Hook of Holland (Dutch: Hoek van Holland, pronounced [ˈɦuk fɑn ˈɦɔlɑnt] ) is a coastal village in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; hoek means "corner" and was in use before the word kaap – "cape". The English translation using Hook is a false friend of the Dutch Hoek, but has become commonplace in the Netherlands (in official government records in English, the name tends not to get translated and Hoek van Holland is used). It is located at the mouth of the New Waterway shipping canal into the North Sea. The village is administered as a district of the municipality of Rotterdam. Its district covers an area of 18.53 km, of which 14.19 km is land. On 1 January 2023 it had an estimated population of 10,560.
Settlements near "the Hook" (de Hoek) include the small towns Monster, Naaldwijk and 's-Gravenzande and the city Delft to the northeast, and the town Maassluis to the southeast. On the other side of the river is the harbor Europort and the Maasvlakte. The wide sandy beach, one section of which is designated for use by naturists, runs for approximately 18 kilometres to Scheveningen and for most of this distance is backed by extensive sand dunes through which there are foot and cycle paths. On the north side of the New Waterway, to the west of the village, is a pier, part of which is accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.
