North Netherlands (Dutch : Nord-Nederland) is a subdivision of Netherlands as defined by the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). It is one of the four classified NUTS-1 statistical regions of Netherlands. The region incorporates the northern parts of the country, and encompasses an area of 11,389 km2 (4,397 sq mi) and had a population of over 1.83 million inhabitants. The region has a long coastline along the North Sea to the west and shares an international border with Belgium to the south. It incorporates three provinces – Drenthe, Friesland, and Groningen. It encompasses the urban agglomeration of the capital Amsterdam.
The country of Netherlands is organized into 12 provinces for administrative purposes. [1] The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) organizes the country into four broader level subdivisions. [2] [3] These are classified as a NUTS-1 statistical regions, and incorporate one or more provinces within it. [4] [5] The provinces form the NUTS-2 territorial units under them. [1] [4] North Netherlands incorporates three provinces – Drenthe, Friesland, and Groningen. [4] The provinces have remained the same since 1840 when North and South Holland was split from the Holland province. [6]
North Netherlands incorporates the western parts of the country, encompassing an area of 11,389 km2 (4,397 sq mi). [7] The region is located in Western Europe, and shares a coastline along the North Sea to the north. [8] [9] It shares an international land border with Germany to the east. [10] It is bordered by West Netherlands to the southwest, and East Netherlands to the south. [11] Being closer to the sea, much of the region lies at a low altitude, and few regions have been reclaimed from the sea, and lie below the mean sea level. [8] [10]
The region has a population of over 1.83 million as of 2024. [12] The region incorporates the urban agglomeration of the capital Amsterdam, which is the major economic center of the country. [8] Almost 70% of the population is based out of the lower half of the region, which is also the major contributor to the economy of the region. [8]