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Rotterdam, city in the south-west Netherlands,...
...in South Holland Province, a port on the Maas River near The Hague, 30 km (19 mi) from the North Sea. Chartered in 1328, Rotterdam is one of the major seaports of the world. It is directly linked, through the Nieuwe Mass, to the commercially important River Rhine and to the Waal and Meuse rivers, which extend inland into Belgium and Germany. Rotterdam is the principal centre of overseas trade for the Netherlands and for the industrial Ruhr district of Germany.

The Nieuwe Water (New Waterway), a deep-water channel opened in 1872, was constructed (1866-1890) to allow access to large ocean-going vessels from the North Sea. This channel, and the expansion of trade it brought with it, were largely responsible for the city's economic boom in the late 19th century. Europoort and Maasvlakte, large harbour areas at the western end of the channel, were built in the 1960s, chiefly for the unloading and storing of oil from supertankers. Other extensive port facilities and major industries, including oil refineries, shipyards, and factories for the processing of petrochemicals, production of chemicals, metal goods, and refined sugar, are on the south bank of the Maas River at Rotterdam. Exports include coal, machinery, and dairy produce; principal imports are oil, ores, and grain.

Rotterdam, the birthplace of the great Dutch humanist Erasmus, is the site of Erasmus University (1973). It is also home to the famous Boymans-van Beuningen Museum, which houses a notable collection of paintings by Old Dutch Masters. Blijdorp Zoological Garden contains the world's finest collection of birds of paradise.

Rotterdam became a prominent shipping centre near the end of the 17th century, during the golden age of the Netherlands. Benefiting from all the sea trade linked with the Dutch East Indies, Rotterdam considerably expanded its harbours. In the mid-19th century, competition for shipping trade grew fiercer; the Nieuwe Water established Rotterdam's standing as the world's principal seaport.

Much of the old city and port of Rotterdam was destroyed by bombing during World War II, and a modern, planned city has since been built. The chief residential and commercial areas are on the north bank of the Maas. West of Coolsingel, the main thoroughfare, is a spacious shopping district known as the Lijnbaan, open only to pedestrians.

Population: 593 300 (2000 estimate)

"Rotterdam," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2002
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