Rotterdam has the largest port in
Europe, with the rivers
Meuse and Rhine providing excellent access to the hinterland upstream reaching to
Basel, Switzerland and into
France. In 2004
Shanghai took over as the world's busiest port. In
2006, Rotterdam was the world's seventh largest container port in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units (
TEU) handled.
The port's main activities are petrochemical industries and general cargo handling and transshipment. The harbour functions as an important transit
point for bulk materials and between the
European continent and overseas. From Rotterdam goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. In
2007, the Betuweroute, a new fast freight railway from Rotterdam to
Germany, was completed.
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the
Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam constructed in 1270 on the
Rotte River, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre. Its strategic location at the
Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta on the
North Sea and at the heart of a massive rail, road, air and inland waterway distribution system extending throughout Europe is the reason that Rotterdam is often called the "
Gateway to Europe"
.
In the province of
South Holland, Rotterdam is in the west of Netherlands and the
south of the Randstad. The population of the city was 616,250 on
February 1,
2012. The population of the greater Rotterdam area, called "Rotterdam-Rijnmond" or just "
Rijnmond", is approximately 1.3 million. The combined urban area of Rotterdam and
The Hague is the 206th largest urban area in the world. One of Europe's most vibrant, multicultural cities, Rotterdam is known for its university (
Erasmus), cutting-edge architecture, lively cultural life, striking riverside setting and maritime heritage. It is also known for the
Rotterdam Blitz.
The largest port in Europe and one of the busiest ports in the world, the port of Rotterdam was the world's busiest port from 1962 to 2004, when it was surpassed by Shanghai. Rotterdam's commercial and strategic importance is based on its location near the mouth of the
Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse), a channel in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse on the North Sea. These rivers lead directly into the centre of Europe, including the industrial
Ruhr region.
'Rotterdam' is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas, connected by (from west to east): the Beneluxtunnel; the
Maastunnel; the
Erasmusbrug ('
Erasmus Bridge'); a subway tunnel; the Willemsspoortunnel ('Willems railway tunnel'); the Willemsbrug ('
Willems Bridge'); the Koninginnebrug ('
Queen's Bridge'); and the
Van Brienenoordbrug ('Van Brienenoord
Bridge'). The former railway lift bridge De Hef ('the
Lift') is preserved as a monument in lifted position between the
Noordereiland ('
North Island') and the south of Rotterdam.
The city centre is located on the northern bank of the Nieuwe Maas, although recent urban development has extended the center to parts of southern Rotterdam known as De
Kop van Zuid ('the
Head of
South', i.e. the northern part of southern Rotterdam). From its inland core, Rotterdam reaches the North Sea by a swathe of predominantly harbour area.
Built mostly behind dikes, large parts of the Rotterdam are below sea level. For instance, the
Prins Alexander Polder in the northeast of Rotterdam extends 6 metres (20 ft) below sea level, or rather below
Normal Amsterdams Peil (
NAP) or '
Amsterdam Ordnance Datum'. The lowest point in the Netherlands (6.76 metres (
22.2 ft) below NAP) is situated just to the east of Rotterdam, in the municipality of
Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel.
The Rotte river no longer joins the Nieuwe Maas directly. Since the early
1980s, when the construction of Rotterdam's second subway line interfered with the Rotte's course, its waters have been pumped through a pipe into the Nieuwe Maas via the Boerengat.
Rotterdam is in the south of the Randstad.
Having a population of
7.1 million, the
Randstad is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in Europe (after
Moscow,
London, the
Ruhr Area,
Istanbul, and
Paris).
The southern part of the Randstad (i.e. the part located in the
Province of South Holland) is called the "South
Wing" (Zuidvleugel). Including
Leiden, The Hague,
Zoetermeer,
Delft,
Vlaardingen,
Schiedam,
Capelle aan den IJssel,
Spijkenisse and
Dordrecht, the Zuidvleugel has a population of around 3 million.
At the heart of the Zuidvleugel are the conurbations surrounding The Hague and Rotterdam. They are close enough to be almost a single conurbation with a population of about 2.5 million. They share the
Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system called RandstadRail.
Consideration is being given to creating a Rotterdam-The
Hague metropolitan area (metropoolregio).
Wikipedia
- published: 11 May 2014
- views: 11527