North Holland
A province of the Netherlands in the northwest, home to Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport.
North Holland is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. As of January 2023, it had a population of about 2,952,000 and a total area of 4092 km², of which 1429 km² is water.
- Capital
- Haarlem
- Largest City
- Amsterdam
- Population (January 2023)
- 2,952,000
- Total Area
- 4,092 km² (1,580 sq mi)
- Water Area
- 1,429 km² (552 sq mi)
- King's Commissioner
- Arthur van Dijk (since 2019)
- Number of Municipalities
- 45
Lore & Background
From the 9th to the 16th century, the area was an integral part of the County of Holland. During this period West Friesland was incorporated. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the area was part of the province of Holland and commonly known as the Noorderkwartier. In 1840, the province of Holland was split into the two provinces of North Holland and South Holland. In 1855, the Haarlemmermeer was drained and turned into land.
Reader's Guide
The provincial capital is Haarlem. The province's largest city and also the largest city in the Netherlands is the Dutch capital Amsterdam. The King's Commissioner of North Holland is Arthur van Dijk, who has been serving since 2019. There are 45 municipalities and three (including parts of) water boards in the province. The busiest airport in the Netherlands and Europe's third-busiest airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, is in North Holland.
Did You Know?
- North Holland is a broad peninsula located between the North Sea, the Wadden Sea, the IJsselmeer, and the Markermeer.
- More than half of the province consists of reclaimed polder land situated below sea level.
- The West Frisian Islands of Noorderhaaks and Texel are part of the province.
- In February 2011, North Holland, together with the provinces of Utrecht and Flevoland, showed a desire to investigate the feasibility of a merger between the three provinces.
More in European Regions 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record