North and South Holland shown together within the Netherlands.

Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands A maritime and economic power in the 17th century, Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland. North Holland ( Dutch: Noord-Holland,, West Frisian: Noôrd-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the South Holland ( Dutch:) is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands.

The name "Holland"

Coat of arms of Holland

The name "Holland" first appeared in the sources in 866 for the region around Haarlem and was by 1064 being used for the name of the entire county. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people Events By Place Asia Fujiwara no Yoshifusa becomes regent of Japan, starting the Fujiwara regentship in the past usually Harlem in English is a city in the Netherlands. By this time the inhabitants of Holland were referring to themselves as "Hollanders". ^[1] "Holland" is derived from the Middle Dutch term holtland ("wooded land"). This spelling variation remained in use until around the 14th century, at which time the name stabilised as "Holland" (alternative spellings at the time: "Hollant" or "Hollandt"). Popular, but incorrect, etymology holds that "Holland" is derived from hol land ("hollow land") and was inspired by the low-lying geography of Holland. A false etymology is an assumed or postulated Etymology that current consensus among scholars of Historical linguistics holds to be incorrect In physical Geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena

Usage

The proper name of the area in both Dutch and English is "Holland". "Holland" is a part of the Netherlands. "Holland" is informally and quite incorrectly used in English and other languages, including sometimes the Dutch language itself, to mean the whole of the modern country of the Netherlands. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The Netherlands is known under various terms both in English and other languages. (This example of pars pro toto or synecdoche is similar to the tendency to refer to the United Kingdom as "England". Pars pro toto is Latin for "(taking a part for the whole" where a portion of an object or concept represents the entire object or context Synecdoche is taken from Greek sinekdohi (συνεκδοχή meaning "simultaneous understanding" (si-nek-duh-kee (pronounced /sɪˈnɛkdoˌki/ )

The people of Holland are referred to as "Hollanders" in both Dutch and English. Today this refers specifically to people from the current provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Strictly speaking, the term "Hollanders" does not refer to people from the other provinces in the Netherlands, but colloquially "Hollanders" is sometimes mistakenly used in this wider sense.

When referring to the Netherlands as a whole, the adjective is "Dutch". In Grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a Noun or Pronoun, giving more information about the "Dutch" is not used as an adjective for "Holland" in a modern context because "Dutch" refers to all of the Netherlands, not just Holland. However, there is a good deal of confusion about this. In actual practice, the adjective "Dutch" is often (but somewhat inaccurately) used in the specific context of Holland.

In Dutch, the Dutch word "Hollands" is the adjectival form for "Holland", but in English there is no commonly used adjective for "Holland". "Hollands" is ordinarily expressed in English in two ways:

• a possessive construction (e. The possessive case of a language is a Grammatical case used to indicate a relationship of possession. g. "Holland's economic power"); or

• an "of Holland" or "from Holland" construction (e. g. "the Maid of Holland"; "a girl from Holland").

The following usages apply in certain limited situations but do not ordinarily serve as the English equivalent of the commonly used Dutch adjective "Hollands".

• Occasionally, the noun "Holland" is used in apposition (e. Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two elements normally Noun phrases are placed side by side with one element serving to define or modify the other g. "the Holland Society"). The Holland Society of New York was founded in New York City in 1885 to collect information respecting the settlement and history of New Netherland.

• The adjective "Hollandic" is occasionally used by some historians and other academic writers as an adjective for Holland. Historians who use the word tend to reserve it to pre-Napoleonic Holland.

• Historically the English word "Dutch" had a different, broader meaning that could occasionally include "Hollands".

• The adjective "Hollandish" is a word in English but is currently no longer in use.

Geography

North Holland

South Holland

See the article on the "Geography of the Netherlands" for a more detailed description. The geography of the Netherlands is unusual in that much of its land has been reclaimed from the sea and is below Sea level, protected by dikes.

Holland is situated in the west of the Netherlands. A maritime water-oriented region, Holland lies on the North Sea at the mouths of the Rhine and the Meuse (Maas). The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. Meuse (møːz is a department in northeast France, named after the Meuse River. It has numerous rivers and lakes and an extensive inland canal and waterway system. To the south is Zealand. Zeeland ( also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The region is bordered on the east by the IJsselmeer and four different provinces of the Netherlands. IJsselmeer (sometimes translated as Lake IJssel, alternative international spelling Lake Yssel) is a shallow lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands

Holland is protected from the sea by a long line of coastal dunes. In physical Geography, a dune is a Hill of Sand built by Aeolian processes. Most of the land area behind the dunes consists of polder landscape lying well below sea level. A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity meaning it has no connection with Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface At present the lowest point in Holland is a polder near Rotterdam, which is about seven meters below sea level. Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of Continuous drainage is necessary to keep Holland from flooding. In earlier centuries windmills were used for this task. A windmill is a machine that is powered by the energy of the wind The landscape was (and in places still is) dotted with windmills, which have become a symbol of Holland.

Holland is 7,494 square kilometres (land and water included), making it roughly 13% of the area of the Netherlands. Looking at land alone, it is 5,488 square kilometres in size. The combined population is 6. 1 million.

The main cities in Holland are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam is formally the capital of the Netherlands and its most important city. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, even though the States-General and the government have been both situated in The Hague since 1588 The Port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest and most important harbour and port. The port of Rotterdam is the largest Port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, South Holland, the Netherlands. The Hague is the seat of government of the Netherlands. The seat of government is the location of the government for a political entity. These cities, combined with Utrecht and other smaller municipalities, effectively form a single city - a conurbation called Randstad. Utrecht ( city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. ImageRandstad_with_scalepng|400px|thumb|right|Schematic map of the Randstadcircle 528 380 26 Schiphol rect 426 356 498 436 Haarlemmermeer rect 399 166 479 245

The Randstad area is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe, but still relatively free of urban sprawl. There are strict zoning laws. Zoning is a term used in Urban planning for a system of land-use Regulation in various parts of the world including North America the United Kingdom Population pressures are enormous, property values are high, and new housing is constantly under development on the edges of the built-up areas. Surprisingly, much of the province still has a rural character. The remaining agricultural land and natural areas are highly valued and protected. Most of the arable land is used for intensive agriculture, including horticulture and greenhouse agri-businesses. Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is an Agricultural production system characterized by the high Inputs of Capital, Fertilizers A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse or hothouse) is a building where plants are cultivated

Language

See the article on the Dutch language for a more detailed description. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname

The language primarily spoken in Holland is Dutch. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Hollanders often refer to the Dutch language as "Hollands".

The standard Dutch that is spoken in the Netherlands is mostly based on the Dutch spoken in Holland; however, there are many local variations in dialect throughout the Netherlands.

Despite the correspondence between standard Dutch and the Dutch spoken in Holland, there are local variations within Holland itself that differ from standard Dutch. The main cities each have their own traditional dialect. A small number of people, especially in the area north of Amsterdam, still speak what is considered to be an original, older dialect, called "Hollandic". Hollandic or Hollandish (Hollands is together with Brabantian, the most frequently used dialect of the Dutch language. The areas where people still speak with the Hollandic dialect are Volendam and Marken and the area around there, West Friesland and the Zaanstreek. The Zaan is a small river in the province of North-Holland in The Netherlands.

Territory and political structure

Flag of North Holland

Flag of South Holland

"Holland" is not in itself a province of the Netherlands. It is divided into two provinces of the Netherlands -- North Holland (Noord-Holland) and South Holland (Zuid-Holland). A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the local municipalities having the responsibility for matters of subnational or regional North Holland ( Dutch: Noord-Holland,, West Frisian: Noôrd-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the South Holland ( Dutch:) is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. These provinces were created in 1840 largely because it was unacceptable for Holland to remain such an overwhelmingly large and powerful province in comparison to the other provinces. A few regions that were historically part of Holland have been ceded to other provinces.

• Some cessions occurred as a result of reforms during the French occupation (1795-1813).

• In 1818 Willemstad and surroundings, the Biesbosch and the Land van Altena became part of the provice of North Brabant. Moerdijk ( is a Municipality and a Town in the South of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. De Biesbosch ('forest of sedges or 'rushwoods' is one of the largest National parks of the Netherlands and one of the last freshwater Tide Land of Heusden and Altena (Land van Heusden en Altena is a river island in the Estuary of the Rivers Rhine and Meuse. North Brabant ( Dutch: Noord-Brabant,) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country bordered by Belgium

• In 1942, after the Battle of the Netherlands, the Germans transferred the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling to the province of Friesland. The Battle of the Netherlands (Slag om Nederland was part of Case Yellow (Fall Gelb the German invasion of the Low Countries ( Belgium Vlieland ( Flylân is a Municipality in the northern Netherlands. Terschelling ( Skylge Terschelling dialect: Schylge) is a Municipality and an Island in the northern Netherlands, one Friesland ( West Frisian: Fryslân, Dutch Friesland) is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the bigger region known This was not changed back after World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

• In 1950, the island of Urk went to the province of Overijssel and then in 1986 to the province of Flevoland. Urk ( is a Municipality and a Town in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. Overijssel (Transiselania is a Province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on

• In 1970 Oudewater was transferred from South Holland to the province of Utrecht. Oudewater is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. Utrecht ( ˈyːtrɛxt is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country

• In 1989 Woerden was transferred from South Holland to the province of Utrecht. Utrecht ( ˈyːtrɛxt is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country

• In 2000 's-Graveland and Kortenhoef, both in the province of North-Holland, were merged withLoosdrecht in the Province of Utrecht. ' s-Graveland ( is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. Kortenhoef ( is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. Loosdrecht is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Utrecht, since 2002 a part of Wijdemeren in North Holland. Utrecht ( ˈyːtrɛxt is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country

• In 2002 Vianen was transferred from South Holland to the province of Utrecht. Vianen is a Municipality and a City in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. Utrecht ( ˈyːtrɛxt is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country

• The municipality of Eemnes has a co-operation with Laren and Blaricum. Eemnes is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Blaricum is a municipality and village in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. They are collectively referred to as the "BEL region".

History

Each of the provinces in the Netherlands has a history that deserves full attention on its own. However, to a certain extent at least, the history of Holland is the history of the Netherlands, and vice versa. See the article on "History of the Netherlands" for a more detailed history. The historical period sets in with the Roman Empire, as the parts south of the Rhine were included in the province of Gallia Belgica, and later of The article here focuses on those points that are specific to Holland itself or that highlight the nature of the role played by Holland in the Netherlands as a whole.

Reclamation of the land

The land that is now Holland had never been stable. Historical maps of Holland bear little resemblance to the maps of today. Over the millennia the geography of the region had been dynamic. The western coastline shifted up to thirty kilometres to the east and storm surges regularly wreaked havoc with the coastline. The coastline was constantly changing. The Frisian Isles, originally joined to the mainland, became detached islands in the north. ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or Wadden Sea Islands, form an Archipelago at the eastern edge of At some point the sea broke a natural barrier and rushed in to fill in the area that used to be called the Zuiderzee (now the IJsselmeer). The Zuiderzee (ˌzaɪdɚ ˈzeɪ] Dutch: Zuiderzee, ˈzœydərzeː was a shallow Inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands The main rivers, the Rhine and the Meuse (Maas), flooded regularly and changed course repeatedly and dramatically. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Meuse (in Dutch and in German: "Maas" in Latin: "Mosa" in Celtic:"Mus" (the rootword presumingly

The people of Holland found themselves living in an unstable, watery environment. Behind the row of coastal dunes a peat plateau had grown. Peat is an accumulation of partially Decayed Vegetation matter. Much of the area was marsh and bog. The inhabitants set about cultivating this land by draining it. By the tenth century this area was brought under cultivation. The drainage however resulted in extreme soil shrinkage, lowering the surface of the land by up to fifteen metres.

Benthuizen polder, seen from a dike

This combination of factors threatened the inhabitants. There were catastrophic floods that literally washed away entire regions and killed thousands. This is a chronological list of floods that have occurred in the Netherlands, till 1500 most parts of the Netherlands were in Frisia. The early inhabitants understood that human intervention was needed to save the land. The counts and large monasteries took the lead in these efforts, building the first heavy emergency dikes to bolster critical points. LeveeEmbankmentDitch A dike (or dyke) levee, levée, embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial Later special administrative bodies were formed, the waterschappen ("water control boards"), which had the power to enforce their decisions on water management. Water management is the practices of planning developing distribution and optimum utilizing of water resources under defined water polices and regulations As the centuries went by, they eventually constructed an extensive dike system that covered the coastline and the polders, thus protecting the land from further incursions by the sea.

However, the Hollanders did not stop there. Starting around the 16th century, they took the offensive and began land reclamation projects, converting lakes and marshy areas into polders. Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices One involves creating new land from sea- or riverbeds the other refers to restoring an area to a more natural state (such as after A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity meaning it has no connection with This continued right into the 20th century.

This ongoing struggle to master the water played an important role in the development of Holland as a maritime and economic power and in the development of the character of the people of Holland.

County of Holland

Until the 9th century, the inhabitants of the area that became Holland were Frisians. The area was part of Frisia. Frisia ( West Frisian: Fryslân; North Frisian: Fraschlönj, Freesklöön, Freeskluin, Fresklun, and At the end of the 9th century, Holland became a separate county in the Holy Roman Empire. The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The first count of Holland known about with certainty was Dirk I, who ruled (also as count of Frisia) from 896 to 931. Counts of Holland ruled over the county of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century Dirk I ( Theoderic) was Count of Holland, thought to have been in office from ca Events By Place Europe The Bulgarians under Simeon I, defeat the Byzantine Empire at Bulgarophygon Events By Place Europe Ramiro II of Leon becomes the King of León. He was succeeded by a long line of counts in the House of Holland. is a Family tree of the Counts of Holland from 916 to 1299, when a Personal union was formed with the County of Hainaut When John I, count of Holland, died childless in 1299, the county was inherited by John II of Avesnes, count of Hainaut. John I ( 1284 - Nov 10 1299, Haarlem) was Count of Holland and son of Count Floris V. John II of Avesnes (1247 &ndash August 22 1304) was the oldest son of John I of Avesnes and Adelaide of Holland. By the time of Willian V (House of Wittelsbach; 1354-1388) the count of Holland was also the count of Hainaut, Flanders and Zealand. William I, Duke of Bavaria - Straubing ( Frankfurt am Main, May 12 1330 &ndash April 15 1389, Le Quesnoy This article deals with the historical county of Hainaut for other meanings see Hainaut. Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Zeeland ( also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands.

In this time a part of Frisia, West Friesland, was conquered. Frisia ( West Frisian: Fryslân; North Frisian: Fraschlönj, Freesklöön, Freeskluin, Fresklun, and West Friesland (also West Frisia; Dutch: West-Friesland; West Frisian language: West-Fryslân) is a historical region in the (As a result, most provincial institutions, including the States of Holland and West Frisia, would for centuries refer to "Holland and West Frisia" as a unit. States of Holland and West Frisia ( Dutch: Staten van Holland en Westfriesland) were the representation of the two Estates ( ) The Hook and Cod wars started around this time and ended when the countess of Holland, Jacoba or Jacqueline was forced to give up Holland to the Burgundian Philip I in 1432. The Hook and Cod wars (Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten comprise a series of wars and battles in Holland between 1350 and 1490 Jacqueline of Wittelsbach ( 16 August 1401 &ndash 8 October 1436, Dutch Jacoba van Beieren, French Jacqueline de Bavière

Holland's prominence in the United Provinces and Dutch Republic

In 1432 Holland became part of the Burgundian Netherlands and since 1477 of the Habsburg Seventeen Provinces. In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to the period when the dukes of Burgundy ruled the area as well as Luxembourg and parts of The Seventeen Provinces were a Personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century roughly covering the current Netherlands In the 16th century the region became more densely urbanised, with the majority of the population living in cities. Urbanizationn (also spelled urbanisation) is the physical growth of Urban areas into rural or natural land as a result of population in-migration to an existing Within the Burgundian Netherlands, Holland was the dominant province in the north; the political influence of Holland largely determined the extent of Burgundian dominion in that area.

Comitatus Hollandiae (1682)

In the Dutch Rebellion against the Habsburgs during the Eighty Years' War, the naval forces of the rebels, the Watergeuzen, established their first permanent base in 1572 in the town of Brill. The Dutch Revolt, Eighty Years' War or the Revolt of the Netherlands (1568—1648 was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Low Countries Geuzen ( French: Les Gueux, English: the Beggars) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles and other malcontents who in This article is about a city in the Netherlands There is also a Brielle New Jersey in the United States of America In this way, Holland, now a sovereign state in a larger Dutch confederation, became the centre of the rebellion. It became the cultural, political and economic centre of the United Provinces in the 17th century Dutch Golden Age, the wealthiest nation in the world. This article focuses on social and cultural history For political events see History of the Netherlands and Dutch Revolt (1568–1648 After the the King of Spain was deposed as the count of Holland, the executive and legislative power rested with the States of Holland, which was led by a political figure who held the office of Grand Pensionary. The Grand Pensionary (Dutch raad(spensionaris) was the most important Dutch official during the time of the United Provinces.

The largest cities in the Dutch Republic were in the province of Holland such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, Alkmaar, The Hague, Delft and Haarlem. "United Netherlands" redirects here For the "Kingdom of the United Netherlands" see United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of "Leyden" redirects here For other uses see Leyden (disambiguation. For the place with the same name in Commewijne District of Suriname, see Alkmaar (Suriname. Delft is a city and Municipality in the province of South Holland (Zuid-Holland the Netherlands. in the past usually Harlem in English is a city in the Netherlands. From the great ports of Holland, Hollandic merchants sailed to and from destinations all over Europe, and merchants from all over Europe gathered to trade in the warehouses of Amsterdam and other trading cities of Holland. Merchants function as professionals who deal with Trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves in order to produce Profit.

Many Europeans thought of the United Provinces first as "Holland" rather than as the "Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands". A strong impression of "Holland" was planted in the minds of other Europeans, which then was projected back onto the Republic as a whole. Within the provinces themselves, a gradual slow process of cultural expansion took place, leading to a "Hollandification" of the other provinces and a more uniform culture for the whole of the Republic. The dialect of urban Holland became the standard language. A standard language (also standard dialect, standardized dialect, or standardised dialect) is a particular variety of a Language that

Kingdom of Holland

The formation of the Batavian Republic, inspired by the French revolution, led to a more centralised government. The Batavian Republic (Bataafse Republiek was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Holland became a province of a unitary state. A unitary state is a State whose three Organs of state are governed Constitutionally as one single unit with one Constitutionally created Its independence was further reduced by an administrative reform in 1798, in which its territory was divided into several departments called Amstel, Delf, Texel, and part of Schelde en Maas.

From 1806 to 1810 Napoleon styled his vassal state, governed by his brother Louis Napoleon and shortly by the son of Louis, Napoleon Louis Bonaparte, as the "Kingdom of Holland". Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Early life Louis was born Luigi Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica. Napoleon Louis Bonaparte ( October 11 1804 - March 17, 1831) or' Louis II of Holland', was the middle son of Louis Bonaparte Not to be confused with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Kingdom of Holland 1806 - 1810 (Koningrijk Holland Royaume This kingdom encompassed much of what would become the modern Netherlands. The name reflects how natural at the time it had become to equate Holland with the Netherlands as a whole. ^[2]

During the period the Low Countries were annexed by the French Empire and actually incorporated into France (from 1810 to 1813), Holland was divided into the départements Zuyderzée and Bouches-de-la-Meuse. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Zuyderzée is the name of a département of the First French Empire in the present Netherlands. Bouches-de-la-Meuse (Monden van de Maas is the name of a département of the First French Empire in the present Netherlands.

Provinces like any other

After 1813, Holland was restored as a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Year 1813 ( MDCCCXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common United Kingdom of the Netherlands (or Kingdom of the United Netherlands) (1815 - 1830 (1839 (Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden Royaume-Uni des Pays-Bas was the unofficial

Holland was divided into the present provinces North Holland and South Holland in 1840, after the Belgian Revolution of 1830. North Holland ( Dutch: Noord-Holland,, West Frisian: Noôrd-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the South Holland ( Dutch:) is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The Belgian Revolution was a conflict in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that began with a riot in Brussels in August 1830 and eventually led to the This reflected an historical division of Holland along the IJ into a Southern Quarter (Zuiderkwartier) and a Northern Quarter (Noorderkwartier). The IJ (sometimes shown on old Maps as " Y " or " Ye " is a River, formerly a Bay, in the Dutch

From 1850 a strong process of nation formation took place, the Netherlands being culturally unified and economically integrated by a modernisation process, with the cities of Holland at its centre. For nation-building in the sense of enhancing the capacity of state institutions building state-society relations and also external interventions see State-building The idea of modernization comes from a view of societies as having a standard Evolutionary pattern as described in the Social evolutionism theories ^[3]

The image of Holland at home and abroad

The predominance of Holland in the Netherlands has resulted in regionalism on the part of the other provinces. In Politics, regionalism is a Political ideology that focuses on the interests of a particular Region or group of regions whether traditional or formal This is a reaction to the perceived threat that Holland poses to the identities and local cultures of the other provinces. The other provinces have a strong, and often negative,^[4] image of Holland and the Hollanders, to whom certain qualities are ascribed. ^[5]

Hollanders themselves, however, have a weak self-image. ^[5] They take Holland's cultural dominance for granted. To them, the concepts of "Holland" and the "Netherlands" coincide. Consequently they see themselves not primarily as "Hollanders", but simply as "Dutch" (Nederlanders). ^[6] This phenomenon is called "hollandocentrism". ^[7]

Holland tends to be associated with a particular image. The stereotypical image of Holland is an artificial amalgam of tulips, windmills, clogs, cheese and traditional dress (klederdracht). Tulipa, commonly called tulip, is a Genus of about 150 species of bulbous Flowering plants in the family Liliaceae. A windmill is a machine that is powered by the energy of the wind The word clog, as applied to footwear has these meanings A type of Shoe or sandal made predominantly out of wood Cheese is a Food made from Milk, usually the milk of cows, Buffalo, Goats or sheep, by coagulation. Like all stereotypes, this is far from the truth and reality of life in Holland. This can at least in part be explained by the active exploitation of these stereotypes in promotions of Holland and the Netherlands. In fact only in a few of the more traditional villages, such as Volendam and locations in the Zaan area, are the different costumes and wooden shoes still worn by some inhabitants. The Zaan is a small river in the province of North-Holland in The Netherlands.

References

External links

• Media related to Holland from the Wikimedia Commons.
• Map of Holland (the provinces of North Holland and South Holland) on Google Maps