South Holland Attractions

Provincial capital: The Hague

(land area 290,611 hectares/717,809

The province of Zuid-Holland (South Holland) lies in the west of the Netherlands, bounded on the west by the North Sea, on the north by Noord-Holland (North Holland), on the east by the provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland and on the south by Zeeland. Until they were separated in 1840 North and South Holland formed a single county.

The most important branch of agriculture is stock-farming, which accounts for almost half the province's agricultural land. After it come arable farming (30 per cent of agricultural land) and market gardening (two-thirds of it in hothouses).

South of The Hague is a large area given up to fruit and vegetable growing, with large auction halls at Naaldwijk and Bleiswijk. Much land is also occupied by nurseries producing cut flowers, which are auctioned at Bleiswijk, Rijnsburg (near Leiden) and Aalsmeer. North of Leiden is a bulb growing area.

The local fisheries, once a major source of income, are becoming increasingly less important. Apart from Scheveningen, Katwijk and the island of Goeree-Overflakkee the principal fishing grounds are now in the Nieuwe Waterweg.

Since the end of the Second World War there has been a steady development of industry. New port and industrial establishments have been established along the Nieuwe Waterweg, the most important being the Europoort. Rotterdam and Dordrecht have become major centers of electrical engineering, metal- processing and shipbuilding. There are other industrial concentrations along the Nieuwe Maas and the Noord, at Delft, The Hague, Leiden, Alphen and Gouda.

The service trades are concentrated in The Hague, the seat of government, and the university towns of Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam. Transport and shipping are mainly centered in Rotterdam and Dordrecht. The tourist trade also makes an important contribution to the economy of the North Sea coastal resorts and the historic towns and art centers.