Municipalities of the Netherlands facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Municipalities of the Netherlands Nederlandse gemeenten (Dutch)
Map of regular municipalities of the Netherlands, as of 1 January 2024
Category	Municipality
Location	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Found in	Provinces
Number	342 + 3 (as of 1 January 2024)
Possible types	Regular municipalities (342) Special municipalities (3)
Government	Municipal council

The Netherlands is divided into areas called municipalities (in Dutch, gemeenten). Think of them like local towns or districts. As of January 1, 2023, there are 342 regular municipalities and three special ones. These special municipalities are islands in the Dutch Caribbean.

Municipalities are the second level of government in the Netherlands, right after the provinces. They get their jobs from the main government and are run by a group called the municipal council. This council is chosen by people voting every four years.

Over time, many smaller municipalities have joined together. This has made the total number of municipalities much smaller since the 1800s. Even though they are official areas, municipalities are also split into smaller parts like districts and neighborhoods for easier management and to collect information.

Municipalities come in all shapes and sizes! Westervoort is the smallest, with a land area of about 7 square kilometers. The largest is Súdwest-Fryslân, which is about 523 square kilometers. Schiermonnikoog has the fewest people, with only 982 residents, and is also the least crowded. On the other hand, Amsterdam is the biggest city with over 918,000 people. The Hague is the most crowded, with many people living close together.

What is a Municipality?
How Municipalities are Governed
Changes Over Time
Number of Municipalities by Province
Special Municipalities
Images for kids

What is a Municipality?

In the Netherlands, municipalities are the third level of government. The first is the main government, then the provinces, and then the municipalities. The Netherlands is a decentralized unitary state. This means the main government is in charge, but it lets local governments, like municipalities, handle many tasks on their own.

This setup allows municipalities to make some of their own choices about local matters. They are in charge of many important public services. These include planning how land is used, managing public housing, taking care of local roads, handling waste management, and providing social security help.

After 2010, three special municipalities were created. These are islands in the Caribbean Netherlands. They work just like regular municipalities but are not part of any province.

How Municipalities are Governed

Each municipality is run by two main groups: a board of mayor and aldermen, and a municipal council.

The municipal council is like a local parliament. People vote for its members every four years. In the special island municipalities, it's called the island council. The number of members in a council depends on the municipality's size. Small ones have nine members, while big ones can have up to forty-five. This council is the highest decision-making body in the municipality and decides on local rules and plans.

The daily work and leadership are handled by the executive board. This board includes a mayor and several aldermen. In the special municipalities, the mayor is called a lieutenant governor, and aldermen are called island deputies. The mayor is chosen by the government for six years. The aldermen are chosen by the municipal council, usually after each election. The mayor is responsible for keeping public order and leads during emergencies. Other tasks are shared among the mayor and aldermen, depending on the municipality.

Changes Over Time

The official borders for municipalities in the Netherlands were first drawn in 1832. A law in 1851, created by Prime Minister Thorbecke, started the trend of smaller municipalities disappearing.

Over the years, many smaller municipalities have joined together. Sometimes, they became part of a larger nearby city. Other times, several small municipalities merged to form a completely new, larger one with a new name. For example, in 1850, there were 1,209 municipalities. By 2000, this number had dropped to 537. As of 2023, there are only 342.

In the past, the main government often forced these mergers. But now, it's different. Local communities must agree to the merger for it to happen. Larger municipalities are expected to handle more tasks because the main government gives them more responsibilities. Also, people believe that bigger municipalities can do their jobs more efficiently than smaller ones.

Municipalities can also create smaller local governments within themselves, called submunicipalities. However, this idea is slowly fading away to simplify the government structure. Only Amsterdam (where these areas are called stadsdelen) and Rotterdam (where they are called deelgemeenten) still have these formal subdivisions. Other cities like The Hague and Utrecht have similar internal divisions, but they don't have the same legal status. For counting people and collecting data, all municipalities are divided into districts (wijken) and then into neighborhoods (buurten). These smaller divisions are just for organization and don't have their own governments.

Number of Municipalities by Province

Here's a quick look at how many municipalities each province in the Netherlands has:

Province	Municipalities
Drenthe	12
Flevoland	6
Friesland	18
Gelderland	51
Groningen	10
Limburg	31
North Brabant	56
North Holland	44
Overijssel	25
South Holland	50
Utrecht	26
Zeeland	13
Total	342

Special Municipalities

The Netherlands also has three special municipalities, which are islands in the Caribbean. They are:

Municipality	Capital	Population	Population density	Area
Bonaire	Kralendijk	&&&&&&&&&&020915.&&&&&020,915	73/km² (190/sq mi)	288 km² (111.20 sq mi)
Sint Eustatius	Oranjestad	&&&&&&&&&&&03139.&&&&&03,139	149/km² (390/sq mi)	21 km² (8.11 sq mi)
Saba	The Bottom	&&&&&&&&&&&01933.&&&&&01,933	149/km² (390/sq mi)	13 km² (5.02 sq mi)

Images for kids

Location of Aa en Hunze
Location of Aalsmeer
Location of Aalten
Location of Achtkarspelen
Location of Alblasserdam
Location of Albrandswaard
Location of Alkmaar
Location of Almelo
Location of Almere
Location of Alphen aan den Rijn
Location of Alphen-Chaam
Location of Altena
Location of Ameland
Location of Amersfoort
Location of Amstelveen
Location of Amsterdam
Location of Apeldoorn
Location of Arnhem
Location of Assen
Location of Asten
Location of Baarle-Nassau
Location of Baarn
Location of Barendrecht
Location of Barneveld
Location of Beek
Location of Beekdaelen
Location of Beesel
Location of Berg en Dal
Location of Bergeijk
Location of Bergen, Limburg
Location of Bergen, North Holland
Location of Bergen op Zoom
Location of Berkelland
Location of Bernheze
Location of Best
Location of Beuningen
Location of Beverwijk
Location of Bladel
Location of Blaricum
Location of Bloemendaal
Location of Bodegraven-Reeuwijk
Location of Boekel
Location of Borger-Odoorn
Location of Borne
Location of Borsele
Location of Boxtel
Location of Breda
Location of Bronckhorst
Location of Brummen
Location of Brunssum
Location of Bunnik
Location of Bunschoten
Location of Buren
Location of Capelle aan den IJssel
Location of Castricum
Location of Coevorden
Location of Cranendonck
Location of Culemborg
Location of Dalfsen
Location of Dantumadiel
Location of De Bilt
Location of De Fryske Marren
Location of De Ronde Venen
Location of De Wolden
Location of Delft
Location of Den Helder
Location of Deurne
Location of Deventer
Location of Diemen
Location of Dijk en Waard
Location of Dinkelland
Location of Doesburg
Location of Doetinchem
Location of Dongen
Location of Dordrecht
Location of Drechterland
Location of Drimmelen
Location of Dronten
Location of Druten
Location of Duiven
Location of Echt-Susteren
Location of Edam-Volendam
Location of Ede
Location of Eemnes
Location of Eemsdelta
Location of Eersel
Location of Eijsden-Margraten
Location of Eindhoven
Location of Elburg
Location of Emmen
Location of Enkhuizen
Location of Enschede
Location of Epe
Location of Ermelo
Location of Etten-Leur
Location of Geertruidenberg
Location of Geldrop-Mierlo
Location of Gemert-Bakel
Location of Gennep
Location of Gilze en Rijen
Location of Goeree-Overflakkee
Location of Goes
Location of Goirle
Location of Gooise Meren
Location of Gorinchem
Location of Gouda
Location of Groningen
Location of Gulpen-Wittem
Location of Haaksbergen
Location of Haarlem
Location of Haarlemmermeer
Location of Halderberge
Location of Hardenberg
Location of Harderwijk
Location of Hardinxveld-Giessendam
Location of Harlingen
Location of Hattem
Location of Heemskerk
Location of Heemstede
Location of Heerde
Location of Heerenveen
Location of Heerlen
Location of Heeze-Leende
Location of Heiloo
Location of Hellendoorn
Location of Helmond
Location of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht
Location of Hengelo
Location of 's-Hertogenbosch
Location of Het Hogeland
Location of Heumen
Location of Heusden
Location of Hillegom
Location of Hilvarenbeek
Location of Hilversum
Location of Hoeksche Waard
Location of Hof van Twente
Location of Hollands Kroon
Location of Hoogeveen
Location of Hoorn
Location of Horst aan de Maas
Location of Houten
Location of Huizen
Location of Hulst
Location of IJsselstein
Location of Kaag en Braassem
Location of Kampen
Location of Kapelle
Location of Katwijk
Location of Kerkrade
Location of Koggenland
Location of Krimpen aan den IJssel
Location of Krimpenerwaard
Location of Laarbeek
Location of Land van Cuijk
Location of Landgraaf
Location of Landsmeer
Location of Lansingerland
Location of Laren
Location of Leeuwarden
Location of Leiden
Location of Leiderdorp
Location of Leidschendam-Voorburg
Location of Lelystad
Location of Leudal
Location of Leusden
Location of Lingewaard
Location of Lisse
Location of Lochem
Location of Loon op Zand
Location of Lopik
Location of Losser
Location of Maasdriel
Location of Maasgouw
Location of Maashorst
Location of Maassluis
Location of Maastricht
Location of Medemblik
Location of Meerssen
Location of Meierijstad
Location of Meppel
Location of Middelburg
Location of Midden-Delfland
Location of Midden-Drenthe
Location of Midden-Groningen
Location of Moerdijk
Location of Molenlanden
Location of Montferland
Location of Montfoort
Location of Mook en Middelaar
Location of Neder-Betuwe
Location of Nederweert
Location of Nieuwegein
Location of Nieuwkoop
Location of Nijkerk
Location of Nijmegen
Location of Nissewaard
Location of Noardeast-Fryslân
Location of Noord-Beveland
Location of Noordenveld
Location of Noordoostpolder
Location of Noordwijk
Location of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten
Location of Nunspeet
Location of Oegstgeest
Location of Oirschot
Location of Oisterwijk
Location of Oldambt
Location of Oldebroek
Location of Oldenzaal
Location of Olst-Wijhe
Location of Ommen
Location of Oost Gelre
Location of Oosterhout
Location of Ooststellingwerf
Location of Oostzaan
Location of Opmeer
Location of Opsterland
Location of Oss
Location of Oude IJsselstreek
Location of Ouder-Amstel
Location of Oudewater
Location of Overbetuwe
Location of Papendrecht
Location of Peel en Maas
Location of Pekela
Location of Pijnacker-Nootdorp
Location of Purmerend
Location of Putten
Location of Raalte
Location of Reimerswaal
Location of Renkum
Location of Renswoude
Location of Reusel-De Mierden
Location of Rheden
Location of Rhenen
Location of Ridderkerk
Location of Rijssen-Holten
Location of Rijswijk
Location of Roerdalen
Location of Roermond
Location of Roosendaal
Location of Rotterdam
Location of Rozendaal
Location of Rucphen
Location of Schagen
Location of Scherpenzeel
Location of Schiedam
Location of Schiermonnikoog
Location of Schouwen-Duiveland
Location of Simpelveld
Location of Sint-Michielsgestel
Location of Sittard-Geleen
Location of Sliedrecht
Location of Sluis
Location of Smallingerland
Location of Soest
Location of Someren
Location of Son en Breugel
Location of Stadskanaal
Location of Staphorst
Location of Stede Broec
Location of Steenbergen
Location of Steenwijkerland
Location of Stein
Location of Stichtse Vecht
Location of Súdwest-Fryslân
Location of Terneuzen
Location of Terschelling
Location of Texel
Location of Teylingen
Location of The Hague
Location of Tholen
Location of Tiel
Location of Tilburg
Location of Tubbergen
Location of Twenterand
Location of Tynaarlo
Location of Tytsjerksteradiel
Location of Uitgeest
Location of Uithoorn
Location of Urk
Location of Utrecht
Location of Utrechtse Heuvelrug
Location of Vaals
Location of Valkenburg aan de Geul
Location of Valkenswaard
Location of Veendam
Location of Veenendaal
Location of Veere
Location of Veldhoven
Location of Velsen
Location of Venlo
Location of Venray
Location of Vijfheerenlanden
Location of Vlaardingen
Location of Vlieland
Location of Vlissingen
Location of Voerendaal
Location of Voorne aan Zee
Location of Voorschoten
Location of Voorst
Location of Vught
Location of Waadhoeke
Location of Waalre
Location of Waalwijk
Location of Waddinxveen
Location of Wageningen
Location of Wassenaar
Location of Waterland
Location of Weert
Location of West Betuwe
Location of West Maas en Waal
Location of Westerkwartier
Location of Westerveld
Location of Westervoort
Location of Westerwolde
Location of Westland
Location of Weststellingwerf
Location of Wierden
Location of Wijchen
Location of Wijdemeren
Location of Wijk bij Duurstede
Location of Winterswijk
Location of Woensdrecht
Location of Woerden
Location of Wormerland
Location of Woudenberg
Location of Zaanstad
Location of Zaltbommel
Location of Zandvoort
Location of Zeewolde
Location of Zeist
Location of Zevenaar
Location of Zoetermeer
Location of Zoeterwoude
Location of Zuidplas
Location of Zundert
Location of Zutphen
Location of Zwartewaterland
Location of Zwijndrecht
Location of Zwolle

All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:

Municipalities of the Netherlands Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.