South Holland (Dutch: Zuid-Holland [ËŒzÅ"yt ˈɦÉ"lÉ'nt] (listen)) is
a province of the Netherlands with a population of just over 3.7
million as of November 2019 and a population density of about
1,373/km2 (3,560/sq mi), making it the country's most populous
province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. Situated
on the North Sea in the west of the Netherlands, South Holland covers
an area of 3,419 km2 (1,320 sq mi), of which 605 km2 (234 sq mi) is
water. It borders North Holland to the north, Utrecht and Gelderland
to the east, and North Brabant and Zeeland to the south. The
provincial capital is the Dutch seat of government The Hague, while
its largest city is Rotterdam. The Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta drains
through South Holland into the North Sea. Europe's busiest seaport,
the Port of Rotterdam, is located in South Holland.Archaeological
discoveries in Hardinxveld-Giessendam indicate that the area of South
Holland has been inhabited since at least ca. 7,500 years before
present, probably by nomadic hunter-gatherers. Agriculture and
permanent settlements probably originated around 2,000 years later,
based on excavations near Vlaardingen. In the classical antiquity,
South Holland was part of the Roman Province of Germania Inferior, and
the border of the Roman Empire ran along the Old Rhine and reached the
North Sea near Katwijk. The Romans built fortresses along the border,
such as Praetorium Agrippinae near modern-day Valkenburg, Matilo near
modern-day Leiden, and Albaniana near modern-day Alphen aan den Rijn.
A city was founded near modern-day Voorburg, Forum Hadriani. It was
built according to the grid plan, and facilitated a square, a court, a
bathhouse and several temples.After the departure of the Romans, the
area belonged to the Frisian Kingdom, after which it was conquered by
the Frankish king Dagobert I in 636. In 690, the Anglo-Saxon monk
Willibrord arrived near Katwijk and was granted permission to spread
Roman Catholicism by the Frankish king Pepin II. He accordingly
founded a church in Oegstgeest, after which the entire area was
gradually Christianised. The area was appointed to East Francia in the
Treaty of Verdun in 843, after which the king granted lands to Gerolf,
who had helped him claim the lands. This was the birth of the County
of Holland. Gerolf was later succeeded by Dirk I, who continued to
rule Holland under the Frankish king. In 1248, count William II
ordered the construction of the Ridderzaal, which was later finished
by his son and successor Floris V.The first city in South Holland to
receive city rights was Dordrecht, which did so in 1220. The city
retained a dominant position in the area until it was struck by a
series of floods in the late 14th century. The same century also saw a
series of civil wars, the Hook and Cod wars, concerning the succession
of count William IV. Both his daughter Jacqueline and his brother
John, the latter supported by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy,
claimed the throne. The conflict ended in 1490, with John victorious. South Holland Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter