NETHERLANDS, TILE OF, lies between 50° 43' and 53° 36' n. lat., and 3° 22' and 7° 16' c. long., is bounded on the n. by the North sea, e. by Hanover and the western part of Prussia, s. by Liege, Belgian Limburg, Antwerp, east and west Flanders, w. by the North sea. Its greatest length from B. to S. is 195 English m., and its greatest breadth from the w., on the North sea, to the extremity of Overyssel. on the e., 110 English miles. It contains 12,597 sq. miles. Pop., including the grand duchy of Luxemburg, 3,835,111. The following table gives the population. Jan. 1, 1872, the area of the prov inces, including the reclaimed Haarlem lake, and the provincial capitals: The pop, (Jan. 1, 1875) bad, exclusive of Luxemburg, increased to 3,715,676, averag ing 295 to the sq. mile. In Drenthe it is 105, and in South and North Holland rises to 632 and 591; Utrecht, Limburg, and Zeeland being the next densely peopled. In 1S71 the htrths amounted to 128,305, of which 4,599 were illegitimate. The average was 1 to 27.90. In North Brabant, I to 44.38; Gelderland, Ito 30.04; Smith Holland, 1 to 22.73; North Holland, 1 to 24.23; Zeeland, 1 to 26.30; Utrecht, 1 to 21.43; Friesland, 1 to 36.24; Overyssel, 1 to 45.07; Groningen, 1 to 22.54; Drenthe, 1 to 32.03; Limburg, 1 to 37.44.
The leading places are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Alkmaar, Middelburg, Schiedam, Leyden, Delft, Gouda, Utrecht, Amersfort, Groningen, Meppel, Kampen, Deventer, Arnhem, Nymegen, Tiel, Gorinchcm, 's Hertogenbosch, Tilburg, and Breda.
Phyeical Aspect—The land is generally low, much of it being under the level of the sea, rivers, and canals, especially in North and South Holland, Zeeland, the southern part of Gelderland. and Friesland. Along the west coast, the low lands are protected from the sea by a line of sand-hills or dunes; and where that natural defense is wanting, strong dikes have been constructed, and are maintained at great expense, to keep back the waters. The greatest of these dikes are those of the Helder and of West Kapelle, on the east coast of Walcheren (q.v.), which require, each, upward of 4i6,000 annu ally to keep them in order. Engineers, called the officers of the Waterstant, take special charge of the dikes and national hydraulic works, the expense of which is reckoned at about half a million sterling. A hilly district stretches from Prussia through Drenthe, Overyssel, the Veluwe or Arnhem district of Gelderland, the eastern part of Utrecht, into the Betuwe or country between the Maas and the Waal. This tract of country has many pretty spots, is of a light, sandy soil, well watered, and, when not cultivated, is covered with heath or oak-coppice. The greatest part of the Netherlands is very fertile, the low lands and drained lakes, called polders (q.v.), being adapted for pasturing cattle,
and the light soils for cereals and fruits; but in sonic distric41 there are sandy heath-clad plains, extensive peat-lands, and undrained morasses, which industry is rapidly bringing under cultivation.
Islamic, Ricers, Canals, Etc.—The islands may be divided into two groups, of which the southern. formed by the mouths of the Schelde and Maas, contains Waleheren, South and North Beveland, Schouwen, Duiveland, Tholen, St. Philipsland, Goeree, Voorne, Putten, Beyerland, Ysselmonde, Rozenburg, and the island of Dordrecht. The northern group contains the islands at the entrance of the Zuyder Zee and alone. the coasts of Groningen and Friesland, as WTicringen, Texel, Vlieland, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, and In the Zuyder Zee are Marken, Urk, and Sehokland.
The chief rivers are the Rhine, Maas, and Schelde. Important branches of these are the Waal, Lek, Yssel, Boer, etc.
Water-ways are more numerous than in any other European country, the immense tracts of meadow-land and the fertile polders being girdled by large canals, and cut in all directions by smaller ones for drainage and communication. Those of most importance to the notional trade are, the North Holland canal, constructed 1819 to 1825, to connect the port of Amsterdam with the North sea; the Voorne canal, from the n. side of Voorne to Hellevoetsluis, which shortens the outlet from Rotterdam; the South Willeins vaart. through North Brabant, Dutch and Belgian Limburg:, front 's Hertogenbosch to Maastricht, being 711 English m. in length, and having 24 `locks. Besides these, there are numerous important canals, connecting rivers, and cutting the kingdom into a net work of watercourses. To improve the entrance to the Maas, the Hoek of Holland has lately been cut. A new canal throuth the V and peninsula of Holland was opened Nov. 1, 1876. It is nowhere less than 80 yards broad, with sluices nearly 400 ft. in length, end a depth of nearly 23 feet. This has reduced the distance from Amsterdam to the sea to abotit 16 in., and provides a safe way for large ships. The harbor, in 52' 29' n. lat. and 4' 36' e. long., is formed by piers of concrete built into the North sea. The expense, including the .recovery of 15,000 acres of land Y amogutea to about two millions sterling-UniV Calif - by icrosotto Railways have been constructed to the extent of about 1008 m., forming lines of com munication between the principal cities of the Netherlands, and with Prussia to the s.e., and Belgian to the s. west. The receipts of the three main lines in 1872 amounted to These belong to companies. The state railways teat. ed 445•966, and car ried 3,188,443 passengers. The two oldest companies gave divitn,tds of 6i and 8k per cent.