Regional Profiles

South-Holland

The province of South-Holland is located in the mid-western part of the Netherlands. This province comprises the highly urbanized belts of the Rotterdam area (Rijnmond), The Hague and Leiden and some less populated parts in the center and in the east. The Rotterdam region is the region which includes the port and the industrial areas in and around Rotterdam. It is one of the major employment centers in the Netherlands.

The province of South-Holland is home to a number of industries ranging from manufacturing to construction and communications. Location of numerous international companies and governmental organizations and an excellent home to thousands of expats. Easy access to Schiphol International Airport by car and train. The Hague is the governmental seat of The Netherlands.

The province of South-Holland has a land surface of 2,860 square kilometers with an average population density of 1,196 per square kilometer.

Key cities

  • Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Delft

Key industries

  • Manufacturing, horticultural, communications, service industries, life sciences

Access nationally / internationally

  • Rotterdam International Port and Airport with European connections
  • Excellent train connections

Foreign companies

  • Capelle a/d IJssel: Eastman Chemical (USA), Novell (USA)
  • Dordrecht: DuPont de Nemours
  • Leiden: Centocor (USA), Corporate Software (USA), Mentor (USA)
  • Oegstgeest: Nalco (USA)
  • Rotterdam: Eastman Chemical (USA), Reebok International (USA), Unilever (UK), NCR (USA), Lyondell (USA)
  • Zoetermeer: Toshiba (Japan)

Demographic figures

  • Population: 3,458,875 (2006)
  • Labor force: 1,589,000 (2005)
  • Unemployment rate: 6.6 % (2005)

Regional development agency