Holland

Holland is the region of the Netherlands situated along the coastline of the country. Though many people refer to the Netherlands as a whole as "Holland," this usage, though accepted by many, does not accurately describe a large portion of the country and may offend some residents. 
The land that composes what is now Holland County has always been unstable. The power of the North Sea has molded the landscape, creating islands and erasing land. Hollanders have utilized dikes and polders to protect and reclaim their land. 
Holland has been part of various empires throughout history, including the Holy Roman Empire , the Habsburg Seventeen Provinces , the Dutch Republic, and finally the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The primary spoken language of the area is Dutch. 
=="Dutch Graves in Bucks County" ==
Holland is featured in Stevens' poem "Dutch Graves in Bucks County." This poem concerns the American soldiers who fought on European soil during World War II. Clearly concerned  with the present time, the poet refers to Holland almost as a representation of what is "old," the soldiers who marched and the people who lived before the twentieth century. The title of the poem with its emphasis on graves further illustrates the juxtaposition between the modern soldier of World War II and the antiquated Dutch soldiers of previous centuries. 
 There are shouts and voices.
 
 These are men shuffling on foot in air. 
 
 Men are moving and marching 
 
 And shuffling lightly, with the heavy lightness 
 
 Of those that are marching, many together.
 
 
 And you, my semblables—the old flag of Holland 
 
 Flutters in tiny darkness.[1]
==References ==
1. Pages 258-261 of Wallace Stevens: Collected Poetry and Prose. The Library of America, 1997. Print.