South Holland - Overview:

The province of South Holland is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands and is part of a densely populated area known as Randstad. Figures from The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency put the population of the province at approximately 3.4 million people and the labour force at just over 1.5 million people. Its main cities include Leiden, Delft , Dordrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague, which is home to the royal family and the seat of government of The Netherlands.

Rotterdam is a modern city, which was almost completely rebuilt following the Second World War, and is the focus for much of the provinces economic activity. A large part of this activity centres on its port, which is one of the largest in the world, but there have been attempts in recent years to diversify the city's economy. For example, the oil-refining and petrochemical industries have developed considerably with the construction of pipelines for the transport of crude oil. There are a number of other manufacturing plants and shipbuilding yards situated on the south bank of the Meuse, while the principle residential and commercial areas of the city are located further to the north. According to the European Cities Monitor (2003), by Cushman & Wakefield Healey Baker, Rotterdam is on the verge of breaking into the top 30 most favourable cities in Europe in which to locate an international business. This is based on a survey of more than 500 senior executives with European companies.

The Hague's economy primarily revolves around government administration, with the Dutch legislature, the Dutch Supreme Court, the International Court of Justice, and foreign embassies all based there. Banking, insurance and trade are also important to the city and several companies, such as the Royal Dutch Shell petroleum company have established headquarters there. Manufacturing goods produced in the city include clothing, metal goods, printed materials, and food products. Delft is particularly noted for its ceramics, known as delftware. Leiden's main products include medical equipment, machinery and food, while Dordrecht manufactures heavy machinery and chemicals.

The province has excellent transport links to the rest of Europe and beyond, most notably via Rotterdam port, which is one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, capable of handling large oil tankers, cargo and container ships. In fact, according to the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency Rotterdam-Europort handles close to 300 million metric tons of goods annually.

Schiphol International Airport has flights to most major European destinations, the vast majority of which can be reached in less than one and a half hours. Regular train services connect the airport with The Hague, Leiden and Delft in about 20-30 minutes. In addition, Rotterdam Airport, which is located just 11 kilometres from Delft and 19 kilometres from The Hague, offers flights to and from various destinations in Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and the UK.

The province also benefits from a dense railway network that connects the main city centres, while high speed international trains (known as ICE or Thalys) stop at The Hague Central Station, in the direction of Germany, and The Hague Holland Spoor, in the direction Brussels and Paris. There are also regular international trains leaving from these stations hourly.