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Map of Netherlands

Netherlands is a country in Europe with its capital at Amsterdam, home to about 18.09 million people across 42,201 km². The interactive map below plots 14 cities and towns, 6 rivers, 2 lakes, 1 mountain summits and 18 ports recorded for Netherlands in YearMaps.

Population
18.09 million
#72 of 225 · World Bank, 2025
Area
42,201 km²
#136 by area
Capital
Amsterdam
Largest city: The Hague
Continent
Europe
429 people per km²

Interactive Map of Netherlands

6.2

Centred on Amsterdam at 52.3519° N, 4.9147° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.

About Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The realm is a unitary monarchy with its largest subdivision, the eponymous Netherlands, predominantly located in Northwestern Europe and with three smaller island territories located in the Caribbean.

The four subdivisions of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are constituent countries (landen in Dutch; sing. land) and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. All four are autonomous with their own parliaments, however, the Kingdom itself is administered in the constituent country of the Netherlands, which comprises roughly 98% of the Kingdom's land area and population, with matters like foreign policy and defence done on behalf of the entire Kingdom.

The vast majority of land area of the constituent country of the Netherlands is in Europe, while its three special municipalities (Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius) are located in the Caribbean, as are the other three constituent countries.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Kingdom of the Netherlands (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Netherlands
Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Geography and Climate of Netherlands

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1581; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After 18 years of French domination, the Netherlands regained its independence in 1813. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I but suffered German invasion and occupation in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands -- Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba -- became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2018, the Sint Eustatius island council (governing body) was dissolved and replaced by a government commissioner to restore the integrity of public administration. According to the Dutch Government, the intervention will be as "short as possible and as long as needed."

Location
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany.
Climate
Temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters.
Terrain
Mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast.
Highest point
Mount Scenery (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now considered an integral part of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles) 862 m.
Lowest point
Zuidplaspolder -7 m.
Coastline
451 km.
Land borders
Total: 1,053 km; border countries: Belgium 478 km; Germany 575 km.
Major rivers
Rijn (Rhine) river mouth (shared with Switzerland [s], Germany, and France) - 1,233 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
Natural resources
Natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land.
Land use
Agricultural land: 53.5% (2023 est.); arable land: 30% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 1.1% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 22.5% (2023 est.); forest: 10.9% (2023 est.); other: 35.5% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards
Flooding volcanism: Mount Scenery (887 m), located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, last erupted in 1640; Round Hill (601 m), a dormant volcano also known as "The Quill," is located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean; these islands are at the northern end of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends south to Grenada.
Geographic note
Located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine (Rijn), Meuse (Maas), and Scheldt (Schelde)); about a quarter of the country lies below sea level and only about half of the land exceeds one meter above sea level.
Languages
Dutch (official), Frisian (official in Fryslan province)
Religions
Roman Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.8% (includes Dutch Reformed, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, Calvinist), Muslim 5%, other 5.9% (includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish), none 54.1% (2019 est.)
Ethnic groups
Dutch 75.4%, EU (excluding Dutch) 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.4%, Surinamese 2.1%, Indonesian 2%, other 9.3% (2021 est.)
Economy
High-income, core EU- and eurozone-member economy; strong services, logistics, and tech sectors; strongly trade-oriented with heightened risks from global tensions; declining inflation aided by easing energy prices and wage growth; rising but manageable deficits and public debt; strong ratings for innovation, competitiveness, and business climate.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Netherlands in Numbers

Population
18.09 million
2025
GDP
US$1.33 trillion
2025
GDP per person
US$73,684
2025
Life expectancy
82.0 years
2024
Population growth
0.52% a year
2025
Population density
534 per km²
2024
Urban population
95.9%
2025
Surface area
41,540 km²
2024
Forest cover
11.0%
2024
Arable land
29.8%
2024
Access to electricity
100.0%
2024
Internet users
97.0%
2024

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Netherlands in Depth

History

The Kingdom of the Netherlands originated in the aftermath of the defeat of French Emperor Napoleon I. The Netherlands regained its independence from France in 1813 as the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands, after having been annexed by the First French Empire in 1810. The great powers of Europe, united against Napoleonic France, had decided in the secret treaty of the London Protocol to establish a single state in the territories that were previously the Dutch Republic/Batavian Republic/Kingdom of Holland, the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, awarding rule over this to William Frederick, Prince of Orange and Nassau, the son of William V, the last stadholder of the Dutch Republic.

Geography

The Kingdom of the Netherlands covers a total area of 42,531 km2 (16,421 sq mi); and a land area of 34,467 km2 (13,308 sq mi). The Kingdom of the Netherlands has land borders with Belgium, Germany (both in the European Netherlands), and France (on Saint Martin).

About one quarter of the Netherlands lies below sea level, as much land has been reclaimed from the sea. Dikes were erected to protect the land from flooding. Previously, the highest point of the Netherlands was the Vaalserberg in Limburg at only 322.7 m (1,059 ft), but with the constitutional reform of 10 October 2010 this changed as Saba became part of the Netherlands as a special municipality, and its Mount Scenery (870 m; 2,850 ft) took the place of the Vaalserberg.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kingdom of the Netherlands (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Netherlands: Key Facts

Key facts about Netherlands
CurrencyAruban florin
Official languageDutch
Head of stateWilliam Alexander of the Netherlands
Head of governmentRob Jetten
Form of governmentconstitutional monarchy
Calling code+31
Internet domain.nl
Highest pointMount Scenery
Lowest pointZuidplaspolder
Established16 March 1815

Facts from Wikidata Q29999 (CC0).

History of Netherlands: Empires and States

The atlas records 34 polities whose mapped territory included part of Netherlands, from Roman Republic in 50 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Netherlands, in chronological order
PolityPeriod here
Roman Republic50–32 BCE
The Roman Empire31 BCE – 438 CE
Ripuarian Franks238–509 CE
Gallic Empire261–282 CE
Salian Franks358–509 CE
Western Roman Empire395–438 CE
Merovingian Empire490–717 CE
Kingdom of the Franks510–849 CE
Magna Frisia602–740 CE
Carolingian Empire718–925 CE
Viking settlements850–885 CE
Middle Franks850–899 CE
Lower Burgundy860–869 CE
East Franks870–910 CE
West Franks870–925 CE
Kingdom of Germany926–961 CE
The Holy Roman Empire926–1551 CE
Vassalage of Kingdom of Bohemia to Holy Roman Empire1202–1452 CE
County of Holland1260–1362 CE
County of Brabant1260–1430 CE
Holy Roman Empire Minor States1260–1551 CE
Duchy of Bavaria1363–1449 CE
Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire1422–1458 CE
Duchy of Burgundy1431–1481 CE
Kingdom of France1431–1682 CE
House of Habsburg1482–1515 CE
Habsburg Monarchy1482–1555 CE
Kingdom of Spain1516–1581 CE
The Spanish Empire1516–1631 CE
Iberian Union1582–1631 CE
Dutch Republic1582–1795 CE
The French Colonial Empire1673–1813 CE
Batavian Republic1796–1810 CE
Netherlands1815–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Netherlands

Netherlands on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Largest Cities in Netherlands

14 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Netherlands
#NamePopulation
1The Hague1.41 million
2Amsterdam1.03 million
3Rotterdam1.00 million
4Utrecht640,000
5Eindhoven398,053
6Haarlem349,957
7Groningen216,688
8Arnhem141,674
9's-Hertogenbosch134,520
10Leeuwarden125,778
11Maastricht122,378
12Zwolle111,805
13Assen62,237
14Middelburg46,485

Highest Mountains in Netherlands

1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Netherlands
#NameElevation
1Vaalserberg321 m
Vaalserberg
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Vaalserberg

Mountain · 321 m

Vaalserberg is a mountain rising to 321 metres (1,053 ft) in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, in the Europe region. The summit stands on the borders between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..

The Vaalserberg (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvaːlsərˌbɛr(ə)x]; Limburgish: Vaolserberg [ˈvɒː˦˨lsəʀˌbæː˦˨˧ʀəx]) is a hill with a height of 322.4 metres (1,058 ft) above NAP that is the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands. The Vaalserberg is located in the province of Limburg, at the south-easternmost edge of the country, near the town of Vaals (after which it is named).

The Vaalserberg was the highest point anywhere in the Netherlands until the Caribbean island of Saba, with its 887-metre-high (2,910-foot) volcano, was incorporated into the country as a "special municipality" in 2010.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Vaalserberg (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation
321 m (1,053 ft)
Global rank
#623 of 641 indexed
Region
Europe (#77)
Countries
Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Coordinates
50.7601°, 6.0201°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Vaalserberg ranks #623 by elevation, below Mount Hillaby (340 m) and above Mount Bates (319 m).

Ranges:
Ardennes (Europe), Vosges (Europe)
Settlements below:
Maastricht (26 km), Eindhoven (83 km), 's-Hertogenbosch (114 km)

View on the live map

Largest Lakes in Netherlands

2 lakes recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.

Largest Lakes in Netherlands
#NameSurface Area
1IJsselmeer2,893 km²
2Lauwerszee31 km²
IJsselmeer
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

IJsselmeer

Alkaline Lake · 2,893 km²

IJsselmeer is a alkaline lake in the Netherlands, with a mapped surface area of about 2,893 km².

The IJsselmeer (Dutch: [ˌɛisəlˈmeːr] ; West Frisian: Iselmar, Dutch Low Saxon: Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed-off freshwater lake in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of 1,100 km2 (420 sq mi) with an average depth of 4.5 m (15 ft). The river IJssel, after which the lake was named, flows into the IJsselmeer.

Adapted from Wikipedia: IJsselmeer (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Surface area
2,893 km²
Area rank
#69 of 756 indexed
Type
Alkaline Lake
Country
Netherlands
Coordinates
52.5825°, 5.3303°

Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, IJsselmeer ranks #69 by surface area, after Cedar Lake (2,977 km²) and ahead of Lake Mistassini (2,877 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.

Settlements on the shore:
Amsterdam (38 km), Haarlem (52 km), Zwolle (52 km)
Watercourses:
IJssel (River), Nederrijn (River)
Other water nearby:
Lauwerszee (31 km²), Schweriner See (56 km²)

View on the live map

More about IJsselmeer

Geography

The IJsselmeer is primarily fed by the River IJssel (70%); this amount can vary by snowfall and rainwater. The rest comes from local rainwater and water from other sources such as streams and pumping stations.

History

Two thousand years ago Pomponius Mela, a Roman geographer, mentioned a complex of lakes at the current location of the IJsselmeer. He called it Lacus Flevo. Over the centuries, the lake banks crumbled away due to flooding and wave action, and the lake, now called the Almere, grew considerably. During the 12th and 13th centuries, storm surges and rising sea levels flooded large areas of land between the lake and the North Sea, turning the lake into a bay of the North Sea, called the Zuiderzee. The Zuiderzee continued to be a threat to the Dutch, especially when northwesterly storms funnel North Sea waters towards the English Channel, creating very high tides along the Dutch coast.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: IJsselmeer (CC BY-SA 4.0).

IJsselmeer: Key Facts

Key facts about IJsselmeer
Surface area1,100 km²
Maximum depth9.5 m
Surface elevation-0.3 m
InflowsIJssel, Vecht, Eem

Facts from Wikidata Q4121 (CC0).

Lauwerszee
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Lauwerszee

Lake · 31 km²

Lauwerszee is a lake in the Netherlands, with a mapped surface area of about 31 km².

Lauwersmeer (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌlʌu.ərsˈmeːr]) is a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 23 May 1969, when the dike between the bay called Lauwers Sea and the Wadden Sea was closed. It is noted for birdwatching.

On the eastern shores of the Lauwersmeer is the Marnewaard, an exercise area of the Royal Netherlands Army. The central and eastern parts of the lake became Lauwersmeer National Park on 12 November 2003.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lauwersmeer (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Surface area
31 km²
Area rank
#737 of 756 indexed
Type
Lake
Country
Netherlands
Coordinates
53.3590°, 6.1768°

Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, Lauwerszee ranks #737 by surface area, after Ozero Busani (33 km²) and ahead of Femunden (30 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.

Settlements on the shore:
Leeuwarden (29 km), Groningen (31 km), Assen (47 km)
Watercourses:
IJssel (River), Nederrijn (River)
Other water nearby:
IJsselmeer (2,893 km²), Schweriner See (56 km²)

View on the live map

More about Lauwerszee

History

The Lauwers Sea (in Dutch: Lauwerszee) was formed by a flood in 1280, and named after the river Lauwers, which flows along the border between the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. During the flood the mouth of the river Lauwers disappeared, and its tributaries the Reitdiep, the Dokkumerdiep, and the Ee flowed directly into the new bay. Many plans were made after this disaster to shut it off from the sea but none was ever put into effect. However, parts of it were empoldered piecemeal, slowly reducing it from a large two-forked estuary to the nearly square inlet seen on recent maps.

The first serious plans for draining the Lauwers Sea were from 1849. In the 1930s a commission came up with several plans but all were shelved and were never accomplished.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Lauwersmeer (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lauwerszee: Key Facts

Key facts about Lauwerszee
Surface area0.1 km²
InflowsLauwers, Reitdiep

Facts from Wikidata Q525364 (CC0).

Rivers in Netherlands

6 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.

Rivers in Netherlands
NameType
IJsselRiver
LekRiver
MaasRiver
NederrijnRiver
RhineRiver
WaalRiver

Ports in Netherlands

18 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Netherlands
#NameChannel Depth
1Harlingen53 m
2Hansweert49.4 m
3Delfzijl45.7 m
4Den Helder42.1 m
5Eemshaven42.1 m
6Oranjestad42.1 m
7Zaandam42.1 m
8Dordrecht38.4 m
9Terneuzen38.4 m
10Schiedam38.4 m
The other 8 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
  1. Vlaardingen · 34.7 m · Very Small · North Sea · medium vessels
  2. Kralendijk · 31.1 m · Very Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
  3. Maassluis · 31.1 m · Very Small · North Sea · medium vessels
  4. Amsterdam · 31.1 m · Major · North Sea · medium vessels
  5. Ijmuiden · 27.4 m · Small · North Sea · medium vessels
  6. Hoek Van Holland · 20.1 m · Very Small · North Sea · point_of_interest
  7. Europoort · 12.8 m · Minor · North Sea · large vessels
  8. Salina · 5.5 m · Very Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Netherlands

12 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

See all 12 World Heritage Sites →
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Netherlands
#NameInscribed
1Schokland1995
2Dutch Water Defence Lines1996
3Windmills at Kinderdijk1997
4Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal1998
5Beemster1999
6Rietveld Schröder House2000
7Wadden Sea2009
8Grachtengordel2010
9Van Nelle Factory2014
10Colonies of Benevolence2021

Largest Islands of Netherlands

1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.

Largest Islands of Netherlands
#NameArea
1Frisian Islands2,564 km²
Frisian Islands
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Frisian Islands

Island group · 2,564 km²

Frisian Islands is an island group in Europe, covering an estimated 2,564 km². It extends across the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.

The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or the Wadden Sea Islands, form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the Netherlands through Germany to the west of Denmark. The islands shield the mudflat region of the Wadden Sea (large parts of which fall dry during low tide) from the North Sea.

The Frisian Islands, along with the mainland coast in the German Bight, form the region of Frisia (German and Dutch: Friesland), homeland of the Frisian people. Generally, the term Frisian Islands is used for the islands where Frisian is spoken and the population is ethnically Frisian. In contrast, the term "Wadden Islands" applies to the entire archipelago, including the Dutch-speaking westernmost islands of Texel and Vlieland, Danish-speaking Danish Wadden Sea Islands further north off the west coast of Jutland and the Islands of Trischen and Neuwerk.

Most of the Wadden Sea Islands are environmentally protected areas, and an international wildlife nature reserve is being coordinated between the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Frisian Islands (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Feature class
Island group
Mapped extent
2,564 km²
Size rank
#237 of 445 islands
Region
Europe
Countries
Netherlands, Denmark, Germany
Coordinates
53.4835°, 5.6639°
Summits:
Vaalserberg (321 m)
Ranges:
Ardennes (Europe), Harz (Europe)
Settlements:
Leeuwarden (43 km), Groningen (96 km), Assen (99 km)

View on the live map

More about Frisian Islands

History

During the last ice age, which ended approximately 12,000 years ago, sea level was about 60 metres (200 ft) lower than it is now, and part of what is now the North Sea was dry land. With the melting of the ice caps, the sea level rose, reaching the current coast line around the beginning of the Holocene era, approximately 7,000 years ago. Tidal action transported large quantities of sand to form a line of dunes extending over 500 kilometres (310 mi) from the Netherlands to the mouth of the river Elbe in Germany. The sea broke through the dunes in many places to form the Wadden Islands, with the low-lying country behind becoming the tidal Wadden mudflats.

The Dutch West Frisian and the German East Frisian Islands are barrier islands.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Frisian Islands (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Frisian Islands: Key Facts

Key facts about Frisian Islands
Area1,047 km²
Surrounded byNorth Sea, Wadden Sea

Facts from Wikidata Q76936 (CC0).

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Netherlands

1 landform recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Netherlands
#NameArea
1Europe11.24M km²

Countries Bordering Netherlands

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in Europe

Netherlands: Quick Answers

What is the capital of Netherlands?
The capital of Netherlands is Amsterdam.
What is the population of Netherlands?
Netherlands has a population of about 18.09 million, the #72 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Netherlands?
Netherlands covers 42,201 km², ranking #136 by area, with about 429 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Netherlands in?
Netherlands is in Europe.
Which countries border Netherlands?
Netherlands shares a land or maritime border with Belgium, France, Germany, Venezuela.
What is the largest city in Netherlands?
The Hague is the largest city in Netherlands, with a metropolitan population of about 1.41 million.
What is the highest mountain in Netherlands?
The highest summit recorded for Netherlands in YearMaps is Vaalserberg at 321 m (1,053 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
What is the largest lake in Netherlands?
The largest lake recorded in or bordering Netherlands is IJsselmeer, at roughly 2,893 km².