Haaglanden (a Dutch geographical term) refers to the conurbation around The Hague in the Province of South Holland in the Netherlands. This area is prominent in the Netherlands because The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands and the country's seat of government.[1]
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"Haaglanden" is sometimes used to refer to the Hague conurbation in a general, informal sense: "the Hague area" or "the area around The Hague". This area is often treated as a single unit for organisational or statistical purposes.
"Haaglanden" is also an official term referring to an urban region[2] literally called "Haaglanden Urban Region" (Stadsgewest Haaglanden), although a better translation may be the "Greater Hague Area". This official urban region consists of the nine municipalities of The Hague, Zoetermeer, Westland, Delft, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Pijnacker-Nootdorp, Rijswijk, Wassenaar and Midden-Delfland.
| Municipality | Population |
|---|---|
| The Hague | 496745 |
| Zoetermeer | 121964 |
| Westland | 99841 |
| Delft | 97645 |
| Leidschendam-Voorburg | 72120 |
| Pijnacker-Nootdorp | 49593 |
| Rijswijk | 46553 |
| Wassenaar | 25881 |
| Midden-Delfland | 18166 |
The total population of the Greater Hague Area is approx. 1,017,937. Its area is 405 km².
Haaglanden is part of the Randstad, specifically its southern wing (Zuidvleugel).
The Hague conurbation and the Rotterdam conurbation to the east have grown to the point where they are almost contiguous. They are effectively a single urban area, even though they have separate governments, transport systems, etc. The Hague and Rotterdam share the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system called RandstadRail. The population of this combined conurbation is approaching 2.5 million. Consideration is being given to creating an official single Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area (metropoolregio).
Haaglanden is bordered to the north by the Leiden conurbation, which has a population of about a quarter million. These two areas have also grown together to the point where they are virtually contiguous.