl2 0alued and /rote#ted1 @ost o. the ara$le land is used .or intensi0e agri#ulture, in#luding horti#ulture and greenhouse agriB$usinesses1

!eclamation of t e land

6enthuiLen /older, as seen .rom a dike1 +he land that is now Holland had ne0er $een sta$le1 "0er the millennia the geogra/h2 o. the region had $een d2nami#1 +he western #oastline shi.ted u/ to thirt2 kilometres to the east and storm surges regularl2 $roke through the row o. #oastal dunes1 +he 4risian Csles, originall2 Doined to the mainland, $e#ame deta#hed islands in the north1 +he main ri0ers, the 5hine and the @euse (@aas), .looded regularl2 and #hanged #ourse re/eatedl2 and dramati#all21 +he /eo/le o. Holland .ound themsel0es li0ing in an unsta$le, water2 en0ironment1 6ehind the dunes on the #oast o. the Netherlands a high /eat /lateau had grown, .orming a natural /rote#tion against the sea1 @u#h o. the area was marsh and $og1 62 the tenth

#entur2 the inha$itants set a$out #ulti0ating this land $2 draining it1 Howe0er, the drainage resulted in e?treme soil shrinkage, lowering the sur.a#e o. the land $2 u/ to .i.teen metres1 +o the south o. Holland, in Ieeland, and to the north, in 4risia, this de0elo/ment led to #atastro/hi# storm .loods literall2 washing awa2 entire regions, as the /eat la2er disintegrated or $e#ame deta#hed and was #arried awa2 $2 the .lood water1 4rom the 4risian side the sea e0en .looded the area to the east, graduall2 hollowing Holland out .rom $ehind and .orming the IuiderLee (the /resent CFsselmeer)1 +his inland sea threatened to link u/ with the 3drowned lands3 o. Iealand in the south, redu#ing Holland to a series o. narrow dune $arrier islands in .ront o. a lagoon1 "nl2 drasti# administrati0e inter0ention sa0ed the #ount2 .rom utter destru#tion1 +he #ounts and large monasteries took the lead in these e..orts, $uilding the .irst hea02 emergen#2 dikes to $olster #riti#al /oints1 Later s/e#ial autonomous administrati0e $odies were .ormed, the !aterschappen (3water #ontrol $oards3), whi#h had the legal /ower to en.or#e their regulations and de#isions on water management1 ;s the #enturies went $2, the2 e0entuall2 #onstru#ted an e?tensi0e dike s2stem that #o0ered the #oastline and the /olders, thus /rote#ting the land .rom .urther in#ursions $2 the sea1 Howe0er, the Hollanders did not sto/ there1 Starting around the 1'th #entur2, the2 took the o..ensi0e and $egan land re#lamation /roDe#ts, #on0erting lakes, marsh2 areas and adDoining mud.lats into /olders1 +his #ontinued right into the 2%th #entur21 ;s a result, histori#al ma/s o. mediae0al and earl2 modern Holland $ear little resem$lan#e to the ma/s o. toda21 +his ongoing struggle to master the water /la2ed an im/ortant role in the de0elo/ment o. Holland as a maritime and e#onomi# /ower and in the de0elo/ment o. the #hara#ter o. the /eo/le o. Holland1

Culture
Holland tends to $e asso#iated with a /arti#ular image1 +he stereot2/i#al image o. Holland is an arti.i#ial amalgam o. tuli/s, windmills, #logs, #heese and traditional dress ( lederdracht)1 ;s is the #ase with man2 stereot2/es, this is .ar .rom the truth and realit2 o. li.e in Holland1 +his #an at least in /art $e e?/lained $2 the a#ti0e e?/loitation o. these stereot2/es in /romotions o. Holland and the Netherlands1 Cn .a#t onl2 in a .ew o. the more traditional 0illages, su#h as Golendam and lo#ations in the Iaan area, are the di..erent #ostumes with wooden shoes still worn $2 some inha$itants1 +he /redominan#e o. Holland in the Netherlands has resulted in regionalism on the /art o. the other /ro0in#es1 +his is a rea#tion to the /er#ei0ed threat that Holland /oses to the identities and lo#al #ultures o. the other /ro0in#es1 +he other /ro0in#es ha0e a strong, and o.ten negati0e,[ ] image o. Holland and the Hollanders, to whom #ertain !ualities are as#ri$ed within a mental geogra/h2, a #on#e/tual ma//ing o. s/a#es and their inha$itants1[1%] "n the other hand, some Hollanders take Holland9s #ultural dominan#e .or granted and treat the #on#e/ts o. 3Holland3 and the 3Netherlands3 as #oin#idental1

)onse!uentl2, the2 see themsel0es not /rimaril2 as 3Hollanders3, $ut sim/l2 as 38ut#h3 (Nederlanders)1[11] +his /henomenon has $een #alled 3hollando#entrism31[12]

Language
+he /redominant language s/oken in Holland is 8ut#h1 Hollanders sometimes re.er to the 8ut#h language as 3Hollands3, instead o. the standard term Nederlands1 Cnha$itants o. 6elgium and other /ro0in#es o. the Netherlands re.er to 3Hollands3 to indi#ate someone s/eaking in a Hollandi# diale#t, or strong a##ent1 Standard 8ut#h was histori#all2 largel2 $ased on the diale#t o. the )ount2 o. Holland, in#or/orating man2 traits deri0ed .rom the diale#ts o. the /re0iousl2 more /ower.ul 8u#h2 o. 6ra$ant and )ount2 o. 4landers1 Strong diale#tal 0ariation still e?ists throughout the Low )ountries1 +oda2, HollandB/ro/er is the region where the original diale#ts are least s/oken, in man2 areas ha0ing $een #om/letel2 re/la#ed $2 standard 8ut#h, and the 5andstad has the largest in.luen#e on the de0elo/ments o. the standard languagePwith the e?#e/tion o. the 8ut#h s/oken in 6elgium1[1&] 8es/ite this #orres/onden#e $etween standard 8ut#h and the 8ut#h s/oken in the 5andstad, there are lo#al 0ariations within Holland itsel. that di..er .rom standard 8ut#h1 +he main #ities ea#h ha0e their own modern ur$an diale#t, that #an $e #onsidered a so#iole#t1[14] ; small num$er o. /eo/le, es/e#iall2 in the area north o. ;msterdam, still s/eak the original diale#t o. the #ount2, Hollandi#1 +he Hollandi# diale#t is /resent in the north: Golendam and @arken and the area around there, Eest 4riesland and the Iaanstreek< and in a southBeastern .ringe $ordering on the /ro0in#es o. North 6ra$ant and ,tre#ht1 Cn the south on the island o. >oereeB"0er.lakkee, Iealandi# is s/oken1

&e( Holland
+he /ro0in#e o. Holland ga0e its name to a num$er o. #olonial settlements and dis#o0ered regions that were #alled Nieu! Holland or New Holland1 +he most e?tensi0e o. these was the island #ontinent /resentl2 known as ;ustralia: New Holland was .irst a//lied to ;ustralia in 1'44 $2 the 8ut#h sea.arer ;$el +asman as a Latin Nova Hollandia, and remained in international use .or 1 % 2ears1 "n the same 0o2age he named New Iealand a.ter the 8ut#h /ro0in#e o. Ieeland1 Cn the Netherlands Nieu! Holland would remain the usual name o. the #ontinent until the end o. the 1 th #entur2< it is now no longer in use there, the 8ut#h name toda2 $eing Australi"1