![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Randstad_Population_Bubbles_(nl).svg/310px-Randstad_Population_Bubbles_(nl).svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Randstad.png/310px-Randstad.png)
Randstad, also Delta metropool called, is a metropolitan area in the Netherlandswhich counts 20% of the area but 40% of the inhabitants. A total of around 7 million people live in the area. "Rand" is the Dutch word for "ring", which results from the ring-shaped location of the large cities.
Regions
Randstad extends over the provinces North Holland, South Holland, Flevoland and Utrecht.
In the middle between the cities lies the relatively sparsely populated "Groene Hart" (Green Heart), which is used for agriculture, nature and local recreation.
The main airport is the Randstad Schiphol.
The cities are connected by railroad lines (partly also via Thalys) and several large motorways.
Localities
The four largest cities in the Netherlands form the cornerstones. They do not have a hierarchical order but complement each other:
- Amsterdam, Capital of the Netherlands
- Utrecht, Railway / motorway junction and center for trade fairs and congresses
- Rotterdam, largest seaport in Europe
- The hague, Government center of the Netherlands, seat of many international organizations
In addition, the following are added to the ring of cities:
In the green heart lie: