Hague, The

Legislative and judicial capital of the Netherlands, and capital of South Holland province, 3 km/2 mi from the North Sea; population (2003 est) 465,900. It is linked by canal to Rotterdam and Amsterdam (which is the official capital of the country). Although it has some industries (including the manufacturing of computer software, electrical equipment, petroleum products, and food products), as well as dairying, livestock-raising, and agriculture (flowers, vegetables, fruit), the city's economy revolves around government administration. Banking, insurance, and trade are also economically important.

History
The Hague grew up around a hunting lodge after a castle was built nearby in 1248. The castle is now the centrepiece of the Binnenhof, a group of several buildings that came to form the principal residence for Dutch counts. The States-General (parliament) established itself here in 1586, and from the 17th century the city became one of the chief diplomatic and intellectual centres of Europe. In the early 19th century, after Amsterdam had become the constitutional Dutch capital, The Hague received its own charter. The Triple Alliance between England, Sweden, and the Netherlands was signed here in 1688; the International Peace Conference was held in The Hague in 1899; and peace conferences met here that established The Hague Convention of 1899 and The Hague Convention of 1907.