ZOETERMEER

gemeente (commune), Zuid-Holland provincie, western Netherlands. Zoetermeer is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of Rotterdam and is situated on a polder created during the 17th century. Industries in the town produce machinery, tobacco products, and foodstuffs, the latter using cereals and livestock raised in the vicinity. Oil and gas fields are exploited nearby. Zoetermeer lies on a railway line connecting Amsterdam and The Hague and on a highway between The Hague and Arnhem. Pop. (1992 est.) 100,623.