Editing Rotterdam (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Rotterdam-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.55|left|Topographic map image of Rotterdam (city), as of September 2014]]

Rotterdam is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas, connected by (from west to east): the Beneluxtunnel; the [[Maastunnel]]; the [[Erasmusbrug]]; a subway tunnel; the Willemsspoortunnel ('Willems railway tunnel'); the [[Willemsbrug]] ('Willems Bridge') together with the Koninginnebrug ('Queen's Bridge'); and the [[Van Brienenoordbrug]] ('Van Brienenoord Bridge'). The former railway lift bridge [[De Hef]] ('the Lift') is preserved as a [[Rijksmonument]] (national heritage site) in lifted position between the [[Noordereiland]] ('North Island') and the south of Rotterdam.
[[File:View of Rotterdam from the Euromast, Rotterdam-Centrum, Rotterdam (2023) 08.jpg|thumb|View of Rotterdam from the Euromast]]
The city centre is located on the northern bank of the Nieuwe Maas, although recent urban development has extended the centre to parts of southern Rotterdam known as [[Kop van Zuid]] ('the Head of South', i.e. the northern part of southern Rotterdam). From its inland core, Rotterdam reaches the [[North Sea]] by a swathe of predominantly harbour area.

Built mostly behind dikes, large parts of Rotterdam are below sea level. For instance, the Prins Alexander Polder in the northeast of Rotterdam extends {{cvt|6|m|ft}} below sea level, or rather below [[Normaal Amsterdams Peil]] (NAP) or 'Amsterdam Ordnance Datum'. The lowest point in the Netherlands ({{cvt|6.76|m|ft}} below NAP) is situated just to the east of Rotterdam, in the municipality of [[Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel]].
[[File:Rotterdam by Sentinel-2, 2018-06-30.jpg|alt=|thumb|Satellite image of Rotterdam and its port]]

The [[Rotte (river)|Rotte]] river no longer joins the Nieuwe Maas directly. Since the early 1980s, when the construction of Rotterdam's second underground line interfered with the Rotte's course, its waters have been pumped through a pipe into the Nieuwe Maas via the Boerengat. [[File:Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag (Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Area).svg|thumb|The 24 municipalities of the [[Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area]]]]

Between the summers of 2003 and 2008, an artificial [[beach]] was created at the Boompjeskade along the Nieuwe Maas, between the Erasmus Bridge and the Willems Bridge. [[human swimming|Swimming]] was not possible, digging pits was limited to the height of the layer of [[sand]], about {{cvt|50|cm|0}}. Alternatively, people go to the beach of [[Hook of Holland]] (which is a Rotterdam district) or one of the beaches in [[Zeeland]]: [[Renesse]] or the Zuid Hollandse Eilanden: [[Ouddorp]], [[Oostvoorne]].

Rotterdam forms the centre of the [[Rijnmond]] conurbation, bordering the conurbation surrounding [[The Hague]] to the north-west. The two conurbations are close enough to be a single conurbation. They share the [[Rotterdam The Hague Airport]] and a light rail system called [[RandstadRail]]. Consideration is being given to creating an official Metropolitan region Rotterdam The Hague (''Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag''), which would have a combined population approaching 2.5 million.

In its turn, the Rijnmond conurbation is part of the southern wing (the [[Zuidvleugel]]) of the [[Randstad]], which is one of the most important economic and densely populated areas in the north-west of Europe. Having a population of 7.1 million, the Randstad is the [[List of metropolitan areas in Europe|sixth-largest]] [[urban area]] in [[Europe]] (after Moscow, London, Paris, Istanbul, and the Rhein-Ruhr Area). The Zuidvleugel, situated in the province of [[South Holland]], has a population of around 3 million.

===Climate===
Rotterdam experiences a temperate [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfb'') similar to all of the coastal areas in the Netherlands. Located near to the coast, its climate is slightly milder than locations further inland. Winters are cool with frequent cold days, while the summers are mild to warm, with occasional hot temperatures. Temperature rises above 30&nbsp;°C on average 4 days each summer, while (night) temperatures can drop below −5&nbsp;°C during winter for short periods of time, mostly during periods of sustained easterly (continental) winds. Precipitation is generally moderate throughout the year, although spring and summer (particularly before August) are relatively drier and sunnier, while autumn and winter are cloudier with more frequent rain (or snow). The following climate data is from the airport, which is slightly cooler than the city, being surrounded by water canals which make the climate milder and with a higher [[relative humidity]]. The city has an [[urban heat island]], especially inside the city centre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heat Stress in Rotterdam |url=https://klimaatadaptatienederland.nl/en/@164058/heat-stress/ |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=Spatial adaptation |date=30 June 2011 |language=en |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414003506/https://klimaatadaptatienederland.nl/en/@164058/heat-stress/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Weather box
| location = Rotterdam (1991–2020 normals)
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| Jan record high C = 14.2
| Feb record high C = 18.7
| Mar record high C = 23.8
| Apr record high C = 28.7
| May record high C = 32.7
| Jun record high C = 33.8
| Jul record high C = 38.9
| Aug record high C = 34.9
| Sep record high C = 32.5
| Oct record high C = 26.0
| Nov record high C = 19.3
| Dec record high C = 15.6
| year record high C = 38.9
| Jan avg record high C = 11.9
| Feb avg record high C = 12.7
| Mar avg record high C = 16.9
| Apr avg record high C = 22.4
| May avg record high C = 26.2
| Jun avg record high C = 29.2
| Jul avg record high C = 30.7
| Aug avg record high C = 30.1
| Sep avg record high C = 25.4
| Oct avg record high C = 20.9
| Nov avg record high C = 15.6
| Dec avg record high C = 12.5
| year avg record high C = 32.6
| Jan high C = 6.4
| Feb high C = 7.1
| Mar high C = 10.3
| Apr high C = 14.3
| May high C = 17.9
| Jun high C = 20.6
| Jul high C = 22.7
| Aug high C = 22.6
| Sep high C = 19.3
| Oct high C = 14.9
| Nov high C = 10.2
| Dec high C = 7.0
| year high C = 14.4
| Jan mean C = 4.0
| Feb mean C = 4.4
| Mar mean C = 6.7
| Apr mean C = 9.7
| May mean C = 13.2
| Jun mean C = 16.0
| Jul mean C = 18.2
| Aug mean C = 18.0
| Sep mean C = 14.8
| Oct mean C = 10.9
| Nov mean C = 7.0
| Dec mean C = 4.1
| year mean C = 10.7
| Jan low C = 1.3
| Feb low C = 1.1
| Mar low C = 2.4
| Apr low C = 4.8
| May low C = 8.1
| Jun low C = 11.0
| Jul low C = 13.2
| Aug low C = 12.9
| Sep low C = 10.5
| Oct low C = 7.2
| Nov low C = 3.9
| Dec low C = 1.4
| year low C = 6.7
| Jan avg record low C = -6.5
| Feb avg record low C = -5.8
| Mar avg record low C = -3.6
| Apr avg record low C = -1.7
| May avg record low C = 1.7
| Jun avg record low C = 5.5
| Jul avg record low C = 8.6
| Aug avg record low C = 8.4
| Sep avg record low C = 5.4
| Oct avg record low C = 1.0
| Nov avg record low C = -2.3
| Dec avg record low C = -5.4
| year avg record low C = -9.0
| Jan record low C = -17.1
| Feb record low C = -16.5
| Mar record low C = -13.4
| Apr record low C = -6.0
| May record low C = -1.4
| Jun record low C = 0.5
| Jul record low C = 3.6
| Aug record low C = 4.6
| Sep record low C = 0.4
| Oct record low C = -5.1
| Nov record low C = -9.0
| Dec record low C = -13.3
| year record low C = -17.1
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 71
| Feb precipitation mm = 66
| Mar precipitation mm = 57
| Apr precipitation mm = 42
| May precipitation mm = 56
| Jun precipitation mm = 69
| Jul precipitation mm = 79
| Aug precipitation mm = 92
| Sep precipitation mm = 90
| Oct precipitation mm = 87
| Nov precipitation mm = 88
| Dec precipitation mm = 86
| year precipitation mm = 882
| unit precipitation days = 1&nbsp;mm
| Jan precipitation days = 12
| Feb precipitation days = 10
| Mar precipitation days = 12
| Apr precipitation days = 9
| May precipitation days = 9
| Jun precipitation days = 10
| Jul precipitation days = 10
| Aug precipitation days = 10
| Sep precipitation days = 12
| Oct precipitation days = 12
| Nov precipitation days = 13
| Dec precipitation days = 13
| year precipitation days = 131
| Jan snow days = 6
| Feb snow days = 5
| Mar snow days = 4
| Apr snow days = 2
| May snow days = 0
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 0
| Nov snow days = 2
| Dec snow days = 4
| year snow days = 22
| Jan humidity = 88
| Feb humidity = 85
| Mar humidity = 83
| Apr humidity = 78
| May humidity = 77
| Jun humidity = 79
| Jul humidity = 79
| Aug humidity = 80
| Sep humidity = 84
| Oct humidity = 86
| Nov humidity = 89
| Dec humidity = 89
| Jan sun = 69.6
| Feb sun = 89.9
| Mar sun = 143.4
| Apr sun = 192.9
| May sun = 226.2
| Jun sun = 216.0
| Jul sun = 221.2
| Aug sun = 202.5
| Sep sun = 152.9
| Oct sun = 115.1
| Nov sun = 66.8
| Dec sun = 55.5
| year sun = 1752.0
| source 1 = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]] (1991–2020 normals, snowy days normals for 1971–2000)<ref>{{cite web |title=Klimaattabel Rotterdam, langjarige gemiddelden, tijdvak 1991–2020 |url=http://www.klimaatatlas.nl/tabel/stationsdata/klimtab_8110_344.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304231416/http://www.klimaatatlas.nl/tabel/stationsdata/klimtab_8110_344.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=10 September 2013 |publisher=[[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]] |language=nl}}</ref>
| source 2 = Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (1971–2000 extremes)<ref>{{cite web |title=Klimaattabel Rotterdam, langjarige extremen, tijdvak 1971–2000 |url=http://www.knmi.nl/klimatologie/normalen1971-2000/per_station/stn344/5-extremen/344_extremen.pdf |access-date=10 September 2013 |publisher=Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute |language=nl}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Infoclimat<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/1991/rotterdam/valeurs/06344.html|title=Climatologie de l'année à Rotterdam|publisher=Infoclimat|access-date=16 October 2023}}</ref>
}}