Holland

Holland, in contradistinction to the kingdom of that name, is the oldest, wealthiest, and most populated part thereof, forming two provinces, North and South Holland. The province of North Holland has an area of 1070 sq. m., and a population of 906,136 in 1895. It comprises the peninsula to the west of the Zuyder Zee, and also the islands that fringe this great gulf on its northern side. To the west North Holland is bounded by the German Ocean, and to the south by the province of South Holland. This latter province has an area of 1162 sq. m., lying between the German Ocean and the provinces of Zealand, Utrecht, and North Brabant. It had a population of 1,021,880 in 1895. The population of both North and South Holland is largely agricultural. It is in these provinces that the best corn is grown, the best cattle reared, and the best dairy produce brought to market. But as the largest towns of the kingdom (Amsterdam and Rotterdam) are also situated in the two provinces, its chief trade and industries, with nearly the whole of its shipping, are carried on in them.