Port of Amsterdam in the context of "Randstad"

The Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta is a river delta in the Netherlands formed by the confluence of the Rhine, the Meuse (Dutch: Maas) and the Scheldt rivers. In some cases, the Scheldt delta is considered a separate delta to the Rhine–Meuse delta. The result is a multitude of islands, branches and branch names, in which a waterway that appears to be one continuous stream may have numerous separate names for different sections, e.g. Rhine → Bijlands Kanaal → Pannerdens Kanaal → Nederrijn → Lek → Nieuwe Maas → Het Scheur → Nieuwe Waterweg. Since the Rhine contributes most of the water, the term "Rhine Delta" is commonly used, although this name is also used for the delta where the Alpine Rhine flows into Lake Constance. By some calculations, the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta covers 25,347 km (9,787 sq mi), making it the largest in Europe.

The Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta is economically extremely important, since the three rivers are major navigable waterways. The delta is the entrance from the North Sea to the German and Central European hinterland (and to a lesser extent France). Major ports in the delta are Rotterdam, Antwerp (Belgium), Vlissingen, Amsterdam (through the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal), and Ghent (through the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal). The land areas in the delta are protected from flooding by the Dutch Delta Works.

52°9′8″N 5°0′23″E / 52.15222°N 5.00639°E / 52.15222; 5.00639

The Amsterdam–Rhine Canal (Dutch: Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal) is a canal in the Netherlands that was built to connect the port and capital city of Amsterdam to the main shipping artery of the Rhine. The canal is 72 km in length, over 100 meters wide and 6 meters deep. Its course follows a generally south-easterly direction as it goes through the city of Utrecht towards Wijk bij Duurstede where it intersects the Lek branch of the Rhine and then continues on to the river Waal near Tiel, with a branch, the Lek Canal, to the Lek near Nieuwegein. The canal is one of the busiest in the world. 91,495 vessels (including 5,541 recreational vessels) sailed through the canal in 2016, carrying a total of 77,172,454 tons of cargo.

The IJmuiden sea lock (Dutch: zeesluis IJmuiden) serving Port of Amsterdam via the North Sea Canal is the largest lock in the world when considering dimensions.The lock, situated in IJmuiden in the municipality of Velsen, was opened on 26 January 2022 in the presence of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The locks of IJmuiden have a history dating back to 1876, when the largest lock of that era was opened.