1.
Which Australian city was purpose-built as a compromise capital between rivals Sydney and Melbourne?
AnswerCanberra
NoteCanberra was designed by American architect Walter Burley Griffin after an international competition.
Host sheet Geography QuizQuestions with the answers Round 1 World Capitals2. Which South American capital sits at about 2,850 meters in the Andes and lies closer to the equator than any other capital city in the world? AnswerQuito NoteQuito's historic center was one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites, designated in 1978. 3. Which city, chosen by Queen Victoria as a compromise location, serves as the capital of Canada?  AnswerOttawa NoteOttawa was picked partly because it sat safely away from the US border. 4. Which Kazakh city, briefly renamed after former president Nazarbayev, is known for its futuristic architecture on the steppe?  AnswerAstana NoteThe city's name reverted to Astana in 2022 after public backlash over the earlier renaming. 5. Which city replaced Lagos as Nigeria's capital in 1991 due to its more central location?  AnswerAbuja NoteAbuja was chosen partly for being ethnically and religiously neutral ground within Nigeria. 6. Which Swiss city, home to bear pits and a medieval old town, serves as the de facto capital of Switzerland?  AnswerBern NoteBern is technically the 'federal city' rather than an officially designated capital. 7. Which country's capital, Reykjavik, is the northernmost capital of a sovereign state in the world?  AnswerIceland NoteReykjavik means 'smoky bay,' named for the steam rising from nearby geothermal vents. 8. Which South African city serves as the executive capital, home to the president and foreign embassies, while Cape Town holds parliament?  AnswerPretoria NotePretoria is famous for its jacaranda trees that turn the city purple every spring. 9. Which independent city-state, entirely enclosed within Rome, is the smallest country in the world and its own capital?  AnswerVatican City NoteVatican City has its own postal service, radio station, and even its own army, the Swiss Guard. 10. Which Mongolian capital is famously the coldest national capital city in the world by average temperature?  AnswerUlaanbaatar NoteUlaanbaatar's winter temperatures regularly plunge below minus 20 degrees Celsius. Round 2 Rivers And Mountains Of The World11. Which river, the traditional contender for world's longest river, flows north through Egypt into the Mediterranean?  AnswerNile River NoteThe Nile flows northward, which surprised early European explorers used to south-flowing rivers. 12. Which snow-capped peak, Africa's highest mountain, rises as a solitary volcano in Tanzania?  AnswerMount Kilimanjaro 13. Which South American river carries the greatest volume of water of any river on Earth? AnswerAmazon River 14. Which mountain on the Nepal-Tibet border is the highest point above sea level on Earth? AnswerMount Everest 15. Which river, Asia's longest, flows through the Three Gorges Dam before reaching Shanghai?  AnswerYangtze River 16. Which river flows through more countries than any other in the world, passing Vienna, Budapest, and Belgrade?  AnswerDanube River 17. Which Alaskan mountain, formerly known as Mount McKinley, is the tallest peak in North America?  AnswerDenali 18. Which major U.S. river, immortalized by Mark Twain, flows from Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans?  AnswerMississippi River 19. Which river, revered as a goddess by Hindus, flows from the Himalayas through Varanasi to the Bay of Bengal?  AnswerGanges River 20. Which Argentine mountain, part of the Andes, stands as the highest peak in both the Southern and Western Hemispheres?  AnswerAconcagua Round 3 Islands Of The World21. Which massive island off the southeast coast of Africa is famous for lemurs found nowhere else on Earth?  AnswerMadagascar NoteAbout 90% of Madagascar's wildlife exists nowhere else on Earth. 22. Which island, an autonomous territory of Denmark, is the largest island in the world that is not a continent?  AnswerGreenland 23. Which crescent-shaped Greek island in the Aegean was formed by a massive Bronze Age volcanic eruption?  AnswerSantorini 24. Which remote Pacific island, a territory of Chile, is famous for its giant stone head statues called moai?  AnswerEaster Island 25. Which spice-trading island archipelago off the coast of mainland Tanzania is famous for cloves and Stone Town?  AnswerZanzibar 26. Which giant island, divided among Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, is home to orangutans in its dense rainforests? AnswerBorneo 27. Which small island in New York Harbor served as the main U.S. immigration inspection station from 1892 to 1954?  AnswerEllis Island 28. Which small island in San Francisco Bay once housed a notorious federal prison that held Al Capone?  AnswerAlcatraz Island 29. Which French Polynesian island, ringed by a turquoise lagoon and coral reef, is renowned for its overwater bungalow resorts? AnswerBora Bora Round 4 Countries And Their Neighbours30. Switzerland shares borders with five countries, including Italy and France — can you name the German-speaking giant to its north?  AnswerGermany NoteSwitzerland's five neighbours are Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein. 31. Mongolia is famously landlocked between only two countries — Russia and which other giant nation?  AnswerChina 32. Panama borders Costa Rica to the west and which South American country to the east? AnswerColombia 33. Brazil shares a border with every South American country except two — Ecuador and which other Andean nation? AnswerChile 34. Which African kingdom is completely surrounded by a single country, South Africa, making it a true enclave? AnswerLesotho 35. North Korea shares a short border with Russia and a long one with China, but which country lies directly to its south across the DMZ? AnswerSouth Korea 36. Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked country, shares its longest border with which northern neighbour? AnswerRussia 37. Landlocked Chad borders six countries in the Sahel region, including Libya to the north and which oil-rich giant to the southwest, across Lake Chad? AnswerNigeria NoteChad actually borders Nigeria only briefly near Lake Chad, alongside five other neighbours. 38. Portugal's only land neighbour, wrapping around it on the north and east, is which country? AnswerSpain 39. Which southern African nation borders Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south?  AnswerNamibia 40. Which Southeast Asian country shares borders with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China, making it the only landlocked country in the region?  AnswerLaos |