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51 Geography Quiz Questions People Always Get Wrong

Even geography buffs are stumped by these trivia questions. How many can you get right?

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Can you pass this geography quiz?

Do you still remember the capital of Australia, or which U.S. state is the largest? See if you can ace this geography quiz—without looking at a map! No matter how you fare, you’ll pick up some nice geography trivia by the end of it. If you’re looking for more trivia questions, brush up on your knowledge of this random trivia, interesting facts, kids’ trivia, and hard trivia.

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World geography questions

1. Trivia question: What is the only country that borders the United Kingdom?

Answer: Ireland

2. Trivia question: Ninety percent of the Earth’s population lives in which hemisphere?

Answer: The Northern Hemisphere

3. Trivia question: In which country would you find the city of Dresden?

Answer: Germany

4. Trivia question: What would you call someone from Sudan?

Answer: Sudanese

5. Trivia question: What are the names of South Africa’s three capital cities?

Answer: Cape Town, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein

6. Trivia question: How many time zones does Australia have?

Answer: Three

7. Trivia question: Which continent is in all four hemispheres?

Answer: Africa

8. Trivia question: What is The Netherlands also called?

Answer: Holland

9. Trivia question: Can you name a four-letter country in Africa?

Answer: Chad, Mali, or Togo

10. Trivia question: What is the official currency of India?

Answer: Indian rupee

After you ace this geography quiz, take a whack at the toughest questions from the National Geographic Bee.

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United States geography questions

11. Trivia question: After Alaska, which U.S. state has the longest coastline?

Answer: Florida

12. Trivia question: What is the least populated U.S. state?

Answer: Wyoming

13. Trivia question: Which is the only state with a one-syllable name?

Answer: Maine

14. Trivia question: Can you name three U.S. states that have a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico?

Answer: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida

15. Trivia question: What is the state capital of New York?

Answer: Albany

16. Trivia question: How many large islands make up Hawaii?

Answer: Eight

17. Trivia question: In which U.S. state can the world’s tallest trees be found?

Answer: California

18. Trivia question: What is the largest U.S. state by area?

Answer: Alaska

19. Trivia question: What was the original capital of the U.S.?

Answer: New York City

20. Trivia question: How many states does the Mississippi River run through?

Answer: 31

Most people get these U.S. state facts wrong. Will you?

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Landmarks geography questions

21. Trivia question: What is the name of the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world?

Answer: Angel Falls

22. Trivia question: Can you name the Earth’s five oceans?

Answer: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern

23. Trivia question: Which river flows through the Grand Canyon?

Answer: Colorado River

24. Trivia question: What country is home to Mount Everest?

Answer: Nepal

25. Trivia question: In which U.S. state is Niagara Falls located?

Answer: New York

26. Trivia question: What is the highest man-made structure ever built?

Answer: Burj Khalifa in Dubai

27. Trivia question: Which lake has a famous mythical creature named after it?

Answer: Loch Ness

28. Trivia question: Which country has the most pyramids in the world?

Answer: Sudan

29. Trivia question: Where is the world’s largest desert located?

Answer: Antarctica

30. Trivia question: What is the name of the only sea that doesn’t have a coastline?

Answer: Sargasso Sea

Several of these landmarks are well-known around the world. So are these famous city skylines—see if you can guess them all.

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World capitals geography questions

31. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Spain?

Answer: Madrid

32. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Australia?

Answer: Canberra

33. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Egypt?

Answer: Cairo

34. Trivia question: What is the capital city of the Bahamas?

Answer: Nassau

35. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Argentina?

Answer: Buenos Aires

36. Trivia question: What is the capital city of South Korea?

Answer: Seoul

37. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Sweden?

Answer: Stockholm

38. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Uzbekistan?

Answer: Tashkent

39. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Cambodia?

Answer: Phnom Penh

40. Trivia question: What is the capital city of Togo?

Answer: Lomé

41. Trivia question: What is the capital city of New Zealand?

Answer: Wellington

Need more geography quiz questions? Try out our full states and capitals quiz.

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Superlatives geography questions

42. Trivia question: What country has the largest population in the world?

Answer: China

43. Trivia question: By area, what is the smallest country in the world?

Answer: Vatican City

44. Trivia question: What is the largest capital city in North America?

Answer: Mexico City

45. Trivia question: Where is the driest place on Earth?

Answer: The Atacama Desert in northern Chile

46. Trivia question: What is the world’s largest island?

Answer: Greenland

47. Trivia question: Which country has the longest coastline in the world?

Answer: Canada

48. Trivia question: What is the largest ocean in the world?

Answer: The Pacific Ocean

49. Trivia question: What is the world’s shortest river?

Answer: Roe River

50. Trivia question: Which city is the world’s most densely populated?

Answer: Manila, Philippines

51. Trivia question: Where is the largest volcano on Earth located?

Answer: Hawaii

Next, see how you fare with these U.S. history trivia questions.

Brooke Nelson Alexander
Brooke is a tech and consumer products writer covering the latest in digital trends, product reviews, security and privacy, and other news and features for Reader's Digest. She's a two-time Emmy-nominated reporter with nearly 10 years of publishing experience, and her work has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.