Discover the World Quiz

WORLD

By: Jonnathan Chadwick

6 Min Quiz

Image: adamkaz/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

The world has a lot to offer. It's been spinning and orbiting for billions of years and has experienced almost everything under the sun. The planet froze over and thawed out and got bombarded by comets and froze over and thawed out again. Humans went from farming wheat to building roads to powering trains to Googling Amazon. Empires rose and fell. Religion spread. Science spread. Culture spread. People spread. Boundaries were drawn and countries were made. Capitals were designated. Wars were won. Wars were lost. And the world is filled with mountains, valleys, lakes, landmarks, celebrations and monuments to remind us of it all.

There are about 200 countries and countless cities in the world. They're filled with billions of people speaking thousands of languages, worshiping thousands of religions, eating endless foods and inventing infinite things. Every day is a holiday somewhere. Every country has a famous city and every city has a famous landmark. Every area has a unique geography and every region has unique food. 

Do you know about the capitals, cities, countries, currencies, religions, foods and languages that run the world? Do you know the most extreme landmarks and most famous monuments around the globe? Go around the world in 35 questions and discover the globe with this quiz.

Italy is the birthplace of pizza. Virginia is the birthplace of George Washington. Where is the birthplace of democracy?

Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world and is home to some of the globe's most historic landmarks like the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Democracy was birthed in the fifth century BC. The word "democracy" translates to "people power."

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Intended to stand only for 20 years, where is the Eiffel Tower?

Paris is filled with some of the most famous landmarks in the world, including this iron tower built by Gustave Eiffel. The tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair but has since become an international symbol of France.

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The largest country in the world has less than half the population of the United States. Do you know it?

Russia covers more than 6.6 million square miles of Earth, which is more than 10% of the planet's total land mass. Much of the country is barren and just 145 million people call the country home. China covers 3.7 million square miles and is home to 1.4 billion people.

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Whether it's in or out of the European Union, what's the official currency of the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom was part of the European Union for nearly 50 years but it never adopted the Euro. London is one of the most integrated cities in the world, so you'll find places that accept Euros, but the pound is the official currency of the country.

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More than seven tons of fireworks ring in the new year in which of these cities that's one of the first to celebrate?

Sydney isn't the first city to ring in the new year, but it's one of the first and certainly the most popular. Sydney celebrates New Year's Day two hours before Tokyo, eight hours before Moscow, 11 hours before London and 16 hours before New York City.

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The world's most populous metro is located in "The Land of the Rising Sun." Where is that?

The sun rises in New Zealand and Australia before it does in Japan, but Japan earned the nickname centuries ago. The nickname comes from China, and from China's perspective, Japan is the land of the rising sun.

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What country is known for the dish of french fries, gravy and cheese curds known as poutine?

Poutine originated in Quebec and is one of the most famous dishes in Canada. It's commonly recognized as the country's national dish and was created in the 1950s. Basic poutine consists of french fries and cheese curds covered in gravy.

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Four of the five most populous countries in the world are located on what continent, also the world's largest?

Asia is the largest continent by far, covering more than 17 million square miles of Earth. Asia is also the most populous continent, with a population of about 4.5 billion people. China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan are four of the most populous counties in the world.

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Hungary's capital is made up of two distinct regions separated by the Danube River. What's the capital of Hungary?

Budapest is known as the "Pearl of the Danube" and the river splits the city in half. On one side of the river is the hilly region of Buda, and on the other side is the flat region of Pest. The Hungarian Parliament sits along the Danube River.

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Thousands of brave souls travel to what country to run with the bulls every year?

The weeklong festival of San Fermin takes place in Pamplona, Spain and is one of the world's most famous festivals. Hundreds of people run with the bulls every morning during the festival. It takes about three minutes to run the bulls to the bullring, where they later take part in bullfights.

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There are about 35,000 cities in America. Which one is known as "Sin City"?

Las Vegas is the adult Disneyland of America, and a significant percentage of the American population has or will visit Vegas once in their lifetime. Nearly 50 million people visit Vegas and spend billions and billions of dollars every year.

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Machu Picchu is perched atop Sacred Valley in what country?

Machu Picchu is perched above the Sacred Valley in southern Peru. The system of temples consists of more than 200 buildings that date all the way back to the 15th century. It became a world heritage site in 1983 and part of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

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All the land on Earth can fit inside the world's largest ocean. What is it?

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in terms of surface size, volume and depth. Its surface size is larger than all the land on Earth combined, and it holds 50% of all ocean water in the world. It's also home to the Challenger Deep, which is the deepest known point on Earth.

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Italy's capital is known as the "Eternal City." What's the capital of Italy?

Rome is one of the world's most historic cities and remnants of the Roman Empire are present all over the city. There's more than 2,000 fountains in the city. The city's most famous fountain is probably the Trevi fountain. Visitors throw more than $1 million into it each year.

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More than 2 million people celebrate Carnival in what South American city every year?

Brazil's Carnival celebration attracts more than 2 million people who party in the streets for days. It's considered one of the world's biggest parties and is celebrated all across the country. The festival is celebrated all over the world, but Brazil's celebration is the biggest.

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What city is known as the "City of a Hundred Spires"?

A 19th century mathematician attempted to count Prague's spires by eye and came up with this nickname. The official number of spires in Prague hovers around 500 and the city is known for its architecture.

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Michelangelo said painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was torture. Where's the Sistine Chapel?

Vatican City sits within Rome's city limits, but it's its own country and is simply bordered by Italy. The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and a multitude of historic landmarks are located in Vatican City. Michelangelo said painting the ceiling was an extremely uncomfortable experience.

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One third of all the land on Earth is desert land. Do you know the world's biggest desert?

Antarctica is a polar desert and it's the largest desert in the world by far. It's also a continent and it's almost completely covered in permanent ice. Antarctica holds about 70% of the planet's fresh water.

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What's the capital of South Africa?

South Africa has three capitals. Cape Town is the legislative capital. Bloemfontein is the judicial capital and Pretoria is the executive capital. Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa, with more than 4.4. million residents.

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Switzerland is known as one of the world's premier tax havens. What's the official currency of Switzerland?

Switzerland is not part of the European Union and the Euro is considered foreign currency in the country. The Euro is accepted in some places, but the Franc accepted everywhere. Tax rates in Switzerland are known to be some of the most lenient in the world.

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What city is known as the "Paris of South America"?

Almost 3 million people call Buenos Aires home, making it Argentina's most populous city. Buenos Aires is recognized as a melting pot and is one of the most diverse cities in the Americas. It's the most visited city in South America.

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Where is the Taj Mahal?

The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century as a mausoleum. The emperor of the area at the time had the structure built for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Millions of people visit the Taj Mahal each year and it's located in the city of Agra in India.

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The Andes mountains make up the longest mountain range on the planet. Where are they?

The Andes run for more than 4,300 miles and are the longest mountain range in the world. The range runs from Venezuela to Argentina on the western coast of the continent, and its highest peak is Aconcagua at 22,841 feet. The world's highest peak is Mt. Everest in the Himalayas.

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Australian officials debated between two capital cities, but in the end they named what city as the capital?

Canberra is a man-made city explicitly built to serve as the country's capital. Officials couldn't agree on whether to designate Sydney or Melbourne as the capital, so they chose a location between the two major cities.

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What country is known for its national dish of mussels and fries called moules-frites?

Belgium is home to gourmet chocolate, waffles and beer, but moules-frites is one of its most popular national dishes. The dish is simply steamed mussels served with french fries. It originated in Belgium, although its name is French.

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Damascus is known as the world's oldest city. What city is know as "The Holy City"?

Jerusalem is one of the holiest cities on the globe and dates back millennia. It's also known as the "City of Holiness" and is home to some of the most important religious sites on the planet. It's the capital and most populous city in Israel.

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Religious landmarks are some of the most popular on the globe. Where is Stonehenge located?

We don't know exactly why Stonehenge was erected, but many structures built in prehistoric times were built for religious purposes. Stonehenge is located in England and was built as far back as 3000 BC. Some believe it belongs to Druidism.

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Alaska is home to 3 million lakes, but what is the largest freshwater lake in the world?

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world in terms of surface area. Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest lake in the world and the largest in terms of volume.

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China is the most populous country on the globe. What's the capital of China?

Hong Kong and Macau are both autonomous regions under Chinese rule. Shanghai is one of the most populous cities in the world, but Beijing is the country's capital. More than 21.5 million people live in Beijing.

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In what country might you find millions of people celebrating the colorful festival known as Holi?

Holi is an ancient Hindu celebration and it might be the most colorful celebration in the world. It's commonly known as the "Festival of Colors" and is celebrated by Hindus all over the world. The festival starts on a full moon that marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

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Venice is known as "The Floating City." What city is known as the "Venice of the North"?

Venice in Italy is made of 118 islands connected by 391 bridges. Amsterdam is made of 90 islands connected by more than 1,700 bridges. The capital of the Netherlands is also known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world and is home to 1.1 million people and nearly 1 million bicycles.

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Angkor Wat is the largest religious landmark on the planet. Where's it located?

Angkor Wat roughly translates to "City of Temples" and it's one of the most impressive structures still standing. It was built in the 12th century and is an international symbol of Cambodia today. The temple is surrounded by a three-mile-long and 600-foot-wide moat.

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It's impossible to count all the islands in the world, but we know the biggest one. What's the biggest island in the world?

Although Australia, Antarctica and every continent except Europe and Asia are surrounded by water on all sides, they're so big they're not considered islands. Science says Eurasia is the largest island in the world but society says Greenland is. Only about 50,000 people call Greenland home.

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Mozart and Beethoven both died in what city, also the capital of Austria?

One of the world's most famous musicians, Mozart, called Vienna home. Today the city is home to one of the largest music festivals on the planet. The Danube Island Festival attracts about 3 million people over the course of a few days.

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Mardi Gras is known as Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday. What city is known for massive Mardi Gras celebrations?

The day before Ash Wednesday is also known as Shrove Tuesday and it's a worldwide celebration. Venice and Rio de Janeiro are also home to some of the largest Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations in the world.

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