Quiz About Countries of the World: What Most People Get Wrong

You think you know where things are. Most of us do. We’ve seen the maps in classrooms, scrolled through travel TikToks, and maybe even mastered a few rounds of Geoguessr. But honestly? The world is a lot weirder—and more counterintuitive—than your average school atlas suggests. If you’ve ever sat down to take a quiz about countries of the world, you know that humbling moment when you realize you can't actually point to Laos or you’ve forgotten which "stan" is which.

Geography isn't just about memorizing borders. It’s about how we see the planet. And let's be real: our mental maps are kind of broken.

The Map is Lying to You

Basically, most of the maps we use are based on the Mercator projection. It’s great for navigation but terrible for accurately showing size. You’ve probably seen Greenland looking as big as Africa on a wall map. In reality, Africa is fourteen times larger than Greenland.

Think about that. You could fit Greenland, the United States, China, India, and most of Europe inside Africa, and you'd still have room for dessert. When people fail a quiz about countries of the world, it’s often because they underestimate the sheer scale of the Global South.

The Capital City Trap

If I asked you to name the capital of Australia, what’s the first word that pops into your head? For most, it’s Sydney. Or maybe Melbourne if they’re trying to be fancy. But it's Canberra. Always has been.

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Switzerland is even trickier. Most people guess Zurich or Geneva. Nope. Switzerland technically doesn’t have an official "capital" by law, but Bern is the de facto seat of government. It’s these little nuances that make geography trivia so addictive—and so incredibly frustrating.

5 Facts That Break Most Quiz Takers

If you’re prepping for your next trivia night, or just want to feel smarter than your friends at the pub, keep these in your back pocket.

1. France has the most time zones. You might think it’s Russia because it’s massive, or the US. But because of its overseas territories (like French Guiana and various islands), France spans 12 different time zones. Russia and the US follow closely with 11.
2. Brazil is closer to every other country in South America except two. It shares a border with almost the entire continent. The only ones safe from a direct land border with Brazil are Chile and Ecuador.
3. The "North" is further south than you think. This one is wild. Around half of Canada’s population lives south of Milan, Italy. We associate Canada with the "Great White North," but a huge chunk of it sits at the same latitude as sunny Mediterranean spots.
4. South Africa has three capitals. Not one. Not two. Three. Pretoria is the administrative one, Cape Town is legislative, and Bloemfontein is judicial. It’s the only country in the world to split its government up like that.
5. The most linguistically diverse place on Earth. It isn’t India or China. It’s Papua New Guinea. There are over 800 living languages spoken there.

Why We Get Lost in the "Stans"

Central Asia is the "final boss" of any quiz about countries of the world. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan—it’s easy to get them jumbled.

Here’s a trick: Kazakhstan is the huge one at the top. It’s actually the world’s largest landlocked country. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein share a very weird distinction: they are the only "doubly landlocked" countries. That means every country bordering them is also landlocked. To see the ocean, someone from Tashkent has to cross at least two international borders.

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The Island Obsession

Which country has the most islands? You’d probably guess Indonesia or the Philippines.

Wrong. It’s Sweden.

Sweden has an estimated 267,570 islands. Most of them are tiny and uninhabited, sure, but they count. Norway comes in second with about 240,000. It turns out Scandinavia is just one giant jigsaw puzzle of rocks and water.

Moving Beyond the Basics

If you want to actually get good at a quiz about countries of the world, you have to stop looking at the map as a static image and start looking at the stories. Why is there a piece of Russia (Kaliningrad) stuck between Poland and Lithuania? Why does the Gambia look like a tiny worm crawling inside Senegal? (Hint: It’s all about the river).

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Actionable Steps for Your Next Quiz

To dominate your next geography challenge, don't just stare at a map. That’s boring and your brain will tune it out.

• Play "The Scale Game": Use websites like The True Size Of to drag countries over each other. Seeing how tiny the UK looks when placed over Madagascar is a core memory you won't forget.
• Focus on the "Tri-Points": Learn where three countries meet. The spot where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay touch is a classic trivia question.
• Learn the "Anti-Capitals": Memorize the biggest city in a country that isn't the capital. Istanbul isn't the capital of Turkey (Ankara is). Rio isn't the capital of Brazil (Brasilia is).
• Watch the Borders: Look for countries that are entirely surrounded by one other country. There are only three: Lesotho (inside South Africa), and San Marino and Vatican City (both inside Italy).

Geography is a living thing. Borders change, names change (hello, North Macedonia and Türkiye), and our understanding of the world evolves. The best way to learn is to stay curious and accept that you’re probably wrong about where things are—at least until you check the map.

Ready to put this knowledge to use? Start by picking one region you know nothing about—maybe West Africa or the Balkans—and try to name just three countries and their capitals. Once those stick, the rest of the map starts to fill itself in naturally. Don't rush it. The world is too big to learn in a day.