Overview
of the Netherlands and its Regions
If you’ve decided on the Netherlands, you’re not the first: the Netherlands has been known for centuries as a nation of successful traders. Internationally oriented by nature, the Dutch instinctively know how to anticipate and fulfill the needs of a customer, no matter where he or she is based. Its well-educated and motivated workforce is a key resource for international businesses, and has proven to be innovative, flexible, and responsive to ever changing market conditions and trends. Building on this natural advantage the pro-business Dutch government has put policies in place that have earned the respect of other governments and international businesses worldwide.
It’s not just the people, however, that offer a natural advantage: the Netherlands is also an ideal location from which to penetrate markets throughout Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, Africa and beyond. Indeed, it’s often considered the “Gateway to Europe,” home of Rotterdam, the world’s biggest port, as well as Schiphol International Airport.
The Netherlands is only 16,033 square miles, yet it has an extensive network of roads, highways, railways and waterways. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is served by all major international airlines. It only takes 58 minutes to get from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, and soon you’ll be able to do it ever faster: in 2007 the Netherlands will get a connection to the European network of High Speed Lines (HSL). These ultra-fast trains with a maximum speed of 187 miles an hour will take travelers from Amsterdam to Schiphol, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels and Paris. The Amsterdam-Rotterdam section will only take 37 minutes. The Netherlands’ road network is of high quality and a relatively large portion consists of highways. The distance between Amsterdam and Germany’s capital of Munich for example, is 514 miles, which will take you a little over 7 hours by car.
While the Netherlands isn’t a large country, its regions are quite different. Each has its own advantages, depending on your type of operation.
Find out more about the specific regions of the Netherlands either by scrolling down or clicking on the map or the name of the region, on the left.
 Northern Netherlands — Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe
Let’s start at the top, with the Northern Netherlands, which is really made up of three distinct areas -- Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe.
Groningen is quite diverse. For example, while its eastern portion was originally home to food, other agro-business and ship building, it has lately seen an infusion of businesses in the electronics and chemicals sectors. The city of Groningen, itself, is a hotbed of industrial activity and the site of one of the Netherland’s major universities. The northwestern part is primarily known for its two major ports, Delfzijl and Eemshaven, which offers potential locations for logistics operations.
Friesland has a robust infrastructure suited to a wide range of business types and can offer abundant office space for marketing and sales operations.
Drenthe is located between the city of Groningen and Germany, so it, again, provides a good launching point for both marketing and sales and logistics activities aimed at the German market.
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 East Netherlands — Overijssel, Gelderland
Just below Drenthe, on the country’s eastern border sits the province of Overijssel. It’s broken into two parts: in the west is Zwolle, the capital of the province, and in the east Twente, a highly industrialized area. As a crossroads of transport links to Scandinavia and Germany, Overijssel has a large manufacturing base and excellent infrastructure enabling easy communication with major Eastern European markets.
Continuing south, and again bordering Germany, is the province of Gelderland. The largest province of the Netherlands, Gelderland is an industrial region suited to manufacturing industries and sales and support companies that need easy access to neighboring markets. Like the Northern Netherlands, it has also become a busy biotech center. Gelderland is also renowned for its Food Valley region, where about 10,000 people are employed in sciences, technological development and related businesses.
For more information on this area click on East Netherlands.
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 Flevoland
Moving west, you come to Flevoland. Often called a ‘man-made miracle’ Flevoland was created on the bottom of the former Zuiderzee (Southern Sea). Because it’s within easy reach of Amsterdam and has its own airport, the Flevoland region and the cities of Almere and Lelystad are well suited to international companies.
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 Utrecht
Right in the heart of the Netherlands is the Province of Utrecht. Not only is it a major point of convergence for the country’s road, rail and inland waterway networks, but it is also only a half an hour from Schiphol International Airport. This central location is perfect for both sales and marketing and logistics operations.
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 North Holland
Because it borders the North Sea, the Province of North Holland is obviously a center for the oil and gas industry. Yet many technology and engineering companies also call it home. It is divided into two major regions: North Holland North and the Amsterdam Region.
North Holland North, with its major industrial centers of Alkmaar and Den Helder, is an important center for the exploration of gas and oil in the North Sea.
The Amsterdam Region is in the southern part of the province. It is the location of important industrial ports along the North Sea Canal, the Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport and business centers, and, of course, Amsterdam itself, an industrial, trading and financial and cultural center of international importance and a thriving hub for business and industry. Visit the Amsterdam Foreign Investment Office, the Amsterdam Airport Area Agency, and Amsterdam Ports for more information on this region.
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 South Holland
Several of the most urbanized belts of the Netherlands are located in South Holland: Rotterdam, Leiden, and The Hague, the governmental seat of the country. South Holland is the location of numerous international companies and governmental organizations and home to thousands of expats. It offers easy access to Schiphol International Airport by car or train. Rotterdam is host to one of the world’s largest ports. The port and industrial area spans 24 miles and runs from the city center to the North Sea. The accessibility for ships with a very deep draught, 78 feet, and the excellent hinterland connections by water, road, rail and pipeline make Rotterdam an outstanding logistics hub. In 2005, 369 million tons of cargo passed through the Port of Rotterdam, almost 5% more than in 2004, and a new record.
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 North Brabant
Moving east, we come to North Brabant. The Province of North Brabant offers a geographically convenient location, centered as it is between Schiphol Airport, Brussels, Rotterdam (the world’s number one port) and Antwerp. It is also close to the Rhine-Ruhr area, the major German economic core region. Covering 1,930 square miles, the Province and Cities of North Brabant account for 14.8% of the total Dutch population.
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 Limburg
Continuing east is Limburg. Nestled snugly between Belgium and Germany, it could easily have been a part of one or the other. It offers a convenient bridge between both these markets, and just as obviously offers a large multilingual workforce.
South Limburg links to the Belgium regions of Limburg on Liege on one side, and on the other Germany’s Aachen, Duren, Euskirchen and Heinsberg the Euroregion Maas-Rhine (EMR). The Meuse Rhine triangle has an active regional life sciences cluster where universities and regional development agencies work together cross-border.
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 Zeeland
Finally, at the other southern corner of the Netherlands is Zeeland, bordering Belgium to the south and the North Sea to the west. A predominantly coastal region, Zeeland’s Port Area is home to industries such as oil, gas, and chemicals that require access to water-based transport and infrastructure.
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