Abyssinia in All The Old Familiar Places Quiz

Answer: Strait of Malacca

The colony came into existence in 1826. It comprised various settlements claimed by the British Empire, and included Penang, Malacca and Singapore. Later, such diverse outposts as Labuan (on the island of Borneo) and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean were added.

After WWII, the geography of southeast Asia changed, with Penang, Malacca and Singapore becoming part of Malaya. Further changes saw Singapore break away to become an independent country, and the remnants of the Malayan Federation became Malaysia. Cocos (Keeling) Islands became Australian territory.

Answer: South Africa

Gazankulu, KaNgwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa, and Venda comprised the rest of the ten Bantustan (Land of the Bantu people), which were scattered over the northern and eastern parts of South Africa. They were originally established to isolate the black tribal populations of South Africa under the apartheid system, but when that system was abolished in the 1990s they became part of the Republic of South Africa again. Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa in 1994 and apartheid was dead and buried.

Answer: Lithuania

Memel was part of the German Empire until it was given the status of French territory. However, the populace preferred to become part of Lithuania, and the French ceded possession in 1923. It is now known as Klaipėda.

Answer: Manchukuo

At the end of WWII, Manchukuo (also known as Manchuria) was divided between China and the Soviet Union. It had come into existence in 1931, after the invasion by the Japanese.

Cape Juby was a disputed area in southern Morocco. Funchal is the capital of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, a Portuguese territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Inini was the inland portion of what is now French Guiana, in the north of South America.

Answer: Egypt and Syria

It was a very uneasy union, with both parties having militant pro- and anti-union factions. When UAR President Gamal Nasser tried to totally integrate the two countries, Syrian interests objected violently, and the marriage was over.

Answer: Great Britain

The Royal Niger Company managed the area on behalf of the British government, but lost their contract. Oil Rivers Protectorate became part of Southern Nigeria in 1901.

The 1885 Berlin Conference consisted of several European countries deciding which bits of Africa that they wanted. There were no African representatives at the conference.

Answer: Kiribati

Kiribati is divided by the equator, and is adjacent to the International Date Line. The main island, Tarawa, was the site of intense fighting between Japanese and American troops in 1942.

The Ellice Islands followed a similar path to independence, and in 1978 they were renamed as Tuvalu.

Answer: Moldova

Transcaucasia got its name because it was separated from the rest of the USSR by the Caucasus Mountains.

Moldova is on the opposite side of the Black Sea, and borders Ukraine and Romania.

Answer: Vanuatu

The islands were named by Captain Cook in 1774, after the original Hebrides off the Scottish coast. I am not sure what resemblance he saw- Vanuatu has a gorgeous tropical climate, with white sand and palm trees, whilst Skye (one of the original Hebrides), is a cold, wet and windy rock populated by Scotsmen and sheep.

Answer: Poland

When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, one of the first places to feel their anger was Silesia. In the aftermath of the invasion, many Poles were forcibly removed or killed, and the area was repopulated by German nationals. Towards the end of the conflict, German territory was shrinking, and the Poles resumed control of the territory.