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Answer: Republic of West Florida

The Republic of West Florida was set up by American and British settlers who were resisting the efforts of Spain to gain control. On October 27, 1810, the Republic was annexed by the proclamation of U.S. President James Madison, who claimed the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

Answer: A sea fort in the North Sea

During WWII several forts were built on platforms in the seas around Great Britain. Sealand (real name "Fort Roughs") is one of those forts, in the North Sea which is to the east of England. Roy Bates, a pirate radio broadcaster, took possession of the fort in 1967, hoping to broadcast from there. He never did.

In 1968 Bates fired warning shots at some workmen in a boat. He claimed that they had entered his territorial waters, but as he was a British subject, he was summoned to court in England on firearms charges. The court ruling was that the platform (which Bates was now calling "Sealand") was outside British jurisdiction because it was beyond the limit of the country's waters. The limits were increased in 1987, bringing the fort back within British waters. The case did not go ahead.

Prince Roy claimed that the court decision was a legal acknowledgement of the independence of the country of Sealand. Since Prince Roy's death his son, Prince Michael is the new ruler of Sealand, but there are other contenders. Passports are no longer being issued, but you can buy t-shirts, pens, stamps, mugs and even a peerage, if you search online.

Answer: 12 years

Gran Colombia only existed from 1819 to 1831.

The republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil.

Answer: Pompeii

In AD 79, Pompeii was covered by 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice when the volcano, Mount Vesuvius, erupted.

Pompeii was rediscovered in 1599 when old wall paintings and inscriptions were found by workers who were digging to change the course of the river Sarno. It was another 150 years before the excavations started properly.

Answer: Sandy Island

The island was included on a 1908 British Admiralty chart, following a report by the whaling ship, Velocity, in 1876.

Amateur radio enthusiasts first raised doubts about the island existing in 2000. It has been removed from Google Earth maps.

Answer: Prussia

Due mostly to the extremely well-organized and effective army, Prussia expanded from a small Duchy to covering a large part of northern Europe at its greatest. Prussia stretched over most of eastern Germany and Poland, although at the height of its power it also crept into western Germany, Slovakia, Kaliningrad, Latvia, southern Denmark and Lithuania.

Answer: True

A series of eruptions began on May 10, 1883, releasing huge plumes of steam and ash. On August 27 there were a series of four huge explosions. They were so violent that they were heard 4,800 km (3,000 miles) away.

It is the suggestion of some historians, that the orange skyline in Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893) is based on the global atmospheric effects seen by Munch, shortly after the eruptions, over Oslofjord, Norway.

Answer: Zanzibar

Tanzania, which is between Kenya to the north and Mozambique to the south, was formed following the Zanzibar Revolution by local African revolutionaries in 1964. Zanzibar is an island 20 miles (30 kms) off the eastern coast of Central Africa.

Cinnebar is a soft wood. Zenica is the fourth-largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Zeeland is the westernmost province of the Netherlands.

Answer: Granada, Andalusia, Spain

Granada was a completely independent Moorish country until it was overtaken by Spain. The Alhambra, a Moorish citadel and palace, is a very popular tourist destination in current day Granada. Granada covered an area running inland from the south coast of Spain.

The three wrong answers were some of the various names used in South America prior to the 20th Century.

Answer: True

Rutland has existed since the time of the Domesday book, compiled in 1086, at least.

Rutland disappeared into Leicestershire, but in 1997 it regained status as an independent authority. In 2007, the Royal Mail eventually agreed to create a postal county of Rutland, which was a great achievement for the campaigners.

The Isles of Scilly is the only unitary authority that has a smaller population.