Understand
The Western Netherlands is the most visited part of the Netherlands and is a very diverse region. It is home to the largest cities of the country, but it also boasts the most typical Dutch rural landscape. Its four provinces are among the most densely populated areas in the world. Much of its territory is part of the Randstad, a conurbation with more than 7.5 million inhabitants that is the economic heart of the Netherlands. It consists of the four largest cities of the country Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht and their surrounding areas. Randstad is the Dutch word for "rim city", as it is shaped like a circle with an empty space in the middle. That center is known as the Green Heart, a rural area that mostly consists of pancake flat polders, forests and lakes.
The Randstad is an economical powerhouse that much of the other regions in the country rely on. Amsterdam is an important center of the financial world, and many multinationals have based their headquarters in the city's financial center Zuidas South Axis. Close to that district is Schiphol Airport, which currently is the fifth busiest airport of the continent. Trade is probably the most important economic activity in the Netherlands, and that all is due to its geographic location. The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port of Europe and its trade over the Rhine with the German Ruhr area is an important engine for the Dutch economy.
The Hague is the country's political center: the Binnenhof is where the country's most important political decisions are made. It is often known as the "judicial capital of the world": it is home to some of the most important international institutions, such as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Perminent Court of Arbitration, among dozens of others.
