Editing Town (section)

=== Netherlands ===
[[File:41012 Zuidhavenpoort zierikzee Met Noordhavenpoort.jpg|thumb|The small town of [[Zierikzee]], Netherlands]]
Before 1848 there was a legal distinction between {{lang|nl|stad}} and non-{{lang|nl|stad}} parts of the country, but the word no longer has any legal significance. About 220 places were granted {{lang|nl|stadsrechten}} ('city rights') and are still so called for historical and traditional reasons, though the word is also used for large urban areas that never obtained such rights. Because of this, in the Netherlands, no distinction is made between ''city'' and ''town''; both translate as {{lang|nl|stad}}. A hamlet ({{lang|nl|gehucht}}) usually has fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, a village ({{lang|nl|dorp}}) ranges from 1,000 up to 25,000 inhabitants, and a place above 25,000 can call itself either village or city, mostly depending on historic reasons or size of the place. As an example, [[The Hague]] never gained city rights, but because of its size – more than half a million inhabitants – it is regarded as a city. [[Staverden]], with only 40 inhabitants, would be a hamlet, but because of its city rights it may call itself a city.

For statistical purposes, the Netherlands has three sorts of cities:
* {{lang|nl|kleine stad}} (small city): 50,000–99,999 inhabitants
* {{lang|nl|middelgrote stad}} (medium-sized city): 100,000–249,999 inhabitants
* {{lang|nl|grote stad}} (large city): 250,000 or more

Only [[Amsterdam]], [[Rotterdam]], [[The Hague]] and [[Utrecht]] are regarded as a {{lang|nl|grote stad}}.