Rotterdam summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Rotterdam.

Rotterdam, City (pop., 2001 est.: 593,000) and seaport, western Netherlands. It is situated on both sides of the Nieuwe Maas River (a distributary of the Rhine), near the North Sea. Founded in the 13th century, it developed into a major port and commercial city. From 1795 to 1813 it was occupied by the French. Heavily damaged by the Germans during World War II, it was extensively rebuilt on a new plan. One of the world’s busiest cargo-handling ports, it is a major transshipment port for inland Europe, with tens of thousands of Rhine River barges using its facilities. The second largest city in the Netherlands, it has several large oil refineries and produces chemicals, paper, and clothing. It is also a cultural and educational centre.

Netherlands Summary

Netherlands, country located in northwestern Europe, also known as Holland. “Netherlands” means low-lying country; the name Holland (from Houtland, or “Wooded Land”) was originally given to one of the medieval cores of what later became the modern state and is still used for 2 of its 12 provinces