# Who else \*doesn't\* know what the Benelux countries are? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833 "2003-09-10T20:18:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/1 "2003-09-10T20:18:28Z")
I think of myself as an smart fellow. I’m a college grad, I went to a private high school that was fairly demanding and did, well, better than average. The Jaywalking questions Leno asks are usually easy enough for me. Those news items about how stupid the average American is aren’t describing _me_. I was reading about a local band on [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com), **My Morning Jacket** , who are on the cusp of greatness, and they were described as very big in the Benelux countries. History and geography were never my strong points, especially the non US variety, but I know the high points. This one was totally lost on me. Of course, it would be difficult for me to pick out These countries on a map. Once I get beyond Egland, France, Spain and Portugal, Europe is a little hazy. Oh, and Italy, of course. I would imagine that you European Dopers are well aware of this term, I’m just curious how many of you “stupid Americans” are as clueless as I was? I’m probably the only one. The [answer](http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entries/72/b0187200.html), according to Yahoo! Reference is Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/2 "2003-09-10T20:29:13Z")
I understand this is in IMHO rather than General Questions… nonetheless, I’ll add to this thread that Benelux refers to Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg (hence the name). I guess I knew because I’m a French major who’s studied several francophone countries around the world. Belgium happens to be one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/3 "2003-09-10T20:29:38Z")
Wooo! I actually knew that one! (only because I had to do a report on the region in 7th grade geography class–don’t feel bad, mkay?) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/4 "2003-09-10T20:30:34Z")
Goodness - the answer is in the name, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/5 "2003-09-10T20:31:51Z")
I just learnt what they were Monday while reading my Associated Press stylebook for my media writing class. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the term before. I’m an American, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/6 "2003-09-10T20:32:12Z")
For some reason, the term “Benelux” was thrown around some when I was taking World History (which went up to the late 1960s) and other social-studies classes in high school. I learned it there. [shrug] Guess I was lucky. ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/7 "2003-09-10T20:32:23Z")
WOW! The answer was right there in the original post and I didn’t even see it! Fighting ignorance indeed!!! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/8 "2003-09-10T20:33:34Z")
Shit. You mean it ain’t Berma, New Zeeland, and Luxury Yacht? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/9 "2003-09-10T20:48:02Z")
How this came in handy recently: “Am I thinking of Luxembourg or Lichtenstein? Oh must be Luxembourg, since it’s Benelux so it must be close to Belgium.” Not exactly common though. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/10 "2003-09-10T20:52:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mandielise \* > \*\*I understand this is in IMHO rather than General Questions… nonetheless, I’ll add to this thread that Benelux refers to Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg (hence the name). > > I guess I knew because I’m a French major who’s studied several francophone countries around the world. Belgium happens to be one of them. \*\* So Holland is the capital of the state of Netherlands, which is in the country of Dutch, right? Only about half of Belgium speaks French. About an equal number speak Dutch, and there is a smattering of other languages, as well. I’m not sure it would be classified as a francophone country. [cite](http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Belgium) ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/11 "2003-09-10T20:58:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chefguy \* > \*\*So Holland is the capital of the state of Netherlands, which is in the country of Dutch, right? > \*\* No, no, no. Holland _borders_ The Netherlands. They’re neighbors. I actually didn’t know what the Benelux countries were, but by the time I opened the thread, I was able to take an educated guess as to what they might be, and hot damn, I was right. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/12 "2003-09-10T21:01:01Z")
Is seven replies in five minutes a record? And thanks **Dinsdale** , I really didn’t realize the origin of “Benelux”! That’s another doh! ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/13 "2003-09-10T21:04:41Z")
OK, **Casey1505** , Mapquest doesn’t list any Holland. I see Belgium, I see France, I see, um, skip the joke, I see The Netherlands. Don’t see any Holland. Can I have a link to a map that shows me “Holland”? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/14 "2003-09-10T21:15:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DaddyTimesTwo \* > \*\*OK, **Casey1505** , Mapquest doesn’t list any Holland. I see Belgium, I see France, I see, um, skip the joke, I see The Netherlands. Don’t see any Holland. Can I have a link to a map that shows me “Holland”? \*\* Netherlands=Holland; same country [Link](http://www.allexperts.com/previousqv.asp?QuestionID=3101384) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/15 "2003-09-10T21:20:07Z")
Someone’s being whooshed here. Anyway, here’s your [map]([http://flagspot.net/flags/nl(.html)](http://flagspot.net/flags/nl(.html)). ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/16 "2003-09-10T21:49:19Z")
I had a picture book about the countries in Europe, in which Benelux was mentioned. Until now, though, I’d never heard it anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/17 "2003-09-10T21:52:54Z")
I have never heard the term Benelux, but I know where Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg are. I didn’t know they got their own special group nomenclature, though. Lucky bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/18 "2003-09-10T22:15:49Z")
I knew that because it was used in an ancient computer game called _Clash of Steel_. It struck me as funny at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/19 "2003-09-10T22:20:53Z")
I thought Benelux was a vacuum cleaner. It should be. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833/20 "2003-09-10T22:32:05Z")
I’ve always loved history and geography and this is the first I’ve ever heard of this term. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-doesnt-know-what-the-benelux-countries-are/200833.md?page=2)