the Low Countries

1. Collective name for The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, so called because much of their land surface is at or below sea level. These countries have often been culturally and historically united, and, bordered by the most powerful nations in Europe, they have been a major battleground in European wars for centuries.

Example Sentences

Whilst it is thought a warming climate has played a role in its spread, modelling from a 2008 Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterflies showed that even under the most extreme warming scenarios the species was not expected in the Low Countries until after 2050.

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"Once the Netherlands fell, there were concerns about ports in the low countries, such as Antwerp, being used as the base for an invasion," he said.

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The most fervent attacks happened in the Netherlands in 1566, where many of the iconoclasts saw their acts as symbolizing their rebellion against the Hapsburgs, the Catholic Spanish dynasty that then controlled parts of the Low Countries.

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The ill-fated plan, which aimed to sweep around heavy German defenses by cutting through the Low Countries, required Allied airborne forces to seize key bridges behind enemy lines and hold them until armor could advance.

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Last year, he used that same race-craft to win the prestigious Belgian one-day classic De Brabantse Pijl, where usually only the toughest riders from the low countries triumph.

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