KNM history and geography: the facts the exam asks about

History and geography is one of the eight themes of the KNM exam. The questions are about the map of the Netherlands, life with water, and important moments in Dutch history. Here are the key facts, with real practice questions from Kora.

By the Kora team: Alex, Mariel and Abena, who did inburgering themselves. Written with help from AI. Every fact is checked against the official source. How we write our guides

Sources checked on 8 November 2026 (list at the bottom of this page). Kora is independent and not connected to DUO, CvTE or the IND. Plain text version to copy (.md)

What the KNM exam asks about history and geography

These questions are more often plain facts than situations: a year, a date, a place. The wrong answers are usually close, such as the right month with the wrong day.

Since 1 July 2025 the exam standards ask more about the Holocaust. You should know what the Holocaust was, that many Dutch Jews were killed, and that antisemitism and discrimination are forbidden.

Geography

Amsterdam is the capital. The government and parliament sit in The Hague (Den Haag). Rotterdam has the big port.
The Netherlands has 12 provinces, such as Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, Groningen and Limburg. Maastricht is in Limburg, in the south.
The Netherlands shares a land border with two countries: Germany in the east and Belgium in the south. In the west is the North Sea.
The Randstad is the busy west, with Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.
A large part of the country is below sea level. Dikes and polders keep the land dry. The waterschap (water board) looks after dikes and water, and you can vote for it.

History

Willem van Oranje led the fight for independence. The colour orange and the royal house come from him.
From 1940 to 1945 Germany occupied the Netherlands in World War II. Many Dutch Jews were killed in the Holocaust.
4 May: Dodenherdenking. The country remembers the victims of war, with two minutes of silence at 20:00.
5 May: Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day). The Netherlands celebrates that it became free in 1945.
Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies) was a Dutch colony for a long time. Suriname and the Antilles also have a colonial history with the Netherlands.
After the flood of 1953, the Netherlands built the Delta Works: dams and dikes that protect the south-west against the sea.
In 2001 the Netherlands was the first country in the world where people of the same sex could marry.
27 April is Koningsdag (King's Day), the birthday of King Willem-Alexander.

Practice questions from Kora

These are real questions from Kora's KNM practice, in Dutch like the exam. In the app, each fact comes back in new words, so you learn the fact and not the sentence.

1. Wat is de hoofdstad van Nederland?
Answer: Amsterdam.
Why: Amsterdam is the capital. The Hague is where the government sits.
2. Tijdens de les vraagt de docent hoeveel provincies Nederland heeft. Wat is het juiste antwoord?
Answer: Nederland heeft 12 provincies.
Why: The Netherlands has exactly 12 provinces.
3. Met welke twee landen deelt Nederland een landgrens?
Answer: Duitsland en België.
Why: Germany in the east, Belgium in the south. Luxembourg does not border the Netherlands.
4. Nederland wordt soms een waterland genoemd. Waarom zijn er zo veel dijken en polders?
Answer: Omdat een groot deel van het land onder de zeespiegel ligt en beschermd moet worden.
Why: Much of the land is below sea level, so dikes and polders protect it.
5. Na een grote overstroming in 1953 bouwde Nederland iets belangrijks. Wat was dat?
Answer: De Deltawerken, om het land tegen het water van de zee te beschermen.
Why: After the 1953 flood came the Delta Works. The Afsluitdijk is older (1932).
6. In welke jaren was Nederland bezet tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog?
Answer: 1940 tot 1945.
Why: The occupation lasted from May 1940 to 1945.
7. Wat wordt er herdacht op 4 mei?
Answer: De slachtoffers van oorlogen, met twee minuten stilte.
Why: 4 May is for remembering the victims. 5 May is for celebrating freedom.
8. Welk land was vroeger een kolonie van Nederland?
Answer: Indonesië.
Why: Indonesia was a Dutch colony. India was British.

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Questions people ask

What is the difference between 4 May and 5 May?

On 4 May (Dodenherdenking) the Netherlands remembers the victims of war, with two minutes of silence at 20:00. On 5 May (Bevrijdingsdag) the country celebrates its freedom since 1945.

Is Amsterdam or The Hague the capital?

Amsterdam is the capital. The government and the parliament sit in The Hague. This is a classic KNM trap.

Does the KNM exam ask about the Holocaust?

Yes, since the new exam standards of 1 July 2025. The exam checks that you know what the Holocaust was, that many Dutch Jews were killed, and that antisemitism and discrimination are forbidden.

Practice history and geography in your own language

Kora explains every KNM answer in your own language, and asks each fact again in new words. 7 days free, no card needed. It is practice, not a promise: nobody can tell you in advance that you will pass.

Practice all history and geography questions

Sources

Sources checked on 8 November 2026. The facts on this page come from these official pages and from Kora's own checked KNM questions. Rules change: if something here differs from an official page, the official page is right. This is general information, not legal advice.

Kora is independent, not DUO. It is not connected to DUO, CvTE or the IND, and it cannot book exams for you.