Main Information

South-Holland
Zuid-Holland (South-Holland) is a bustling, multifaceted province. It is home to 3.5 million people, who inhabit an area of around 2,900 km2. This makes it the most densely populated of the twelve Dutch provinces, with 1,220 inhabitants per km2.

Lots of people, lots of activity. Zuid Holland has around 130,200 registered businesses. The province also boasts various centres of knowledge and expertise, including three universities in Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam, the TNO research laboratories, Estec and the Innovation Centres. South Holland is the country’s most important province in terms of economy, agriculture and the provision of services. Rotterdam with its mainport is South-Holland’s largest city. The provincial capital is The Hague, which is the seat of national goverment and the Queen’s official place of residence.
Leiden University, one of the leading universities in the life sciences, and Delft University of Technology, one of the best technical universities in the world, have a strong focus on high quality scientific research and education. Together with the Netherlands Institute of Applied Scientific Research (TNO) they provide the backbone for the region's leading-edge status.
Some of the fastest growing research areas are: process technology, biotechnology, materials technology, discrete production, energy technology and information and communication technology.
Rotterdam.
•    largest port in Europe and 4th largest port in the world
•    430 million tons imported and exported (2010)
•    Depth: 24 meters (75 feet)
•    6 refineries, 47 (petro) chemical companies, 6 crude oil terminals
•    3 producers of industrial gasses
•    19 independent tank storage and distribution terminals
•    All connected by 1,500 km/932 miles of pipeline
Rotterdam is an emerging world leader in the healthcare and medical industry. Our local government is keen to further strengthen the position of Rotterdam as a world-class medical player, together with academic and industrial partners, all dedicated to tomorrow’s health. The Erasmus Medical Center is the largest university medical center in the Netherlands and No. 1 in Europe for clinical research.
Facts
•    Medical and care cluster: 20% of local employment
•    Turnover: EUR 2.5 billion
•    15 hospitals within 15 km (9 miles)
At the moment, Rotterdam is home to more than 250 companies that are industry leaders in the development of games, animation, film and high-end post-production of media. Rotterdam has, since 1993, made a priority of investing in this sector to develop an environment in which all kind of creative companies will thrive.
•    Commercial services makes up 20% of local employment (of which more than 50% are high-quality jobs)
•    Expected growth of employment in commercial services: 1.1% per year.
•    Port-related commercial services: 5% of the total commercial services