Westland (municipality), Netherlands

Westland (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɛstlɑnt] ⓘ) is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It covers an area of 90.74 km2 (35.03 sq mi) of which 9.47 km2 (3.66 sq mi) is covered by water and had a population of 111,382 in 2021.

For other uses, see Westland.
Westland
Municipality
Greenhouses near 's-Gravenzande
Greenhouses near 's-Gravenzande
Flag of Westland
Flag
Coat of arms of Westland
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Westland in a municipal map of South Holland
Location in South Holland
Coordinates: 52°0′N 4°13′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceSouth Holland
Established1 January 2004[1]
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorBouke Arends (PvdA)
Area
[2]
 • Total90.74 km2 (35.03 sq mi)
 • Land81.27 km2 (31.38 sq mi)
 • Water9.47 km2 (3.66 sq mi)
Elevation
[3]
1 m (3 ft)
Population
 (January 2021)[4]
 • Total111,382
 • Density1,371/km2 (3,550/sq mi)
DemonymWestlander
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
2290–2295, 2670–2694
Area code0174
Websitewww.gemeentewestland.nl

Towns and other settlements: De Lier, 's-Gravenzande, Monster, Naaldwijk, Wateringen, Heenweg, Honselersdijk, Kwintsheul, Maasdijk, Poeldijk, and Ter Heijde.

History

Westland was created on 1 January 2004 by a merger of the municipalities De Lier, 's-Gravenzande, Monster, Naaldwijk and Wateringen.[5] These are also the names of five of the settlements. The others are Heenweg, Honselersdijk, Kwintsheul, Maasdijk, Poeldijk, and Ter Heijde. Westland itself is not the name of a settlement or town, but rather of the region. The City hall is located in the middle of Westland, in Naaldwijk, the second largest settlement in Westland.[6]

The town of Honselersdijk also possesses the largest Flower Auction, FloraHolland, which also has a location in Rijnsburg. This is a very important sector of the Westland economy. Flowers produced in Westland are sold all over the world.

Coastal towns are Ter Heijde (near Monster), Monster itself and 's-Gravenzande. These towns are popular with Germans and people from the Eastern Netherlands. It is not unknown for every holiday campsite to be fully booked with tourists because of their relative proximity to the more popular Scheveningen.

Wider area
Dutch Topographic map of Westland, July 2013

Westland is part of the Haaglanden conurbation.

In a wider sense, Westland is also the name of the region south-west of the line The Hague - Delft - Rotterdam, approximately consisting of the municipalities Westland and Midden-Delfland, as well as Hook of Holland (municipality of Rotterdam).

Westland is most known for its horticulture in greenhouses, growing flowers and vegetables.

Aerial view of Westland (in the image center); behind it: Hook of Holland (the sharp-shaped promontory), Europoort (in between the two rivers), and Maasvlakte (protruding into the sea)

Notable people
Franco Petri Burgersdijk, ca.1620
Maria van Aerden-Ponderus, ca.1700
Kees Broekman, 1968
Mandy van den Berg, 2011

Sport

References
  1. "Gemeentelijke indeling op 1 januari 2004" [Municipal divisions on 1 January 2004]. cbs.nl (in Dutch). CBS. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. "Postcodetool for 2671GW". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. Law on merger, in Dutch, with map
  6. "Gemeente Westland". www.gemeentewestland.nl. Archived from the original on 2008-09-22.
  7. IMDb Database retrieved 07 October 2019
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