World and International Trivia Quiz - written by William Lund

I was just browsing the news online, and as usual there are plenty of headlines about Iran, Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia Pirates, Brazil and all those other countries. Reading about all the worlds problems got me to thinking maybe I should put together a trivia quiz about international topics.

This trivia quiz concerning other countries, far away foreign destinations, world politics, world leaders and the like can be copied and pasted into your text editing program where you can remove the answers if you wish and create a paper based quiz for whatever occasion you want.

I hope you enjoy this printable World Trivia quiz.

1. What recreational activity did Joseph Merlin of Belgium demonstrate for the first time in 1760 at a London Masquerade party?
A: Roller skating.

2. How many members did the United Nations have when it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1995?
A: 185. The last to join was the Pacific island chain of Palau in December 1994.

3. What famous statesman was known as Dizzy to his supporters?
A: Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria's favorite prime minister.

4. In what country is the most remote weather station in the world located?
A: Canada. Its Eureka weather station is 600 miles from the North Pole.

5. How many time zones are there in China?
A: Only one. Although the country covers 3,691,521 square miles and geographically could be in five different zones, the government requires clocks throughout the nation to conform to those in the capital (Beijing.)

6. What Island nation was named after a Dutch province?
A: New Zealand, which was discovered by Dutch Explorer Abel Tasman in 1642 and named Nieuw Zeeland after Zeeland, a Dutch province bordering the North Sea.

7. What famous French landmark is named after a German city?
A: The Eiffel Tower. It was built by Gustave Eiffel, whose upholsterer grandfather moved to Paris from Eifel, Germany, and became know as Eifel because his friends couldn't pronounce his name, Boenickhausen. Eventually granddad added another "f" and legally changed his name to Eiffel.

8. What was the name of the pug that shared Napoleon and Josephine's bed?
A: Fortune.

9. How are 99 percent of the buildings heated in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland?
A: With geothermal power--from natural hot (140 deg. F) water from an underground reservoir. The water (from Ice Age glaciers trapped by hardened lava from volcanic eruptions) is piped to radiators and hot=-water tanks throughout the city.

10. What Middle Eastern country's name includes the name of its first ruler?
A: Saudi Arabia. Ruler Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud unified his dual kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd and their dependencies under the name Saudi Arabia in 1932.

11. How is the Balinese national holiday known as Jnegi (pronounced nn-YYEH-pee) celebrated?
A: In silence. It is the national day of silence.

12. What was Mahatma Gandhi's reply when he was asked what he thought of Western civilization?
A: "I think it would be a good idea."

13. During what war was the Battle of the Herrings fought?
A: The Hundred Years' War. It took place on February 12, 1429, while the British were laying siege to Orleans and their Lenten rations of herring were intercepted by the French.

14. Chinese writings dating back to the fourth century B.C. mention fishing with a bamboo rod, silk line and hook made from a needle. What was used for bait?
A: Cooked rice.

15. How many languages are spoken in the Republic of Sudan, the largest country on the African continent?
A: 115--most of them tribal dialects.