"The Netherlands (in Dutch: Nederland) is a constitutional monarchy in Western Europe with some 17 million inhabitants. The country is sometimes referred to as Holland, although Holland is only a region within the Netherlands, just like Zeeland, Friesland, Brabant, etc. Since the independence of the Netherlands in 1648, Holland has been the cultural, economic and political center of the Netherlands. The major Dutch cities are also located in Holland. For this reason, people sometimes use the word Holland as pars pro toto for the Netherlands, similar as occurs with England and the United Kingdom. Together with present-day Belgium, Luxembourg and the north of France, the Netherlands once formed a region in Europe that was called the Low Countries (in Dutch: De Lage Landen)."

Berkeley is one of California's finest unis - perhaps the finest

Or the CIA Factbook, for that matter:

Netherlands all the way

Or let's check with the Netherlands organization for international co-operation in higher education (Nuffic), and see what they write about it:

"

Holland or the Netherlands?

22 Oct 2009

The Netherlands is a kingdom. Its official name is the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

It consists of the Netherlands itself and the six islands of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. The country’s formal name is Nederland, meaning 'low country'. This refers to the fact that much of the land is at or below sea level.

Today, the Netherlands is also sometimes called 'Holland', a name that is derived from the names of the two western coastal provinces, North and South Holland. These were the most developed and wealthiest part of the country in the 17th century and played a dominant role in the country's history."

Relevant link within the Nuffic site

Dutch Press voices in with the following:

"

HOLLAND OR THE NETHERLANDS?

The Netherlands is the official country name. Holland only refers to the two provinces of North and South Holland in the western part of the country.

However, foreigners and Dutch people alike use both Holland and The Netherlands to refer to the whole country. Especially when rooting for the national team in a sports event Holland and the color orange (inspired by the royal house of Orange) are the main choice for supporters.

The adjective Dutch, used to refer to the language, comes from a common root with 'Deutsch', German. But the language is quite different from German."

"Hup Holland", as I noticed some of my Facebook contacts wrote yesterday, up until a certain point.. :-)

The site for International students in the Netherlands, also deal with this question of utmost importance.. (I keed.. ;-))

"Most people I talk too refer to Holland in the same way as they would to The Netherlands. They think Holland is the same as The Netherlands.Just to let you in on a little secret: this is wrong!"

And in conclusion (but do read all, those who so desire - it's not long):

"Now since there are ten other provinces with each having their own proud history, I would not recommend saying Holland when you are actually trying to refer to The Netherlands. It is just not correct and can even be seen as offensive or insulting, unless of course the person you are talking too is from one of those two provinces."

International Students, The Netherlands

And now for that reviled site of the Tourism Bueau of the Netherlands - Holland.com:

"As far as the traveller is concerned, yes! Holland is the name commonly used abroad to refer to the country that is officially named The Netherlands. Strictly speaking, Holland comprises only the two western provinces of North and South Holland - a region that encompasses Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and other well-known Dutch cities such as Delft, Leiden and Haarlem."

Filed under Frequently Asked Questions - Geography - Are "Holland" and "The Netherlands" the same?

And perhaps, in this round, we could let the official Dutch mission to the United Nations have the last word:

"Holland or the Netherlands?

Why is the country sometimes referred to as Holland and sometimes as the Netherlands? The official name of the country is the Netherlands, meaning ‘low lands’; a country where 60% of the people live below sea level. Then why is this country so often referred to as Holland? The answer to this question lies in its history. Several centuries ago, the province of Holland (now the modern-day provinces of North and South Holland) was economically the strongest of all the Dutch provinces, and the one from which virtually all foreign trade originated. Most of the Dutchmen that foreign traders dealt with were Hollanders, literally from Holland. Hence, when talking about the Netherlands, this became the accepted way of referring to the country and its people. Over the years both names have come to be accepted, although the official name, of course, remains the Netherlands.

Dutch sensitivity
Though it is generally accepted that the Netherlands is referred to as Holland in many different languages, some Dutch people, especially those not from North or South Holland, do not like the habit. This website used to use ‘Holland’ instead of ‘the Netherlands’ to make page and menu titles shorter, but we received emails from Dutch visitors who objected.

The "Randstad"
While it is of course no longer the case that the provinces of North and South Holland are the most advanced, it is true that most businesses are still located in these two provinces and Utrecht. The area as a whole, which includes Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, is commonly referred to as the Randstad (an idiomatic term for referring to the conurbation as a whole). But the rest of the Netherlands is just as well developed and many international businesses are based there. The infrastructure (road, rail, water and telephone) is excellent throughout the country."

General Information - The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations