These geography trivia questions cover the whole map: a round for each of the seven continents, one for mountains, rivers, deserts and lakes, and one for islands, straits and map skills.
Read the full guide
Nine rounds, one continent at a time
Each round opens with its easiest questions. The early questions ask which ocean the west coast of North America faces or which country is governed from Port Moresby. The late ones ask for the capital of Bhutan, the strait between Sicily and the mainland, and the Antarctic station that once recorded −89.2 °C.
For a class or a quiz night
Each round plays on its own, so a class can stay on one continent while a quiz night mixes all nine. The last two rounds leave countries behind: one asks about mountains, rivers, deserts and lakes, the other about islands, straits and map skills such as scale and time zones.
Run Antarctica as the wildcard round: no capitals, only ice shelves, explorers' seas and one very small insect.
Questions and answers
What are some easy geography trivia questions?
Which ocean does the west coast of North America face? Where does Australia rank in size among the seven continents? What is the capital of Austria? The answers are the Pacific, the smallest and Vienna. Every round here opens with questions like these.
Are these geography trivia questions and answers printable?
Yes. The question sheet prints with lettered choices, and a separate answer key adds each answer and the reason for it.
What is a hard geography trivia question?
Try these three. Which is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia? Laos. Which strait separates Sicily from the Italian mainland? The Strait of Messina. What is the capital of Bhutan? Thimphu.
How were the answers checked?
Each answer was read on October 2, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article linked under it. Population ranks, largest cities by head count, and disputed borders are left out.
The Bahamian capital, Nassau, is on which island?Answer: New Providence. Source: Wikipedia: The Bahamas
The basin of which lake is now almost entirely covered by Mexico City?Answer: Lake Texcoco. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Texcoco
Bermuda, in the North Atlantic, is an overseas territory of which country?Answer: The United Kingdom. Source: Wikipedia: Bermuda
The Darién Gap is the one break in the Pan-American Highway. It lies between Panama and which country?Answer: Colombia. Source: Wikipedia: Darién Gap
El Salvador is the only country in Central America with no coast on which sea?Answer: The Caribbean Sea. Source: Wikipedia: El Salvador
The longest international border in the world runs between the United States and which neighbor?Answer: Canada. Source: Wikipedia: Canada–United States border
The west coast of North America faces which ocean?Answer: The Pacific. Source: Wikipedia: North America
What is the capital of Costa Rica?Answer: San José. Source: Wikipedia: Costa Rica
What is the capital of Haiti?Answer: Port-au-Prince. Source: Wikipedia: Haiti
What is the capital of Honduras?Answer: Tegucigalpa. Source: Wikipedia: Honduras
What is the capital of Nicaragua?Answer: Managua. Source: Wikipedia: Nicaragua
What is the capital of the Dominican Republic?Answer: Santo Domingo. Source: Wikipedia: Dominican Republic
Which body of water separates the Baja California peninsula from the Mexican mainland?Answer: The Gulf of California. Source: Wikipedia: Gulf of California
Which country borders Guatemala to the north and west?Answer: Mexico. Source: Wikipedia: Guatemala
Which is the largest lake in Central America?Answer: Lake Nicaragua. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Nicaragua
Which is the only country in Central America where English is the official language?Answer: Belize. Source: Wikipedia: Belize
Which is the southernmost country of Central America, the one that borders Colombia?Answer: Panama. Source: Wikipedia: Panama
Which island nation lies farthest south in the Caribbean, close to Venezuela?Answer: Trinidad and Tobago. Source: Wikipedia: Trinidad and Tobago
Which isthmus in southern Mexico is the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean?Answer: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Source: Wikipedia: Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Which strait lies between Cuba and the Florida Keys?Answer: The Straits of Florida. Source: Wikipedia: Straits of Florida
South America 18
The Atacama Desert lies mainly in which country?Answer: Chile. Source: Wikipedia: Atacama Desert
Bolivia and Paraguay are the only two countries in the Americas that are what?Answer: Landlocked. Source: Wikipedia: Bolivia
Brazil borders every country in South America except which two?Answer: Chile and Ecuador. Source: Wikipedia: Brazil
Cape Horn, near the southern tip of South America, belongs to which country?Answer: Chile. Source: Wikipedia: Cape Horn
The estuary called the Río de la Plata lies between Argentina and which country?Answer: Uruguay. Source: Wikipedia: Río de la Plata
French Guiana is an overseas department of which European country?Answer: France. Source: Wikipedia: French Guiana
Guyana is the only country on the mainland of South America with which official language?Answer: English. Source: Wikipedia: Guyana
The northern shore of Venezuela faces which sea?Answer: The Caribbean Sea. Source: Wikipedia: Venezuela
The Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland in the world, lies mostly in which country?Answer: Brazil. Source: Wikipedia: Pantanal
Tierra del Fuego has been divided between which two countries since a boundary treaty of 1881?Answer: Chile and Argentina. Source: Wikipedia: Tierra del Fuego
What is the capital of Colombia?Answer: Bogotá. Source: Wikipedia: Colombia
What is the capital of Ecuador?Answer: Quito. Source: Wikipedia: Ecuador
What is the capital of Guyana?Answer: Georgetown. Source: Wikipedia: Guyana
What is the capital of Paraguay?Answer: Asunción. Source: Wikipedia: Paraguay
What is the capital of Venezuela?Answer: Caracas. Source: Wikipedia: Venezuela
What is the official language of Suriname?Answer: Dutch. Source: Wikipedia: Suriname
Which country lies between Guyana and French Guiana on the north coast of South America?Answer: Suriname. Source: Wikipedia: Suriname
Which river, the second-longest in South America, runs through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina?Answer: The Paraná. Source: Wikipedia: Paraná River
Europe 19
Luxembourg is bordered by Belgium, Germany and which other country?Answer: France. Source: Wikipedia: Luxembourg
Moldova has only two neighbors: Romania and which other country?Answer: Ukraine. Source: Wikipedia: Moldova
Norway shares most of the Scandinavian Peninsula with which country?Answer: Sweden. Source: Wikipedia: Scandinavian Peninsula
The peninsula of Jutland forms the mainland of which country?Answer: Denmark. Source: Wikipedia: Jutland
Switzerland shares Lake Geneva with which neighbor?Answer: France. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Geneva
What is the capital of Austria?Answer: Vienna. Source: Wikipedia: Austria
What is the capital of Denmark?Answer: Copenhagen. Source: Wikipedia: Denmark
What is the capital of Finland?Answer: Helsinki. Source: Wikipedia: Finland
What is the capital of Hungary?Answer: Budapest. Source: Wikipedia: Hungary
What is the capital of Latvia?Answer: Riga. Source: Wikipedia: Latvia
What is the capital of Poland?Answer: Warsaw. Source: Wikipedia: Poland
What is the capital of Slovakia?Answer: Bratislava. Source: Wikipedia: Slovakia
What is the capital of Slovenia?Answer: Ljubljana. Source: Wikipedia: Slovenia
Which microstate sits between Austria and Switzerland?Answer: Liechtenstein. Source: Wikipedia: Liechtenstein
Which mountain range curves through Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania?Answer: The Carpathians. Source: Wikipedia: Carpathian Mountains
Which river rises in the Swiss Alps, flows through Germany and reaches the North Sea in the Netherlands?Answer: The Rhine. Source: Wikipedia: Rhine
Which sea has southern Europe on its northern shore and North Africa on its southern shore?Answer: The Mediterranean Sea. Source: Wikipedia: Mediterranean Sea
Which strait divides the European side of Istanbul from the Asian side?Answer: The Bosporus. Source: Wikipedia: Bosporus
Which three countries are known as the Baltic states?Answer: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Source: Wikipedia: Baltic states
Africa 21
The Blue Nile and the White Nile meet at which capital city?Answer: Khartoum. Source: Wikipedia: Khartoum
Cairo stands on which river?Answer: The Nile. Source: Wikipedia: Nile
Mogadishu is the capital of which country on the Horn of Africa?Answer: Somalia. Source: Wikipedia: Somalia
Port Louis is the capital of which island country in the Indian Ocean?Answer: Mauritius. Source: Wikipedia: Mauritius
The Sinai Peninsula is the only part of which country that lies in Asia?Answer: Egypt. Source: Wikipedia: Sinai Peninsula
South Africa has three capital cities. Which one is the administrative capital, the seat of the president and cabinet?Answer: Pretoria. Source: Wikipedia: South Africa
Tanzania and Uganda hold most of Lake Victoria. Which country holds the rest?Answer: Kenya. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Victoria
What is the capital of Angola?Answer: Luanda. Source: Wikipedia: Angola
What is the capital of Ghana?Answer: Accra. Source: Wikipedia: Ghana
What is the capital of Madagascar?Answer: Antananarivo. Source: Wikipedia: Madagascar
What is the capital of Senegal?Answer: Dakar. Source: Wikipedia: Senegal
What is the capital of Uganda?Answer: Kampala. Source: Wikipedia: Uganda
What is the capital of Zimbabwe?Answer: Harare. Source: Wikipedia: Zimbabwe
What is the name of the narrow strip of Namibia that reaches east toward the Zambezi River?Answer: The Caprivi Strip. Source: Wikipedia: Caprivi Strip
Which African country has coasts on both the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean?Answer: South Africa. Source: Wikipedia: South Africa
Which African river is the deepest river in the world?Answer: The Congo. Source: Wikipedia: Congo River
Which cape is the southernmost point of Africa?Answer: Cape Agulhas. Source: Wikipedia: Cape Agulhas
Which country lies on the Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Tunisia?Answer: Libya. Source: Wikipedia: Libya
Which desert covers much of North Africa?Answer: The Sahara. Source: Wikipedia: Sahara
Which is the only sovereign country in Africa where Spanish is an official language?Answer: Equatorial Guinea. Source: Wikipedia: Equatorial Guinea
Zanzibar united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form which country?Answer: Tanzania. Source: Wikipedia: Zanzibar
Asia 20
The Khyber Pass links Pakistan with which country?Answer: Afghanistan. Source: Wikipedia: Khyber Pass
Malé is the capital of which island country southwest of India?Answer: Maldives. Source: Wikipedia: Maldives
Mongolia has only two neighbors. Which are they?Answer: Russia and China. Source: Wikipedia: Mongolia
Nepal is landlocked between which two countries?Answer: China and India. Source: Wikipedia: Nepal
Singapore lies off the southern tip of which peninsula?Answer: The Malay Peninsula. Source: Wikipedia: Singapore
The southern tip of India points into which ocean?Answer: The Indian Ocean. Source: Wikipedia: India
What is the capital of Bangladesh?Answer: Dhaka. Source: Wikipedia: Bangladesh
What is the capital of Bhutan?Answer: Thimphu. Source: Wikipedia: Bhutan
What is the capital of Iran?Answer: Tehran. Source: Wikipedia: Iran
What is the capital of Iraq?Answer: Baghdad. Source: Wikipedia: Iraq
What is the capital of Laos?Answer: Vientiane. Source: Wikipedia: Laos
What is the capital of Mongolia?Answer: Ulaanbaatar. Source: Wikipedia: Mongolia
What is the capital of Pakistan?Answer: Islamabad. Source: Wikipedia: Pakistan
What is the capital of Saudi Arabia?Answer: Riyadh. Source: Wikipedia: Saudi Arabia
What is the capital of the Philippines?Answer: Manila. Source: Wikipedia: Philippines
What is the capital of Uzbekistan?Answer: Tashkent. Source: Wikipedia: Tashkent
Which country is the largest archipelagic state in the world?Answer: Indonesia. Source: Wikipedia: Indonesia
Which inland sea between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan began shrinking in the 1960s?Answer: The Aral Sea. Source: Wikipedia: Aral Sea
Which is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula?Answer: Saudi Arabia. Source: Wikipedia: Saudi Arabia
Which is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia?Answer: Laos. Source: Wikipedia: Laos
Australia and Oceania 21
Aotearoa is the Māori-language name for which country?Answer: New Zealand. Source: Wikipedia: Aotearoa
By which name were the islands of Tuvalu known in colonial times?Answer: The Ellice Islands. Source: Wikipedia: Tuvalu
Guam, in the western Pacific, is a territory of which country?Answer: The United States. Source: Wikipedia: Guam
The name Kiribati is the local way of saying the English name of the country's main island group. Which name is it?Answer: Gilberts. Source: Wikipedia: Kiribati
New Zealand has two main islands. What are they called?Answer: The North Island and the South Island. Source: Wikipedia: New Zealand
The Pacific islands are grouped into Melanesia, Micronesia and which third region?Answer: Polynesia. Source: Wikipedia: Oceania
The Polynesian Triangle has Hawaii and New Zealand at two corners. Which island is at the third?Answer: Easter Island. Source: Wikipedia: Polynesian Triangle
Tahiti belongs to which overseas territory of France?Answer: French Polynesia. Source: Wikipedia: Tahiti
The Torres Strait lies between Australia and which large island?Answer: New Guinea. Source: Wikipedia: Torres Strait
The western half of the island of New Guinea belongs to which country?Answer: Indonesia. Source: Wikipedia: Papua New Guinea
What is the capital of Fiji?Answer: Suva. Source: Wikipedia: Fiji
What is the capital of Samoa?Answer: Apia. Source: Wikipedia: Samoa
What is the capital of the Solomon Islands?Answer: Honiara. Source: Wikipedia: Solomon Islands
What is the capital of Vanuatu?Answer: Port Vila. Source: Wikipedia: Vanuatu
What is the highest mountain in New Zealand?Answer: Aoraki / Mount Cook. Source: Wikipedia: Aoraki / Mount Cook
Where does Australia rank in size among the seven continents?Answer: The smallest. Source: Wikipedia: Australia (continent)
Which country is governed from Port Moresby?Answer: Papua New Guinea. Source: Wikipedia: Papua New Guinea
Which mountain range runs along the South Island of New Zealand?Answer: The Southern Alps. Source: Wikipedia: Southern Alps
Which ocean surrounds the islands of Polynesia?Answer: The Pacific. Source: Wikipedia: Polynesia
Which Pacific island nation, only 21 square kilometers in area, is the third-smallest country in the world?Answer: Nauru. Source: Wikipedia: Nauru
Which strait separates the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand?Answer: Cook Strait. Source: Wikipedia: Cook Strait
Antarctica 18
A flightless midge a few millimeters long holds which record in Antarctica?Answer: It is the largest animal that lives only on land there. Source: Wikipedia: Belgica antarctica
A Russian expedition probably made the first sighting of the ice shelves of Antarctica. Who led it, together with Mikhail Lazarev?Answer: Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctica
The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 was signed by how many nations?Answer: 12. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctic Treaty System
Antarctica is mainly which kind of dry region?Answer: A polar desert. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctica
The emperor penguin is the only penguin that breeds during which season in Antarctica?Answer: Winter. Source: Wikipedia: Emperor penguin
The ice of Antarctica holds about what share of the fresh water reserves of the world?Answer: About 70 percent. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctica
The lowest natural air temperature measured on the ground was recorded in 1983 at which Antarctic station?Answer: Vostok Station. Source: Wikipedia: Vostok Station
The McMurdo Dry Valleys lie on the coast of which part of Antarctica?Answer: Victoria Land. Source: Wikipedia: McMurdo Dry Valleys
The part of Antarctica that reaches north toward South America is called what?Answer: The Antarctic Peninsula. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctic Peninsula
What is the name of the southernmost point on Earth, which lies in Antarctica?Answer: The geographic South Pole. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctica
Where does Antarctica rank in size among the seven continents?Answer: Fifth largest. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctica
Which American station on Ross Island is the largest community in Antarctica?Answer: McMurdo Station. Source: Wikipedia: McMurdo Station
Which body of water lies between Cape Horn and Antarctica?Answer: The Drake Passage. Source: Wikipedia: Drake Passage
Which continent has the highest average elevation?Answer: Antarctica. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctica
Which is the largest ice shelf in Antarctica?Answer: The Ross Ice Shelf. Source: Wikipedia: Ross Ice Shelf
Which is the most southerly of the five major circles of latitude drawn on maps of Earth?Answer: The Antarctic Circle. Source: Wikipedia: Antarctic Circle
Which mountain range divides East Antarctica from West Antarctica?Answer: The Transantarctic Mountains. Source: Wikipedia: Transantarctic Mountains
Which sea east of the Antarctic Peninsula is named after a Scottish sailor who entered it in 1823?Answer: The Weddell Sea. Source: Wikipedia: Weddell Sea
Mountains, rivers, deserts and lakes 19
The Atlas Mountains run through Morocco, Algeria and which other country?Answer: Tunisia. Source: Wikipedia: Atlas Mountains
Into which bay does the Ganges empty?Answer: The Bay of Bengal. Source: Wikipedia: Ganges
Into which body of water does the Volga flow?Answer: The Caspian Sea. Source: Wikipedia: Volga
Into which ocean does the Zambezi flow?Answer: The Indian Ocean. Source: Wikipedia: Zambezi
K2 stands in which mountain range?Answer: The Karakoram. Source: Wikipedia: K2
The Kalahari Desert covers much of which country?Answer: Botswana. Source: Wikipedia: Kalahari Desert
Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, lies in which region of Russia?Answer: Siberia. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Baikal
The Mekong ends its long run to the sea in the south of which country?Answer: Vietnam. Source: Wikipedia: Mekong
Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn are peaks in which mountain range?Answer: The Alps. Source: Wikipedia: Alps
Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, stands in which mountain range?Answer: The Caucasus. Source: Wikipedia: Mount Elbrus
The Namib Desert stretches along the coast of which ocean?Answer: The Atlantic. Source: Wikipedia: Namib
The Okavango River never reaches the sea. Where does it end?Answer: In an inland delta in Botswana. Source: Wikipedia: Okavango River
The Tigris and which other river bound the land once called Mesopotamia?Answer: The Euphrates. Source: Wikipedia: Mesopotamia
Which great river of West Africa bends through Mali, Niger and Nigeria on its way to the Gulf of Guinea?Answer: The Niger. Source: Wikipedia: Niger River
Which is the longest river in France?Answer: The Loire. Source: Wikipedia: Loire
Which mountain in Argentina is the highest in the world outside Asia?Answer: Aconcagua. Source: Wikipedia: Aconcagua
Which mountain range runs the length of the Italian peninsula?Answer: The Apennines. Source: Wikipedia: Apennine Mountains
Which mountain range separates the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau?Answer: The Himalayas. Source: Wikipedia: Himalayas
Which sand desert, whose name means the Empty Quarter, covers the south of the Arabian Peninsula?Answer: The Rub' al Khali. Source: Wikipedia: Rub' al Khali
Islands, straits and map skills 19
A nautical mile was historically defined as one minute of what?Answer: Latitude. Source: Wikipedia: Nautical mile
How many degrees of latitude lie between the equator and either pole?Answer: 90. Source: Wikipedia: Latitude
If every time zone were exactly 15 degrees of longitude wide, how many would circle the globe?Answer: 24. Source: Wikipedia: Time zone
The International Date Line runs roughly along which meridian?Answer: The 180th meridian. Source: Wikipedia: International Date Line
The island of Great Britain holds England, Scotland and which other country?Answer: Wales. Source: Wikipedia: Great Britain
On a 1:50,000 map, how much ground does 1 centimeter cover?Answer: 500 meters. Source: Wikipedia: Scale (map)
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with which other gulf?Answer: The Gulf of Oman. Source: Wikipedia: Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Malacca lies between the Malay Peninsula and which island?Answer: Sumatra. Source: Wikipedia: Strait of Malacca
What is a person who makes maps called?Answer: A cartographer. Source: Wikipedia: Cartography
What is the narrowest part of the English Channel called?Answer: The Strait of Dover. Source: Wikipedia: Strait of Dover
What is the word for a narrow neck of land, with water on both sides, connecting two larger areas?Answer: An isthmus. Source: Wikipedia: Isthmus
Which channel separates Madagascar from the African mainland?Answer: The Mozambique Channel. Source: Wikipedia: Mozambique Channel
Which is the largest island in the Caribbean?Answer: Cuba. Source: Wikipedia: Cuba
Which island country lies just off the southern tip of India?Answer: Sri Lanka. Source: Wikipedia: Sri Lanka
Which island north of Australia is the second-largest in the world?Answer: New Guinea. Source: Wikipedia: New Guinea
Which map projection of 1569 became the standard for navigation but swells the areas near the poles?Answer: The Mercator projection. Source: Wikipedia: Mercator projection
Which of the two tropics lies north of the equator?Answer: The Tropic of Cancer. Source: Wikipedia: Tropic of Cancer
Which strait near the tip of South America is named after the navigator who sailed through it in 1520?Answer: The Strait of Magellan. Source: Wikipedia: Strait of Magellan
Which strait separates Sicily from the Italian mainland?Answer: The Strait of Messina. Source: Wikipedia: Strait of Messina