Borders by Numbers Quiz | Borders

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. (Let's make it interesting - Each photo shows a scene from a country bordering the starting country. Therefore it only informs you of the original country not necessarily the required answer). Zero Borders Countries connected only by bridges and/or other man-made constructions do not share land borders. However, borders along internal waters are considered the same as land borders. Island countries, unless they share with other countries have zero land borders, Of these four island nations, only one is connected to another country by a bridge. Which one?

Answer: Singapore

Singapore, a small island nation of 720 km2, is joined to Malaysia by two causeways. Ironically the two countries were a single independent country in the 1960s. The first causeway was built in 1923 and spans just over a 1000 meters across the Straits of Johor. The second is longer, connecting to Singapore on the western side of the island. The span of the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link is just over 1900 meters. It was opened in 1998.

The North and South Islands of New Zealand are separated by 24 km at the narrowest part across the Cook Strait. Technically a bridge would be possible but is not practical as these two points are inaccessible by car at either end. NZ is a three hour flight from Australia.

Palau is a country and group of islands that were once part of the Caroline islands in the South Pacific.

Malta, or more correctly its capital, Valletta, is about 130 km by ferry from the terminal on Sicily.

[The photo shows the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, Singapore's nearest neighbour].

2. One Border Three of the four nations listed are all located on islands where they share the island with one other country. Which is the exception? (Don't forget the photo is a clue not necessarily an answer).

Answer: Denmark

Ireland shares a 360 km border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

Papua New Guinea, independent since 1975, shares a 830 km border with Indonesia on the island of New Guinea.

Hispaniola is one of two Caribbean islands, (the other being Saint Martin), which is shared between two countries. The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two/thirds but both it and Haiti have a population around ten million people.

Denmark is mainly an archipelago of 443 named islands with the Jutland Peninsula connected to the European mainland with a 68 km border with Germany.

[The photo shows the German port city of Hamburg located at the southern end of the Jutland Peninsula].

3. Two Borders Photo is a clue. It depicts a country bordering the correct answer. Double landlocked countries are those landlocked countries that only border other landlocked countries. There are two such countries: one with two borders and one with five. Which is the double landlocked country with two borders?

Answer: Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a double landlocked country in central Europe. Liechtenstein has a border of 41 km with Switzerland in the west/south and a 35 km border with Austria in the north/east. It is considered a microstate with an area of 161 square kilometres and a population less than 100 000 people.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a very small landlocked country in western Europe with borders of 150km or less with France, Germany and Belgium, none of which is landlocked.

Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, and is bordered by five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan; Tajikistan; Kyrgyzstan; Afghanistan; and Turkmenistan.

Uganda is a landlocked country in eastern Africa. It is bordered by five countries including Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania. South Sudan and Rwanda are landlocked, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has only 37 km of Atlantic Ocean coastline. After Ethiopia, Uganda is the world's second most populous landlocked country.

[The photo shows a view of the Austrian Alps].

4. Three Borders Photo is a clue, depicting a country bordering the correct answer. Vietnam is a long narrow country in mainland south-east Asia, With a 4500+ km borderline, so you would expect more than three countries would share borders with this country but there are indeed only three. Which country does *NOT* share a land border with Vietnam?

Answer: Thailand

Located on the South-East Asian Indochina Peninsula, Vietnam has had a turbulent past. Part of imperial China until 939, before becoming independent where it flourished until colonised by the French in the mid-nineteenth century. It was then occupied by the Japanese in the Second World War. It was back under the French after WWII, until they were expelled in 1954 after the first Indochina War. The country then consisted of two factions, the communist north and the Loyalists' south. A bitter war followed, resulting in the north winning in 1975. Present boundaries were established with newly independent Cambodia and Laos (which were previously French Protectorates) between 1946 and 1954. The border with China remained unchanged at 1280 km which is similar in length to the new Cambodia-Vietnam border. However, the western boundary of Vietnam is a 2300 km border with Laos.

You cannot pass from Vietnam to Thailand without passing through either Laos or Cambodia, the closest being a 175 km east-west stretch in central Laos.

[The photo shows National Museum of Cambodia with the national flag of Cambodia in the far upper left of the photo].

5. Four Borders South Australia, a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, has a unique feature with its borders with other states. What is this unique feature?

Answer: It touches every other mainland Australian state.

South Australia touches every mainland state (Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria) in Australia plus the territory of Northern Territory. It does not touch the other internal territory of the Australian Capital Territory as this is an enclave of NSW. It also, like every other Australian state shares no land boundary with Tasmania as this is an island state.

[The photo shows the markers at Cameron's Corner, only one of two places in Australia where three states meet. (The other is SA, NSW and Victoria)].

6. Five Borders Pictured is a landmark just across the named border from Kazakhstan. Despite a being a massive country, it has only five national borders. What is significant about the border it shares with Russia?

Answer: It is the longest continuous national border in the world.

The longest land border between two countries is between Canada and the United States: 8 891 km (5 525 mi) which is in two segments including 2,475 kilometres (1,538 mi) which is Canada's border with Alaska.

The Kazakhstan - Russia border is a 6,846 km (4,254 mi) border in a single segment thereby exceeding the main US-Canada border by 442 km.

The other countries that share Kazakhstan's national borders are: China 1,533 km; Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km; Turkmenistan 379 km and Uzbekistan. 2,203 km. The length of some of these borders indicate how big this country is.

[Photo shows the Omsk Railway Station. Omsk is just on the Russian side of the Kazakhstan border].

7. Six Borders This time the picture is definitely the answer. With the two enclaves of San Marino and Vatican City, Italy has borders with six countries. Not counting the tiny enclaves, with which country does Italy have the smallest border?

Answer: Slovenia

The borders between Italy and its two enclaves are tiny: Vatican City 3.2km; San Marino 39km. However the boundaries with the other four countries are moderate in length: Austria 430 km; France 488 km; Switzerland (two segments) 740 km and Slovenia 232 km. All these borders are in the north as Italy is predominantly a peninsula with three sides surrounded by the Mediterranean sea and its smaller seas contained within.

[A coffee may have been useful while you had studied the photo as the bridge is the Cappuccin Bridge in Slovenia, named after the order of monks which also gave us Cappuccino coffee].

8. Seven Borders A quadripoint is where four countries or territories meet, These are rarities in the world. However, there is one in the US where four states meet. Counting the point at which they meet as bordering three states, which of the four states has a total of seven state borders?

Answer: Colorado

State Boundaries:
Colorado: Wyoming; Nebraska; Kansas; Oklahoma; New Mexico; Utah; Arizona. (7)
Utah: Colorado; Wyoming; Idaho; Arizona; Nevada. (5)
Arizona: New Mexico; Utah; Nevada; California; Colorado. (5 + Mexico).
New Mexico: Arizona; Utah; Colorado; Oklahoma; Texas. (5 + Mexico).

The quadripoint (pictured): unlike other political boundaries such as the Berlin Wall and the Korean DMZ, this monument is a tourist attraction. It consists of a granite disc embedded with a smaller bronze disk around the point. State seals and flags representing both the states and tribal nations of the area surround the main display.

9. Eight and Nine Borders Don't forget the photo is a neighbour to the correct answer. There are not many countries with nine borders. Which rather large European country has boundaries with nine countries, whereas the others have no more than eight?

Answer: Germany

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Germany are the only two countries with nine borders. Germany's neighbours include: Austria, 784 km; Belgium, 167 km (6 segments); Czech Republic, 815 km; Denmark, 68 km; France, 451 km; Luxembourg, 138 km; Netherlands, 577 km; Poland 456 km; and Switzerland, 334 km (2 segments).

European countries that have eight borders include: Austria (remarkable considering its modest area); Serbia (if Kosovo is recognised); France. The only two other eight-bordered nations are Tanzania and Zambia, both in Africa.

{The photo shows the Atomium in Brussels, Belgium. Germany was the only country from the options listed, that borders Belgium].

10. Ten Borders China and Russia have the most border partners, more than anyone else, with 14 each. Brazil comes a creditable third with 10. With which landlocked South American country (pictured) could Brazil have its longest border?

Answer: Bolivia

While Brazil has borders with ten countries (plus French Guiana which is a French territory), only four borders exceed 1500 km: Peru 1560 km; Colombia, 1640 km; Venezuela, 2200 km; and Bolivia 3400 km.

Bolivia and Paraguay are the only two landlocked countries in the new world and they share a common 750 km border

Moldova is landlocked but is located in Europe between the Ukraine and Romania.

Uruguay is not landlocked and shares borders with Argentina and Brazil.

[The photo shows the sprawling city of La Paz, one of the capitals of Bolivia, and despite being located in a canyon, is the world's highest capital at 3,650 m].

Source: Author 1nn1

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor spanishliz before going online.
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Borders by Numbers Trivia Quiz

A country's identity is not just defined by its national character but its interactions with its neighbors. This quiz examines the various countries of the world that have different numbers of neighbours on their national borders.

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