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Randstad

The Randstad metropolitan area of 6.6 million people centers on four cities in the Netherlands1: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, 's-Gravenhage2 and Utrecht, none of which have a million residents. Amsterdam is situated at the extreme south of the Ijsselmeer, where an inlet meets the Amstel River. Rotterdam is also named for a dam on a minor river, but it sits along a channel shared by the Rhine3 and the Maas4, and was--until recently--the world's biggest port. 'S-Gravenhage is located along the North Sea coast north of Rotterdam. Utrecht is located on lesser distributaries of the Rhine and is southeast of Amsterdam. Amsterdam's sights include its canals and its historical prostitution district. Rotterdam's attractions include: De Zwaan (the Swann) Bridge--more properly, the Erasmus Bridge; the Euromast, 186 meters tall; and the Delftse Poort office tower, the nation's tallest. The Dutch government is seated at the Binnehof (Inner Court) and the 13th century Ridderzaal (Knights Hall). Utrecht has a 13th century cathedral with a 112 meter tall tower; the building was split in two by a 17th century tornado.

The two World Heritage Sites in the area are: the Defence Line of Amsterdam, an integration of waterworks, dykes and a chain of forts; and Utrecht's Rietveld Schröderhuis (Rietveld Schröder House), built by the architect Rietveld, deemed exemplary of both the De Stijl group of artists and architects and of architecture's Modern Movement.5

René Descartes worked in Leiden (northeast of 's-Gavenhage) and published his Geometry, an appendix to his philosophical work, in 1637.

Haarlem, west of Amsterdam, is the export center for tulips, and is a popular tourist destination.

CityYearPopulation6Political entity
Amsterdam1700210,000Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden (Republic of the Seven United Lowlands, or the United Provinces)7
Amsterdam1800195,000République française (locally the nominally independent Bataafse Republiek)
Amsterdam1900510,000Nederland (the Netherlands)

External references

Amsterdam night lights

Historical maps

map showing part of the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden, 1700 CE

map showing part of the République française, 1800 CE

map showing part of Nederland, 1900 CE

map of Deutschland, the Benelux countries and Danmark (part), 2000 CE

Footnotes

1. Nederland in Dutch.
2. The Hague in English. Den Haag is an alternate name.
3. Spelled Rijn locally.
4. Meuse in French.
5. World Heritage Sites (Unesco and Firefly Books, 2010).
6. Estimates in Tables of the World's Largest Cities in Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth, 2nd ed. (The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987). In 1700 and 1800 Amsterdam was the largest city in what is now Benelux, Deutschland (Germany) and Danmark (Denmark).
7. In 1700, the head of the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden was also the king of England.