Haaglanden
Encyclopedia
- Parts of this article have been translated from the Dutch version of this page
Haaglanden (a Dutch geographical term) refers to the conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
around The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in the Province of South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. This area is prominent in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
because The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
is the third largest city in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the country's seat of government.
Usage
"Haaglanden" is sometimes used to refer to the Hague conurbationConurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
in a general, informal sense: "the Hague area" or "the area around The Hague". This area is often treated as a single unit for organisational or statistical purposes.
"Haaglanden" is also an official term referring to an urban region literally called "Haaglanden Urban Region" (Stadsgewest Haaglanden), although a better translation may be the "Greater Hague Area". This official urban region consists of the nine municipalities of The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.06 km² . A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950...
, Westland, Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
, Leidschendam-Voorburg
Leidschendam-Voorburg
Leidschendam-Voorburg is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 73,832 in 2004, and covers an area of 35.68 km² of which 2.86 km² is water.-Origin:...
, Pijnacker-Nootdorp
Pijnacker-Nootdorp
Pijnacker-Nootdorp is a suburban municipality in the Randstad conurbation in the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland...
, Rijswijk
Rijswijk
Rijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² ....
, Wassenaar
Wassenaar
Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region...
and Midden-Delfland
Midden-Delfland
Midden-Delfland is a municipality in the Westland region in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It had a population of 17,072 in 2004, and covers an area of 49.38 km² of which 1.93 km² is water...
.
Composition
| Municipality | Population |
|---|---|
| The Hague The Hague The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam... |
|
| Zoetermeer Zoetermeer Zoetermeer is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.06 km² . A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950... |
|
| Westland | |
| Delft Delft Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague.... |
|
| Leidschendam-Voorburg Leidschendam-Voorburg Leidschendam-Voorburg is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 73,832 in 2004, and covers an area of 35.68 km² of which 2.86 km² is water.-Origin:... |
|
| Pijnacker-Nootdorp Pijnacker-Nootdorp Pijnacker-Nootdorp is a suburban municipality in the Randstad conurbation in the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland... |
|
| Rijswijk Rijswijk Rijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² .... |
|
| Wassenaar Wassenaar Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region... |
|
| Midden-Delfland Midden-Delfland Midden-Delfland is a municipality in the Westland region in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It had a population of 17,072 in 2004, and covers an area of 49.38 km² of which 1.93 km² is water... |
|
The total population of the Greater Hague Area is approx. 1,017,937. Its area is 405 km².
Part of a larger conurbation
Haaglanden is part of the RandstadRandstad
Image:Randstad_with_scale.png|400px|thumb|right|Clickable schematic map of the Randstadcircle 528 380 26 Schipholrect 426 356 498 436 Haarlemmermeerrect 399 166 479 245 Velsencircle 250 716 32 Delftcircle 220 642 60 The Hague...
, specifically its southern wing (Zuidvleugel
Zuidvleugel
Zuidvleugel is a way of describing the band of cities and towns located along the southern wing of the Randstad in the Netherlands. It is that part of the Randstad that is located in the Province of South Holland. This developing conurbation extends around 60 kilometres from Dordrecht to Leiden...
).
The Hague conurbation and the Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
conurbation to the east have grown to the point where they are almost contiguous. They are effectively a single urban area, even though they have separate governments, transport systems, etc. The Hague and Rotterdam share the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system called RandstadRail
RandstadRail
RandstadRail network in the southern part of the Randstad conurbation in the west of the Netherlands, connecting The Hague, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam, consists of a metro-like line between The Hague and Rotterdam and two light rail lines between The Hague and Zoetermeer...
. The population of this combined conurbation is approaching 2.5 million. Consideration is being given to creating an official single Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area (metropoolregio).
Haaglanden is bordered to the north by the Leiden conurbation, which has a population of about a quarter million. These two areas have also grown together to the point where they are virtually contiguous.