North Holland

North Holland is a province in the northwestern part of the Netherlands. It is located near the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. As of January 2023, about 2,952,000 people lived there.

From the 9th to the 16th century, this area was part of the County of Holland. In 1840, the old province of Holland was divided into North Holland and South Holland. Later, in 1855, a big area of water called the Haarlemmermeer was drained to create new land.

The main city in North Holland is Amsterdam, which is also the capital of the whole Netherlands. Amsterdam is a very busy place with many visitors. The province also has Haarlem as its capital city and is home to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of the busiest airports in Europe.

History

The area we now know as North Holland began to take shape during the time when France ruled the Netherlands, from 1795 to 1813. During this period, the Netherlands went through many changes in how its regions were organized. Holland was split into several departments, including places like Texel and Amstel. These changes did not last long, but they planted the idea of separating Holland into smaller parts.

Later, in 1840, Holland was officially divided into two provinces: North Holland and South Holland. This happened partly because Amsterdam, a major city in North Holland, wanted more control and did not like some decisions made by leaders in South Holland. Since then, North Holland has grown and changed, with some land areas being added to or taken from nearby regions.

Geography

North Holland is found in the northwest part of the Netherlands. It is next to the North Sea, with Friesland to the northeast, Flevoland to the east, Utrecht to the southeast, and South Holland to the southwest.

The land in North Holland is mostly a wide area between the North Sea, the Wadden Sea, the IJsselmeer, and the Markermeer. Much of it is flat land made from the ocean, sitting lower than sea level. Two islands, Noorderhaaks and Texel, are also part of North Holland.

Nature

Some well-known natural areas in North Holland include:

• Wadden Sea
• Zuid-Kennemerland National Park
• Dunes of Texel National Park

More details about nature areas in North Holland can be found on pages from groups that protect nature, such as Natuurmonumenten and Staatsbosbeheer, as well as the local group "Landschap Noord-Holland".

Regions in North Holland

North Holland has many different areas that have special names. Some of these areas are not official, while others are used for certain purposes. Here are some of these areas:

• Amstelland
• Beemster
• Bollenstreek
• The Gooi
• Groene Hart
• Haarlemmermeer
• Holland (North Holland and South Holland)
• IJmond ("The Mouth of the IJ")
• Kennemerland
• Purmer
• Kop van Noord-Holland
• Noorderkwartier
• Noordvleugel ("North Wing")
• Randstad
• Schermer
• De Streek
• Texel
• Utrechtse Heuvelrug
• Vechtstreek
• Waterland
• West-Friesland
• Wieringen
• Wieringermeer
• Wijdewormer
• Zaanstreek

Population and municipalities

See also: List of cities, towns and villages in North Holland

Many people in the Netherlands live in North Holland. This makes the area very busy, with more people living close together than in many other parts of Europe.

As of 24 March 2022, North Holland had 45 areas called municipalities, which help manage local affairs. There are five big municipalities with over 100,000 people. The biggest is Amsterdam, followed by Haarlem, Zaanstad, Haarlemmermeer, and Alkmaar. Seven other municipalities have between 50,000 and 100,000 people.

Municipalities are grouped together for statistical purposes.

Religion

See also: Religion in the Netherlands

In 2015, most people in North Holland did not follow a religion. About 63% were not religious, while 16% were Roman Catholic, 8% were Protestant, and 7% were Muslim. Many Dutch Jews live in and around Amsterdam and Amstelveen. Some areas, like Edam-Volendam and Opmeer, have many Catholic people. The area also has a village called Marken where many people are Protestant.

Economy

Many important groups and companies have their main offices in North Holland, especially in Amsterdam. Examples include Greenpeace, Heineken International, ING Group, ABN AMRO, TomTom, Booking.com, and Philips. Other big companies like Randstad NV are based in Diemen, and KPMG and KLM work out of Amstelveen.

North Holland is also home to several groups that care for nature and animals, such as Milieudefensie and the Party for the Animals.