What are the Provinces of the Netherlands?
12. South Holland
South Holland is the most populous province in the Netherlands and the most densely populated area in the world. Over 3.6 million people live in South Holland. The province occupies an area of 3,418 square kilometers. Out of this, 585 square kilometers comprises of water while the remaining is covered by land. South Holland is situated in the north of Netherlands. The capital of South Holland is The Hague while the biggest city is Rotterdam. Other cities in South Holland include Zoetermeer, Leiden, Westland, Dordrecht, and Delft. The cities are also referred to as municipalities.
11. North Holland
North Holland occupies an area of 4,090 square kilometers at the north of Netherlands. This province was formed in 1855 when what was then Holland was split into two provinces of South Holland and North Holland. The capital of North Holland is Haarlem, which is also the provincial seat of government. This province hosts Amsterdam, Netherlands’ largest city. Amsterdam is the largest city in North Holland. North Holland comprises of 51 municipalities including Caribbean, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius which are yet to officially join the province. With a population of 2.7 million people, North Holland is the 2nd most populous province in Netherlands.
10. Utrecht
Utrecht is the smallest of all 12 provinces with an area of 1,400 square kilometers. It is located in the central part of the Netherlands. The capital of Utrecht is Utrecht. Other major cities in Utrecht include Zeist, Veenendaal, Houten, Amersfoort, and Ijsselstein. With a population of 1.2 million people, Utrecht is the ranked 5th out of the 12 provinces. The province is divided into 26 municipalities some of which are Bunnik, Rhenen, Vianen, Woerden, Lopik, Montfoort, Eemnes, and De Bilt.
9. Limburg
The province of Limburg is located in the southeastern part of Netherlands. The capital of Limburg is Maastricht which is also the largest city in the province. Other large cities in the province include Roermond, Weert, Sittard-Geleen, and Heerlen. Limburg has 33 municipalities which include Nuth, Schinnen, Gennep, Vaals, among others. Limburg is the 6th most populous province in Netherlands. It has a population of 1.1 million people. The total area covered by Limburg consists of 2,153 square kilometers of land and 56 square kilometers of water. It is the 9th largest province in Netherlands.
8. North Brabant
North Brabant is the 2nd largest province covering a land surface area of 4,916 square kilometers. It is located in the southern side of Netherlands. This province is divided into 66 municipalities. They include Breda, Oosterhout, Cuijk, Grave, Landerd, Vught, Someren, among others. The population of North Brabant is 2.4 million people making it the 3rd most populous province. 'S-Hertogenbosch is the capital of North Brabant while its largest city is Eindhoven.
7. Gelderland
Gelderland is also referred to as Guelders. It is found in the central eastern part of the Netherlands. Arnhem is the capital of this province while Nijmegen is the largest city. Other cities in Gelderland include Apeldoorn, Tiel, Ede, Winterswikk, Zevenaar, and Doetinchem. With 2 million people living in this province, Gelderland is the 4th province in population numbers. The province covers land surface area of 4,971 square kilometers making it the largest province in Netherlands. The province of Gelderland is divided into 54 municipalities.
6. Overijssel
The province of Overijseel is the 4th largest of all 12 provinces. It occupies a land surface area of 3,327 square kilometers. The total population of this province is 1.1 million people. The largest city in Overijseel is Enschede while the capital city is Zwolle. Some of the municipalities in Overijseel include Deventer, Ommen, Borne, and Almelo.
5. Flevoland
Flevoland has about 407,905 inhabitants placing it 11th in the population numbers of all 12 provinces. It is also the 11th largest province with a total land area of 1,419 square kilometers. Flevoland consists of only six municipalities. These are Almere, Dronten, Urk, Zeewolde, Noordoostpolder, and Lelystad. The capital of Flevoland is Lelystad while its largest city is Almere.
4. Groningen
Groningen is the northeastern-most province of the Netherlands. It has a population of 582,640 people and a total surface area of 2,960 square kilometers. It is the 7th largest state with 2, 325 square kilometers of land.The capital and largest city of Groningen province is Groningen. The province has 23 municipalities including Haren, Leek, Marum among others.
3. Zeeland
Zeeland is the 8th largest province, occupying a land surface area of 1,788 square kilometers. This province is located in the south western part of the country. The population of Zeeland is 380,621 people, therefore making Zeeland the least populous province in Netherlands.The capital of Zeeland is Middelburg which is also the largest city in the province. There are 13 municipalities in Zeeland. They include Thole, Walcheren, Kapelle, among others.
2. Freisland
Freisland is ranked 8th in size with land area of 3,349 square kilometers. Its capital and largest city is Leeuwarden. It comprises of 24 municipalities including Ferwerderadiel, Harlingen, Ooststellingwerf, among others.The 8th most populous province with a population of 646,305 people.
1. Drenthe
Located in northeast side of Netherlands, Drenthe is the 7th largest province. It covers a total area of 2,683 square kilometers of which 2,639 square kilometers is land. It has a total population of 491 867 people. The capital of Drenthe is Assen while the largest city is Emmen. Other cities include Noordenveld, Westerveld, Meppel, Tynaarlo among others. This province is divided into 12 municipalities.
