Provinces of the Netherlands | |
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Category | Unitary unit |
Location | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
Number | 12 provinces 3 special municipalities |
Populations | Least: Zeeland, 391,124 Most: South Holland, 3,804,906 |
Areas | Smallest (including water): Utrecht, 1,560 km2 (602 sq mi) Largest (including water): Friesland, 5,753 km2 (2,221 sq mi) |
Government | |
Subdivisions |
There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local governments, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance.
The most populous province is South Holland, with just over 3.8 million inhabitants as of January 2023 [update] , and also the most densely populated province with 1,410/km2 (3,700/sq mi). [1] With 391,124 inhabitants, Zeeland has the smallest population. However Drenthe is the least densely populated province with 191/km2 (490/sq mi). In terms of area, Friesland is the largest province with a total area of 5,753 km2 (2,221 sq mi). If water is excluded, Gelderland is the largest province by land area at 4,960 km2 (1,915 sq mi). The province of Utrecht is the smallest with a total area of 1,560 km2 (602 sq mi), while Flevoland is the smallest by land area at 1,410 km2 (544 sq mi). In total about 10,000 people were employed by the provincial administrations in 2018. [2]
The provinces of the Netherlands are joined in the Association of Provinces of the Netherlands (IPO). This organisation promotes the common interests of the provinces in the national government of the Netherlands in The Hague.
The government of each province consists of three major parts:
Part of the Politics series |
Politicsportal |
The members of the provincial council are elected every four years in direct elections. To a large extent, the same political parties are enlisted in these elections in the national elections. The chosen provincial legislators elect the members of the national Senate within three months after the provincial elections. The elections for the water boards take place on the same date as the provincial elections.
The last provincial elections were held in 2023. The next provincial elections are scheduled for 2027.
The provinces of the Netherlands have seven core tasks: [4]
To a large extent, the provinces of the Netherlands are financed by the national government. Also, provinces have income from a part of the Vehicle Excise Duty. Several provinces have made a large profit in the past from privatising utility companies originally owned or partly owned by the provinces. Essent, which was originally owned by six provinces and more than a hundred municipalities, was sold for around 9.3 billion euros. [5]
The constituent country of the Netherlands, being the largest part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is divided into twelve provinces (provincies in Dutch) and three overseas special municipalities; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba in the Caribbean Netherlands that are not part of any province. Previously these were part of public bodies (openbare lichamen).
Flag | Location | Province | Capital | Largest municipality | King's Commissioner | Political party | Municipalities (since 2023) | Total area [1] | Land area [1] | Water area [1] | Population (1 January 2023) [1] | Density Land [1] | GRDP in million euros (2019) [6] | GRDP per capita (€; 2019) [6] | ||||
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km2 | mi2 | km2 | mi2 | km2 | mi2 | /km2 | /mi2 | |||||||||||
Drenthe | Assen | Emmen | Jetta Klijnsma | PvdA | 12 | 2,680 | 1,035 | 2,633 | 1,016 | 48 | 18 | 502,051 | 191 | 490 | 15,701 | 31,853 | ||
Flevoland | Lelystad | Almere | Arjen Gerritsen | VVD | 6 | 2,412 | 931 | 1,410 | 544 | 1,002 | 387 | 444,701 | 315 | 820 | 14,756 | 35,151 | ||
Friesland | Leeuwarden | Arno Brok | VVD | 18 | 5,753 | 2,221 | 3,340 | 1,290 | 2,413 | 932 | 659,551 | 197 | 510 | 20,728 | 31,947 | |||
Gelderland | Arnhem | Nijmegen | John Berends | CDA | 51 | 5,136 | 1,983 | 4,960 | 1,915 | 176 | 68 | 2,133,708 | 430 | 1,100 | 81,757 | 39,326 | ||
Groningen | Groningen | René Paas | CDA | 10 | 2,955 | 1,141 | 2,316 | 894 | 639 | 247 | 596,075 | 257 | 670 | 24,669 | 42,174 | |||
Limburg | Maastricht | Emile Roemer | SP | 31 | 2,210 | 853 | 2,145 | 828 | 65 | 25 | 1,128,367 | 526 | 1,360 | 45,848 | 41,058 | |||
North Brabant | 's-Hertogenbosch [A] | Eindhoven | Ina Adema | VVD | 56 | 5,082 | 1,962 | 4,902 | 1,892 | 181 | 70 | 2,626,210 | 536 | 1,390 | 120,869 | 47,328 | ||
North Holland | Haarlem [B] | Amsterdam [B] | Arthur van Dijk | VVD | 44 | 4,092 | 1,580 | 2,663 | 1,028 | 1,429 | 552 | 2,952,622 | 1,109 | 2,870 | 177,733 | 62,005 | ||
Overijssel | Zwolle | Enschede | Andries Heidema | CU | 25 | 3,421 | 1,321 | 3,317 | 1,281 | 104 | 40 | 1,184,333 | 357 | 920 | 45,517 | 39,258 | ||
South Holland | The Hague [C] | Rotterdam | Jaap Smit | CDA | 50 | 3,308 | 1,277 | 2,698 | 1,042 | 609 | 235 | 3,804,906 | 1,410 | 3,700 | 169,118 | 45,815 | ||
Utrecht | Utrecht | Hans Oosters | PvdA | 26 | 1,560 | 602 | 1,484 | 573 | 76 | 29 | 1,387,643 | 935 | 2,420 | 77,445 | 57,431 | |||
Zeeland | Middelburg | Terneuzen | Han Polman | D66 | 13 | 2,933 | 1,133 | 1,780 | 687 | 1,154 | 445 | 391,124 | 220 | 570 | 14,391 | 37,549 | ||
Netherlands | Amsterdam | 342 | 41,543 | 16,040 | 33,647 | 12,991 | 7,896 | 3,049 | 17,811,291 | 529 | 1,370 | 810,247 | 46,714 |
Special Municipality | Capital | Largest city | Area [7] | Population [7] (2019) | Density |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bonaire | Kralendijk | 294 km2 (114 sq mi) | 20,104 | 69/km2 (180/sq mi) | |
Sint Eustatius | Oranjestad | 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) | 3,138 | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) | |
Saba | The Bottom | 13 km2 (5.0 sq mi) | 1,915 | 148/km2 (380/sq mi) | |
Total | 328 km2 (127 sq mi) | 25,157 | 77/km2 (200/sq mi) |
Nearly all Dutch provinces can trace their origin to a medieval county or duchy, as can the provinces of regions in Belgium. Their status changed when they came under a single ruler who centralised their administration, reducing their powers. There were 17 in total: from these unified Netherlands, seven northern provinces from 1588 formed the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, namely Holland, Zeeland, Gelderland, Utrecht, Friesland, Overijssel and Groningen.
The Republic's lands also included Drenthe (one of the 17, but without the autonomous status of the others), and parts of the Duchy of Brabant, Duchy of Limburg and County of Flanders, which were considered to be "conquered lands" and were governed directly by the States General, hence their name Generality Lands. They were called Staats-Brabant, Staats-Limburg and Staats-Vlaanderen, meaning "governed by the States General".
Each of these "Netherlands" had a high degree of autonomy, cooperating with each other mainly on defense and foreign relations, but otherwise keeping to their own affairs.
On 1 January 1796, under the Batavian Republic, Drenthe and Staats-Brabant became the eighth and ninth provinces of the Netherlands. The latter, which had been known as Bataafs Brabant (English: Batavian Brabant), changed its name to Noord-Brabant, North Brabant, in 1815 when it became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which also contained (then) South Brabant, a province now in Belgium. This new unified state featured the provinces in their modern form, as non-autonomous subdivisions of the national state, and again numbering 17, though they were not all the same as the 16th century ones. In 1839, following the separation of Belgium, the province of Limburg was divided between the two countries, each now having a province called Limburg. A year later, Holland, the largest and most populous of the Dutch provinces, was also split into two provinces, for a total of 11. The 12th province to be created was Flevoland, consisting almost entirely of reclaimed land, established on 1 January 1986.
During the Batavian Republic, the Netherlands was from 1798 to 1801 completely reorganised into eight new departments, most named after rivers, inspired by the French revolutionary example, in an attempt to do away with the old semi-autonomous status of the provinces. They are listed below, with their capitals and the territory of the former provinces that they mostly incorporated:
English name | Dutch name | Capital | Territory contained |
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Department of the Ems | Departement van de Eems | Leeuwarden | Northern Friesland, Groningen |
Department of the Old IJssel | Departement van de Oude IJssel | Zwolle | Southern Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Northern Gelderland |
Department of the Rhine | Departement van de Rijn | Arnhem | Central Gelderland, Eastern Utrecht |
Department of the Amstel | Departement van de Amstel | Amsterdam | Area around Amsterdam |
Department of Texel | Departement van Texel | Alkmaar | Northern Holland minus Amsterdam, Northwestern Utrecht |
Department of the Delft | Departement van de Delft | Delft | Southern Holland up to the Meuse, Southwestern Utrecht |
Department of the Dommel | Departement van de Dommel | 's-Hertogenbosch | Eastern Batavian Brabant, Southern Gelderland |
Department of the Scheldt and Meuse | Departement van de Schelde en Maas | Middelburg | Zeeland, Southern Holland under the Meuse and Western Batavian Brabant |
After only three years, following a coup d'état, the borders of the former provinces were restored, though not their autonomous status. They were now also called "departments" and Drenthe was added to Overijssel. In 1806 the Kingdom of Holland replaced the republic to further French interests. It was during this administration that Holland was first split in two, with the department of Amstelland to the north and that of Maasland to the south. East Frisia, then as now in Germany, was added to the kingdom as a department in 1807 and Drenthe split off again making a total of 11 departments.
When the Netherlands finally did become fully part of France in 1810, the departments of the kingdom and their borders were largely maintained, with some joined. They were however nearly all renamed, again mainly after rivers, though the names differed from their Batavian counterparts. Following are their names and the modern day province they mostly correspond to:
English name | French name | Dutch name | Modern territory |
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Department of the Zuiderzee | Département du Zuyderzée | Departement van de Zuiderzee | North Holland and Utrecht |
Department of the Mouths of the Meuse | Département des Bouches-de-la-Meuse | Departement van de Monden van de Maas | South Holland |
Department of the Mouths of the Scheldt | Département des Bouches-de-l'Escaut | Departement van de Monden van de Schelde | Zeeland |
Department of the Two Nethes | Département des Deux-Nèthes | Departement van de Twee Nethen | Western North Brabant and Antwerp |
Department of the Mouths of the Rhine | Département des Bouches-du-Rhin | Departement van de Monden van de Rijn | Eastern North Brabant and southern Gelderland |
Department of the Upper IJssel | Département de l'Yssel-Supérieur | Departement van de Boven IJssel | Northern Gelderland |
Department of the Mouths of the IJssel | Département des Bouches-de-l'Yssel | Departement van de Monden van de IJssel | Overijssel |
Department of Frisia | Département de la Frise | Departement Friesland | Friesland |
Department of the Western Ems | Département de l'Ems-Occidental | Departement van de Wester Eems | Groningen and Drenthe |
Department of the Eastern Ems | Département de l'Ems-Oriental | Departement van de Ooster Eems | East Frisia |
With the defeat and withdrawal of the French in 1813, the old provinces and their names were re-established, Holland was reunited and East-Frisia went its separate way. The 17 provinces of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands were for a significant part based on the former French departments and their borders, in particular in what would later become Belgium.[ citation needed ]
There is continuous discussion within the Netherlands about the future of the provinces. Before 2014, the national government was planning to merge the provinces Flevoland, North Holland and Utrecht into a single province Noordvleugelprovincie . Due to significant protest the plan was abandoned. [8]
Friesland, historically and traditionally known as Frisia, named after the Frisians, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of Flevoland, northeast of North Holland, and south of the Wadden Sea. As of January 2023, the province had a population of about 660,000, and a total area of 5,753 km2 (2,221 sq mi).
Groningen is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. It borders on Friesland to the west, Drenthe to the south, the German state of Lower Saxony to the east, and the Wadden Sea to the north. As of January 2023, Groningen had a population of about 596,000, and a total area of 2,955 km2 (1,141 sq mi).
The Kingdom of Holland was the successor state of the Batavian Republic. It was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in March 1806 in order to strengthen control over the Netherlands by replacing the republican government with a monarchy. Since becoming emperor in 1804, Napoleon sought to extirpate republican tendencies in territories France controlled, and placed his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, on the throne of the puppet kingdom. The name of the leading province, Holland, now designated the whole country. In 1807, East Frisia and Jever were added to the kingdom.
North Brabant, also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the west, and the Flemish provinces of Antwerp and Limburg to the south. The northern border follows the Meuse westward to its mouth in the Hollands Diep strait, part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. North Brabant had a population of about 2,626,000 as of January 2023. Major cities in North Brabant are Eindhoven, Tilburg, Breda, its provincial capital 's-Hertogenbosch, and Helmond
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of January 2023, Drenthe had a population of about 502,000, and a total area of 2,680 km2 (1,030 sq mi).
Gelderland, also known as Guelders in English, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of 5,136 km2 (1,983 sq mi) of which 176 km2 (68 sq mi) is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by total area. Gelderland shares borders with six other provinces and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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 4,092 km2 (1,580 sq mi), of which 1,429 km2 (552 sq mi) is water.
The Kingdom of Belgium is divided into three regions. Two of these regions, Flanders and Wallonia, are each subdivided into five provinces. The third region, Brussels, does not belong to any province, nor is it subdivided into provinces. Instead, it has amalgamated both regional and provincial functions into a single "Capital Region" administration.
The States General of the Netherlands is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague.
The Generality Lands, Lands of the Generality or Common Lands were about one-fifth of the territories of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, that were directly governed by the States-General. Unlike the seven provinces of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel, Friesland and Groningen, these territories had no States-Provincial and were not represented in the central government. At the time of the Union of Utrecht, these territories were under Spanish control, and would only be conquered by the Dutch Republic later in the war. From an economic point of view, they were exploited with heavy taxes and levies.
The National Reserve Corps is a part of the Royal Netherlands Army. NATRES is a corps in the sense that it has a specialized task. The reservist is part of the military, just like all Dutch military personnel, but mostly working parttime or sometimes full time as a replacement for regulars.
The Estates, also known as the States, was the assembly of the representatives of the estates of the realm, the divisions of society in feudal times, called together for purposes of deliberation, legislation or taxation. A meeting of the estates that covered an entire kingdom was called an estates general.
This list contains all twelve official flags of the provinces of the Netherlands, including the pennons.
The Netherlands has several levels of administrative subdivisions. The first level of subdivision consists of 12 provinces. The second level of subdivision consists of 342 municipalities.
The Historic composition of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands gives an overview of the composition of the House of Representatives of the Dutch parliament. It shows the composition after elections, splits from parties are not included.
Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on 20 March 2019. Eligible voters elected the members of the Provincial States in the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. The elections were held on the same day as the 2019 Dutch water boards elections and, in the Caribbean Netherlands, island council elections.
Land van Cuijk is a municipality in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands, formed from the merger of Boxmeer, Cuijk, Sint Anthonis, Mill en Sint Hubert and Grave on 1 January 2022. It belongs to the region of De Peel.
Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on 15 March 2023, on the same day as the water board elections, as well as island council elections in the Caribbean Netherlands.
In the run-up to the 2023 Dutch provincial elections, various organisations are carrying out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in the Netherlands. In addition to national pollsters such as I&O Research and Ipsos, some local and smaller polling organizations have polled for voting intentions in specific provinces or even cities. The first opinion polls for these elections were conducted in January 2023, with final polls often being released close to the election. The elections were held on 15 March 2023.