ABSTRACT
As one of the most densely populated countries in the world The Netherlands contains hardly any unused land. The impression one gets while travelling through (or over) the country is confirmed by a breakdown of the Dutch land-use statistics of 1983 (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek 1984). Of a total of 3.7 million hectares just over 150 000 ha (4.2%) are classified as natural terrain. If one adds to this the 335 000 ha of water, some of which is used intensively (for transport, recreation, consumption and irrigation), approximately 87% of the country (3.2 million ha) remains as land which is used in one way or another. About three-quarters of this land is farmland, 10% occupied by towns and villages, 9% by forests, while the remainder consists of roads, railways, recreational areas, and so on. Even in the more urbanized western part of the country (the provinces of Utrecht, North- and South-Holland) agriculture still occupies more than 60% of the land.
