Zeeland

Province of Zeeland
Provincie Zeeland (Dutch)
Provincie Zeêland (Zeeuws)
Zealand
Coat of arms of Province of Zeeland
Mottoes: 
Latin: Luctor et emergo,
Dutch: Ik worstel en kom boven
("I struggle and emerge")
Anthem: "Zeeuws volkslied"
("Zeelandic anthem")
Location of Zeeland in the Netherlands
Location of Zeeland in the Netherlands
Topography map of Zeeland
Topography map of Zeeland
Coordinates: 51°34′N 3°45′E / 51.567°N 3.750°E / 51.567; 3.750
CountryNetherlands
CapitalMiddelburg
Largest cityTerneuzen
Government
 • King's commissionerHan Polman (D66)
 • CouncilStates of Zeeland
Area
 (2023)[1]
 • Total
2,933 km2 (1,132 sq mi)
 • Land1,780 km2 (690 sq mi)
 • Water1,154 km2 (446 sq mi)
 • Rank8th
Population
 (1 January 2023)[2]
 • Total
391,124
 • Rank12th
 • Density220/km2 (600/sq mi)
  • Rank10th
DemonymZeeuw
GDP
 • Total€15.874 billion
 • Per capita€41,600
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNL-ZE
HDI (2021)0.917[4]
very high · 10th
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Zeeland (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈzeːlɑnt] ; Zeelandic: Zeêland, [ˈzɪəlɑnt]), historically known in English by the exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east, South Holland to the north, as well as the country of Belgium to the south and west. It consists of a number of islands and peninsulas (hence its name, meaning "Sealand") and a strip bordering the Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders. Its capital is Middelburg with a population of 48,544 as of November 2019,[5] although the largest municipality in Zeeland is Terneuzen (population 54,589). Zeeland has two seaports: Vlissingen and Terneuzen. Its area is 2,933 square kilometres (1,132 sq mi), of which 1,154 square kilometres (446 sq mi) is water; it had a population of about 391,000 as of January 2023.[2]

Large parts of Zeeland are below sea level. The last great flooding of the area was in 1953. Tourism is an important economic activity. In the summer, its beaches make it a popular destination for tourists, especially German tourists. In some areas, the population can be two to four times higher during the high summer season. The coat of arms of Zeeland shows a lion half-emerged from water, and the text luctor et emergo (Latin for "I struggle and emerge").[6] The country of New Zealand was named after Zeeland after it was sighted by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.

  1. ^ Statistieken provincie Zeeland - Gegevens over meer dan 100 onderwerpen!, AlleCijfers.nl
  2. ^ a b "CBS StatLine". opendata.cbs.nl.
  3. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  5. ^ "CBS Statline". opendata.cbs.nl.
  6. ^ DeWaard, Dirk Marc (1983). Luctor et Emergo: The impact of the Second World War on Zeeland (M.A. thesis) Wilfrid Laurier University