Schiedam and Hoek van Holland

Schiedam (Soundbite pronunciation (info / explanation)) is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. The municipal government participates in the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Region. Schiedam is located between Rotterdam and Vlaardingen, originally on the Schie River and later also on the Nieuwe Maas River. As of January 31, 2023, the municipality had 80,723 inhabitants (source: Statistics Netherlands (CBS)). The city is known worldwide for its gin production, its historic city center with historic harbors (in other Dutch cities these would be called "grachten"), and the tallest classical windmills in the world. Hoek van Holland is a coastal town in South Holland, located on the northern bank of the Nieuwe Waterweg where it meets the North Sea. Hoek van Holland is a former submunicipality (since 2014 an administrative committee area) of the municipality of Rotterdam, but is located approximately 25 kilometers west of the city of Rotterdam. The municipality of Rotterdam is divided into districts and neighborhoods for statistical purposes. Hoek van Holland is District 17 (CBS district code: 059917). The municipality borders the municipality of Westland to the northeast and the municipality of Maassluis to the southeast. Hoek van Holland borders the North Sea to the west and the Nieuwe Waterweg to the south. Hoek van Holland, often referred to colloquially as "de Hoek," has 10,200 inhabitants and covers an area of 14.1 km².