Holland vs. Netherlands: Tricky Naming for Different Places

Although Holland has become colloquially synonymous with the Netherlands (and the Dutch government even uses Holland.com as its official travel website), it's actually just a region of the northwestern European country.

The Holland region — which boasts the densely populated and well-known cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague (Den Haag) — is often thought of as its own country. You might have thought that yourself before reading this article.

Technically, you'd be wrong, but but don't feel too bad about it. Even some Dutch citizens aren't totally clear on that question.

So, when did this confusion of names first begin? We can trace one story back to Dutch sailors who traversed the open seas during the Golden Age in search of new land, trade routes and spices.

When asked what country they were from, the sailors were known to say they were from "Noord Holland" or "Zuid Holland" (that's North Holland or South Holland), which made many outsiders believe Holland was a country.

We can probably forgive those outsiders; after all, reference books and up-to-date atlases were in short supply back then. But even geography and history mavens weren't always right, and for good reason: The Kingdom of the Netherlands itself has gone through many name changes over the years, adding to the confusion.

In the days of the Holy Roman Empire (we could go back further, but you have to start somewhere), what was then called the Low Countries was full of mutually competitive minor kingdoms, duchies, fiefdoms and so forth.

Social, technological and agricultural innovations led to a rising class of merchants and tradesmen, and thus the beginnings of a cosmopolitan culture. Both the Netherlands (which means "low countries" and could refer to any relatively low-lying part of Europe) and Holland were in regular use, with Holland referring to a specific domain among several of those parts.

Over the next few centuries of Dutch history, there were various political formations, as well as conquest by other powerful agents, such as the Habsburgs, the Burgundians and the Spanish.

Eventually, Holland, Zeeland, Groningen, Friesland, Utrecht, Overijssel and Gelderland came together in confederation, setting the groundwork for the modern state known as The Netherlands.

From 1588 to 1795, the nation was known as the Republic of Seven United Netherlands. After the republic was conquered by French troops in 1795, it became the Batavian Republic. French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte named his brother Louis king in 1806, turning the country into a kingdom.

After Napoleon's withdrawal from the area, the Netherlands remained a kingdom ruled by William VI of Orange. William VI was sovereign prince of the Dutch Republic, and in 1815 he became king of the United Netherlands, which included the southern Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

But in 1831, leading European powers decided Belgium should be independent, and the Netherlands as we know it today came to be.

At that time, the area known as Holland made the biggest contribution to the entire nation's economy and wealth. So, it was the most commonly used name when referring to the entire country.

In reality, Holland makes up just two of 12 provinces of the Netherlands — North and South Holland (or Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland), which are located on the west coast of country. North and South Holland are home to the country's capital Amsterdam; its seat of government, The Hague; and Europe's most important port, The Port of Rotterdam.

The other 10 provinces in the Netherlands are:

Each province has its own capital, self-rule and administration. That means simply calling the Netherlands "Holland" is similar to referring to the United Kingdom as England.

It is correct and appropriate, however, to say that you are traveling to Holland if you are visiting Amsterdam, the capital city within Holland.

Now, how do you refer to the people who live in the Netherlands (and Holland)? In short, Dutch is the broadest term used to describe all the people of the Netherlands.

If you're from, say, a Dutch town in the provinces of North and South Holland you are referred to as a "Hollander." The Dutch use "Nederlands" as one way to describe Dutch society, and "Nederlanders" when referring to the people of the Netherlands. But these terms are rarely used in the English language.

Still confused? No worries. Most Dutch people will pardon visitors who mix up these terms. Just don't confuse them with the Danish. That's a whole different story.