It is in the province of South Holland , part of the North Sea mouth of the RhineβMeuseβScheldt delta , via the "New Meuse" inland shipping channel, dug to connect to the Meuse at first and now to the Rhine. Rotterdam's history goes back to , when a dam was constructed in the Rotte. The RotterdamβThe Hague metropolitan area , with a population of approximately 2.
A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest seaport. In , Rotterdam had a population of , and is home to over different nationalities. Rotterdam is known for its university , riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage and modern architecture.
The near-complete destruction of the city centre during the World War II German bombing has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including skyscrapers designed by architects such as Rem Koolhaas , Piet Blom and Ben van Berkel.
The Rhine , Meuse and Scheldt give waterway access into the heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized Ruhr. The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World". The settlement at the lower end of the fen stream Rotte or Rotta , as it was then known, from rot , "muddy" and a , "water", thus "muddy water" dates from at least the year A dam on the Rotte was built in the s and was located at the present-day Hoogstraat "High Street".
Beginning in the 's, Rotterdam was involved in the Atlantic slave trade. According to historian Gerhard de Kok, "Rotterdam merchants were the pioneers of the Dutch slave trade ".
