Rotterdam, city in the southwestern Netherlands, in Zuid-Holland (South Holland) Province, a port on the Maas River, near The Hague. Chartered in 1328, Rotterdam is one of the major seaports of the world. It is directly linked with the commercially important Rhine River and is the principal center of overseas trade for the Netherlands and for the heavily industrialized Ruhr district of Germany.
A deepwater channel known as the New Waterway, opened in 1872, was constructed (1866-1890) to allow access by large oceangoing vessels from the North Sea. This channel, and the expansion of trade it allowed, were largely responsible for the city's economic boom in the late 19th century. Europoort, a large harbor area at the western end of the channel, was built in the 1960s, chiefly for the unloading and storing of oil from large tankers. Other extensive port facilities and major industries, including oil refineries, shipbuilding yards, and factories for the production of chemicals, metal goods, and refined sugar, are on the southern bank of the Maas River at Rotterdam. Exports include coal, machinery, and dairy products; principal imports are oil, ores, and grain.
