The Last Two Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bangladesh

Until 1947, the area which became Bangladesh was part of India. When India was made independent, two distinct areas of India were made into another country called Pakistan based on religious grounds. Pakistan was essentially a Muslim nation while India was Hindu. An ethnic war in 1971 led to the two distinct areas of Pakistan becoming two nations known as East and West Pakistan. Shortly after, East Pakistan became Bangladesh.

Answer: Thailand

Thailand is known for tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples dedicated to Buddha. Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania. Bangladesh is a country between India and the Indochinese Peninsula which in strictness should be the former French Indochina: Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

However the term now also denotes "main land Southeast Asia" which also includes Burma, Thailand, peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.

Answer: Denmark

The author was of course Hans Christian Andersen and the story was "The Little Mermaid". The statue has been a tourist attraction in Copenhagen since 1913.

Answer: Luxembourg

Luxembourg has become the home of many European institutions such as the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance, the Court of Auditors and the European Investment Bank (EIB). In addition, the General Secretariat of the European Parliament and some Commission services are based in Luxembourg.

Answer: Egypt

Carter is famous for discovering the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh, Tutankhamun, in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. Lord Caernarvon had financed his attempts to find the tomb of Tutankhamun for quite a few years and wanted to bring it to a halt. Carter convinced him to finance one more season and three days later he found it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: Marshall Islands

In October 2011, the government created a shark sanctuary covering nearly 2,000,000 square kilometres. All shark fishing is banned and all by-catch must be released. It is difficult to imagine this small island nation enforcing this ban but I understand where they are coming from.

Answer: Netherlands

Tulips were introduced to Europe from the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and the strong colours of their petals were a sensation. Everybody who could afford one wanted one. The bulbs were cultivated in the Netherlands. At its peak around February 1637, the demand for a 'Viceroy' tulip meant the cost of a single bulb would have been about 10 times the annual earnings of a skilled craftsman. By March 1637, tulip traders found it increasingly hard to sell their tulips at ever increasing prices and the bottom fell out of the market very quickly.

Answer: New Zealand

New Zealand has a population of about 4.6 million people and in 1982 had 70 million sheep which has reduced to about 30 million sheep as many farmers switch to dairy production. It is the 76th largest country in the world. Britain is the 79th biggest.

Answer: Germany

Felix Mendelssohn was born on 3 February 1809, in Hamburg. The German government (as opposed to the German State), has its own flag consisting of the country's flag but with the coat of arms of Germany in the middle (a golden shield with a stylised Eagle on it). That flag may only be used by the federal government.

Answer: Poland

The lady was Marie Curie. She was born in Warsaw, Poland. The Curie family have won five Nobel Prizes. Marie Curie and her husband won the 1903 prize for Physics. Marie also won the 1911 prize for Chemistry. Her daughter Irene and her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie jointly won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1935. You can see Marie's notebooks at France's Bibliotheque Nationale if you sign a liability waver due to their highly radioactive state.

Answer: Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country with Lake Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe within its boundaries. People flock to its shores rather like the seaside. The Danube flows from its source in Germany, through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before reaching the Black Sea.

Answer: Swaziland

Swaziland is a landlocked country in southern Africa. Mbabane is the administrative capital of Swaziland, while Lobamba is the legislative and royal capital of the country.

Answer: Switzerland

The other official languages of Switzerland are German, French and Italian. Romansh is what is known as a Romance language. The five most widely spoken Romance languages are Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian. They all evolved from Vulgar Latin between the sixth and ninth centuries.

Answer: Ireland

The Netherlands borders Germany and Belgium. Egypt borders the Palestinian territories (Gaza Strip), Israel, Libya, and Sudan. The Solomon Islands, being an island nation does not share a land border with any other country. The Republic of Ireland to give it its full name, borders Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom.

Answer: Finland

After the 1917 October revolution in Russia, the Bolsheviks allowed the peoples of Russia the right of self-determination, including complete secession from Russia. Finland took the opportunity. From January to May 1918, Finland was plunged into civil war between the Whites and the Socialist-Communist Reds. The Whites won.