Holland vs the Netherlands: why they are not the same

Transcript

Most people think Holland and the Netherlands are just two different names for the same country, but that's not actually true. And why are the people who live there called Dutch? So the official name of the country is the Netherlands. The name literally means lowlands because almost a third of the country actually lies below sea level. That's why around 60% of the Netherlands could end up underwater without its dikes, pumps, and advanced flood control systems. But then where does Holland come from? You see, the country is made up of 12 provinces, and Holland is actually just two of them, North Holland and South Holland. In the past, they were one region, and it was considered the wealthiest and most developed part of the country. This is where Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and the Hague are located, while Holland itself became the center of trade, seafaring, and colonial expansion. This made the country famous around the world, specifically as Holland, and its people became known as Hollanders. So where did Dutch come from? Hundreds of years ago, it was used more broadly for Germanic speaking people in this part of Europe. It shares the same route as the German, Deutsche, but in English, Dutch eventually became associated only with the Netherlands. Funny enough, in Dutch, they simply call themselves Netherlandsers.

Transcribed automatically from the video, so small errors are possible.