City Europe
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is a big city in the Netherlands, with a huge port where ships come and go. A white bridge with long cables crosses its river.
Rotterdam is the second-biggest city in the Netherlands, with 674,485 people at the start of 2026. It grew from a small fishing port into a giant seaport, where the Rhine and the Meuse reach the sea. The Erasmus Bridge and tall towers stand by its river.
Rotterdam, in the Rhine-Meuse delta, grew from a small fishing port into a giant seaport after the Nieuwe Waterweg canal was dug in 1860-1880. The port area stretches over 40 km, and the city had 674,485 residents on 1 January 2026, second only to Amsterdam.
Photo: Mlefter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Rotterdam
Rotterdam is a big city in the Netherlands, in Europe. It is the second-biggest city in the country.
It has a huge port, where big ships load and unload.
Rotterdam is a city in the province of South Holland, in the Netherlands. The Dutch statistics office estimated 674,485 people there on 1 January 2026, more than in any Dutch municipality except Amsterdam.
Universalis says Rotterdam began as one of many small fishing ports in the delta of the Meuse and the Rhine. Today its port area covers 12,500 hectares of land and water and is more than 40 kilometers long, the Port of Rotterdam Authority says.
City Population's table of Dutch municipalities (official estimates) shows Rotterdam at 608,422 in 2001, 610,386 in 2011, 629,606 in 2016, 651,631 in 2021 and 674,485 on 1 January 2026, second of the country's 342 municipalities after Amsterdam (942,504).
Universalis says the city had 50,000 people in 1800 and 100,000 in 1860, and reached 600,000 by 1939, as the port grew and many people moved in from Zeeland and Brabant.
- Country
- Netherlands (province of South Holland)
- People in Rotterdam (estimate, 1 January 2026)
- 674,485
- People in Rotterdam (census, 1 January 2001)
- 608,422
- Port area
- 12,500 hectares, more than 40 km long
The Erasmus Bridge
Look at the white bridge on the left! It has one tall, bent pole and lots of long cables that hold it up.
The city lights are shining on the river.
This photo was taken from the Euromast tower on 3 November 2012, with the city lights on. On the left, the Erasmus Bridge crosses the river: one tall white pylon, bent like an elbow, holds up the road with fans of cables. Across the water, tall towers light up the area called Kop van Zuid, while cranes stand over one tower still being built.
Wikidata gives the bridge a length of 802 meters and dates its opening to 6 September 1996.
Wikidata: Erasmusbrug, 802 m long, height 139 m, designed by Ben van Berkel, opened 6 September 1996; Euromast, an observation tower 184.5 m tall by the architect Hugh Maaskant, opened 1960.
The Commons description says the photo shows the Erasmusbrug and the 'Kop van Zuid' seen from the Euromast. Wikidata places the bridge 1.42 km east-northeast of the Euromast.
- Erasmus Bridge (Erasmusbrug)
- 802 m long, opened 6 September 1996
- Bridge designer
- Ben van Berkel
- Euromast
- an observation tower, 184.5 m tall, opened 1960
From fishing port to world port
Long ago, Rotterdam was a small fishing town by the water.
Then people dug a big new canal to the sea, and the port grew and grew.
Universalis says Rotterdam first grew in the 17th and 18th centuries through trade with the Indies, but stayed a smaller port because the channels in the delta kept shifting. Between 1860 and 1880 the Nieuwe Waterweg, a wide, direct canal to the sea, was dug.
At the same time, factories and cities grew along the Rhine in Germany's Ruhr, linked to Rotterdam by the river. Together these made Rotterdam the natural outlet for the Rhine lands, and its port grew quickly.
Universalis (André Fischer) traces the port's march west, downstream: the left bank of the Meuse from 1887, the Waalhaven (1920-1940), the oil ports of Pernis (from 1930), the Botlek (1946-1960), Europoort (1960-1970, over 3,400 ha) and, from 1970, the Maasvlakte, over 3,000 ha won from the sea for heavy industry and the largest ships.
After the city center was almost entirely destroyed in the bombing of 14 May 1940, Rotterdam planned its growth strictly, joining neighboring towns and building new districts and new towns around it.
- Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway)
- dug 1860-1880
- Europoort
- built 1960-1970, more than 3,400 hectares
- Maasvlakte
- from 1970, more than 3,000 hectares won from the sea
Metro, trains and planes
Rotterdam has a metro with five lines. Some trains run underground!
There is also a central railway station and an airport.
UrbanRail.Net says Rotterdam's metro has five lines, A to E. Its two original lines were named after famous people from the city, the thinker Erasmus and Pieter Caland, called the father of the Rotterdam waterway, until letters replaced the names in December 2009. Wikidata dates the metro's opening to 9 February 1968.
Rotterdam Centraal railway station is about 2.2 kilometers north of the Euromast, and Rotterdam The Hague Airport, opened in 1956, about 5.5 kilometers north-northwest.
UrbanRail.Net: five metro lines, A to E; lines A and B run partly in light-rail (sneltram) mode with overhead power and some level crossings; the original Noord-Zuid-Lijn and Oost-West-Lijn were renamed Erasmuslijn and Calandlijn in the late 1990s, then lettered from 13 December 2009; the east-west line runs underground beside the river toward the center.
From the Euromast (Wikidata points): Erasmusbrug 1.42 km ENE, Rotterdam Centraal 2.19 km N, Rotterdam The Hague Airport (opened 1956) 5.46 km NNW.
- Rotterdam Metro
- opened 9 February 1968
- Metro lines today
- five (A to E)
- Rotterdam The Hague Airport
- opened 1956, about 5.5 km north-northwest of the Euromast
Mild and often wet
Rotterdam has mild summers and cool winters.
It rains often, in every season.
The World Meteorological Organization's normals for Rotterdam The Hague Airport (1981–2010) give July days an average high of about 22 °C. Winter nights average just above freezing, under 1 °C in January and February.
About 856 millimeters of rain and other precipitation fall in a year, on 131 days with at least 1 millimeter. October is the wettest month, with 90 millimeters, and April the driest, with 43.
WMO normals for Rotterdam The Hague Airport (station 06344, 1981–2010): average highs from 6.0 °C in January to 22.2 °C in July; average lows from 0.5 °C in February to 13.1 °C in July. Precipitation totals 855.6 mm on 131 days of at least 1 mm.
The same table gives 1,623.8 hours of sunshine a year, from 46.7 hours in December to 213.9 in May, and an average of 3 days a year reaching 30 °C.
- July, average high (WMO normals, 1981–2010)
- 22.2 °C
- February, average low (same table)
- 0.5 °C
- Precipitation in a year
- 855.6 mm, on 131 days with at least 1 mm
A city that works with the sea
Many people in Rotterdam work at the port. They help load and unload big ships.
River boats carry goods inland, too.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority says about 428 million tonnes of goods pass through the port in a year. About 27,384 seagoing ships and 93,680 inland vessels call each year, and about 182,000 jobs in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond area depend on the port, directly or indirectly.
UrbanRail.Net calls Rotterdam home to the largest seaport in Europe.
Port of Rotterdam Authority facts page: port area 12,500 ha (land and water; over 6,000 ha of industrial sites), over 40 km long; about 428 million tonnes a year; added value €23.3 billion, 2.2% of Dutch GDP. In the first nine months of 2026, throughput rose 0.9% to 323.2 million tonnes.
Universalis notes two technical strengths kept as the port spread downstream: no locks, and the use of the Nieuwe Waterweg itself as port space.
- Cargo through the port
- about 428 million tonnes a year
- Ships each year
- about 27,384 seagoing and 93,680 inland vessels
- Port jobs (Rotterdam-Rijnmond)
- about 182,000, direct and indirect
Rotterdam on the map
Find the Netherlands on the globe, by the North Sea. Rotterdam is near the coast, where big rivers meet the sea.
Rotterdam lies at about 51.9° north, in the delta where the Meuse and the Rhine reach the sea. Universalis says the first port grew on the right bank of the Meuse and then spread west, downstream, to the coast.
Measured from the Euromast, the Erasmus Bridge is about 1.4 kilometers to the east-northeast and Rotterdam Centraal station about 2.2 kilometers to the north.
Rotterdam lies at about 51.92° N and 4.48° E. From the Euromast (Wikidata points): Erasmusbrug 1.42 km ENE, De Rotterdam (149 m, 2013) 1.48 km E, Rotterdam Centraal 2.19 km N, airport 5.46 km NNW.
The Port Authority gives the port area's length as over 40 km. Universalis says its newest land, the Maasvlakte, was built on the coast itself, won from the sea.
- Latitude
- about 51.9° north
- Longitude
- about 4.5° east
- Setting
- the delta of the Meuse and the Rhine
Amazing facts
-
Rotterdam's two original metro lines were once named after famous people from the city.
UrbanRail.Net says the two original metro lines were named after Erasmus, the thinker, and Pieter Caland, called the father of the Rotterdam waterway, until letters replaced the names in 2009.
UrbanRail.Net: the Noord-Zuid-Lijn and Oost-West-Lijn became the Erasmuslijn and Calandlijn in the late 1990s, then lines A-E from 13 December 2009.
-
Part of Rotterdam's port is built on land that used to be sea!
Universalis says the Maasvlakte, begun in 1970, is more than 3,000 hectares of land won from the sea.
Universalis: from 1970, the Maasvlakte (over 3,000 ha) was won from the sea for heavy industry and the largest ships.
-
The Erasmus Bridge is 802 meters long.
Wikidata gives the Erasmus Bridge a length of 802 meters and an opening date of 6 September 1996.
Wikidata: Erasmusbrug, 802 m, height 139 m, designer Ben van Berkel, opened 6 September 1996.
-
May is the sunniest month in Rotterdam, and December the darkest.
The WMO normals give Rotterdam about 214 hours of sunshine in May but only about 47 in December.
WMO normals (1981–2010): 1,623.8 sunshine hours a year; May 213.9, December 46.7.
Words to know
- port
- a place where ships load and unload goods
- delta
- low land where a river splits into many channels before reaching the sea
- canal
- a waterway dug by people for boats
- pylon
- a tall post that holds up a bridge's cables
- cargo
- goods carried by a ship, train or plane
- land reclamation
- making new dry land where there was water
Discovery challenge
-
Rotterdam is a city in which country?
Rotterdam is the second-biggest city in which country?
Rotterdam is the second-largest municipality in which country?
- Belgium
- The Netherlands
- Denmark
Show the answer
The Netherlands
The Netherlands!
The Netherlands.
The Netherlands, after Amsterdam.
-
What is Rotterdam famous for?
What has made Rotterdam grow so much?
According to Universalis, what did Rotterdam become for the Rhine lands?
- Its giant port
- Its ski slopes
- Its desert
Show the answer
Its giant port
Its giant port!
Its port, linked to the sea and the Rhine.
Their natural outlet to the sea: a port.
-
What holds up the Erasmus Bridge?
What holds up the road of the Erasmus Bridge?
The Erasmusbrug's deck hangs from what?
- Long cables from a tall pylon
- Balloons
- Nothing at all
Show the answer
Long cables from a tall pylon
Long cables!
Fans of cables from one tall white pylon.
Cables from a single tall pylon.
-
Which month is the wettest in Rotterdam?
In the WMO normals, which month is Rotterdam's wettest?
Which month has the highest precipitation in the 1981–2010 normals (90.1 mm)?
- April
- October
- June
Show the answer
October
October!
October, with about 90 mm.
October, 90.1 mm; April is the driest (42.6 mm).
-
What did people dig to help ships reach Rotterdam?
What was dug between 1860 and 1880 to link Rotterdam directly with the sea?
Which waterway, dug 1860-1880, gave Rotterdam a direct route to the sea?
- A canal
- A tunnel for cars
- A lake
Show the answer
A canal
A big canal!
A canal: the Nieuwe Waterweg.
The Nieuwe Waterweg.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Rotterdam in the Rhine-Meuse delta of the Netherlands.
- Explain how a new canal and an industrial river region helped a port grow.
- Read a climate table with precipitation, sunshine and temperature.
- Compare population figures across 25 years.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Rotterdam dug a new canal to the sea. Why might a direct route matter so much to a port?
- Part of the port was built on land won from the sea. What problems might builders have to solve?
- About 182,000 jobs depend on the port. What kinds of jobs might those be?
Try at home or in class
- Bridge test: build a cable-stayed bridge from a ruler, string and a pencil pylon, and see how many coins it holds.
- Sunshine chart: plot Rotterdam's monthly sunshine hours and find the brightest and darkest months.
- Delta map: draw a river splitting into channels before the sea and mark where you would build a port.
Key vocabulary: port, delta, canal, pylon, cargo, land reclamation
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Netherlands: provinces and municipalities (estimates 2011–2026) , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
- Rotterdam , Encyclopaedia Universalis (André Fischer)
- Facts and figures , Port of Rotterdam Authority
- Rotterdam Metro , UrbanRail.Net
- WMO Climate Normals 1981-2010: Rotterdam The Hague Airport (06344) , World Meteorological Organization, via NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- File:Erasmusbrug seen from Euromast.jpg (Mlefter, 3 November 2012) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.