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Which country is Rotterdam in?

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands with a population of 1.02 million including its suburbs. Rotterdam is located in the Dutch province of South Holland, on the banks of the Nieuwe Maas River.

Rotterdam takes its name from the small river Rotter, which flows into the Nieuwe Maas River in the city center, and the Dutch word Dam (dam). Rotterdam has long been the largest seaport in Europe. In terms of container traffic, it was the world’s largest port in the 1880s and the world’s 10th in 2010.

History

Rotterdam has risen and fallen several times in its history. It was originally a fishing village near the Rotter River, which in ancient times flowed from the marshy areas of South Holland to the Maas River, from which Rotterdam got its name. In 1250, a dyke was built on the north bank of the Maas to separate the Rotter from the Maas with a gate. In 1340, when Count William IV of the Netherlands ruled Rotterdam, he dug a canal to connect with Delft and Leiden, and Rotterdam began to prosper.

Much of the city was destroyed by fire in 1563. Rotterdam was occupied and pillaged by Spanish troops in 1572, and the Spanish retreated a few months later. At that time, many merchants and craftsmen from Antwerp, Belgium settled in Rotterdam, which brought Rotterdam into a period of restoration and development.

In the 16th century, the city construction of Rotterdam gradually developed, and many ports were excavated in the muddy land, which laid the foundation for foreign traffic and trade. By the 18th century; foreign trade in Rotterdam was even more prosperous, concentrating on France and England, while ships also sailed to Indonesia and the United States. By the 19th century, Rotterdam had become increasingly important in the entrepot trade.

Due to the unification of Germany in 1870, industrialization was carried out in the Rhine region, especially in the Ruhr region, so that Rotterdam was developed accordingly. With the rapid development of the capitalist economy and the opening of the Suez Canal, especially in 1877, the railway connected to the southern urban area and in 1895, a new canal channel leading to the North Sea was built, which greatly improved its transportation conditions.

After the war, the municipality embarked on a reconstruction plan and expropriated the entire devastated area. Reconstruction of the port facilities was completed in 1949 and sea traffic was gradually restored. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Port Lake Port and the petrochemical zone were built. The Bell River with a depth of 23 meters, a width of 400-600 meters, and a length of 12 kilometers was excavated, and the Port of Europort was built. The area of ​​the port and industrial area expanded from 26.3 square kilometers to 100 square kilometers after World War II to the mid-1970s, making Rotterdam the world’s largest port since 1961.

Geographical environment

Rotterdam (51°55’N, 4°29’E) is the second largest city in the Netherlands, the largest port in Europe, and the west bridgehead of the Eurasian Continental Bridge (the east bridgehead is Lianyungang, China), located on the Rhine River in Europe. Confluence with the Maas River. Rotterdam is located in the Dutch province of South Holland, on the banks of the Nieuwe Maas River. It is the largest seaport in Europe, and until recent years was even the largest in the world.

The whole city is spread on both sides of the Maas River, about 25 kilometers away from the North Sea, and is connected to the North Sea by a new waterway. The waters of the port area are deep and wide, inland river ships can pass unimpeded, and the deep-water wharf of the outer port can berth giant cargo ships and super tankers. Rotterdam takes its name from the small river Rotter, which flows into the Nieuwe Maas River in the city center, and the Dutch word Dam (dam). Rotterdam is an important port connecting the five continents of Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia, and is known as the “European Gateway”.

The urban area of ​​the city is more than 200 square kilometers, and the port area is more than 100 square kilometers. The urban population is 570,000, including 1.024 million in surrounding satellite cities. Rotterdam is a flat terrain, located in the lowlands of the Netherlands, about 7 meters below sea level.

Honors

In April 2020, it was selected into the “2020 Global Summer Cities List”.