Zeeland, also known as Zealand in English, is the westernmost and least populated province of the Netherlands. It is located in the southwest corner of the country and borders North Brabant to the east, South Holland to the north, and Belgium to the south and west (specifically the Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders).

Zeeland includes many islands and peninsulas, which is why its name means "Sealand." Only the southern part, called Zeelandic Flanders, is not an island or peninsula. The capital of Zeeland is Middelburg, which had a population of 48,544 as of November 2019. However, the largest city in Zeeland is Terneuzen, with a population of 54,589. Zeeland has two seaports: Vlissingen and Terneuzen. The province covers an area of 2,933 square kilometers (1,132 square miles), of which 1,154 square kilometers (446 square miles) is water. As of January 2023, Zeeland had a population of about 391,000.

Much of Zeeland lies below sea level. The most recent major flood in the region occurred in 1953. Tourism is an important part of the local economy. During the summer, its beaches attract many visitors, especially from Germany. In some areas, the population can grow two to four times larger during the busy summer months. The coat of arms of Zeeland shows a lion that is partly in water, with the Latin phrase "luctor et emergo," which means "I struggle and emerge." The country of New Zealand was named after Zeeland after it was first seen by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.

History

Zeeland was a disputed region between the counts of Holland and Flanders until 1299, when the last count of Holland died. After that, the Counts of Hainaut took control of Zeeland, followed by the counts of Bavaria, Burgundy, and Habsburg. After 1585, Zeeland became one of the seven independent provinces that followed the Northern part of the Netherlands.

In 1432, Zeeland became part of the Low Countries, which belonged to Philip the Good of Burgundy, later known as the Seventeen Provinces. In 1477, the Seventeen Provinces became the property of the Habsburgs through marriage. During the Eighty Years' War, Zeeland supported the Union of Utrecht and became one of the United Provinces. The area now called Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (or Zeelandic Flanders) was not part of Zeeland but belonged to the county of Flanders, which was still under Habsburg control. This area was conquered by the United Provinces and became known as Staats-Vlaanderen (see: Generality Lands).

After the French occupation (see département Bouches-de-l'Escaut) and the creation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, the modern province of Zeeland was formed.

During World War II, Zeeland was occupied by Nazi Germany from June 1940 until November 1944. In 1944, Zeeland was heavily damaged during the Battle of the Scheldt and the Walcheren Landings, which involved British and Canadian forces fighting against German forces. This battle caused the Inundation of Walcheren.

The catastrophic North Sea flood of 1953, which killed more than 1,800 people in Zeeland, led to the construction of the protective Delta Works.

Geography

Zeeland includes many islands and peninsulas. The following are the geographic areas that make up the province, listed from north to south:

• Schouwen-Duiveland (island)
• Tholen (peninsula, former island, includes former island Sint Philipsland)
• Noord-Beveland (peninsula, former island)
• Walcheren (peninsula, former island)
• Zuid-Beveland (peninsula, former island)
• Zeelandic Flanders (continental, bordering Belgian Flanders)

The province of Zeeland is a large river delta where several major rivers meet, including the Scheldt, Rhine, and Meuse (also known as the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta). Most of the province lies below sea level and was reclaimed from the sea by people over time. What was once a wet and flooded landscape became small man-made hills that stayed dry. People later connected these hills with dikes, creating dry land that eventually formed larger islands and shaped the province as it is today. Over time, both people and nature have changed the shape of the islands.

The deadly North Sea flood of 1953 flooded large areas of land that were only partially reclaimed. After this event, the Delta Works were built, changing the province’s landscape. Although the infrastructure, such as bridges, tunnels, and dams, is notable, the geography of Zeeland influenced how the infrastructure was built. These structures replaced old ferry lines and became vital parts of the province’s road system. The final step in this process was the opening of the Western Scheldt Tunnel in 2003. This tunnel created the first solid connection between both sides of the Western Scheldt, ending the era when water separated Zeeland’s islands and peninsulas.

The province of Zeeland has 13 municipalities. The largest cities include Middelburg, which has 42,000 people; Vlissingen, with 34,000; Goes, with 28,000; and Terneuzen, with 25,000.

Demographics

As of 1 January 2023, Zeeland had a population of 391,124 and a population density of 220 per square kilometer (570 per square mile). It is the least populous and the third least densely populated province of the Netherlands. Compared to other provinces, Zeeland has fewer immigrants and international residents.

Zeeland is more religious than the Netherlands as a whole, with over 53% of its population identifying as religious. The Dutch Bible Belt includes parts of Zeeland. Zeelandic Flanders is slightly more religious (58.5%) than the rest of Zeeland (51.6%). Among religious people, Reformed Christianity (Calvinism) is the main faith, though there is also a large Roman Catholic community, mostly found in Zeelandic Flanders.

After being part of the large Franco-Flemish Roman Catholic Diocese of Cambrai, Zeeland received its own bishopric, the Diocese of Middelburg, on 5 December 1559. This bishopric was suppressed in 1603, with its territory merged into the Apostolic Vicariate of Batavia. It was later restored on 22 March 1803 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Breda. It became the current Diocese of Breda, whose See is located in western North Brabant, and was expanded in 1955 by gaining territory from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem–Amsterdam.

Politics

The States of Zeeland is the provincial council of Zeeland. As of the 2023 provincial election, the governing coalition includes the BBB, SGP, CDA, and VVD, which holds 23 out of 39 seats.

The Provincial executive (Gedeputeerde Staten) of Zeeland is the leadership group of the province, made up of several ministers and the King's commissioner of Zeeland. Hugo de Jonge (CDA) became the commissioner on 3 September 2025, after serving as acting commissioner from September 2024. Before him, Han Polman (D66) held the position from 1 March 2013 until 16 September 2024.

Economy

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the region was €13.6 billion in 2018, making up 1.8% of the Netherlands' total economic output. The average GDP per person in the region, adjusted for differences in the cost of living, was €30,900 in 2018. This amount was 102% of the average GDP per person for all 27 European Union countries that year.

Transportation

There is one train line for passengers, running from Vlissingen to Roosendaal. It stops at these stations in Zeeland:

• Vlissingen
• Vlissingen-Souburg
• Middelburg
• Arnemuiden
• Goes
• Kapelle-Biezelinge
• Kruiningen-Yerseke
• Krabbendijke
• Rilland-Bath

Bus routes in Zeeland include:

• Line 20: Goes → Terneuzen → Hulst (goes through the Westerschelde Tunnel)
• Line 50: Middelburg → Terneuzen → Ghent (4 trips in each direction on weekends only) (goes through the Westerschelde Tunnel)
• Line 104: Renesse → Brouwersdam → Ouddorp → Spijkenisse
• Line 133: Middelburg → Vrouwenpolder → Oosterscheldedam → Renesse → Zierikzee → Grevelingendam → Oude-Tonge (crosses the Oosterscheldekering)
• Line 395: Zierikzee → Bruinisse → Rotterdam-Zuidplein

Legend

Nehalennia was a goddess from ancient myths linked to the province of Zeeland. People worshipped her as early as the 2nd century BC, and her worship was most popular during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. She may have been a local god connected to either Celtic or pre-Germanic cultures, though records do not agree on which culture first honored her. During the Roman period, she was believed to protect travelers, especially those who sailed across the North Sea. Most information about her comes from carved stone offerings discovered in the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt) since 1870. Two additional stones honoring Nehalennia were found in Cologne, Germany. The regional daily newspapers in Zeeland are called Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant and BN/De Stem.

Namesakes

The first Westerners to see New Zealand were led by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1642, though he did not land there. Tasman called it Staten Landt, thinking it was part of a land near Argentina now known as Isla de los Estados. Later, Dutch officials renamed it Nova Zeelandia in Latin and Nieuw Zeeland in Dutch. During the Netherlands’ Golden Age, the two main seafaring regions were Holland and Zeeland. Dutch explorers named the largest landmass of Oceania and the two islands to the southeast Nieuw Holland and Nieuw Zeeland. The name Nieuw Holland was later changed to Australia, but Nieuw Zeeland remained. British explorer Captain James Cook later changed the name to New Zealand. After British settlers arrived, English became the main language.

The city of Zeeland in Michigan, U.S., was settled in 1847 by Dutchman Jannes van de Luyster and became a town in 1907. Flushing, a neighborhood in Queens, New York, is named after the Dutch city Vlissingen, which was called Flushing in English during the New Netherland colony period, when New York was known as New Amsterdam. Dutch colonies named Nieuw Walcheren and Nieuw Vlissingen on Tobago, an island in the Caribbean, were also named after parts of Zeeland. The Canadian town of Zealand, New Brunswick, was named for Zeeland, the birthplace of Dutchman Philip Crouse, who settled there in 1789. Zeeland, North Dakota, is another town named for this province, with early settlers of Dutch heritage.

Paramaribo, the capital and largest city of Suriname, has a Fort Zeelandia, formerly called Fort Willoughby during British rule. Fort Zeelandia was built by the Dutch East India Company from 1624 to 1634 in Anping (Tainan), on the island of Formosa, now called Taiwan. It was constructed during the Dutch rule of the western part of the island, which lasted 38 years.