Back Rotterdam Afrikaans Rotterdam GSW ሮተርዳም Amharic Rotterdam AN Hrotterdamm ANG روتردام Arabic ܪܘܛܪܕܐܡ ARC روتردام ARZ Rotterdam AST Rotterdam Azerbaijani
Rotterdam | |
|---|---|
City and municipality | |
| Nickname(s): | |
| Motto: Sterker door strijd (Stronger through effort) | |
 Location in South Holland | |
  Rotterdam  Rotterdam  Rotterdam | |
| Coordinates: 51°55′N 4°29′E / 51.92°N 4.48°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | South Holland |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Carola Schouten (CU) |
| • Aldermen | |
| Area | |
• CIty | 324.14 km2 (125.15 sq mi) |
| • Land | 217.55 km2 (84.00 sq mi) |
| • Water | 106.59 km2 (41.15 sq mi) |
| • Randstad | 3,043 km2 (1,175 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• CIty | 868,135 |
| • Density | 2,995/km2 (7,760/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,026,250 |
| • Metro | 2,620,000 |
| • Randstad | 8,366,078 |
| • Municipality | 672,960[4] |
| Demonym | Rotterdammer |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 3000–3099 |
| Area code | 010 |
| Website | rotterdam.nl (in Dutch) |
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| Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
Rotterdam (/ˈrɒtərdæm/ ROT-ər-dam, UK also /ˌrɒtərˈdæm/ ROT-ər-DAM;[8][9] Dutch: [ˌrɔtərˈdɑm] ⓘ; lit. 'The Dam on the River Rotte') is the second-largest city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the New Meuse inland shipping channel, dug to connect to the Meuse at first and now to the Rhine.
Rotterdam's history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in the Rotte. In 1340, Rotterdam was granted city rights by William IV, Count of Holland. The Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, with a population of approximately 2.7 million, is the 10th-largest in the European Union and the most populous in the country.
A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest seaport. In 2022, Rotterdam had a population of 655,468 and is home to over 180 different nationalities.[10]
Rotterdam is known for its university, riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage and modern architecture. The near-complete destruction of the city centre during the World War II German bombing has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including skyscrapers designed by architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom and Ben van Berkel.[11][12][13]
The Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt give waterway access into the heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized Ruhr. The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World".[14][15][16]
- ^ "College van b en w" [Board of mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Rotterdam. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ^ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ Anita Bouman–Eijs; Thijmen van Bree; Wouter Jonkhoff; Olaf Koops; Walter Manshanden; Elmer Rietveld (17 December 2012). De Top 20 van Europese grootstedelijke regio's 1995–2011; Randstad Holland in internationaal perspectief [Top 20 of European metropolitan regions 1995–2011; Randstad Holland compared internationally] (PDF) (Technical report) (in Dutch). Delft: TNO. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ "Rotterdam (Municipality, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)". Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ "Rotterdam (South Holland, Netherlands)". Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ "Rotterdam Population 2025". World Population Review. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ "Postcodetool for 3011AD". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ^ Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, ISBN 9781405881180
- ^ Roach, Peter (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521152532
- ^ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand". CBS StatLine (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
8,219,380 Randstad
2,620,000 Rotterdam-The Hague Metro
1,160,000 Rotterdam Urban
651,446 Rotterdam Municipality - ^ "Top 10 Cities : The Rough Guide to 2014". Rough Guides. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Urbanism Awards: Rotterdam takes top prize". Academy of Urbanism. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ New York Times. (2023, May 11). Things to do in Rotterdam. The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2024, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/11/travel/things-to-do-rotterdam.html
- ^ Jan Walburg (1 August 1984). The port of Rotterdam: Gateway to Europe.
- ^ Royal van Gorcum (1999). Dutch Culture in a European Perspective: 1950, prosperity and welfare.
"Rotterdam port: Gateway to Europe" (p.151)
- ^ "Gateway to the world: how EU helped Rotterdam to become Europe's largest port | News | European Parliament". europarl.europa.eu. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.