50 Question Challenge #1, Geography: answers and sources
Spoilers ahead! Play the video first. Here is every answer, the fun fact and the source we checked it against.
Scores: 0-19: Lost tourist · 20-29: Backpacker · 30-39: Explorer · 40+: Human GPS. Don't forget your Couch Wager. Spotted a mistake? Email hello@ahaville.com with the question number.
Level 1: Easy
- 1
Which is the largest continent?
Asia About 6 in 10 people on Earth live there.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia
- 2
Which country is called the Land of the Rising Sun?
Japan Its own name, Nippon, means “origin of the sun”.
- 3
Which is the coldest continent?
Antarctica Its record low: −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowest_temperature_recorded_on_Earth
- 4
What is the longest river in South America?
Amazon It carries more water than any other river.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_River
- 5
Which US state is made up entirely of islands?
Hawaii It's the only US state south of the Tropic of Cancer.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii
- 6
Which city is famous for its canals and gondolas?
Venice It's built on more than 100 small islands.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice
- 7
The Strait of Gibraltar separates Europe from which continent?
Africa At its narrowest, it's only 14 km (9 mi) wide.
- 8
Which desert covers much of North Africa?
Sahara It's about as big as the whole United States.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara
- 9
Which country has the longest coastline?
Canada Over 200,000 km (125,000 mi) of shore.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_length_of_coastline
- 10
Mount Kilimanjaro is in which country?
Tanzania Africa's highest mountain: 5,895 m (19,341 ft).
Level 2: Flags
- 11
Which country's flag is this? 🇳🇱
Netherlands Its top stripe was once orange, not red.
- 12
Whose flag is this? 🇹🇷
Turkey In Turkish it's also called “moon star”.
- 13
This one looks familiar. Which country? 🇱🇷
Liberia 11 stripes: one for each founding delegate.
- 14
Name this flag. 🇬🇹
Guatemala Its money is named after this bird: the quetzal.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Guatemala · wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemalan_quetzal
- 15
Which country flies this flag? 🇻🇪
Venezuela Its eighth star was added in 2006.
- 16
Whose flag has this bird? 🇺🇬
Uganda The bird is a grey crowned crane.
- 17
Which country's flag is this? 🇬🇩
Grenada The little shape on the left is a nutmeg.
- 18
Which country is this? 🇱🇦
Laos First adopted in 1945, and again in 1975.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Laos
- 19
Getting harder. Whose flag? 🇧🇼
Botswana Its blue stands for water and rainfall.
- 20
Last flag: which country? 🇹🇲
Turkmenistan Its stripe shows five traditional carpet patterns.
Level 3: Capitals
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
Level 4: Shapes
- 31
Which country has this shape?
Italy Its outline looks like a high-heeled boot.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy
- 32
And this one?
Australia Almost as big as the lower 48 US states.
- 33
Name this country.
Spain Its capital, Madrid, sits near the middle.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid · wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain
- 34
Which country is this?
UK Great Britain is Europe's largest island.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain
- 35
Whose outline is this?
Chile Its Atacama is the driest non-polar desert.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile · wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Desert
- 36
Which country has this shape?
Germany It shares borders with nine countries.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
- 37
Which country is this?
Vietnam Its S-shaped coast runs over 3,000 km.
- 38
Name this one.
Madagascar Most of its wildlife lives nowhere else on Earth.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar
- 39
Which country has this shape?
Mongolia The most sparsely populated independent country.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia
- 40
Last shape: which country?
Papua New Guinea Over 800 languages are spoken there.
Level 5: Impossible
- 41
How many countries does the Danube flow through or along?
10 It passes four capitals, from Vienna to Belgrade.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube
- 42
What is the deepest lake in the world?
Lake Baikal Over a fifth of the world's surface fresh water.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
- 43
What is the longest river in Europe?
Volga It flows into the Caspian Sea.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga
- 44
What is the largest landlocked country?
Kazakhstan It's the ninth-largest country of all.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan
- 45
Which of these cities is farthest west?
Reno Yes: Reno is farther west than Los Angeles!
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Reno,_Nevada · wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles
- 46
What is the smallest country in South America?
Suriname Its official language is Dutch.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Suriname
- 47
Which is the southernmost capital of a country?
Wellington Its nickname is “Windy Wellington”.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington
- 48
Which sea has no coastline?
Sargasso Sea Ocean currents form its edges, not land.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargasso_Sea
- 49
Mount Everest's summit sits on the border of Nepal and which country?
China The border runs right across the summit.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest
- 50
Which is the only country crossed by both the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn?
Brazil It borders all but two South American countries.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil · wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Brazil
The Big Aha stories
- Chad and Romania's twin flags: This is the flag of Chad: blue, yellow and red. And this is Romania's. Spot the difference? Its blue is just a little lighter. In two thousand four, Chad asked the United Nations to look into it. Romania said it would keep its flag. So the twins still fly today. Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Chad · wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Romania
- The country inside a country: Leh-soo-too is completely surrounded by just one country: South Africa. It's the biggest of only three countries in the world surrounded like that. Even its lowest point is about forty-six hundred feet above sea level: the highest low point of any country. That's why it's nicknamed the Kingdom in the Sky. Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho · wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave_and_exclave
Bonus question
Which tiny country sits between Spain and France? We reveal the answer in the pinned comment under the video.