Where is Waterloo?

My curiosity in Geography started when I collected stamps.  Exotic sounding places, colourful themes and strange currencies sparked my young imagination and I would seek out the countries on my globe and in my atlas, finding out their capital cities and population.  My Geography teachers inspired an interest in the physical and social side of the science and so my love of travelling was a natural progression. 

However in the last few weeks I have wondered where our general geography, names and where they fit on the map, comes from.

The place names that I have recognised on road signs, as we sweep through the E, A and V roads of Europe, can be split into a few categories.

Northern France and Belgium fall broadly into ones that have cropped up on The History Channel, Band of Brothers or a programme featuring Dan and Jon Snow.  i.e.  major battles in the 19^th or 20^th Century.

Central France place names are grape based, particular along the Rhone, or cheese based.

Southern France names are only recognisable if they have a rugby team which play in the Heineken Cup, have an English rugby player in their ranks or featured in a French language text book circa 1985.

And the Spanish coast if they offered daft price holidays in the ‘90s or grow vegetables and fruit.

So I have recognised these place names but now, a big difference, I know where they are!