Capitals of Fractured Nations Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stockholm

The capital of the European country of Sweden is Stockholm.

One of the Scandinavian countries (the number differs if you're referring to geographical or cultural Scandinavia), Sweden is located in northwestern Europe.
It has been an independent country since 1523 when it left the Kalmar Union. This union was established in the 1300s as a counter to the Hanseatic League (a group of guilds and markets elsewhere in Europe). Although Christians make up most of the population, Sweden does not have an official state religion.

Answer: Pyongyang

The capital of the Asian country of North Korea is Pyongyang.

Although Korea goes back centuries, North Korea (and South Korea) didn't become its own country until 1948. North Korea is one of the most well-known countries with a dictatorial government. It is also extremely isolated, although it does have relations, and does most of its trading, with its neighbor to the north, China. Despite its name, the people of North Korea don't actually refer to their country as "north" as they do not recognize South Korea as its own nation. This is also the same for South Korea.

North Korea has no official religion, and with no statistics available, it is unknown what religions are practiced there.

Answer: Constantinople

The capital of the Ottoman Empire (located in Europe, Africa, and Asia) was Constantinople.

The Ottoman Empire included all or part of Turkey, Greece, Algeria, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, and most of the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, etc.) among others.
This empire was founded in what would become Turkey in the 1ate 13th century by Osman I, from which the name Ottoman Empire is derived. The Ottoman Empire fell at the end of World War One as it was had sided with Germany and thus was on the losing side. This was perhaps the deciding factor considering other countries lost and didn't fall. Other factors include rebellion among its citizens and attacks from other countries even before the war.

Answer: West Island

West Island is the capital of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which is located in Asia.

Cocos refers to the coconut trees on the island while Keeling refers to the man who discovered the island in 1609: William Keeling. The name, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, became the official name of the island in 1955. Prior to that, variations of the name (e.g. Cocos Islands, Keeling-Cocos Islands) were the official name. In fact, the island was originally called Cocos Islands, but another island with the same name was located near Costa Rica.
As implied above, the parentheses are part of the name rather than an alternate official name.
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are a small archipelago north of Australia, and indeed, is owned by Australia. The majority of the people on the island are Muslim, the only Australian territory where Islam is the majority religion.

Answer: Tunis

Tunis is the capital of Tunisia, a country in northern Africa.

In 1956, Tunisia gained its independence from France, who had taken control of the country from the Ottoman Empire. Being a territory of France, this is why French is one of its main spoken languages, even though Arabic is the official language. The official religion of Tunisia is Islam. The Sahara Desert passes through Tunisia, along with eight other countries.
It was in Tunisia where part of the movie "Star Wars" was filmed, mainly the scenes set on the planet Tatooine (a planet whose name comes from a city in Tunisia named Tataouine).

Answer: Riyadh

The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia became its own nation in 1932 after it achieved independence from Britain. One of the things Saudi Arabia is known for its oil production. It is the world's leading producer of oil, and it is thanks to this fact that Saudi Arabia has become a leading nation.
The official religion of Saudi Arabia is Islam, and in fact, two of the most holy Islamic cities are located in the country: Mecca and Medina. Most of the tourism to Saudi Arabia is due one of the five pillars of Islam: the pillar that states that Muslims must take a hajj to Mecca if they are physically capable of doing so.

Answer: Thimphu

The capital of Bhutan, located in Asia, is Thimphu.

Bhutan is a landlocked country located in southern Asia. (China and India are the countries that border Bhutan, thus making it landlocked.) It became its own country after gaining independence from India in 1947. Bhutan's nickname is Druk Yul, meaning Land of the Thunder Dragon. The official state religion of Bhutan is Buddhism.

Answer: Mexicali

Mexicali is the capital of Baja California, a state in Mexico. It is located in the northwestern part of the country, as northwest as you can go and still be in Mexico. Baja California became its own region in 1952; prior to that, it was a territory.

It had somewhat of a role at the end of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). United States President James Polk sent a diplomatic mission to Mexico regarding the disputed area between Texas and Mexico as well as what would become the state of California and Oregon, then under Mexican control, but Mexico refused. Polk then sent troops to Mexico, which the Mexican government took as a sign of attack and repelled the troops. Polk took this as an act of war and asked Congress to pass legislation to declare war on Mexico, which they did.

When the war was over, the area to be called Baja California was originally part of the land that Mexico was to give to the United States due to its economic unimportance at the time.

Answer: Kinshasa

The capital of Zaire, during its existence, was Kinshasa.

Zaire could be found in central Africa. It existed from 1971 to 1997 and throughout its existence it was a military dictatorship (despite its official name being Republic of Zaire) controlled by Mobutu Sese Seko. By 1997, a coalition took control of the government, Mobutu went into exile, and the name of the country changed back to Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Answer: Freetown

The capital of the African country of Sierra Leone is Freetown.

Sierra Leone, coming from the Portuguese words "serra leoa" meaning lion mountains, is located in western Africa.
Although it existed before 1961, it was in 1961 when Sierra Leone gained its independence from Great Britain. In fact, it was in the 1790s when the freed slaves came to the territory. The name of its capital, Freetown, is due to the fact that freed American slaves settled there to live a free life.
The country of Sierra Leone does not have an official religion, although the majority of citizens are Muslims.