Provinces of the Netherlands

Provinces of the Netherlands
<imagemap> File:Map provinces Netherlands-en.svg|300px| right| poly 506 798 509 791 501 779 510 770 517 779 521 772 523 767 534 762 537 755 559 743 556 739 561 734 558 732 543 738 536 724 541 723 538 720 546 712 556 692 563 690 561 688 570 679 567 675 569 669 566 668 568 663 565 631 547 610 542 606 543 601 545 599 543 589 531 586 530 582 532 580 529 575 532 572 527 568 515 566 515 564 506 562 503 554 498 554 499 563 504 571 514 574 516 580 514 587 521 595 527 601 535 620 529 622 524 618 514 618 507 622 498 617 494 618 495 635 499 640 501 656 504 659 513 674 501 684 463 694 452 709 452 720 442 722 449 727 459 731 462 735 469 736 473 738 481 736 482 743 484 746 488 743 492 742 494 745 494 747 487 751 487 755 493 757 490 761 486 763 485 767 488 770 485 772 482 771 479 776 481 785 479 793 471 800 476 808 472 815 467 819 465 824 459 829 457 833 457 839 460 843 461 846 464 846 468 848 469 857 466 865 474 862 477 862 478 864 478 859 481 855 484 856 484 861 492 865 497 861 500 864 505 860 505 863 509 863 513 867 519 863 529 866 533 860 520 852 524 848 530 849 533 836 541 835 544 829 541 822 546 815 541 813 537 812 534 810 529 810 531 803 530 796 518 794 Limburg poly 101 563 98 563 88 566 82 571 78 576 79 580 82 584 89 586 98 584 102 578 105 577 107 578 112 584 119 585 122 598 130 598 133 602 142 602 151 598 160 591 160 585 157 582 148 582 144 579 142 571 132 567 115 566 Zeeland poly 171 591 164 592 160 596 161 598 170 602 174 605 172 607 167 608 162 605 157 605 144 606 139 609 140 613 145 616 146 621 150 621 152 623 152 627 154 629 159 630 172 630 176 635 183 635 184 623 179 616 178 614 179 606 186 597 Zeeland poly 112 606 93 609 85 606 75 610 83 621 85 625 87 625 94 621 100 620 116 623 120 621 122 617 119 610 115 607 Zeeland poly 63 608 56 610 39 620 35 621 34 624 34 629 36 630 46 642 58 653 67 655 73 653 81 647 82 648 82 650 80 652 86 658 90 664 99 664 106 673 112 669 118 669 121 668 125 656 129 652 137 650 142 653 145 658 150 659 154 666 161 671 168 671 172 667 176 667 181 669 188 675 190 675 192 675 192 675 193 675 191 668 193 666 189 656 188 656 186 657 175 656 168 658 162 656 157 651 150 638 146 637 136 630 130 629 127 626 121 626 116 624 112 625 100 624 94 625 87 631 84 630 81 627 82 626 72 613 67 609 Zeeland poly 49 664 40 666 18 675 19 679 23 683 23 687 18 691 19 696 22 698 21 703 24 706 29 709 32 713 47 714 51 713 49 710 51 707 50 702 53 700 58 699 62 702 63 702 62 697 64 695 68 698 73 702 82 703 87 706 91 706 97 708 100 711 99 720 102 725 112 725 116 721 119 722 119 724 117 725 117 727 120 728 123 727 127 722 132 725 145 715 151 717 179 692 181 687 184 685 180 677 176 674 171 676 171 677 173 682 171 683 166 679 164 679 167 684 165 685 158 679 148 675 145 671 143 666 139 665 134 666 131 678 126 679 120 683 113 688 101 683 98 683 96 687 75 673 64 671 53 664 Zeeland poly 489 329 488 340 476 358 456 370 453 375 445 377 444 382 436 389 431 405 407 412 409 422 413 428 411 433 423 440 425 449 419 460 422 464 428 463 434 456 436 456 437 469 441 473 441 479 444 484 445 489 451 495 450 503 438 503 419 492 396 498 393 501 384 500 377 494 369 499 363 496 362 504 351 521 345 523 342 529 331 530 331 535 336 536 336 542 332 544 346 556 350 554 357 557 359 565 372 564 383 567 394 562 404 545 409 542 421 544 426 539 434 542 438 539 453 540 461 549 477 559 490 559 498 561 499 562 498 554 503 554 506 562 515 564 519 561 521 555 519 548 513 543 517 539 526 538 533 533 535 528 553 534 551 526 541 517 551 515 560 525 575 525 579 532 588 532 591 536 598 538 598 531 594 528 597 525 603 529 608 527 611 530 624 522 626 518 630 520 640 514 650 509 657 514 668 506 674 498 673 496 677 492 676 484 672 483 662 474 649 467 649 460 658 459 660 446 660 446 659 446 651 445 644 443 643 431 641 428 633 432 630 428 619 429 615 427 609 429 600 418 597 411 589 408 581 411 579 417 570 414 558 415 556 412 551 413 545 408 539 393 531 392 528 379 535 375 542 366 535 363 534 356 538 354 528 338 520 334 510 344 507 341 504 344 493 329 Gelderland poly 236 386 223 413 206 439 162 490 166 497 159 493 155 492 152 490 147 490 145 493 146 499 145 501 139 508 138 511 140 515 149 512 150 514 147 519 147 523 153 527 158 536 162 538 166 541 172 540 175 542 177 545 181 546 185 550 188 556 192 558 207 564 223 571 237 577 246 577 254 575 264 567 274 569 283 562 289 552 311 544 316 541 328 542 336 541 336 536 331 535 331 530 342 529 345 523 351 521 362 504 363 496 363 496 363 496 358 491 352 486 341 493 331 495 326 499 316 504 311 504 307 497 299 488 300 485 305 485 307 482 297 481 297 477 300 473 305 472 306 467 301 467 299 461 299 452 295 449 294 445 298 442 308 443 311 437 300 429 299 426 293 424 294 418 293 417 289 417 289 418 287 419 286 420 285 420 284 420 284 421 284 421 284 421 284 421 283 421 283 421 281 423 281 423 281 423 280 422 279 422 279 422 279 422 279 415 279 415 279 415 275 415 272 417 269 416 269 416 269 416 265 418 265 419 258 421 258 421 258 421 253 419 251 420 251 420 251 420 247 418 249 414 250 404 250 404 250 404 255 397 257 391 253 389 251 389 250 390 250 391 249 392 249 392 249 392 246 391 South Holland poly 124 538 121 539 113 546 116 551 124 548 132 546 140 547 144 551 151 572 168 576 173 581 185 585 190 589 195 590 201 590 209 589 213 585 211 581 206 578 192 570 179 555 166 548 142 532 South Holland poly 298 124 284 146 278 158 273 167 273 179 277 185 283 186 288 180 294 173 299 172 303 164 308 159 307 151 310 136 306 134 304 124 302 122 North Holland poly 269 185 263 186 258 188 257 191 262 193 271 190 273 186 North Holland poly 280 192 275 196 271 217 267 239 258 265 261 275 257 292 256 311 249 344 247 357 240 375 236 386 236 386 249 392 250 390 253 389 258 391 255 397 250 404 249 414 247 418 251 420 253 419 258 421 265 419 269 416 273 412 275 411 277 408 284 405 286 407 285 411 284 414 279 415 279 415 279 422 281 423 283 421 284 421 285 420 287 419 289 417 293 417 294 418 301 414 305 408 314 407 317 402 325 401 329 393 333 393 331 400 342 396 343 398 342 401 345 401 347 402 348 405 346 407 341 406 340 416 346 420 357 420 359 426 356 429 357 432 368 430 370 426 371 421 377 408 379 402 388 399 384 395 372 390 362 392 350 382 340 383 326 377 322 373 323 371 329 370 337 362 343 357 343 353 338 351 336 349 337 346 340 343 340 336 344 330 334 312 334 309 330 303 331 296 338 293 347 292 353 298 371 286 373 279 382 274 383 265 381 258 368 254 360 260 356 260 353 257 351 251 348 247 349 225 336 201 323 199 317 208 310 213 314 218 313 221 310 222 306 218 303 213 296 211 291 206 290 192 North Holland poly 347 339 347 339 347 348 353 348 348 342 348 340 347 339 North Holland poly 333 393 329 393 325 401 317 402 314 407 305 408 301 414 294 418 293 424 299 426 300 429 311 437 308 443 298 442 294 445 295 449 299 452 299 461 301 467 306 467 305 472 300 473 297 477 297 481 307 482 305 485 300 485 299 488 307 497 311 504 316 504 326 499 331 495 341 493 352 486 358 491 363 496 363 496 369 499 377 494 384 500 393 501 396 498 419 492 438 503 450 503 451 495 445 489 444 484 441 479 441 473 437 469 436 456 434 456 428 463 422 464 419 460 425 449 423 440 411 433 413 428 409 422 407 412 407 412 397 406 389 402 388 399 388 399 379 402 377 408 371 421 370 426 368 430 357 432 356 429 359 426 357 420 348 420 348 420 347 432 346 434 338 435 337 432 338 420 340 416 340 409 341 406 338 405 339 402 342 401 342 396 342 396 331 400 Utrecht poly 460 230 455 231 450 231 445 243 436 254 437 270 437 284 445 291 450 299 475 298 499 293 508 289 509 286 504 286 501 281 504 276 506 269 487 250 477 248 475 241 475 240 468 232 Flevoland poly 446 300 428 310 425 316 417 316 409 324 405 337 400 338 403 341 400 346 394 344 387 353 379 352 355 366 355 380 357 384 363 382 374 383 391 391 406 407 427 402 434 385 431 378 436 374 445 373 451 364 461 359 476 351 485 337 485 321 479 311 469 311 461 307 451 304 Flevoland poly 534 226 527 230 525 230 522 234 513 237 507 230 501 235 494 241 480 238 475 241 477 248 487 250 509 273 504 278 506 283 515 286 515 291 485 303 486 309 489 328 489 329 493 329 504 344 507 341 510 344 520 334 528 338 538 354 534 356 535 363 542 366 535 375 528 379 531 392 539 393 545 408 551 413 556 412 558 415 570 414 579 417 581 411 589 408 597 411 600 418 609 429 615 427 619 429 630 428 633 432 641 428 643 431 644 443 651 445 659 446 660 446 679 445 683 435 690 428 698 424 701 414 711 411 716 409 709 396 712 381 715 371 710 359 704 352 697 340 690 352 680 348 671 344 661 346 650 341 646 333 646 323 642 316 648 316 650 313 656 313 648 304 648 292 643 291 646 286 627 280 612 284 609 288 609 298 602 295 597 299 594 295 588 299 584 293 584 290 574 286 573 283 562 283 557 279 546 278 536 259 550 248 550 242 Overijssel poly 599 113 583 128 576 151 569 151 569 151 569 151 569 154 578 158 579 173 591 190 586 200 579 207 572 207 569 202 559 203 550 214 534 226 550 242 550 248 536 259 546 278 557 279 562 283 573 283 574 286 584 290 584 293 588 299 594 295 597 299 602 295 609 298 609 288 612 284 627 280 646 286 643 291 648 292 648 289 670 284 685 288 694 285 707 289 710 288 710 262 713 225 706 224 706 217 699 215 704 204 695 196 690 187 672 167 646 141 642 140 638 142 636 140 629 144 623 138 620 130 613 128 611 124 612 121 599 113 Drenthe poly 616 7 611 7 609 9 610 11 615 13 618 11 620 9 620 7 Groningen (province) poly 596 8 589 8 586 11 589 14 595 14 602 11 601 9 Groningen (province) poly 556 73 560 74 563 83 558 90 556 98 550 106 554 115 545 127 543 133 546 142 557 146 563 144 566 148 569 151 569 151 576 151 583 128 599 113 612 121 611 124 613 128 620 130 623 138 629 144 635 140 637 135 640 133 642 134 642 140 646 141 672 167 690 187 695 196 704 204 699 215 706 217 706 224 713 225 713 225 716 215 728 198 731 178 735 171 733 165 731 146 726 136 729 129 730 124 733 120 731 117 734 113 730 104 725 103 719 101 712 100 708 96 706 88 708 81 703 84 699 85 686 79 675 72 669 61 664 39 659 36 654 39 649 37 642 34 639 36 632 37 621 43 608 46 597 49 586 48 564 59 554 51 544 53 553 61 544 61 547 69 552 70 554 71 Groningen (province) poly 565 21 553 24 546 24 536 24 530 28 529 37 533 41 537 36 542 33 551 33 563 26 568 25 572 23 572 20 569 20 Friesland poly 502 32 488 32 471 34 461 38 453 38 441 36 437 38 437 43 442 48 449 49 462 41 468 43 488 39 500 39 506 37 506 34 Friesland poly 424 41 416 42 401 48 392 49 370 56 358 64 354 68 354 74 357 78 359 77 362 71 375 65 381 64 385 63 391 62 395 58 402 56 410 56 413 54 414 51 427 45 427 42 Friesland poly 526 53 503 57 496 62 487 64 475 70 458 76 437 86 429 98 420 105 409 115 403 131 401 144 396 151 400 167 399 174 401 184 403 200 400 210 396 213 395 217 400 224 409 228 417 225 429 232 437 230 439 227 443 227 448 225 452 228 469 232 475 240 480 238 493 241 501 235 507 230 513 237 522 234 525 230 527 230 534 226 550 214 559 203 569 202 572 207 579 207 586 200 591 190 579 173 578 158 569 154 569 151 566 148 563 144 557 146 546 142 543 133 545 127 554 115 550 106 556 98 558 90 563 83 560 74 556 73 554 76 545 72 540 76 538 67 539 59 537 55 Friesland poly 355 86 352 90 352 93 355 92 358 87 358 85 Friesland poly 340 85 333 89 314 102 307 108 305 113 308 116 313 117 318 110 326 104 326 98 329 96 334 96 343 90 344 86 Friesland poly 377 100 376 103 377 105 379 105 380 102 380 99 Friesland poly 426 539 421 544 409 542 404 545 394 562 383 567 372 564 359 565 357 557 350 554 346 556 330 542 329 542 328 542 316 541 311 544 289 552 283 562 274 569 273 569 270 571 258 580 245 584 234 582 221 579 218 580 216 588 206 596 196 599 186 597 179 606 178 614 184 623 184 624 183 635 190 640 193 648 192 653 188 656 190 656 193 666 191 668 193 675 202 674 204 680 210 684 217 682 223 678 215 663 216 661 213 657 221 652 231 650 233 647 242 645 246 647 243 655 245 662 255 660 266 662 270 661 272 655 277 651 281 644 291 638 296 641 300 647 298 652 298 662 292 660 288 661 287 664 289 665 291 666 312 666 317 672 334 655 334 649 340 643 343 648 348 650 351 655 354 661 349 667 347 671 350 676 358 687 360 695 365 695 369 693 376 694 379 699 376 709 398 709 412 711 417 706 422 706 432 703 437 709 441 712 441 718 443 722 452 720 452 709 463 694 501 684 513 674 504 659 501 656 499 640 495 635 494 618 498 617 507 622 514 618 524 618 529 622 535 620 527 601 521 595 514 587 516 580 514 574 504 571 499 563 499 562 498 561 490 559 477 559 461 549 453 540 438 539 434 542 North Brabant poly 111 95 114 93 118 91 118 89 115 82 112 80 109 80 107 76 105 74 103 76 101 76 102 79 100 80 105 91 Sint Eustatius rect 121 748 195 716 Sint Eustatius poly 28 32 33 33 33 35 34 38 33 41 29 43 25 44 23 42 21 37 22 34 24 33 Saba rect 21 785 64 769 Saba poly 46 221 40 222 36 227 33 230 34 233 31 239 34 243 34 246 35 250 39 252 55 252 62 255 70 262 77 274 77 280 71 287 75 290 77 295 77 304 86 316 90 318 96 308 94 301 95 295 91 291 94 288 98 290 103 287 105 281 101 267 100 261 105 256 105 253 102 251 88 249 80 248 74 243 67 241 63 236 57 233 50 223 47 223 Bonaire poly 71 270 64 270 62 273 61 276 65 277 72 278 73 274 Bonaire rect 80 652 141 635 Bonaire</imagemap> Clickable map of provinces
Category	Unitary unit
Location	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Number	12 provinces 3 special municipalities
Populations	Least: Zeeland, 391,124 Most: South Holland, 3,804,906
Areas	Smallest (including water): Utrecht, 1,560 km2 (602 sq mi) Largest (including water): Friesland, 5,753 km2 (2,221 sq mi)
Government	Provincial executive
Subdivisions	Municipalities

There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local governments, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance.

The most populous province is South Holland, with just over 3.8 million inhabitants as of January 2023, and also the most densely populated province with 1,410/km² (3,700/sq mi). With 391,124 inhabitants, Zeeland has the smallest population. However Drenthe is the least densely populated province with 191/km² (490/sq mi). In terms of area, Friesland is the largest province with a total area of 5,753 km² (2,221 sq mi). If water is excluded, Gelderland is the largest province by land area at 4,960 km² (1,915 sq mi). The province of Utrecht is the smallest with a total area of 1,560 km² (602 sq mi), while Flevoland is the smallest by land area at 1,410 km² (544 sq mi). In total about 10,000 people were employed by the provincial administrations in 2018.

The provinces of the Netherlands are joined in the Association of Provinces of the Netherlands (IPO). This organisation promotes the common interests of the provinces in the national government of the Netherlands in The Hague.

Politics and governance

Main article: Provincial politics in the Netherlands

The government of each province consists of three major parts:

• The provincial council (Provinciale Staten) is the provincial parliament elected every four years. The number of members varies between 39 and 55 (since 2015), depending on the number of inhabitants of the province. Being a member is a part-time job. The main task of the provincial council is to scrutinise the work of the provincial government.
• The provincial executive (Gedeputeerde Staten) is a collegial body supported by a majority in the provincial council charged with most executive tasks. Each province has between three and seven deputies, each having their own portfolio. The task of the Provincial Executive is the overall management of the province.
• The King's Commissioner (Commissaris van de Koning) is a single person appointed by the Crown who presides over the provincial council as well as over the Provincial Executive. The Commissioner is appointed for a term of six years, after which reappointment for another term is possible.

Elections

The members of the provincial council are elected every four years in direct elections. To a large extent, the same political parties are enlisted in these elections in the national elections. The chosen provincial legislators elect the members of the national Senate within three months after the provincial elections. The elections for the water boards take place on the same date as the provincial elections.

The last provincial elections were held in 2023. The next provincial elections are scheduled for 2027.

Competencies

The provinces of the Netherlands have seven core tasks:

1. Sustainable spatial development, including water management
2. Environment, energy and climate
3. Vital countryside
4. Regional accessibility and regional public transport
5. Regional economy
6. Cultural infrastructure and preservation
7. Quality of public administration

Financing

To a large extent, the provinces of the Netherlands are financed by the national government. Also, provinces have income from a part of the Vehicle Excise Duty. Several provinces have made a large profit in the past from privatising utility companies originally owned or partly owned by the provinces. Essent, which was originally owned by six provinces and more than a hundred municipalities, was sold for around 9.3 billion euros.

List

The constituent country of the Netherlands, being the largest part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is divided into twelve provinces (provincies in Dutch) and three overseas special municipalities; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba in the Caribbean Netherlands that are not part of any province. Previously these were part of public bodies (openbare lichamen).

European Netherlands

Flag	Location	Province	Capital	Largest municipality	King's Commissioner	Political party	Munici­palities (since 2023)	Total area		Land area		Water area		Population (1 January 2023)	Density Land		GRDP in million euros (2019)	GRDP per capita (€; 2019)
								km2	mi2	km2	mi2	km2	mi2		/km2	/mi2
		Drenthe	Assen	Emmen	Jetta Klijnsma	PvdA	12	2,680	1,035	2,633	1,016	48	18	502,051	191	490	15,701	31,853
		Flevoland	Lelystad	Almere	Arjen Gerritsen	VVD	6	2,412	931	1,410	544	1,002	387	444,701	315	820	14,756	35,151
		Friesland	Leeuwarden		Arno Brok	VVD	18	5,753	2,221	3,340	1,290	2,413	932	659,551	197	510	20,728	31,947
		Gelderland	Arnhem	Nijmegen	John Berends	CDA	51	5,136	1,983	4,960	1,915	176	68	2,133,708	430	1,100	81,757	39,326
		Groningen	Groningen		René Paas	CDA	10	2,955	1,141	2,316	894	639	247	596,075	257	670	24,669	42,174
		Limburg	Maastricht		Emile Roemer	SP	31	2,210	853	2,145	828	65	25	1,128,367	526	1,360	45,848	41,058
		North Brabant	's-Hertogenbosch	Eindhoven	Ina Adema	VVD	56	5,082	1,962	4,902	1,892	181	70	2,626,210	536	1,390	120,869	47,328
		North Holland	Haarlem	Amsterdam	Arthur van Dijk	VVD	44	4,092	1,580	2,663	1,028	1,429	552	2,952,622	1,109	2,870	177,733	62,005
		Overijssel	Zwolle	Enschede	Andries Heidema	CU	25	3,421	1,321	3,317	1,281	104	40	1,184,333	357	920	45,517	39,258
		South Holland	The Hague	Rotterdam	Jaap Smit	CDA	50	3,308	1,277	2,698	1,042	609	235	3,804,906	1,410	3,700	169,118	45,815
		Utrecht	Utrecht		Hans Oosters	PvdA	26	1,560	602	1,484	573	76	29	1,387,643	935	2,420	77,445	57,431
		Zeeland	Middelburg	Terneuzen	Han Polman	D66	13	2,933	1,133	1,780	687	1,154	445	391,124	220	570	14,391	37,549
		Netherlands	Amsterdam				342	41,543	16,040	33,647	12,991	7,896	3,049	17,811,291	529	1,370	810,247	46,714

Caribbean Netherlands

"Special municipality (Netherlands)" redirects here.

Main article: Caribbean Netherlands

Special Municipality	Capital	Largest city	Area	Population (2019)	Density
Bonaire	Kralendijk		294 km2 (114 sq mi)	20,104	69/km2 (180/sq mi)
Sint Eustatius	Oranjestad		21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)	3,138	150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Saba	The Bottom		13 km2 (5.0 sq mi)	1,915	148/km2 (380/sq mi)
Total			328 km2 (127 sq mi)	25,157	77/km2 (200/sq mi)

History

Flags of the provinces near the Hofvijver in The Hague

Dutch provinces by nominal GRP in 2016

Dutch provinces by nominal GRP per capita in 2016

Nearly all Dutch provinces can trace their origin to a medieval county or duchy, as can the provinces of regions in Belgium. Their status changed when they came under a single ruler who centralised their administration, reducing their powers. There were 17 in total: from these unified Netherlands, seven northern provinces from 1588 formed the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, namely Holland, Zeeland, Gelderland, Utrecht, Friesland, Overijssel and Groningen.

The Republic's lands also included Drenthe (one of the 17, but without the autonomous status of the others), and parts of the Duchy of Brabant, Duchy of Limburg and County of Flanders, which were considered to be "conquered lands" and were governed directly by the States General, hence their name Generality Lands. They were called Staats-Brabant, Staats-Limburg and Staats-Vlaanderen, meaning "governed by the States General".

Each of these "Netherlands" had a high degree of autonomy, cooperating with each other mainly on defense and foreign relations, but otherwise keeping to their own affairs.

On 1 January 1796, under the Batavian Republic, Drenthe and Staats-Brabant became the eighth and ninth provinces of the Netherlands. The latter, which had been known as Bataafs Brabant (English: Batavian Brabant), changed its name to Noord-Brabant, North Brabant, in 1815 when it became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which also contained (then) South Brabant, a province now in Belgium. This new unified state featured the provinces in their modern form, as non-autonomous subdivisions of the national state, and again numbering 17, though they were not all the same as the 16th century ones. In 1839, following the separation of Belgium, the province of Limburg was divided between the two countries, each now having a province called Limburg. A year later, Holland, the largest and most populous of the Dutch provinces, was also split into two provinces, for a total of 11. The 12th province to be created was Flevoland, consisting almost entirely of reclaimed land, established on 1 January 1986.

French period

During the Batavian Republic, the Netherlands was from 1798 to 1801 completely reorganised into eight new departments, most named after rivers, inspired by the French revolutionary example, in an attempt to do away with the old semi-autonomous status of the provinces. They are listed below, with their capitals and the territory of the former provinces that they mostly incorporated:

Batavian Departments

English name	Dutch name	Capital	Territory contained
Department of the Ems	Departement van de Eems	Leeuwarden	Northern Friesland, Groningen
Department of the Old IJssel	Departement van de Oude IJssel	Zwolle	Southern Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Northern Gelderland
Department of the Rhine	Departement van de Rijn	Arnhem	Central Gelderland, Eastern Utrecht
Department of the Amstel	Departement van de Amstel	Amsterdam	Area around Amsterdam
Department of Texel	Departement van Texel	Alkmaar	Northern Holland minus Amsterdam, Northwestern Utrecht
Department of the Delft	Departement van de Delft	Delft	Southern Holland up to the Meuse, Southwestern Utrecht
Department of the Dommel	Departement van de Dommel	's-Hertogenbosch	Eastern Batavian Brabant, Southern Gelderland
Department of the Scheldt and Meuse	Departement van de Schelde en Maas	Middelburg	Zeeland, Southern Holland under the Meuse and Western Batavian Brabant

After only three years, following a coup d'état, the borders of the former provinces were restored, though not their autonomous status. They were now also called "departments" and Drenthe was added to Overijssel. In 1806 the Kingdom of Holland replaced the republic to further French interests. It was during this administration that Holland was first split in two, with the department of Amstelland to the north and that of Maasland to the south. East Frisia, then as now in Germany, was added to the kingdom as a department in 1807 and Drenthe split off again making a total of 11 departments.

When the Netherlands finally did become fully part of France in 1810, the departments of the kingdom and their borders were largely maintained, with some joined. They were however nearly all renamed, again mainly after rivers, though the names differed from their Batavian counterparts. Following are their names and the modern day province they mostly correspond to:

Map of the subdivisions of the Netherlands during French administration; East Frisia is not included in this later map

French departments in the Netherlands

English name	French name	Dutch name	Modern territory
Department of the Zuiderzee	Département du Zuyderzée	Departement van de Zuiderzee	North Holland and Utrecht
Department of the Mouths of the Meuse	Département des Bouches-de-la-Meuse	Departement van de Monden van de Maas	South Holland
Department of the Mouths of the Scheldt	Département des Bouches-de-l'Escaut	Departement van de Monden van de Schelde	Zeeland
Department of the Two Nethes	Département des Deux-Nèthes	Departement van de Twee Nethen	Western North Brabant and Antwerp
Department of the Mouths of the Rhine	Département des Bouches-du-Rhin	Departement van de Monden van de Rijn	Eastern North Brabant and southern Gelderland
Department of the Upper IJssel	Département de l'Yssel-Supérieur	Departement van de Boven IJssel	Northern Gelderland
Department of the Mouths of the IJssel	Département des Bouches-de-l'Yssel	Departement van de Monden van de IJssel	Overijssel
Department of Frisia	Département de la Frise	Departement Friesland	Friesland
Department of the Western Ems	Département de l'Ems-Occidental	Departement van de Wester Eems	Groningen and Drenthe
Department of the Eastern Ems	Département de l'Ems-Oriental	Departement van de Ooster Eems	East Frisia

With the defeat and withdrawal of the French in 1813, the old provinces and their names were re-established, Holland was reunited and East-Frisia went its separate way. The 17 provinces of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands were for a significant part based on the former French departments and their borders, in particular in what would later become Belgium.

There is continuous discussion within the Netherlands about the future of the provinces. Before 2014, the national government was planning to merge the provinces Flevoland, North Holland and Utrecht into a single province Noordvleugelprovincie. Due to significant protest the plan was abandoned.

See also

• ISO 3166-2:NL
• Table of administrative divisions by country
• Flags of the provinces of the Netherlands
• Coats of arms of provinces of the Netherlands
• List of provinces of the Netherlands by Human Development Index

External links

• Basic data for each province, with links to official province sites
• "Provinces of the Netherlands". Statoids.
• Historical boundaries of provinces of the Netherlands