World Facts
The world’s largest island that is not a continent.
Greenland
Capital city of Canada.
Ottawa
A fermented soybean paste used widely in Japanese cooking.
Miso
The ancient city carved into red sandstone cliffs in Jordan, famous for its Treasury.
Petra
The language family that includes Spanish, French, and Italian.
Romance (Romance languages)
A traditional Russian soup made with beets, often served hot or cold.
Borscht
The deepest point in the world’s oceans (name of the trench).
Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep)
Capital of Kazakhstan (renamed in 1997).
Astana (also known historically as Nur-Sultan)
A West African dish made from cassava or yams, often pounded and served with soup.
Fufu
The island fortress and former prison in San Francisco Bay.
Alcatraz Island
The most widely spoken native language in the world.
Mandarin Chinese
A Spanish dance and musical style known for its guitar, hand clapping, and passionate expression.
Flamenco
The country with the longest total coastline.
Canada
Capital city located on two continents (partly in Europe and partly in Asia).
Istanbul
A layered pastry dessert from the Balkans made with phyllo, nuts, and syrup.
Baklava
The prehistoric monument in England aligned with solstices.
Stonehenge
The official language of Brazil.
Portuguese
The famous Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy that follows the lives of Pierre, Natasha, and Andrei.
War and Peace
The year the United Nations was founded.
1945
Capital of the country whose administrative capital is Pretoria and whose legislative capital is Cape Town.
Pretoria (South Africa)
The spice blend central to North African cuisine, often including cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric.
Ras el hanout
The large stepped pyramid complex in Mexico built by the Maya at Chichén Itzá (name the main pyramid).
El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcán)
A language written in Devanagari script and one of India’s official languages.
Hindi
A Spanish festival in which people run in front of bulls through the streets of Pamplona each July.
Running of the Bulls (San Fermín)
The largest country by land area that is entirely in one continent (no transcontinental territory).
Australia
Capital of the only country that has Portuguese as an official language in Asia.
Dili (Timor-Leste / East Timor)
A traditional Peruvian dish of raw fish cured in citrus juice and spiced with chili peppers.
Ceviche
The UNESCO site that preserves the ruins of a Roman city buried by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
Pompeii
A Bantu language widely used as a lingua franca in East Africa.
Swahili
The name of the Russian ballet company founded in the 18th century that became world famous and produced choreographers like Marius Petipa.
The Imperial Russian Ballet (later the Mariinsky/Bolshoi traditions; historically associated with the Imperial Theatres)
Which European country has many overseas territories and therefore a very large maritime area (largest Exclusive Economic Zone)?
France
Which city became the capital of Nigeria in 1991, replacing Lagos?
Abuja
What is the name of the strongly fermented herring that is a traditional (and famous) food from Sweden?
Surströmming
Which region in central Turkey is famous for its unusual rock formations called “fairy chimneys” and hot‑air balloon rides?
Cappadocia
Which language, spoken in parts of northern Spain, is unique because it is not related to Spanish or other nearby languages
Basque (Euskara)
The Spanish artist who painted the large anti‑war mural Guernica in 1937.
Pablo Picasso