North Holland

<h2>History</h2>
<div class="placeholder placeholder-double-brackets" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22double-brackets%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%7B%7BMain%7CHistory%20of%20the%20Netherlands%7D%7D%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%221%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22Main%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%7D" contenteditable="false">&#x200b;&#x200b;</div>
<p data-rte-fromparser="true">The history of this province can also be found in the articles on its constituent elements (e.g. <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Amsterdam%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Amsterdam%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BAmsterdam%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Amsterdam" title="Amsterdam">Amsterdam</a>, <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Haarlem%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Haarlem%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BHaarlem%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Haarlem" title="Haarlem">Haarlem</a>, <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22West%20Friesland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22West%20Friesland%20%28historical%20region%29%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BWest%20Friesland%20%28historical%20region%29%7CWest%20Friesland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="West Friesland (historical region) (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvV2VzdF9Gcmllc2xhbmRfKGhpc3RvcmljYWxfcmVnaW9uKT9hY3Rpb249ZWRpdCZyZWRsaW5rPTE=">West Friesland</a>, etc.) The information here pertains just to North Holland itself.<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%3EThe%20information%20in%20this%20section%20has%20been%20drawn%20from%20the%20Dutch%20article%20on%20%5C%22Noord-Holland%5C%22%20on%20the%20Dutch%20Wikipedia.%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-0 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-00000002-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E1%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-00000003-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-0%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-0%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2239%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E1%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2240%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="#cite_note-0"><span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[&#x200b;</span>1<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]&#x200b;</span></a></sup>&#x200b;</span>
</p>
<h3 data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">Before 1795</h3>
<p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">For most of its history, the modern-day province of North Holland was an integral part of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Holland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Holland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BHolland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Holland" title="Holland">Holland</a>.
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">From the 9th century to the 16th century, <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Holland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22County%20of%20Holland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BCounty%20of%20Holland%7CHolland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="County of Holland (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvQ291bnR5X29mX0hvbGxhbmQ/YWN0aW9uPWVkaXQmcmVkbGluaz0x">Holland</a> was a county ruled by the <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22counts%20of%20Holland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22counts%20of%20Holland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5Bcounts%20of%20Holland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Counts_of_Holland" title="Counts of Holland">counts of Holland</a>. During this period an area known as <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22West%20Friesland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22West%20Friesland%20%28historical%20region%29%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BWest%20Friesland%20%28historical%20region%29%7CWest%20Friesland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="West Friesland (historical region) (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvV2VzdF9Gcmllc2xhbmRfKGhpc3RvcmljYWxfcmVnaW9uKT9hY3Rpb249ZWRpdCZyZWRsaW5rPTE=">West Friesland</a> (now part of North Holland) was conquered and integrated into Holland. For centuries afterwards Holland would be officially called "Holland and West Friesland". The people of West Friesland had (and still have) a strong sense of identity as a region within Holland (and later North Holland).
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">From the 16th century to 1795, Holland was the wealthiest and most important province in the United Provinces in the <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Dutch%20Republic%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Dutch%20Republic%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BDutch%20Republic%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Dutch Republic (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvRHV0Y2hfUmVwdWJsaWM/YWN0aW9uPWVkaXQmcmVkbGluaz0x">Dutch Republic</a>. As the richest and most powerful province, Holland dominated the union. During this period a distinction was sometimes made between the "North Quarter" (<i><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Noorderkwartier%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Noorderkwartier%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BNoorderkwartier%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Noorderkwartier (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvTm9vcmRlcmt3YXJ0aWVyP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==">Noorderkwartier</a></i>) and the "South Quarter" (<i>Zuiderkwartier</i>), areas that roughly correspond to the two modern provinces.
</p>
<h3 data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">The emergence of a new province (1795 to 1840)</h3>
<p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">The province of North Holland as it is today has its origins in the period of French rule from 1795 to 1813. This was a time of bewildering changes to the Dutch system of provinces. In 1795 the old order was swept away and the <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Batavian%20Republic%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Batavian%20Republic%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BBatavian%20Republic%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Batavian Republic (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvQmF0YXZpYW5fUmVwdWJsaWM/YWN0aW9uPWVkaXQmcmVkbGluaz0x">Batavian Republic</a> was established. In the Constitution enacted on 23 April 1798, the old borders were radically changed. The republic was reorganised into eight departments (<i>département</i>) with roughly equal populations. Holland was split up into five departments named "Texel", 
<!-- RTE::{"spaces":1,"type":"LINE_BREAK"} -->"Amstel", "Delf", "Schelde en Maas", and "Rijn". The first three of these lay within the borders of the old Holland; the latter two were made up of parts of different provinces. In 1801 the old borders were restored when the department of Holland was created. This reorganisation had been short-lived, but it gave birth to the concept of breaking up Holland and making it a less powerful province.
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">In 1807, Holland was reorganised once again. This time the two departments were called "<a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Amstelland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Amstelland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BAmstelland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Amstelland (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvQW1zdGVsbGFuZD9hY3Rpb249ZWRpdCZyZWRsaW5rPTE=">Amstelland</a>" (corresponding to the modern province of North Holland) and "<a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Maasland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Maasland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BMaasland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Maasland (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvTWFhc2xhbmQ/YWN0aW9uPWVkaXQmcmVkbGluaz0x">Maasland</a>" (corresponding to the modern province of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22South%20Holland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22South%20Holland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BSouth%20Holland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/South_Holland" title="South Holland">South Holland</a>). This also did not last long. In 1810, all the Dutch provinces were integrated into the French Empire. Amstelland and Utrecht were amalgamated as the department of "Zuiderzee" (Zuyderzée in French) and Maasland was renamed "Monden van de Maas" (Bouches-de-la-Meuse in French).
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">After the defeat of the French in 1813, this organisation remained unchanged for a year or so. When the 1814 Constitution was introduced, the country was reorganised as provinces and regions (<i>landschappen</i>). Zuiderzee and Monden van de Maas were reunited as the province of "Holland". One of the ministers on the constitutional committee (van Maanen) suggested that the old name "Holland and West Friesland" be reintroduced to respect the feelings of the people of that region. This proposal was rejected.
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">However, the division was not totally reversed. When the province of Holland was re-established in 1814, it was given two governors, one for the former department of Amstelland (i.e. the area that is now North Holland) and one for the former department of Maasland (i.e. now South Holland). Even though the province had been reunited, the two areas were still being treated differently in some ways and the idea of dividing Holland remained alive. (During this reorganisation the islands of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Vlieland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Vlieland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BVlieland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Vlieland (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvVmxpZWxhbmQ/YWN0aW9uPWVkaXQmcmVkbGluaz0x">Vlieland</a> and <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Terschelling%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Terschelling%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BTerschelling%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Terschelling (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvVGVyc2NoZWxsaW5nP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==">Terschelling</a> were returned to Holland and parts of "Hollands Brabant" (including "Land of Altena") went to <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22North%20Brabant%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22North%20Brabant%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BNorth%20Brabant%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/North_Brabant" title="North Brabant">North Brabant</a>. The borders with Utrecht and Gelderland were definitively set in 1820.)
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">When the constitutional amendments were introduced in 1840, it was decided to split Holland once again, this time into two provinces called "North Holland" and "South Holland". The need for this was not felt in South Holland or in West Friesland (which feared the dominance of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Amsterdam%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Amsterdam%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BAmsterdam%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Amsterdam" title="Amsterdam">Amsterdam</a>). The impetus came largely from Amsterdam, which still resented the 1838 relocation of the court of appeal to <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22The%20Hague%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22The%20Hague%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BThe%20Hague%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/The_Hague" title="The Hague">The Hague</a> in South Holland.
</p>
<h3 data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">1840 to today</h3>
<p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">After the <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Haarlemmermeer%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Haarlemmermeer%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BHaarlemmermeer%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Haarlemmermeer" title="Haarlemmermeer">Haarlemmermeer</a> was drained in 1855 and turned into arable land, it was made part of North Holland. In exchange, South Holland received the greater part of the municipality of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Leimuiden%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Leimuiden%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BLeimuiden%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Leimuiden" title="Leimuiden">Leimuiden</a> in 1864.
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">In 1942, the islands <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Vlieland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Vlieland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BVlieland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Vlieland (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvVmxpZWxhbmQ/YWN0aW9uPWVkaXQmcmVkbGluaz0x">Vlieland</a> and <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Terschelling%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Terschelling%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BTerschelling%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Terschelling (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvVGVyc2NoZWxsaW5nP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==">Terschelling</a> went back to the province of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Friesland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Friesland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BFriesland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Friesland" title="Friesland">Friesland</a>.
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">In 1950, the former island <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Urk%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Urk%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BUrk%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Urk (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvVXJrP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==">Urk</a> was ceded to the province of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Overijssel%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Overijssel%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BOverijssel%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Overijssel" title="Overijssel">Overijssel</a>.
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">In February 2011, North Holland, together with the provinces of <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Utrecht%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Utrecht%20%28province%29%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BUtrecht%20%28province%29%7CUtrecht%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Utrecht_(province)" title="Utrecht (province)">Utrecht</a> and <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Flevoland%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Flevoland%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BFlevoland%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="/wiki/Flevoland" title="Flevoland">Flevoland</a>, showed a desire to investigate the feasibility of a merger between the three provinces.<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%3Ehttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fnos.nl%5C%2Fartikel%5C%2F216649-drie-provincies-denken-over-fusie.html%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-1 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-00000005-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E2%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-00000006-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-1%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-1%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2245%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E2%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2246%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="#cite_note-1"><span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[&#x200b;</span>2<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]&#x200b;</span></a></sup>&#x200b;</span> This has been positively received by the <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Dutch%20cabinet%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Rutte%20cabinet%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BRutte%20cabinet%7CDutch%20cabinet%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Rutte cabinet (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvUnV0dGVfY2FiaW5ldD9hY3Rpb249ZWRpdCZyZWRsaW5rPTE=">Dutch cabinet</a>, for the desire to create one <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Randstad%20province%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Randstad%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BRandstad%7CRandstad%20province%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Randstad (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvUmFuZHN0YWQ/YWN0aW9uPWVkaXQmcmVkbGluaz0x">Randstad province</a> has already been mentioned in the <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22coalition%20agreement%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22coalition%20agreement%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5Bcoalition%20agreement%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Coalition agreement (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvQ29hbGl0aW9uX2FncmVlbWVudD9hY3Rpb249ZWRpdCZyZWRsaW5rPTE=">coalition agreement</a>.<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%3Ehttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.rtl.nl%5C%2F%28%5C%2Factueel%5C%2Frtlnieuws%5C%2F%29%5C%2Fcomponents%5C%2Factueel%5C%2Frtlnieuws%5C%2F2011%5C%2F02_februari%5C%2F04%5C%2Fbinnenland%5C%2Fprovincies-willen-fusie.xml%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-2 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-00000008-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E3%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-00000009-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-2%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-2%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2251%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E3%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2252%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="#cite_note-2"><span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[&#x200b;</span>3<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]&#x200b;</span></a></sup>&#x200b;</span> The province of South Holland, part of the Randstad urban area, visioned to be part of the Randstad province,<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%3Ehttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.nrc.nl%5C%2Fnieuws%5C%2F2011%5C%2F02%5C%2F04%5C%2Frandstadprovincies-onderzoeken-fusie%5C%2F%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-3 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-0000000B-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E4%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-0000000C-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-3%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-3%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2257%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E4%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2258%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="#cite_note-3"><span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[&#x200b;</span>4<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]&#x200b;</span></a></sup>&#x200b;</span> and very much supportive of the idea of a merger into one province,<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%3Ehttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.zuid-holland.nl%5C%2Fcontentpagina.htm%3Fid%3D74163%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-4 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-0000000E-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E5%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2240-4385673156011f3f4597de%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ5d74f9021da2fcac-nowiki-0000000F-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-4%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-4%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2263%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E5%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2264%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" href="#cite_note-4"><span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[&#x200b;</span>5<span data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]&#x200b;</span></a></sup>&#x200b;</span> is not named. With or without South Holland, if created, the new province would be the largest in the Netherlands in both <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22area%20and%20population%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Ranked%20list%20of%20Dutch%20provinces%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BRanked%20list%20of%20Dutch%20provinces%7Carea%20and%20population%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="40-4385673156011f3f4597de" class="new" title="Ranked list of Dutch provinces (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvUmFua2VkX2xpc3Rfb2ZfRHV0Y2hfcHJvdmluY2VzP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==">area and population</a>.
</p>
<br /><strong data-rte-washtml="1" class="error" data-rte-attribs=" class=error">Cite error: <code data-rte-washtml="1">&lt;ref&gt;</code> tags exist, but no <code data-rte-washtml="1">&lt;references/&gt;</code> tag was found</strong><p />
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