Is it offensive to say Holland instead of the the Netherlands?

In my country, the UK we always say the Netherlands, Holland sounds antiquated (when not used for Noord/Zuid Holland), to the point where we correct foreign language learners of english who say Holland, including ironically if their accent is not so obvious or strong, Dutch people themselves. read more

No. Without kidding, I've literally been taught in my first English lessons in the primary school to say: “Hello, my name is Frank and I am from Holland.” I might even still have the tendency to say this, because “Holland” is much easier on the tongue than “The Netherlands”. read more

I might even still have the tendency to say this, because “Holland” is much easier on the tongue than “The Netherlands”. Also, Holland actually sounds nicer as a fatherland’s name. With football, we’ll yell “Holland! Holland!”, not “Netherlands! Netherlands!”. read more

Between 1815 and 1830 The Kingdom of The Netherlands also included Belgium, but that is another story for another time Nowadays The Netherlands consists out of twelve provinces: Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, North-Holland, South-Holland, Zealand, North Brabant and Limburg. read more

The Difference Between the Netherlands and Holland. The difference between the Netherlands and Holland is the Netherlands is the term for the country as a whole, while Holland refers to just the two provinces of North and South Holland. read more