Holland is a geographical region[2] and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands.[2] The name Holland is also frequently used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands.[2] This usage is commonly accepted in other countries and is also commonly employed by the Dutch themselves.[3] However, some in the Netherlands, particularly those from regions outside Holland, find it undesirable or misrepresentative to use the term for the whole country.[4]

From the 10th to the 16th century, Holland proper was a unified political region within the Holy Roman Empire as a county ruled by the counts of Holland. By the 17th century, the province of Holland had risen to become a maritime and economic power, dominating the other provinces of the newly independent Dutch Republic.