New Netherland: Map & History
New Netherland was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
New Netherland was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut, with small outposts in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
Modern Countries Once Part of New Netherland
At its mapped extent, New Netherland covered territory in 5 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Curacao1636–1799 CE · nearly all
- Guyana1622–1796 CE · a large part
- Suriname1670–1799 CE · a large part
- Brazil1632–1658 CE · a small part
- United States1626–1669 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside New Netherland's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
New Netherland in Depth
Legacy
New Netherland grew into the largest metropolitan area in the United States, and some have argued that it left an enduring legacy on American cultural and political life. Nick Paumgarten writes that the Dutch colony was home to a "secular broadmindedness and mercantile pragmatism" that had consequences for the entire nation. Sam Roberts argues that the financial rather than religious motive behind Dutch migration led New York to develop differently to other American colonies.
The concept of tolerance was the mainstay of the province's Dutch mother country. The Dutch Republic was a haven for many religious and intellectual refugees fleeing oppression, as well as home to the world's major ports in the newly developing global economy.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: New Netherland (CC BY-SA 4.0).
New Netherland: Key Facts
| Capital | New Amsterdam |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Dutch, English, French |
| Currency | Reichsthaler |
| Founded | 1609 |
| Dissolved | 1667 |
Succeeded by
- Province of New York
- Delaware Colony
- Province of New Jersey
Facts from Wikidata Q382593 (CC0).
New Netherland Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which New Netherland appears, with the other states of the time.
New Netherland Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 344,000 km² in 1643 CE.
New Netherland: Frequently Asked Questions
When did New Netherland exist?
New Netherland is dated to 1622 CE – 1802 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of New Netherland?
The capital of New Netherland was New Amsterdam.
How large was New Netherland at its peak?
At its peak in 1643 New Netherland covered about 344,000 km².
How did the map of New Netherland change over time?
New Netherland appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1700 CE to 1800 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi