Countries & Their Features

Question: What is the only country through which both the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn pass?

Answer: The equator passes through far northern Brazil, while the Tropic of Capricorn passes through Rio de Janeiro in the southern part of the country.

Question: What country was known as Rhodesia?

Answer: For many years Great Britain ruled it as a colony called Southern Rhodesia. After a period during which it was known as simply Rhodesia, the country finally achieved independence in 1980. Then it took the name of Zimbabwe.

Question: In which country does edelweiss not grow natively?

Answer: The edelweiss is a native of the Eurasian mountains. It is used as a national symbol in Mongolia, Austria, Switzerland, and many other countries.

Question: Which two countries are joined by the Bridge of No Return?

Answer: The Bridge of No Return is located in Panmunjom, in the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea.

Question: Which of these ethnic groups is not indigenous to Ethiopia?

Answer: The Pintupi are aboriginal people from Australia. The two largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia are the Amhara and the Oromo. The Afar also live in Ethiopia.

Question: Which of these nations is 30 minutes out of sync with Greenwich Mean Time?

Answer: India lies in two time zones. Its government decided to have one uniform time throughout the country, splitting the difference between GMT+5 and GMT+6 to make it 30 minutes out of sync with GMT.

Question: In what country might you find the Great Fence?

Answer: Australia’s Great Barrier Fence, known locally as the Great Fence, the Dingo Fence, or the Dog Fence, extends over a distance of 5,614 km (3,488 mi). It was designed to protect sheep from dingoes and other predators.

Question: Which country does not border Paraguay?

Answer: Paraguay borders Brazil to the northeast and east, Bolivia to the northwest and north, and Argentina to the southeast, south, and west.

Question: What country calls itself Nippon?

Answer: Nippon is the official name of Japan. The country, in East Asia, consists of 4 large islands and thousands of smaller islands.

Question: Which of these two countries formed Tanzania?

Answer: Tanganyika declared its independence in 1961, and Zanzibar became independent in 1963. The two merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.