Editing The Hague (section)

== Geography ==
{{See also|Districts of The Hague}}
[[File:DenHaag-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg|thumb|Detailed topographic map of The Hague, 2014]]
[[File:Haagse wijken.PNG|thumb|The Hague, divided into neighbourhoods]]
[[File:Netherlands, The Hague, Rembrandtstraat (01a).jpg|thumb|Rembrandt Street]]

The Hague is the largest Dutch city on the [[North Sea]] in the Netherlands and forms the centre of the [[COROP#South Holland province|Greater The Hague urban area]]. [[Westland (municipality), Netherlands|Westland]] and [[Wateringen]] lie to the south, [[Rijswijk]], [[Delft]] and the [[Rotterdam]] conurbation (known as ''[[Rijnmond]]'') to the southeast, [[Pijnacker-Nootdorp]] and [[Zoetermeer]] to the east, [[Leidschendam-Voorburg]], [[Voorschoten]] and the [[Leiden]] conurbation to the northeast and [[Wassenaar]] to the north.

The conurbations around The Hague and Rotterdam are close enough to be seen as a single conurbation in some contexts. For example, they share the [[Rotterdam The Hague Airport]] and a light rail system called [[RandstadRail]]. This led to the creation of the [[Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area]]. This large conurbation centred on The Hague and Rotterdam is, in turn, part of the [[Randstad]]—specifically a band of municipalities called the South Wing ([[Zuidvleugel]]). The Randstad, which also includes among others [[Amsterdam]] and [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], has a population of 6,659,300. The Hague lies at the southwestern corner of the [[List of metropolitan areas in Europe#Polycentric metropolitan areas in the European Union|second-largest conurbation in the European Union]].

The Hague is divided into eight official districts which are, in turn, divided into neighbourhoods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denhaag.nl/home/bewoners/stadsdelen-en-wijken/to/Stadsdelen-9.htm|title=Stadsdelen|date=18 October 2010|publisher=Denhaag.nl|language=nl|access-date=31 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928144925/http://www.denhaag.nl/home/bewoners/stadsdelen-en-wijken/to/Stadsdelen-9.htm|archive-date=28 September 2011}}</ref> Some of the most prosperous and some of the poorest neighbourhoods of the Netherlands can be found in The Hague. The wealthier areas such as [[Statenkwartier]], [[Belgisch Park]], [[Marlot]], [[Benoordenhout]] and [[The Hague Center#Archipelbuurt|Archipelbuurt]] are generally in the northwestern part of the city, closer to the sea, whereas the southeastern neighbourhoods such as [[The Hague Center#Transvaal|Transvaal]], [[Moerwijk]], and the [[Schilderswijk]] are significantly poorer, except the [[Vinex-location]]s of [[Leidschenveen-Ypenburg]] and [[Wateringse Veld]]. This division is reflected in the local accent: The more affluent citizens are usually called "Hagenaars" and speak so-called ''bekakt Haags'' ("posh"), this contrasts with the ''Hagenezen'', who speak ''plat Haags'' ("vulgar"); see [[#Demographics|Demographics]] below.

The districts are:
* [[The Hague Center|Centrum]] (110,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop>[https://denhaag.incijfers.nl/Jive?workspace_guid=f17a1247-92b3-4c3c-b84c-dac23f1e5358 Den Haag in Cijfers] (in Dutch)</ref> forms the heart of The Hague. The [[Binnenhof]], the [[Noordeinde Palace]], the [[Mauritshuis]] museum, the [[Nieuwe Kerk (The Hague)|Nieuwe Kerk]], the [[Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague)|Grote Kerk]], the [[Old City Hall (The Hague)|Old City Hall]] and the [[The Hague City Hall|City Hall]] are located here. Architecture varies from medieval up to the 20th century.
* [[Escamp]] (131,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop/> is the most populous district of The Hague, built largely after the [[World War II]] as part of The Hague's large expansion to the southeast. One railway station can be found here: [[Den Haag Moerwijk railway station|Den Haag Moerwijk]]. The district is divided into six neighbourhoods.
* [[Haagse Hout]] (51,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop/> is a wealthy district in the northeast of the city and the location of the [[Haagse Bos]], a large forest. The King of the Netherlands lives in the royal palace [[Huis ten Bosch]], in this forest. The district also includes the financial centre of the city, the [[Beatrixkwartier]].
* [[Laak, The Hague|Laak]] (46,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop/> is the smallest district of the city, southeast of its centre, for the most part, built in the 20th and 21st centuries. The area used to be part of [[Rijswijk]] until the municipality of The Hague bought the land in 1844. The [[Den Haag Hollands Spoor railway station|Hollands Spoor]] railway station and [[The Hague University]] are located here, as well as the site of the planned mixed-use development [[Nieuw Binckhorst]].
* [[Leidschenveen-Ypenburg]] (48,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop/> is an early 21st-century [[Vinex-location]] southeast of the city, geographically connected to the main body of the city [[Flagpole annexation|only by a narrow corridor]]. The district is divided into Leidschenveen and Ypenburg, which were part of [[Leidschendam]], [[Nootdorp]], and [[Rijswijk]] before the areas were annexed by The Hague in 2002. This area was the site of [[Ypenburg Airport]] which was a military airport during World War II.
* [[Loosduinen]] (53,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop/> is the westernmost district of The Hague. It was a village unto itself until 1923 when it was annexed by The Hague. The less popular of the city's two seaside resorts, [[Kijkduin]] is located here. The district is divided into four neighbourhoods.
* [[Scheveningen]] (61,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop/> is the wealthy northernmost district of The Hague. A modern beach resort, Scheveningen is a popular tourist destination. It has a long sandy beach and its own esplanade, pier, and lighthouse, but also a [[Pathé]] cinema, a musical theatre, a casino, and a special Museum for Scheveningen. The district also includes a fishing harbour. Notable buildings include the [[Kurhaus of Scheveningen|Kurhaus]] and farther inland, the [[Peace Palace]].
* [[Segbroek]] (63,000 inhabitants)<ref name=pop/> is a district located between Scheveningen and Loosduinen. The population decreased until around 2005, but since then has begun to grow again, driven by students and east European immigrants. It became a district of The Hague in 1988 and is divided into five neighbourhoods.

=== Climate ===
The Hague experiences a temperate [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen:]] ''Cfb'') similar to almost all of the Netherlands. Because of its location on the coast, it experiences milder winters and cooler summers than more inland locations. However, because of its location, it can also be extremely windy in the winter and humid in the summer. It also gets more sunshine.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}}

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = [[Valkenburg Naval Air Base]]
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
| Jan record high C = 13.8
| Feb record high C = 15.9
| Mar record high C = 20.8
| Apr record high C = 25.9
| May record high C = 29.7
| Jun record high C = 33.5
| Jul record high C = 36.5
| Aug record high C = 34.6
| Sep record high C = 31.7
| Oct record high C = 24.5
| Nov record high C = 17.5
| Dec record high C = 15.4
|year record high C = 36.5
| Jan high C = 6.4
| Feb high C = 6.9
| Mar high C = 9.8
| Apr high C = 13.6
| May high C = 17.0
| Jun high C = 19.6
| Jul high C = 21.6
| Aug high C = 21.8
| Sep high C = 18.9
| Oct high C = 14.7
| Nov high C = 10.2
| Dec high C = 7.1
|year high C = 14.0
| Jan mean C = 4.1
| Feb mean C = 4.2
| Mar mean C = 6.4
| Apr mean C = 9.4
| May mean C = 12.8
| Jun mean C = 15.6
| Jul mean C = 17.8
| Aug mean C = 17.8
| Sep mean C = 15.0
| Oct mean C = 11.4
| Nov mean C = 7.6
| Dec mean C = 4.8
|year mean C = 10.6
| Jan low C = 1.5
| Feb low C = 1.2
| Mar low C = 2.7
| Apr low C = 4.8
| May low C = 8.3
| Jun low C = 11.2
| Jul low C = 13.5
| Aug low C = 13.4
| Sep low C = 10.9
| Oct low C = 7.9
| Nov low C = 4.7
| Dec low C = 2.1
|year low C = 6.8
| Jan record low C = -16.4
| Feb record low C = -14.0
| Mar record low C = -11.1
| Apr record low C = -4.4
| May record low C = -1.5
| Jun record low C = 1.7
| Jul record low C = 5.4
| Aug record low C = 5.5
| Sep record low C = 1.2
| Oct record low C = -4.4
| Nov record low C = -7.1
| Dec record low C = -10.6
|year record low C = -16.4
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 70.0
| Feb precipitation mm = 59.4
| Mar precipitation mm = 52.8
| Apr precipitation mm = 41.6
| May precipitation mm = 52.7
| Jun precipitation mm = 62.8
| Jul precipitation mm = 72.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 84.0
| Sep precipitation mm = 89.2
| Oct precipitation mm = 89.9
| Nov precipitation mm = 90.4
| Dec precipitation mm = 76.4
|year precipitation mm = 841.9
|unit precipitation days = 1&nbsp;mm
| Jan precipitation days = 12
| Feb precipitation days = 10
| Mar precipitation days = 11
| Apr precipitation days = 9
| May precipitation days = 9
| Jun precipitation days = 9
| Jul precipitation days = 10
| Aug precipitation days = 10
| Sep precipitation days = 12
| Oct precipitation days = 13
| Nov precipitation days = 14
| Dec precipitation days = 13
|year precipitation days = 132
| Jan snow days = 5
| Feb snow days = 5
| Mar snow days = 3
| Apr snow days = 1
| 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 = 20
|Jan humidity = 86
|Feb humidity = 84
|Mar humidity = 83
|Apr humidity = 79
|May humidity = 78
|Jun humidity = 79
|Jul humidity = 80
|Aug humidity = 80
|Sep humidity = 83
|Oct humidity = 84
|Nov humidity = 87
|Dec humidity = 87
| Jan sun = 71.7
| Feb sun = 96.7
| Mar sun = 152.0
| Apr sun = 207.2
| May sun = 240.5
| Jun sun = 229.3
| Jul sun = 237.5
| Aug sun = 213.4
| Sep sun = 160.0
| Oct sun = 116.7
| Nov sun = 68.2
| Dec sun = 56.5
|year sun = 1849.7
|source 1 = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]] (1981–2010 normal, snowy days normal for 1971–2000)<ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://www.klimaatatlas.nl/tabel/stationsdata/klimtab_8110_210.pdf
 |title = Klimaattabel Valkenburg, langjarige gemiddelden, tijdvak 1981–2010
 |publisher = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]]
 |language = nl
 |access-date = 10 September 2013
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171010161642/http://www.klimaatatlas.nl/tabel/stationsdata/klimtab_8110_210.pdf
 |archive-date = 10 October 2017
 |url-status = live
}}</ref>
|source 2 = Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (1971–2000 extremes)<ref>
{{cite web
 |url = http://www.knmi.nl/klimatologie/normalen1971-2000/per_station/stn210/5-extremen/210_extremen.pdf
 |title = Klimaattabel Valkenburg, langjarige extremen, tijdvak 1971–2000
 |publisher = Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
 |language = nl
 |access-date = 10 September 2013
}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|date=October 2013}}

=== Cityscape ===
{{see also|List of tallest buildings in Haaglanden}}
{{Panorama
 | image = File:The Hague Skyline Part I.jpg
 | caption = 
 | height = 250
}}

City life concentrates around the [[Hofvijver]] and the [[Binnenhof]], where the States General of the Netherlands is located. Because of its history, the historical inner city of The Hague differs in various aspects from the nearby smaller cities of [[Leiden]] and [[Delft]]. It does not have a cramped inner city, bordered by canals and walls. Instead, it has some small streets in the town centre that may be dated from the late [[Middle Ages]] and several spacious streets boasting large and luxurious 18th-century residences built for diplomats and affluent Dutch families. It has a large church dating from the 15th century, a [[Old City Hall (The Hague)|City Hall]] (built as such) from the 16th century, several large 17th-century palaces, a 17th-century [[Protestant]] church built in what was then a modern style, and many important 18th-century buildings.

[[File:Den Haag Binnenhof 02.jpg|thumb|The [[Hofvijver]] and the buildings housing the [[States General of the Netherlands]]]]
[[File:Den Haag, skyline vanaf Laan van Reagan en Gorbatsjov IMG 8945 2019-03-24 17.46.jpg|thumb|View of the [[Hoftoren]] (left) and the [[Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport]] (the triangular [[gable]] right)]]
The city is becoming more student-friendly with the introduction of a new campus in 2012 of [[Leiden University]] as well as [[Leiden University College The Hague]], which was established in 2010. The [[Royal Conservatory of The Hague]] and the [[Royal Academy of Art (The Hague)|Royal Academy of Art]] are also located there, as well as [[The Hague University]], a [[vocational university]] and a branch of The [[Open University of the Netherlands]]. The city has many [[civil servant]]s and [[diplomat]]s.<ref name="denh_Dipl">{{Cite web |title=Diplomatic Corps and embassies |last=Haag |first=Den |work=Gemeente Den Haag |access-date=27 February 2019 |url=https://www.denhaag.nl/en/in-the-city/international-the-hague/diplomatic-corps-and-embassies.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065846/https://www.denhaag.nl/en/in-the-city/international-the-hague/diplomatic-corps-and-embassies.htm |archive-date=28 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In fact, the number and variety of foreign residents (especially the [[expatriate]]s) make the city quite culturally diverse, with many foreign [[pub]]s, shops and cultural events.

The Hague is the largest Dutch city on the [[North Sea]] and includes two distinct [[beach resort]]s. The main beach resort [[Scheveningen]], in the northwestern part of the city, is a popular destination for tourists as well as for inhabitants. With 10&nbsp;million visitors a year, it is the most popular beach town in the [[Benelux]] area. [[Kijkduin]], in the southwest, is The Hague's other beach resort. It is significantly smaller and attracts mainly local residents.

The former Dutch colony of the [[Dutch East Indies|East Indies]], now [[Indonesia]], has left its mark on The Hague. Since the 19th century, high-level civil servants from the Dutch East Indies often spent long-term leave and vacations in The Hague. Many streets are named after places in the Netherlands East Indies (as well as other former Dutch colonies such as Suriname) and there is a sizable "[[Indo people|Indo]]" (i.e. mixed Dutch-Indonesian) community. Since the loss of these Dutch possessions in December 1949, "[[Indo people]]" also known as "Indische people" often refer to The Hague as "the Widow of the Indies".<ref>Dutch: 'de Weduwe van Indie'. As per song text by the famous singer [[Wieteke van Dort]], see text of the song "Arm Den Haag" ("Pity The Hague"): [http://www.muzikum.eu/nl/123-1151-22012/wieteke_van_dort/arm_den_haag-songtekst.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720165653/http://www.muzikum.eu/nl/123-1151-22012/wieteke_van_dort/arm_den_haag-songtekst.html|date=20 July 2011}}</ref>

The older parts of the town have many characteristically wide and long streets. Houses are generally low-rise (often not more than three floors). A large part of the southwestern city was planned by the progressive Dutch architect [[Hendrik Petrus Berlage|H.P. Berlage]] about 1910. This 'Plan Berlage' decided the spacious and homely streets for several decades. In World War II, a large amount of the western portion of The Hague was destroyed by the Germans. Afterward, modernist architect [[Willem Marinus Dudok|W.M. Dudok]] planned its renewal, putting apartment blocks for the middle class in open park-like settings.

The layout of the city is more spacious than other Dutch cities and because of the incorporation of large and old nobility estates, the creation of various parks, and the use of green zones around natural streams, it is a much more green city than any other in the Netherlands. That is, excepting some medieval close-knitted streets in the centre. The Hague has a canal system around the old city center, which is mainly used for boat tours around the city. Most of the canals were drained in the late 19th century and some were filled between 1910 and 1970<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mvrdv.com/projects/407/the-hague-canals|title= The Hague Canals|website=MVRDV }}</ref> but many have been restored recently.{{when|date=July 2023}}

The tallest buildings of The Hague are both 146-meter-tall ministries of [[Ministry of Justice and Security|Justice and Security]] and the [[Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations|Interior and Kingdom Relations]] of the Netherlands, designed by [[Hans Kollhoff]]. Other significant skyscrapers include the [[Hoftoren]], [[Het Strijkijzer]] and [[De Kroon (The Hague)|De Kroon]].