page_title: Randstad
hierarchical_section_title: Randstad
caption_attribution_description: Off Westerkerk
context_page_description: The Randstad is a megalopolis in the central-western Netherlands consisting primarily of the four largest Dutch cities and their surrounding areas. Among other things, it contains the Port of Rotterdam, the Port of Amsterdam, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. With a population of 8.2 million people it is one of the largest metropolitan regions in Europe, comparable in population size to the Milan metropolitan area or the San Francisco Bay Area, and covers an area of approximately 8,287 km². With a population density of 1,500/km² it also is one of the most important and densely populated economic areas in northwestern Europe. It encompasses both the Amsterdam metropolitan area and Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area.
  The Randstad's main cities are Almere, Amersfoort, Amsterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Haarlem, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Zaanstad and Zoetermeer.
context_section_description: The Randstad ([ˈrɑntstɑt]) is a megalopolis in the central-western Netherlands consisting primarily of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht) and their surrounding areas. Among other things, it contains the Port of Rotterdam (the busiest seaport in Europe and until 2004 also the world's busiest seaport), the Port of Amsterdam (Europe's fifth busiest seaport), and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (third-busiest European airport). With a population of 8.2 million people it is one of the largest metropolitan regions in Europe, comparable in population size to the Milan metropolitan area or the San Francisco Bay Area, and covers an area of approximately 8,287 km² (3,200 sq mi). With a population density of 1,500/km² (3,900/sq mi) it also is one of the most important and densely populated economic areas in northwestern Europe. It encompasses both the Amsterdam metropolitan area and Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area.
  The Randstad's main cities are Almere, Amersfoort, Amsterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Haarlem, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Zaanstad and Zoetermeer. Other cities include Alkmaar, Alphen aan den Rijn, Amstelveen, Hilversum and the smaller towns of Barendrecht, Breukelen, Capelle aan den IJssel, Gouda, Hoek van Holland, Hoofddorp, Hoorn, Houten, Katwijk, Leidschendam, Maarssen, Maassluis, Naaldwijk, Nieuwegein, Oostzaan, Papendrecht, Purmerend, Rijswijk, Schiedam, Spijkenisse, Vlaardingen, Voorburg, Voorschoten, Woerden and Zeist.
  Although the name Randstad is often translated into English as "edge city" or "border city", a more accurate translation would be "rim city". The Dutch name was coined in 1938 by KLM founder Albert Plesman who, while flying over the region, used it to describe a strip of cities at the rim of a large green agricultural area (the Green Heart). While technically more of a crescent (the southeastern edge of the rim is significantly less populated), the ring shape formed by connecting the four major cities of the region led to the use of the name "Ring City".
caption: Amsterdam, the Netherlands' capital
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