South Holland

Related Category: Benelux Political Geography

Dutch Zuidholland, province (1994 pop. 3,313,200), c.1,085 sq mi (2,810 sq km), W Netherlands, bounded by the North Sea in the west. The Hague is the capital; other cities include Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Leiden, Delft, Schiedam, and Gouda. A fertile lowland, protected by dunes and dikes along the coast, its physical geography is similar to that of North Holland, with which it was united until 1840 as Holland. In 1953 a flood seriously damaged the province's soil.