Holland

Holland is the western part of the Netherlands bordering the North Sea. At present Holland is divided in two provinces Noord Holland and Zuid Holland. The cities of Rotterdam, The Hague and Leiden are in Zuid Holland, while Amsterdam, Haarlem and Alkmaar are in Noord Holland. Historically Holland was the economically strongest part of the Netherlands (and it still is to this day), which is why the name Holland is often used to refer to the whole country (compare this to England and Great Britain).