The Title, In Question Trivia Quiz

Answer: King

The Middle Eastern country of Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy whose leader has held many titles over the years. For much of the twentieth century, the country was ruled by a Hakim and, eventually, an Emir, before His Majesty Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa assumed the throne and proclaimed himself King in 2002.

He was Emir for three years before that. The head of the government is Prime Minister, a role filled by Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa upon the country's independence in 1971. It's a role he would hold for more than four decades.

Answer: King

The landlocked nation of Bhutan, found in the Himalayas, is a small constitutional monarchy, and (typically for monarchies) the head of state is the King. In Bhutan, this role is also known as Druk Gyalpo, a term which translates to 'Dragon King' as Bhutan is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon.

The country is also run by a parliament based on democracy consisting of forty-seven seats led by the King and an elected Prime Minister.

Answer: Emperor

Japan's highest position is Emperor, a spot filled by the leader of the Imperial Family, but also the person who sits at the head of the entire Shinto religion. At different periods in history, the Emperor has taken on a more active role in the political sphere, at some times even leading the country to war, but for the most part, Japan is led by a Prime Minister who oversees their cabinet and the National Diet consisting of a House of Councillors and a House of Representatives (totalling over seven hundred political seats.

Answer: Emir

The Emir of Kuwait is a descendant of the country's seventh leader, Mubarak Al-Sabah, who requires votes from the National Assembly to be able to ascend to the throne. This aside, the country is also led by a Prime Minister voted into power by the people (and who is third in power, only under the Emir and the Speaker of the National Assembly).

The National Assembly, for the most part, is also voted into power by the people across five districts (comprising fifty seats) while nearly a quarter of the seats are filled by people directly appointed by the Emir himself.

Answer: Grand Duke

While Luxembourg may be a small nation, it still operates as a monarchy and a grand duchy, placing a Grand Duke onto the throne. As per the laws of the constitution, the Grand Duke does hold a small amount of power in specific instances, but the nation is otherwise led by a Prime Minister and a Council of Ministers.

The legislature of Luxembourg is a Chamber of sixty Deputies voted into seats in five year terms. Their powers and abilities have varied over the years, usually due in part to the Grand Duke's grip on their privileges.

Answer: President

Malta is one of many countries which uses both a President and a Prime Minister in its government (which, in this case, is a parliamentary republic). The Maltese President is put in place to protect the Constitution and, in rare instances, put executive orders in place when required.

The Prime Minister is also present to place executive orders (and does so more often) but also has a more hands-on role in overseeing the Cabinet and House of Representatives of the country.

Answer: Chairman of the National Defense Commission

The Chairman of the National Defense Commission, also known by the even longer title 'First Chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea', also goes by a third name: Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.

It's a position that has been held by several well-known figures of infamy including Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-Un, both of whom ran unopposed for the position. North Korea also has a Premier as its head of government and a six-hundred-eighty-seven-person-strong Supreme People's Assembly for its legislature.

This said, the Chairman of the National Defense Commission has absolute authority over all goings-on in legislature.

Answer: O le Ao o le Malo

This unique title translates from Samoan to 'Chieftain of the Government', a position in Samoa into which one must be voted for a five-year term. Samoa is a democracy and, as such, has a government led by a Prime Minister, a cabinet, and a typical legislative assembly known as a 'fono', consisting of fifty seats. Most of the seats in the fano are occupied by the matai of different islands or tribes.

In other words, the heads of families are elected to seats of power to govern the nation, though this is not the case for every single seat.

The fifty members of the fono are the ones who vote for O le Ao o le Malo.

Answer: President

Formerly run by France, Senegal found independence in 1960 and has since adopted a similar government structure featuring a President at the head of the nation, a Prime Minister, and a legislative parliament (consisting of a national assembly). All positions up to the President are voted in for fixed terms (between five and seven years for the President, as that time has changed in the past) and all political leanings get their vote. Senegal is a republic and, as such, their President has a much more integral role in running the government.

Answer: Pope

While it's not the only nation whose head of state is a religious leader (see Japan, for instance), the Vatican City is the only one to use a Pope in that position. Elected into the role, Popes typically only leave their seat of power - effectively the most powerful seat in Christianity - when they die or resign.

At the same time, the Vatican also has a President, a Governate, and a Pontifical Commission, all of which are normally spots filled by Cardinals of the Catholic Church.