City Europe
The Hague
The Hague is a city in the Netherlands, close to the sea. The country's government meets there.
The Hague is the city in the Netherlands where the national government sits. It grew around a count's residence, the Binnenhof, from the 13th century, and it is home to the Peace Palace and the International Court of Justice. About 569,000 people lived there at the start of 2026.
The Hague (Den Haag, or 's-Gravenhage) developed in dunes and woods around the Binnenhof, a residence founded in the 13th century by Count William II, which Universalis names as the seat of the Dutch government. Statistics Netherlands estimated 569,076 people in the municipality on 1 January 2026.
Photo: Edwin van Buuringen from The Hague, Netherlands, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover The Hague
The Hague is a city in the Netherlands. It is near the sea.
The leaders of the Netherlands meet and work there.
The Hague, called Den Haag in Dutch, is in the west of the Netherlands, near the coast. The encyclopedia Universalis notes that the country's government sits there.
Statistics Netherlands estimated 569,076 people in the municipality on 1 January 2026, up from 548,320 five years earlier.
City Population's tables from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) give the municipality of 's-Gravenhage (Den Haag) 495,083 people in 2011, 519,988 in 2016, 548,320 in 2021 and 569,076 on 1 January 2026; Rotterdam had 674,485 on the same date. City Population's table of urban areas lists the urban center of The Hague with an estimated 851,010 people on 1 January 2021.
Universalis describes The Hague as the seat of the Dutch government and the main center of its urban area.
- Country
- Netherlands (seat of the government)
- People in the municipality (estimate, 1 January 2026)
- 569,076
- People on 1 January 2021
- 548,320
- Other names
- Den Haag; 's-Gravenhage
A castle court and a palace of peace
The Binnenhof is an old group of buildings. A count made it his home long ago.
The Peace Palace is a building for laws between countries.
The Hague grew up around the Binnenhof, a residence that Count William II created in the 1200s. Universalis says the government of the Netherlands sits there.
The city is also home to the Peace Palace, which opened in 1913, and to the International Court of Justice. UrbanRail.Net adds that more than 80 embassies are in The Hague.
Universalis says the city developed around the residence created in the 13th century by Count William II, the Binnenhof, seat of the Dutch government, and that The Hague is also the seat of the International Court of Justice. Wikidata dates the Binnenhof to about 1230.
Wikidata records the Peace Palace, an international law building, as opened on 28 August 1913, with a height of 80 m. UrbanRail.Net lists Europol, the Peace Palace, international courts, more than 80 embassies and many multinational companies in the city.
- Binnenhof
- residence founded in the 13th century by Count William II
- Peace Palace
- opened 28 August 1913
- International Court of Justice
- has its seat in The Hague
A count's residence
Long ago, a count built a home here among sand dunes and woods.
A town grew around it, and it became the place where the country is governed.
The Hague grew in an area of sand dunes and woods near the coast. In the 1200s Count William II created a residence there, the Binnenhof, and the town grew around it. Its longer Dutch name, 's-Gravenhage, still names the municipality in Statistics Netherlands' tables.
Today it is the seat of the Dutch government and home to international organizations and courts.
Universalis says The Hague developed in a dune and woodland area around the residence created in the 13th century by Count William II, the Binnenhof. Universalis gives its Dutch name as Den Haag, formerly 's-Gravenhage; Statistics Netherlands still lists the municipality as 's-Gravenhage.
Today, in Universalis's description, The Hague is above all a city of administration and of the head offices of large industrial, banking, insurance and trading companies, with some varied industry.
- Binnenhof begun
- 13th century
- Other Dutch name
- 's-Gravenhage
- Setting
- dunes and woods
Trams under the shopping streets
Trams carry people all over The Hague. Some of them go through a tunnel under the shops!
Other trams go all the way to the city of Rotterdam.
The Hague's tram network is about 109.5 kilometers long. In 2004 a short tunnel opened under a central shopping street, Grote Marktstraat, with two underground stations.
Some lines belong to RandstadRail: two run to the town of Zoetermeer, and line E runs to Rotterdam, where it joins the Rotterdam metro.
UrbanRail.Net gives the tram network a total length of about 109.5 km. A 1.3 km tunnel under Grote Marktstraat, with Grote Markt and Spui stations, opened on 16 October 2004 and is used by lines 2, 3, 4 and 6. Lines 3, 4 and E form part of RandstadRail: 3 and 4 run to Zoetermeer on a former suburban railway, and E runs to Rotterdam on the old Hofpleinlijn.
The network keeps growing: line 4 reached Lansingerland-Zoetermeer in 2019, and line 19 was extended from Delft Station to TU Delft on 5 October 2026 (2.5 km).
- Tram network
- about 109.5 km
- Tram tunnel
- 1.3 km, opened 16 October 2004
- Den Haag Centraal station
- opened September 1973
Dunes and the beach
The Hague has a beach by the sea, at Scheveningen.
Behind the beach are sandy dunes and woods.
The Hague reaches the sea at Scheveningen, which Universalis calls a seaside resort, about 4 kilometers northwest of the Binnenhof. Large residential areas grew up in the wooded land toward the coast.
The city lies very low: Wikidata gives its height as about 1 meter above sea level.
Universalis notes that the city's administrative, diplomatic and political functions lie mostly in its east, while shops and businesses are stronger toward the west, near the large residential districts built in the woods toward the resort of Scheveningen and the wealthy residential town of Wassenaar.
Wikidata places Scheveningen, a district of The Hague, about 4.2 km northwest of the Binnenhof and gives the city an elevation of 1 m.
- Scheveningen
- seaside resort, a district of The Hague
- Binnenhof to Scheveningen
- about 4.2 km northwest
- Height above sea level
- about 1 m (Wikidata)
Offices, embassies and courts
Many people in The Hague work in offices, for the government or for other countries.
The tall towers in the photo are office towers.
Universalis describes The Hague as mainly a city of government offices and of the headquarters of big banking, insurance and trading companies. UrbanRail.Net lists more than 80 embassies, where other countries' diplomats work.
The hero photo shows office towers near the central station, lit up at dusk and reflected in a pond.
Universalis characterizes The Hague as essentially a city of administration and head offices, with diplomatic and political functions concentrated in the east of the city, and it notes some varied industry as well.
UrbanRail.Net lists Europol, the Peace Palace, international courts and more than 80 embassies. The hero photo, from Commons, is titled 'Office towers near Central Station, The Hague, at dusk'.
- Embassies
- more than 80
- Main work
- government, head offices, diplomacy
- Towns around it (Universalis)
- Voorburg, Rijswijk, Zoetermeer, Wassenaar
The Hague on the map
Find the Netherlands on the globe, on the coast of Europe. The Hague is on the west side, by the sea!
The land there is very flat and low.
The Hague is in the west of the Netherlands at about 52° north, on the coast.
Measured from the Binnenhof, Den Haag Centraal station is about 0.7 kilometers to the east-northeast, the Peace Palace about 1.5 kilometers to the west-northwest, and the beach at Scheveningen about 4 kilometers to the northwest.
The Hague lies at about 52.1° N and 4.3° E. Measured from the Binnenhof (Wikidata points), Den Haag Centraal is about 0.74 km east-northeast, the Peace Palace about 1.45 km west-northwest and Scheveningen about 4.19 km northwest.
The hero photo was taken on 26 September 2016 at 20:08 by the camera's clock, about 0.63 km northeast of the Binnenhof (Commons camera point), across a pond toward the office towers near the station.
- Latitude
- about 52.1° north
- Longitude
- about 4.3° east
- Binnenhof to the Peace Palace
- about 1.5 km west-northwest
Amazing facts
-
The leaders of the Netherlands meet in The Hague!
The government of the Netherlands sits in The Hague.
Universalis names the Binnenhof in The Hague as the place where the government of the Netherlands sits.
-
Some of The Hague's trams go underground!
A 1.3-kilometer tram tunnel with two underground stations opened under a shopping street in 2004.
The tram tunnel under Grote Marktstraat, with Grote Markt and Spui stations, opened on 16 October 2004 after several years of delay.
-
More than 80 countries have an embassy in The Hague.
The Hague is home to more than 80 embassies.
UrbanRail.Net lists more than 80 embassies in The Hague, along with Europol and the Peace Palace.
-
The Hague's land is only about one meter above the sea.
Wikidata gives The Hague's elevation as about 1 meter above sea level.
Wikidata records an elevation of 1 m for The Hague.
Words to know
- seat of government
- the place where a country's government meets and works
- count
- a noble title; a count ruled an area of land long ago
- embassy
- the office of one country's representatives in another country
- dune
- a hill of sand piled up by the wind, often near the sea
- court
- a place where judges listen to both sides and decide a dispute
- tram
- an electric train that runs on rails along city streets
Discovery challenge
-
The Hague is a city in which country?
The Hague is a city in which country?
The Hague is the seat of the government of which country?
- Belgium
- The Netherlands
- Denmark
Show the answer
The Netherlands
The Netherlands!
The Netherlands.
The Netherlands.
-
What is the old group of buildings in the center of The Hague called?
Around which old residence did The Hague grow?
Which residence did Count William II create in the 13th century?
- The Binnenhof
- The Louvre
- The Kremlin
Show the answer
The Binnenhof
The Binnenhof!
The Binnenhof.
The Binnenhof.
-
What is the name of the beach at The Hague?
Which part of The Hague is a seaside resort?
Which district of The Hague does Universalis call a seaside resort?
- Zoetermeer
- Scheveningen
- Rijswijk
Show the answer
Scheveningen
Scheveningen!
Scheveningen, about 4 km from the Binnenhof.
Scheveningen.
-
Which building in The Hague has a peaceful name?
Which building in The Hague opened in 1913?
Which international law building in The Hague opened on 28 August 1913?
- The Peace Palace
- The Royal Castle
- The Grand Tower
Show the answer
The Peace Palace
The Peace Palace!
The Peace Palace.
The Peace Palace.
-
How do trams go under the shops in The Hague?
What opened under Grote Marktstraat in 2004?
What 1.3 km structure opened under Grote Marktstraat on 16 October 2004?
- A tram tunnel
- A canal
- A car park
Show the answer
A tram tunnel
Through a tunnel!
A tram tunnel with two underground stations.
A tram tunnel, with Grote Markt and Spui stations.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate The Hague on the coast of the Netherlands.
- Explain what a seat of government is.
- Describe why international courts and embassies gather in one city.
- Read how a city's population changed over 15 years.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- The Hague has fewer people than Rotterdam, yet the Dutch government sits there. Why might a government sit away from the biggest city?
- The International Court of Justice has its seat in The Hague. What do you think a court for countries might do?
- The Hague lies only about 1 meter above sea level. What might a city so low need to watch out for?
Try at home or in class
- Population chart: draw bars for The Hague's population in 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026.
- Peace treaty: with a partner, settle a pretend disagreement by listening to both sides, like a court.
- Map trace: draw the Dutch coast and mark The Hague, Scheveningen, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Key vocabulary: seat of government, count, embassy, dune, court, tram
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)
- Zuid-Holland: urban centers , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
- Haye (La) , Encyclopaedia Universalis (André Fischer)
- Den Haag Tram & RandstadRail , UrbanRail.Net (Robert Schwandl)
- File:Office towers near Central Station, The Hague, at dusk, 2016.jpg (Edwin van Buuringen, 26 September 2016) , 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.