Belgium trivia: 47 questions and answers

Brussels. Brussels is the capital. It is officially bilingual, French and Dutch, and is also home to the main institutions of the European Union.

Dutch, French and German. Dutch, French and German are the three official languages: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia and a small German-speaking area in the east.

Signal de Botrange. Signal de Botrange, 694 m, on the High Fens plateau near the German border, is the highest point in Belgium. The others are in France and Italy, Germany and Scotland.

False. False. Belgium's land neighbours are the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France.

Waterloo. Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, about 15 km south of Brussels, on 18 June 1815.

The Battle of the Golden Spurs. The Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302 was a surprise victory of Flemish militias over mounted French knights.

True. True. Leopold of Saxe-Coburg took the oath on 21 July 1831, and the date is now the National Day.

False. False. Charles V was born in Ghent on 24 February 1500.

False. False. The Belgian Congo became independent in 1960, and Rwanda and Burundi followed two years later.

1993. The reform of 1993 completed the change from a unitary state and made Belgium a federal state of communities and regions.

Mussels with fries. Mussels with fries, moules-frites, is often called Belgium's national dish. The fries come in a separate bowl so that they stay crisp.

Ghent. Waterzooi comes from Ghent, and its full name is Gentse waterzooi. It was first made with river fish.

Pearl sugar. Pearl sugar is mixed into the yeast dough and caramelises in the hot iron.

True. True. Mayonnaise is the traditional sauce, though fry shacks often offer more than a dozen others.

False. False. Belgian endive is grown in the dark from a stored chicory root, which keeps its leaves pale and closed.

Little nose. 'Neuzeke' means little nose, because of the sweet's cone shape. The cuberdon comes from Ghent.

Five. Five: Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Orval and Rochefort. Achel lost the label in 2021, when its last monks left the abbey.

Beer. Carbonade flamande is stewed in beer, often a dark Flemish ale, with onions and a slice of bread spread with mustard.

Namur. Namur, where the Sambre flows into the Meuse, is the capital of Wallonia.

Leuven. Leuven's university was founded in 1425. The town lies about 25 km east of Brussels.

The 1958 World's Fair. The Atomium was built as the centrepiece of the 1958 World's Fair, Expo 58, in Brussels.

An iron crystal. The Atomium shows an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

True. True. The Grand-Place has been on the World Heritage List since 1998.

Buglers play the Last Post. Buglers play the Last Post every evening at 8 pm in memory of the soldiers who died near Ypres, a ceremony first held in 1928 and daily since 1929.

Printing presses. The museum, once the home and works of the printer Christophe Plantin, holds the two oldest surviving printing presses in the world.

True. True. The 43-metre mound was completed in 1826 on the battlefield where Napoleon was defeated in 1815.

False. False. The Gravensteen was built in 1180 by Count Philip of Alsace and restored around 1900.

The saxophone. Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone in 1846. His birthplace in Dinant is now a museum.

Tintin. Hergé, whose real name was Georges Remi, created Tintin in 1929. The adventures fill 24 albums.

True. True. Lemaître published the idea in 1927 and later proposed the 'primeval atom', the idea that became known as the Big Bang theory.

About 1,000. Manneken Pis has a wardrobe of about 1,000 costumes, kept in a small museum near the statue.

True. True. Jean Neuhaus created the first filled pralines in 1912 in his shop in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert.

Atlas. Mercator was the first to call a collection of maps an 'atlas'. He also made the famous world map of 1569.

541 days. It took 541 days, from the election of 13 June 2010 to 6 December 2011. In the meantime the outgoing government kept the country running.

Septante. Belgians say 'septante' for 70 and 'nonante' for 90. Quatre-vingts means 80 and cinquante means 50.

True. True. Voting in national elections is compulsory, so Belgium has one of the highest election turnouts in the world.

Dank u wel. 'Dank u wel' means thank you very much. 'Alstublieft' means please, 'pardon' excuse me and 'vandaag' today.

Train. 'Trein' means train. Bread is 'brood', cheese is 'kaas' and left is 'links'.

False. False. 'Duur' means expensive. Cheap is 'goedkoop'.

Bonjour. 'Bonjour' is the greeting during the day. 'Bonne nuit' is good night, 'au revoir' goodbye and 'santé' cheers.

L'addition, s'il vous plaît. 'L'addition, s'il vous plaît' means the bill, please.

True. True. 'Santé' means health, and it is the usual toast, like 'cheers'.

112. 112 is the emergency number across the European Union, and in Belgium operators can help in English.

Traffic coming from the right. Traffic coming from the right has priority unless signs or road markings say otherwise.

True. True. Service is normally included, so a tip is optional, a small thank-you when you were happy.

False. False. Belgians drive on the right.

Dutch. Dutch is the language of Flanders. French is spoken in Wallonia, and German in a small area in the east.