When scrolling through job offers, you’ll often see “Holland” and “the Netherlands” used almost randomly. In fact, many people think our country has two different names. Keep reading to find out why that’s technically not true!
Some historical background
Between 1588 and 1795, the official name of the area was the Republic of Seven United Netherlands. It got it’s name from the fact that the terrain was mostly flat and close to sea level, which it still is today. The Dutch word Nederland literally translates to “low land”. With that in mind, “the Netherlands” is the only correct name when you’re talking about the country as a whole.
So what about Holland?
The country of the Netherlands consists of 12 provinces, including Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. These two provinces house the famous cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and many others. Together, Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland are referred to as simply “Holland”. So when you use “Holland”, you’re only talking about a small part of the country. When talking about the country as a whole, “the Netherlands” is the only correct name.
Why we use both sometimes
As a Dutch company, we obviously know that our country is called the Netherlands and not Holland. Nonetheless, we understand and respect that not everybody knows that. We want to make sure that anyone can find our offers and will know where they’re located. Whether you call us Holland or the Netherlands – you’re more than welcome to come work with us!