The names of various locations around the world are sometimes derived from some other location that is often thousands of miles away. Places like New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, and New South Wales are prime examples of this. This also applies to New Zealand. If there is New Zealand, then where is Old Zealand?
All the Way to the Netherlands
The fact is, there was never an Old Zealand. There is an island in Denmark called Zealand. However, New Zealand, or the island nation in the Pacific Ocean, is not named after this Zealand Island.
The original name of place for the New Zealand is a province called Zeeland in the Netherlands. This area shares a border with the city of Antwerp in Belgium. And it is the real “Old Zealand” that you are looking for.
History of Zeeland
Back in the day, the mythical goddess Nehalennia was revered throughout Zeeland. Numerous votive altars dedicated to her have been uncovered in this region. Until the last Count of Holland died in 1299, Zeeland was a disputed region between the counts of Holland and Flanders.
After the Counts of Bavaria, Burgundy, and Habsburg, the County of Zeeland fell under the rule of the Counts of Hainaut.
As one of the seven provinces that became independent after 1585, Zeeland experienced the same destiny as the northern half of The Netherlands. The present-day province of Zeeland was established in 1815, after the French occupation and the foundation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
How Did New Zealand Get Its Name?
In December 1642, the Dutch East India Company selected Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, to head an expedition to the unexplored Southern Pacific Ocean.
His job was to seek out new commercial avenues and initiate commerce with the locals. Tasman traveled east from Batavia, eventually reaching the coast of Tasmania, which he renamed Van Diemen’s Land in honor of his benefactor.
After that, he headed north and stumbled onto the New Zealand shore, which he first dubbed “Staten Landt,” meaning “Land of the (Dutch) States-General,” before rechristening “Nieuw Zeeland” after the Dutch province of the same name, Zeeland. Nieuw Zeeland literally means “New Sea Land” in Dutch.
Abel Tasman was the first European to set foot on what is now known as New Zealand. He initially used the name Staten Landt because he thought the land might be related to Staten Island (Isla de los Estados) off the coast of Tierra del Fuego, which Dutch explorers had discovered in 1616 and mistook for the northern tip of the Southern Continent.
There is a distance of 11,600 miles (18,700 km) separating Zeeland and New Zealand. The distance between the furthest two things on Earth’s surface is around 12,400 miles (20,000 km). New Zealand is almost as far away as you can go on Earth from the place it was named for in the Netherlands.
For a century, New Zealand was off-limits to explorers; it wasn’t until 1769 that James Cook set foot on its shores and declared it British dominion. Cook didn’t map New Zealand until 1773, four years after his initial visit. Cook also anglicized the name Nieuw Zeeland to “New Zealand” after his arrival.
The Relationship Between Zealand and New Zealand
Considering the close proximity between Denmark and the Netherlands, it would be hard to claim that the Danish island of Zealand is in no way related to New Zealand.
Even though the country’s name originated from the province in the Netherlands called Zeeland, there is still an etymological relationship between Zeeland and Zealand since both names mean exactly the same thing (“New Sea Land”).
Therefore, Zealand and Zeeland are alternate spellings of each other. However, Danish immigration to the North Island of New Zealand in the 19th century did actually establish a historical link between the two locations as well. The immigration primarily affected the regions of northern Wairarapa and southern Hawkes Bay in New Zealand.
The Etymology of Zeeland or Zealand
The name “Sealand” comes from the fact that Zeeland is made up of several islands and peninsulas. The German word Seeland may have been the inspiration for this English name.
One possible explanation for all these variants is that they are based on the alternate Danish version of the name, Sælland, which was widespread until the 19th century and which suggests that the first component signifies “sea” or “lake” (German See).
Other Locations Named in a Similar Way
- New Jersey: Originally known as New Netherland, New Jersey was a historic Dutch colony. British officials decided to change the name to Jersey to pay tribute to the little island in the English Channel.
- New York: Back then, it was the capital of New Netherland, and it was known as New Amsterdam. The city was renamed “York” after the British occupation in honor of James II, the Duke of York.
- New Orleans: The birthplace of jazz is New Orleans. In 1718, the French established the city. Philip II, Duke of Orleans, inspired the name of this place.
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire was founded in 1620 and was the eighth English colony in North America. Hampshire was chosen as a tribute to the nearby county.
- Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia is a province in eastern Canada. Nova Scotia gets its name from the fact that King James I of England and Scotland granted the baronetcy of the region to a Scot called Sir William Alexander.
Seeland and Zealandia
In addition to Zeeland in the Netherlands and Zealand in Denmark, there are places called Seeland in Germany (a municipality), Switzerland (a region), and previously Slovenia.
Zealandia is a submerged continent next to Australia. After splitting off from Gondwana 83–79 million years ago, the continental crust that makes up Zealandia began to sink. As large as Australia, the name of this continent was introduced by Bruce Luyendyk in 1995.
There is a Zealandia Castle in North Carolina, United States, as well as an ocean liner (and later a U.S. Navy troopship) called USS Zeelandia in the country.
When the Dutch astronomer Hendrik van Gent discovered a stony Koronian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt in 1934, he named it 1336 Zeelandia.