50 Fun Facts About Western Europe

Which country, where the Grimaldi family first took power in 1297, is the second-smallest in the world?

Monaco squeezes into about two square kilometres of the French Riviera, which also makes it the most densely populated country on Earth.

Which Scottish lake on the Great Glen holds more water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined?

Loch Ness is only the second-largest Scottish loch by surface area, behind Loch Lomond, but it plunges to about 230 metres, deep enough to hold far more water.

Which country seats its government in The Hague and has about a quarter of its land below sea level?

The Netherlands still names Amsterdam as its capital, and most of its low ground is polder land reclaimed from the water since the 14th century.

Which peak on the border of France and Italy is Europe's highest mountain outside the Caucasus?

Mont Blanc was first climbed in 1786 by Jacques Balmat and the doctor Michel-Gabriel Paccard, and France and Italy still dispute who owns the summit.

Which warm ocean current, flowing north past Florida, keeps the winters of northwest Europe unusually mild?

The Gulf Stream feeds the North Atlantic Current, which carries warm water northeast and leaves western Europe milder than other places at the same latitude.

Which country, split between Flanders in the north and Wallonia in the south, has Brussels as its capital?

Belgium also has a small German-speaking community in the east, and its capital doubles as the headquarters of NATO and the de facto capital of the European Union.

Which arm of the Atlantic, called La Manche or the sleeve by the French, is the world's busiest seaway?

The English Channel narrows to just 34 km at the Strait of Dover, and more than 500 ships pass through it every day.

Which country, wedged between Switzerland and Austria, is one of only two doubly landlocked nations on Earth?

Liechtenstein, whose capital is Vaduz, is surrounded entirely by landlocked neighbours, a quirk it shares only with Uzbekistan.

Which capital of Portugal lost most of its buildings to a devastating earthquake in 1755?

Lisbon was rebuilt to a grid plan under the Marquis of Pombal, and Cabo da Roca just to its west is the westernmost point of the European mainland.

Which mountain range, with tiny Andorra tucked among its peaks, forms the border between France and Spain?

The Pyrenees peak at Aneto, at just over 3,400 metres, while Andorra within them is ruled by two co-princes: a Spanish bishop and the president of France.

Which city, said in legend to be named after a bear, serves as the capital of Switzerland?

Bern was chosen as the seat of government in 1848, ahead of Zurich and Lucerne, and Switzerland still calls it the federal city rather than a capital.

Which capital of Austria was the seat of the Habsburg emperors and home to Mozart and Haydn?

Vienna drew so many composers, among them Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler, that Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven are known together as the First Viennese School.

Which capital of Ireland, at the mouth of the River Liffey, is home to the Guinness brewery founded in 1759?

Dublin took its name from a dark tidal pool behind Dublin Castle, and the brewery went on to become the largest in the world.

Which capital of Spain stands about 650 metres above sea level on the River Manzanares?

Madrid is usually ranked the second-highest capital in Europe, behind only Andorra la Vella, and it lies in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula.

Which capital of Germany, built along the River Spree, is about one-third forests, parks, rivers and lakes?

Berlin grew from two medieval merchant settlements on the Spree, Berlin and Cölln, and is the most populous city proper in the European Union.

Which capital of Scotland grew up around a castle built on the plug of an extinct volcano?

Edinburgh has been nicknamed the Athens of the North since the early 19th century, and its Fringe is the world's largest annual international arts festival.

Which city, once a leading port for coal exports, was proclaimed the capital of Wales only in 1955?

Cardiff was a small town until the early 19th century, then boomed by shipping coal from the Rhondda and neighbouring valleys.

Which capital of Northern Ireland was home to the shipyard that built the RMS Titanic?

Belfast's Harland & Wolff yard launched the liner in 1911, and the city had earlier been the world's largest centre of linen manufacture.

Which landlocked country between France and Germany is the world's only remaining sovereign grand duchy?

Luxembourg is headed by a grand duke rather than a king, and its people speak Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, alongside French and German.

Which small city, the birthplace of Beethoven, served as the capital of West Germany until reunification?

Bonn was chosen in 1949 and kept the seat of government until 1999, nine years after the two Germanys reunited.

Which river, the longest in Germany, flows north from Basel past Cologne on its way to the sea?

The Rhine begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, runs about 1,230 km, and marks much of the border between France and Germany.

Which river rises near Dijon and winds through Paris before reaching the sea at Le Havre?

The Seine's spring, in a village northwest of Dijon, has been owned by the city of Paris since 1864.

Which river, sometimes called the Isis as it passes Oxford, flows on through London to the sea?

The Thames, at 215 miles, is the longest river entirely in England, and it stays tidal as far upstream as Teddington Lock.

Which river rises in southwest Germany and touches ten countries before reaching the sea in Romania?

The Danube is Europe's second-longest river after the Volga, and it flows through Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade on the way.

Which river, the longest in France, flows through a valley famous for its hundreds of Renaissance châteaux?

The Loire runs north to Orléans and then west through Tours and Nantes, and its valley is nicknamed the Garden of France.

Which river, reaching the Atlantic through an estuary below Limerick, is the longest in the British Isles?

The Shannon runs 360 km from the Shannon Pot in County Cavan, and Irish myth names it after Sionann, who drowned when a well burst forth.

Which river begins at a Swiss glacier, passes Lyon and enters the Mediterranean at the Camargue delta?

The Rhône splits into two arms at Arles to form its delta, and for centuries it was the main trade route between inland France and the Mediterranean ports.

Which river, the longest on the Iberian Peninsula, flows west past Toledo to reach the Atlantic in Portugal?

The Tagus runs just over 1,000 km and changes its name on the way, from the Tajo in Spain to the Tejo once it crosses the border.

Which river rises in the Czech Republic and flows past Dresden and Hamburg to the sea at Cuxhaven?

The Elbe crosses Bohemia before entering Germany, where part of its course once ran along the western border of East Germany.

Which river, rising on the slopes of Plynlimon in mid Wales, is the longest in Great Britain?

The Severn runs 220 miles and is known for its tidal bore, a wave that forms in its lower reaches and travels upstream.

Which mountain range arcs about 1,200 km across eight countries, from France in the west to Slovenia?

The Alps rose over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian plates collided, and Austria holds the largest share of the range.

Which pyramid-shaped peak above Zermatt in Switzerland was first climbed by Edward Whymper's party in 1865?

The Matterhorn's first ascent ended in disaster: a sudden fall on the way down killed four of the seven climbers.

Which mountain near Fort William in Scotland is the highest point in the British Isles?

Ben Nevis rises 1,345 metres, and the ruined observatory on its summit was staffed continuously from 1883 to 1904.

Which peak near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, crossed by the border with Austria, is the highest mountain in Germany?

The Zugspitze stands 2,962 metres tall, carries two of Germany's largest glaciers on its flanks, and can be reached by three cable cars.

Which shallow sea between Great Britain and Norway has been drilled for oil and gas since the 1960s?

The North Sea averages only about 90 metres deep, and at the height of the ice ages its floor was almost completely dry land, now known as Doggerland.

Which stormy stretch of the Atlantic lies between the west coast of France and the north coast of Spain?

The Bay of Biscay is called the Gulf of Gascony in France, and its shallow continental shelf whips up some of the fiercest weather in the Atlantic.

Which territory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula did Spain cede to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht?

Gibraltar is dominated by its Rock, home to a colony of Barbary macaques, the famous 'apes' that are actually monkeys.

Which crescent-shaped body of water, known in French as Le Léman, is shared between Switzerland and France?

Lake Geneva is the largest body of water in Switzerland, and its French name goes back to the Lacus Lemannus of Julius Caesar's day.

Which body of water, called the Bodensee in German, lies where Germany, Switzerland and Austria meet?

Lake Constance has no agreed borders across its waters: Germany, Switzerland and Austria each hold a different view of where the lines run.

Which wooded mountain range in southwest Germany is the traditional home of the cuckoo clock?

The Black Forest rises to 1,493 metres at the Feldberg, and its farmers once carved the clocks in winter to supplement their income.

Which Mediterranean island, annexed by France in 1769, was the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte?

Corsica was ruled by Genoa for centuries before France took it over, and a single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island.

Which peninsula in northwest France is counted among the six Celtic nations and has its own Celtic language?

Brittany is dotted with prehistoric megaliths such as the Carnac stones, and the word menhir comes from the Breton for long stone.

Which stretch of the County Antrim coast is made up of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns?

The Giant's Causeway dates from intense volcanic activity some 50 to 60 million years ago, and UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1986.

Which city, its centre rebuilt after German bombing in May 1940, is home to Europe's largest seaport?

Rotterdam lost almost its whole centre in the raid, which is why its skyline is now a showcase of modern towers by architects such as Rem Koolhaas.

Which language of northern Spain and southwestern France is unrelated to any other living language?

Basque is thought to be the last survivor of the languages spoken in Europe before the Indo-European tongues arrived, and its speakers call it Euskara.

Which highland region of mountains, plateaus and old volcanoes covers about 15% of mainland France?

The Massif Central was long a barrier to travel within France, and its Chaîne des Puys volcanoes last erupted only about 6,000 years ago.

Which strong, cold wind blows from the northwest across Provence and out into the Mediterranean?

The Mistral usually brings cloudless skies and luminous sunshine, which gives it a reputation for making the sky over Provence especially clear.

Which lake in Northern Ireland, touched by five of its six counties, is the largest in the British Isles?

Lough Neagh covers roughly 150 square miles and supports an eel fishery whose catch was granted protected status under European Union law.

Which city in Alsace, facing Germany across the river, is the official seat of the European Parliament?

Strasbourg has hosted European institutions since 1949, starting with the Council of Europe, and its island centre, the Grande Île, is a World Heritage Site.

Which archipelago between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway is the northernmost part of the United Kingdom?

Shetland was pledged to Scotland by a Scandinavian king in 1469 as security for a dowry, and its Up Helly Aa fire festivals still celebrate its Norse heritage.