Belgian Geography and Nature

Geography And Nature

127 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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All 127 questions

  1. Complete the sentence about Bruges with the correct year: Bruges was described for the first time in the Encomium Emmae Reginae, written around ______.
  2. Complete the sentence about Liège with the correct year: Until 17 September ______, the city's name was written Liége, with the acute accent instead of a grave accent.
  3. Complete the sentence about Liège with the correct year: In ______, the citizens of Liège rebelled against Prince-Bishop Engelbert III de la Marck, their ruler at the time, and defeated him in battle…
  4. Complete the sentence about Leuven with the correct year: In the 15th century, a new golden era began with the founding of the largest and oldest university in the Low Countries, the University of Leu…
  5. Complete the sentence about Charleroi with the correct year: Construction had only just begun when the War of Devolution with France began in ______, and the Spanish withdrew.
  6. Complete the sentence about Mechelen with the correct year: In ______, Charles the Bold moved several political bodies to the city, and Mechelen served as the seat of the Superior Court until the Fren…
  7. Complete the sentence about Mechelen with the correct year: In ______, a regular postal service between Mechelen and Innsbruck was established.
  8. Complete the sentence about Ostend with the correct year: In ______ the inhabitants decided to build a new Ostend behind large dikes and further away from the always-threatening sea.
  9. Complete the sentence about Ostend with the correct year: In ______, the Dutch again closed off the entrance to the world's biggest harbour of Antwerp, the Westerschelde.
  10. Complete the sentence about Tournai with the correct year: Under King Childeric I, whose tomb was discovered there in ______, Tournai was the capital of the Frankish Empire.
  11. Complete the sentence about Dinant with the correct year: The remains of a prehistoric woman, known as the 'Margaux Woman', were found near Dinant in ______.
  12. Complete the sentence about Spa, Belgium with the correct year: The world's first beauty pageant, the Concours de Beauté, was held in Spa on 19 September ______.
  13. Complete the sentence about Atomium with the correct year: The Atomium, designed to last six months, was not intended to survive the ______ World's Fair, but its popularity and success made it a major…
  14. Complete the sentence about Atomium with the correct year: In ______, the 47th Tour de France passed in front of it during its inaugural stages.
  15. Complete the sentence about Grand-Place with the correct year: In ______, during the Nine Years' War, most of the square was destroyed during the bombardment of Brussels by French troops.
  16. Complete the sentence about Manneken Pis with the correct year: Since ______, a replica has been displayed on site, with the original stored in the Brussels City Museum.
  17. Complete the sentence about Manneken Pis with the correct year: The first statue was replaced with a new bronze version, commissioned in ______ by the Brussels City Council.
  18. Complete the sentence with the correct year: The existing façade was only built after ______ on the initiative of King Leopold II.
  19. Complete the sentence about Royal Palace of Brussels with the correct year: The first regular meetings of the States General, composed of delegates from the middle class, clergy and nobility of the Bu…
  20. Complete the sentence about Palace of Justice, Brussels with the correct year: On 27 March ______, an international architectural competition, endowed with three prizes, was therefore organised by roy…
  21. Complete the sentence about Palace of Justice, Brussels with the correct year: After several failed proposals, Tesch appointed the city's municipal architect, Joseph Poelaert, to draw plans of the bui…
  22. Complete the sentence about Belfry of Bruges with the correct year: In addition, it is a key component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the historic centre of Bruges, inscribed in ______.
  23. Complete the sentence about Gravensteen with the correct year: The site, which sat between two branches of the river Lys, was first fortified around ______, initially in wood and later in stone.
  24. Complete the sentence about Antwerp Central Station with the correct year: In ______, the square's name was changed to the Koningin Astridplein, in honour of the recently deceased Queen Astrid.
  25. Complete the sentence about Meuse with the correct year: In ______, a Burgundian army led by John the Fearless went to the aid of John III against the citizens of Liège, who were in open revolt.
  26. Complete the sentence about Hautes Fagnes with the correct year: In ______, the European Council awarded the "Diploma of Conservation" to the High Fens, for their ecological value.
  27. Complete the sentence about German-speaking Community of Belgium with the correct year: The German-speaking Community of Belgium was ceded in ______ by Germany.
  28. Complete the sentence about German-speaking Community of Belgium with the correct year: The new cantons had been part of Belgium for just 20 years when, in ______, they were retaken by Germany in Worl…
  29. Which place completes this sentence about Charleroi? During the Middle Ages, Charnoy was one of the many small hamlets in the area, with no more than about 50 inhabitants, part of the County of ______…
  30. Which place completes the sentence? In 1838, a railway connection with ______ was constructed.
  31. Which place completes this sentence about Dinant? In the 11th century, the emperor Henry IV granted several rights over Dinant to the Prince-Bishopric of ______, including market and justice rights.
  32. Which place completes this sentence about Spa, Belgium? The spa town grew in the Middle Ages, in the oldest iron and steel centre of ______ Province.
  33. Which place completes this sentence about Atomium? The ______-Capital Region is bilingual; hence, both the monument's French and Dutch names—l'Atomium and het Atomium—are official.
  34. Which place completes this sentence about Atomium? From 1960 to 1962, the ______ Motor Grand Prix automobile race was also organised nearby.
  35. Which place completes this sentence about Royal Palace of Brussels? The Royal Palace is situated in front of ______ Park, from which it is separated by a long square called the Place des Palais/Paleiz…
  36. Which place completes this sentence about Belfry of Bruges? The building is a central feature of the 2008 black-comedy film In ______ and is mentioned in the 2004 novel Cloud Atlas.
  37. Which place completes this sentence about Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp? Today's seat of the Diocese of ______ started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has nev…
  38. Which place completes this sentence about Scheldt? Near ______, the largest city on its banks, the Scheldt flows west into the Netherlands toward the North Sea.
  39. Which place completes this sentence about Scheldt? The port of ______, the second-largest in Europe, developed on its banks.
  40. Which place completes this sentence about Sambre? The Haute-Sambre is 39 km long and includes 10 locks of the same dimensions as in France, down to the industrial town of ______.
  41. Which place completes this sentence about Ardennes? In ______ the rock named Bayard takes its name from Bayard, the magic bay horse which, according to legend, jumped from the top of the rock to the o…
  42. Which place completes this sentence about Hautes Fagnes? The provincial capital of ______ is to its west, the German border is to the east and the dark forested hills of the Ardennes surround the sout…
  43. Which place completes this sentence about Brussels-Capital Region? The ______-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country.
  44. Complete the sentence about Bruges with the correct year: In ______, Bruges became the capital of the County of Flanders.
  45. Complete the sentence about Leuven with the correct year: In ______ the latter founded the Collegium Trilingue in which the three ancient languages: Latin, Greek and Hebrew were taught.
  46. Complete the sentence about Leuven with the correct year: Thomas More published his Utopia at Dirk Martens printing house in Leuven in ______.
  47. Complete the sentence about Charleroi with the correct year: France retained the town under the ______ Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and its fortifications were completed by Vauban.
  48. Complete the sentence about Ostend with the correct year: On 19 September ______, the local artillery magazine exploded.
  49. Complete the sentence about Ostend with the correct year: Ostend became a transit harbour to England in ______ when the first ferry sailed to Dover.
  50. Complete the sentence about Dinant with the correct year: Henri Pirenne gained his doctorate in ______ with a thesis on medieval Dinant.
  51. Complete the sentence about Spa, Belgium with the correct year: As early as ______, Agustino, physician to the King of England, Henry VIII, stayed in Spa and helped give knowledge to the world of the…
  52. Complete the sentence about Spa, Belgium with the correct year: In ______, Gilbert Lymborh wrote of "acid fountains of the Ardennes forest and primarily those located in Spa".
  53. Complete the sentence about Spa, Belgium with the correct year: In July ______, the gentry of the provinces met in Spa under the pretext of taking the waters.
  54. Complete the sentence about Royal Palace of Brussels with the correct year: A large fire that broke out on 3 February ______ almost completely destroyed the building.
  55. Complete the sentence about Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp with the correct year: In ______, Norbert of Xanten convinced four of the secular canons to start a norbertine abbey and thus the parish chur…
  56. Complete the sentence about Ardennes with the correct year: In ______ revolutionary France annexed the entire area, together with all other territories west of the Rhine river.
  57. Complete the sentence about Hautes Fagnes with the correct year: In ______, Belgium has added the High Fens to its tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
  58. Complete the sentence about Genk with the correct year: The first mention of Genk as Geneche can be found in a document dating from ______, ceding the territory to the Abbey of Rolduc.
  59. Complete the sentence about Genk with the correct year: Politically, Genk belonged to the County of Loon until it was annexed by the Prince-Bishopric of Liège in ______.
  60. Complete the sentence about Genk with the correct year: In ______, André Dumont found a large quantity of coal in the nearby village of As.
  61. Complete the sentence about Hasselt with the correct year: In ______ Arnold IV, Count of Loon gave the city the same freedoms as those enjoyed in Liège.
  62. Complete the sentence about Kortrijk with the correct year: In ______ the Treaty of Kortrijk was signed, laying out the still-current borders between France and Belgium.
  63. Complete the sentence about Kortrijk with the correct year: The town gained its city charter in ______ from Philip, Count of Flanders.
  64. Complete the sentence about Roeselare with the correct year: The market hall and Saint Michael church were rebuilt in the year ______.
  65. Complete the sentence about Sint-Niklaas with the correct year: The power of Flanders at that time favoured the rapid economic development of the city, which became the administrative centre of the re…
  66. Complete the sentence about Sint-Niklaas with the correct year: By ______, Emperor Maximilian had granted the city the right to hold a weekly market.
  67. Complete the sentence about Turnhout with the correct year: The small community that developed obtained its Libertas as a "free city" from Henry I, Duke of Brabant in about ______.
  68. Complete the sentence about La Louvière with the correct year: By ______, the name of the territory had been translated into Latin, then back into French to its current name of La Louvière.
  69. Complete the sentence about La Louvière with the correct year: The lords of Saint-Vaast encouraged prospecting on their land, which led to the first extraction of coal in the year ______.
  70. Complete the sentence about Eupen with the correct year: In ______, after the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles transferred Eupen and the nearby municipality of Malmedy from Germany to Belgium…
  71. Complete the sentence about Eupen with the correct year: Nikolaus Chapel were first mentioned in ______ as part of the Duchy of Limburg.
  72. Complete the sentence about Eupen with the correct year: In ______, after the Battle of Worringen, the Duchy of Limburg was annexed by John I, Duke of Brabant.
  73. Complete the sentence about Eupen with the correct year: Brabant and Limburg were inherited by Burgundy in ______, and Eupen was burnt to the ground during the war against the Duchy of Guelders.
  74. Complete the sentence about Lier, Belgium with the correct year: The university was eventually seeded in the city of Leuven, in ______, as one of Europe's first and today most prominent universities.
  75. Complete the sentence about Lier, Belgium with the correct year: In ______, Lier was the scene of the marriage between Philip the Handsome, son of Maximilian of Austria, and Joanna of Castile.
  76. Complete the sentence about Waterloo, Belgium with the correct year: Waterloo is most famous for being the site of the Battle of Waterloo in ______, where Napoleon was defeated in the War of the Seven…
  77. Complete the sentence about Waterloo, Belgium with the correct year: Waterloo was located in the Duchy of Brabant created in ______ with Leuven as the capital city.
  78. Complete the sentence about Waterloo, Belgium with the correct year: The Duchy of Brabant extended from Luttre to 's-Hertogenbosch in ______.
  79. Complete the sentence about Bastogne with the correct year: In ______, John the Blind, his son, granted the city its charter and had it encircled by defensive walls, part of which, the current Porte d…
  80. Complete the sentence about Bastogne with the correct year: In ______, the walls successfully repelled an attack by forces of the Dutch Republic.
  81. Complete the sentence about Bastogne with the correct year: In ______, they were dismantled by order of King Louis XIV when the town was occupied by French forces during the Nine Years War.
  82. Complete the sentence about Durbuy with the correct year: Durbuy, for commercial reasons, often calls itself the world's smallest city, although Belgium's official smallest city, since ______, is Mese…
  83. Complete the sentence about Durbuy with the correct year: In ______, the town was elevated to the rank of city by John I, Count of Luxemburg, and King of Bohemia.
  84. Complete the sentence about Durbuy with the correct year: In ______ Anthonie II Schetz obtains the Seigneurie of Durbuy, by permission of Felipe IV of Spain.
  85. Complete the sentence about Bouillon, Belgium with the correct year: After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, the city was given to the Netherlands in the ______ Treaty of Paris.
  86. Complete the sentence about Chimay with the correct year: In the administrative district of Thuin, the municipality was created with a merger of 14 communes in ______.
  87. Complete the sentence about Orval Abbey with the correct year: In ______, during the Thirty Years' War, the abbey was pillaged and burnt by French mercenaries.
  88. Complete the sentence about Westvleteren Brewery with the correct year: The Saint-Sixtus Abbey was founded in ______ by Trappist monks from the abbey at Mont des Cats in France.
  89. Complete the sentence about Zeebrugge with the correct year: The harbour was the site of the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April ______, when the British Royal Navy temporarily put the German inland naval base…
  90. Complete the sentence about Knokke-Heist with the correct year: New parishes were founded and the early settlement of Sint-Anna-ter-Muiden, later made part of Westkapelle, obtained city rights in ____…
  91. Complete the sentence about Knokke-Heist with the correct year: The strategic importance of the Zwin harbour was recognized in ______, during the war between Count Guy of Dampierre and the French King…
  92. Complete the sentence about De Panne with the correct year: Famous people who have lived or died in De Panne include King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth, and John Aidan Liddell, VC, who died in De Panne…
  93. Complete the sentence about Wavre with the correct year: In ______, Duke Henry I of Brabant granted the town its city charter.
  94. Which place completes this sentence about Brussels-Capital Region? The secretariat of the Benelux and the headquarters of NATO are also located in ______.
  95. Which place completes this sentence about Brussels-Capital Region? As Belgium's economic capital and a top financial centre in Western Europe with Euronext ______, Brussels is classified as an Alpha…
  96. Which place completes this sentence about Brussels-Capital Region? The ______ Metro is the only rapid transit system in Belgium.
  97. Which place completes this sentence about German-speaking Community of Belgium? At this point, the French government, fearing for the stability of the broader postwar order, intervened with ______ and…
  98. Which place completes this sentence about Genk? Politically, Genk belonged to the County of Loon until it was annexed by the Prince-Bishopric of ______ in 1365.
  99. Which place completes this sentence about Hasselt? In 1232 Arnold IV, Count of Loon gave the city the same freedoms as those enjoyed in ______.
  100. Which place completes this sentence about Hasselt? In 1366 the county of Loon came under the direct rule of the Prince-Bishopric of ______ and remained so until the annexation by France in 1794.

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