Hoeveel provincies heeft Nederland?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (provincies)
Inburgeringsexamen · Historie
KNM Practice Questions: Geschiedenis en Geografie (Dutch History and Geography, 2026)
Geschiedenis en geografie is the KNM theme about the shape and the story of the Netherlands. The geography anchors: the Netherlands has twelve provinces, Amsterdam is the capital but the government and parliament sit in Den Haag, much of the land lies below sea level, and dikes and the Delta Works hold back the water. The history anchors: the Golden Age in the 17th century with the VOC trading company, and the Second World War from 1940 to 1945, when Germany occupied the Netherlands until the liberation in 1945.
Practice
Free practice questions
Wat is de hoofdstad van Nederland?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (hoofdstad)
In welke stad zitten de regering en het parlement?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (regering)
Wie is de koning van Nederland?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (koning)
Wat is de koning voor Nederland?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (staatshoofd)
Wanneer is Koningsdag?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (Koningsdag)
Waarom zijn dijken belangrijk in Nederland?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (dijken)
Hoe ligt veel land in Nederland?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (zeespiegel)
Wat beschermt Nederland tegen de zee?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (Deltawerken)
Wat is de Randstad?
Based on: KNM: Geschiedenis en geografie (Randstad)
A small, wet country: provinces, water and the Randstad
The geography half is a set of countable facts, and the exam asks them straight. The Netherlands has twelve provinces, such as Utrecht and Limburg. The capital is Amsterdam, but the regering and the parliament work in Den Haag: KNM tests that split in both directions, so fix it early. The country is small but many people live there, it is densely populated, and its climate is temperate and wet, with rain even in summer. Its neighbours frame the map questions: Belgium lies to the south, Germany to the east, and the Noordzee lies on the west side. Water explains the rest. A lot of Dutch land lies below sea level, which is why dikes matter: they hold back the water so the land stays dry, and the Deltawerken, the Delta Works, protect the southwest of the country against the sea. Two big rivers flow through the Netherlands, the Rijn and the Maas, and in the north lies the Waddenzee with its small islands. The busiest part of the country has a name of its own: the Randstad, the busy west, which includes Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht. The exam asks what the Randstad is, which cities belong to it, and which part of the country is busiest, three doors into the same fact.
- Twelve provinces; capital Amsterdam; government and parliament in Den Haag.
- Dikes hold back the water; the Delta Works protect the southwest.
- The Randstad is the busy west: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht.
From the Golden Age to the liberation, plus the king
The history half runs on a handful of dates. The Gouden Eeuw, the Golden Age, was in the 17th century, when the Netherlands was very rich. Its emblem is the VOC, which the exam describes from two angles: what it did, trade overseas, and what kind of company it was, a trading company that bought and sold goods in faraway countries. Then the 20th century: the Second World War in the Netherlands lasted from 1940 to 1945, Germany occupied the country, and in 1945 the Netherlands became free again, the bevrijding, the liberation. The theme also carries the royal facts that overlap with Staatsinrichting. The king of the Netherlands is Willem-Alexander van Oranje, king since 2013, and he is the staatshoofd, the head of state, while the minister-president leads the government. Koningsdag, King's Day, is on 27 April, and Liberation Day is on 5 May, a date pair the exam likes because the two spring holidays are easy to confuse. Learn the dates as a short line: 17th century, 1940 to 1945, 1945, 27 April, 5 May, and you have the backbone of the history questions.
| Question the exam asks | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many provinces does the Netherlands have? | Twelve |
| What is the capital? | Amsterdam |
| Where do the government and parliament sit? | Den Haag |
| When was the Golden Age? | The 17th century |
| When was the Second World War in the Netherlands? | From 1940 to 1945; liberation in 1945 |
| When is Koningsdag? | 27 April (Liberation Day is 5 May) |
| What protects the southwest against the sea? | The Deltawerken (Delta Works) |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of the Netherlands, and where does the government sit?
Amsterdam is the capital, but the government and the parliament work in Den Haag. This split is one of the most reliably tested facts in the theme, and the questions come from both sides: name the capital, and name the city where the regering sits.
Why are dikes so important in the Netherlands?
Because a lot of Dutch land lies below sea level. Dikes hold back the water so the land stays dry, and the Deltawerken, the Delta Works, protect the southwest of the country against the sea. Water management is the through-line of the Dutch geography questions.
What is the Randstad?
The Randstad is the busy west of the Netherlands, the most densely populated part of the country, with cities including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht. The exam asks for the definition, for a city that belongs to it, and for which part of the country is busiest.
What was the VOC?
The VOC was a large trading company: it traded overseas, buying and selling goods in faraway countries. It belongs to the Gouden Eeuw, the Golden Age of the 17th century, when the Netherlands was very rich. Expect the exam to ask either what the VOC did or what kind of company it was.
When was the Netherlands occupied and liberated in the Second World War?
The Second World War in the Netherlands lasted from 1940 to 1945. Germany occupied the country, and in 1945 the Netherlands became free again, which is called the liberation (bevrijding). Liberation Day is celebrated on 5 May.
Who is the king of the Netherlands?
Willem-Alexander van Oranje, king since 2013. He is the head of state (staatshoofd), while the minister-president leads the government, a division that returns in the Staatsinrichting theme. King's Day, Koningsdag, is celebrated on 27 April.