Trivia by topic

Landmarks: 50 questions from around the world

Cathedrals, temples, castles and natural wonders. Each question says which country it is about.

Algeria
Djémila is a Roman town built on the Mediterranean shore.
True or false?
Show the answer
False. False. Djémila, the Roman Cuicul, stands inland on a mountain ridge about 900 m above sea level. Tipasa is the Roman town by the sea.
Estonia
Which of these is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Estonia?
1. A. The Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn
2. B. Kadriorg Palace
3. C. Lahemaa National Park
4. D. Rakvere Castle
Show the answer
The Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn. The Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn has been on the list since 1997. The Struve Geodetic Arc is Estonia's other site.
United Arab Emirates
Qasr Al Hosn in Abu Dhabi began as a watchtower guarding a freshwater well on the island.
True or false?
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True. True. The tower was built in 1761, grew into the ruler's palace, and is now a museum; it is the oldest stone building in the city.
Norway
Which artist made the more than 200 sculptures, including the Monolith, in Oslo's Frogner Park?
1. A. Gustav Vigeland
2. B. Edvard Munch
3. C. Henrik Ibsen
4. D. Edvard Grieg
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Gustav Vigeland. Gustav Vigeland made the 212 bronze and granite sculptures. Munch was a painter, Ibsen a playwright and Grieg a composer.
Georgia
What is Vardzia?
1. A. A cave monastery carved into a cliff
2. B. A Roman fortress on the coast
3. C. A cathedral in Tbilisi
4. D. A ski resort in Svaneti
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A cave monastery carved into a cliff. Vardzia is a cave monastery carved into a cliff in southern Georgia in the late 12th century, in the time of Queen Tamar.
Australia
The first Parliament of Australia was opened in the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne in 1901.
True or false?
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True. True. It opened there on 9 May 1901. In 2004 the building became the first in Australia to be listed as a World Heritage Site.
Tunisia
Ksar Ouled Soltane, a fortified granary near Tataouine, appears in Star Wars: Episode I.
True or false?
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True. True. Its stacked vaulted granaries were used for scenes of the slave quarters of Mos Espa in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace.
Madagascar
In which of these places are you most likely to hear indri lemurs singing?
1. A. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
2. B. Isalo National Park
3. C. The Avenue of the Baobabs
4. D. Tsingy de Bemaraha
Show the answer
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, in the eastern rainforest, is the easiest place to hear the indri. The other places lie in the drier west and south, where indri do not live.
Pakistan
Which mosque in Islamabad has no dome and is shaped like a Bedouin tent?
1. A. The Faisal Mosque
2. B. The Badshahi Mosque
3. C. The Wazir Khan Mosque
4. D. The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam
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The Faisal Mosque. The Faisal Mosque, designed by the Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, was completed in 1986. It was the largest mosque in the world until 1993.
Saudi Arabia
Rijal Almaa, a village of tall stone houses with painted windows, lies near which city?
1. A. Abha
2. B. Tabuk
3. C. Dammam
4. D. Hail
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Abha. Rijal Almaa is in the Asir mountains, about 50 km west of Abha, in the southwest.
Kazakhstan
The Ascension Cathedral in Almaty is built mainly of stone.
True or false?
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False. False. The cathedral, completed in 1907, is made of wood and is 56 m tall.
Philippines
The Puerto Princesa Underground River flows through a cave directly into the sea.
True or false?
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True. True. Visitors enter the cave from the sea by small boat. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Czechia
Which architect designed Villa Tugendhat in Brno together with Lilly Reich?
1. A. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
2. B. Le Corbusier
3. C. Frank Lloyd Wright
4. D. Antoni Gaudí
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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich designed the villa, built between 1928 and 1930 and on the UNESCO list since 2001.
Mongolia
What did Roy Chapman Andrews' expedition find at the Flaming Cliffs in 1923?
1. A. Fossil dinosaur eggs
2. B. The tomb of Genghis Khan
3. C. A buried Mongol army
4. D. Gold coins from Karakorum
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Fossil dinosaur eggs. The 1923 discovery of fossil dinosaur eggs made the Flaming Cliffs, in the Gobi, famous around the world.
Belgium
The Gravensteen castle in Ghent was built in the 20th century.
True or false?
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False. False. The Gravensteen was built in 1180 by Count Philip of Alsace and restored around 1900.
Panama
Casco Viejo was built after the first Panama City was destroyed in 1671.
True or false?
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True. True. The new city was founded in 1673 on a walled peninsula about 8 km to the southwest.
Uzbekistan
Tashkent's Kosmonavtlar metro station is dedicated to what?
1. A. Space travel
2. B. The Silk Road
3. C. Cotton farming
4. D. Football
Show the answer
Space travel. The station honours space travel, with portraits of Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and the astronomer Ulugh Beg.
Botswana
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is larger than the Netherlands.
True or false?
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True. True. The reserve covers 52,800 km², larger than the Netherlands and almost a tenth of Botswana.
Morocco
The Hassan Tower in Rabat is the minaret of a great mosque that was completed in the 1190s.
True or false?
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False. False. Work on the mosque began in 1191 but stopped when the caliph Yaqub al-Mansur died in 1199, leaving the minaret unfinished at 44 m.
Ghana
Which of these is the oldest European building still standing in sub-Saharan Africa?
1. A. Elmina Castle
2. B. Cape Coast Castle
3. C. Manhyia Palace
4. D. Independence Arch
Show the answer
Elmina Castle. Elmina Castle was begun by the Portuguese in 1482. Cape Coast Castle was started in the 1650s, Manhyia Palace was built in 1925, and the Independence Arch was finished in 1961.
Albania
Which castle held out against three great Ottoman sieges under Skanderbeg?
1. A. Krujë Castle
2. B. Rozafa Castle
3. C. Gjirokastër Castle
4. D. Berat Castle
Show the answer
Krujë Castle. Krujë Castle withstood sieges in 1450, 1466 and 1467. The Skanderbeg Museum stands inside its walls.
Switzerland
As of 2026, Chillon Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
True or false?
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False. False. Chillon is a Swiss heritage site of national importance, but not on the UNESCO list. The nearby Lavaux vineyard terraces are.
Italy
The Roman arena in Verona is still used for opera performances.
True or false?
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True. True. The Arena of Verona hosts a famous opera festival every summer.
Myanmar
Which place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019?
1. A. Bagan
2. B. Inle Lake
3. C. Shwedagon Pagoda
4. D. Mandalay Palace
Show the answer
Bagan. Bagan, with more than 2,200 surviving temples and pagodas, was inscribed in 2019. Myanmar's other World Heritage Site is the Pyu Ancient Cities, inscribed in 2014.
New Zealand
What lights up the ceiling of the Waitomo caves?
1. A. Glowworms
2. B. Glowing algae
3. C. Fireflies
4. D. Crystals that shine in the dark
Show the answer
Glowworms. Glowworms, the glowing larvae of a gnat found only in New Zealand. Visitors see them from a boat on the underground stream.
India
The rock-cut Elephanta Caves near Mumbai are dedicated mainly to which Hindu god?
1. A. Shiva
2. B. Ganesha
3. C. Vishnu
4. D. Krishna
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Shiva. They are dedicated mainly to Shiva. The most famous carving is a sculpture of Shiva with three faces, more than 5 m high.
Cuba
As of 2026, how many places in Cuba are on UNESCO's World Heritage List?
1. A. 9
2. B. 5
3. C. 13
4. D. 17
Show the answer
9. As of 2026 Cuba has 9 World Heritage Sites, including Old Havana, Trinidad and the Valle de los Ingenios, the Viñales Valley and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park.
South Korea
Where is the Tripitaka Koreana, about 81,000 carved wooden printing blocks, kept?
1. A. Haeinsa Temple
2. B. Bulguksa Temple
3. C. Gyeongbokgung Palace
4. D. Hahoe Folk Village
Show the answer
Haeinsa Temple. The Tripitaka Koreana is kept at Haeinsa Temple, in special halls that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Canada
Which famous racing schooner was built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, in 1921?
1. A. Bluenose
2. B. Matthew
3. C. Nonsuch
4. D. Mayflower
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Bluenose. Bluenose was built at the Smith and Rhuland shipyard in Lunenburg, a World Heritage town since 1995. The Matthew was John Cabot's ship, and the Nonsuch's fur-trading voyage of 1668 led to the founding of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Brazil
On which mountain does the statue of Christ the Redeemer stand?
1. A. Corcovado
2. B. Sugarloaf Mountain
3. C. Pico da Neblina
4. D. Mount Roraima
Show the answer
Corcovado. Christ the Redeemer stands on Corcovado, above Rio de Janeiro. Sugarloaf is the peak by the bay, reached by cable car.
Uganda
At Murchison Falls, the whole Nile squeezes through a gap in the rocks about how wide?
1. A. About 7 metres
2. B. About 70 metres
3. C. About 700 metres
4. D. About 7 kilometres
Show the answer
About 7 metres. About 7 metres. The river is forced through the narrow gap and falls 43 m into the pool below.
Japan
Which Kyoto shrine is famous for mountain paths lined with thousands of red torii gates?
1. A. Fushimi Inari Taisha
2. B. Kinkaku-ji
3. C. Tōdai-ji
4. D. Sensō-ji
Show the answer
Fushimi Inari Taisha. Fushimi Inari Taisha has thousands of torii gates, each given by a business or person. Kinkaku-ji, Tōdai-ji and Sensō-ji are Buddhist temples.
Lebanon
The ruins of Tyre are on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
True or false?
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True. True. Tyre was added to the list in 1984, together with Baalbek, Byblos and Anjar.
Peru
What are the floating islands of the Uros on Lake Titicaca made of?
1. A. Totora reeds
2. B. Pumice stone
3. C. Bamboo
4. D. Floating tree trunks
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Totora reeds. The islands are built from bundles of totora reeds laid over floating blocks of reed roots. The Uros make their boats from the same reeds.
Iran
The Fin Garden in Kashan is part of which UNESCO World Heritage Site?
1. A. The Persian Garden
2. B. Historic City of Yazd
3. C. Bam and its Cultural Landscape
4. D. Meidan Emam, Esfahan
Show the answer
The Persian Garden. The Fin Garden is one of nine historic gardens that together form the UNESCO site The Persian Garden, listed in 2011.
Ecuador
The summit of which Ecuadorian mountain is the point on Earth's surface farthest from the planet's centre?
1. A. Chimborazo
2. B. Cotopaxi
3. C. Pichincha
4. D. Quilotoa
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Chimborazo. Chimborazo. Because the Earth bulges at the equator, its summit is farther from the centre than the top of Everest.
Hungary
What kind of landscape is the Hortobágy National Park?
1. A. A wide grassy plain, the puszta
2. B. A high mountain range
3. C. A large lake
4. D. A thick pine forest
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A wide grassy plain, the puszta. Hortobágy is a wide grassy plain, the puszta, the largest semi-natural grassland in Europe, with grey cattle and horses tended by mounted herdsmen.
Guatemala
Which volcanic lake, up to 340 m deep, is the deepest lake in Central America?
1. A. Lake Atitlán
2. B. Lake Izabal
3. C. Lake Petén Itzá
4. D. Lake Amatitlán
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Lake Atitlán. Lake Atitlán fills a huge volcanic crater and reaches about 340 m deep. Three volcanoes rise from its southern shore.
Lithuania
Vytautas the Great died in Trakai Island Castle in 1430.
True or false?
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True. True. Vytautas finished the castle around 1409 and died there in 1430.
Oman
Which opera was performed when the Royal Opera House Muscat opened in 2011?
1. A. Turandot
2. B. Aida
3. C. Carmen
4. D. La Traviata
Show the answer
Turandot. The opera house opened on 12 October 2011 with Puccini's Turandot, conducted by Plácido Domingo.
Chile
Torres del Paine National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
True or false?
Show the answer
False. False. Torres del Paine is a national park, created in 1959, but it is not on the World Heritage List. Chile's World Heritage Sites include Rapa Nui National Park, Valparaíso and the Churches of Chiloé.
Denmark
At Grenen, the northern tip of Denmark, which two seas meet?
1. A. The Skagerrak and the Kattegat
2. B. The Irish Sea and the Wadden Sea
3. C. The Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea
Show the answer
The Skagerrak and the Kattegat. At Grenen the Skagerrak and the Kattegat meet, and you can watch their waves run into each other.
Zimbabwe
What does Mosi-oa-Tunya, the local name for Victoria Falls, mean?
1. A. The smoke that thunders
2. B. The house of stone
3. C. The four pools
4. D. The hill of the spirits
Show the answer
The smoke that thunders. Mosi-oa-Tunya means "the smoke that thunders", after the spray and noise of the falls.
Kenya
The Karen Blixen Museum near Nairobi was the home of the writer of which famous memoir?
1. A. Out of Africa
2. B. Born Free
3. C. Heart of Darkness
4. D. The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Show the answer
Out of Africa. Karen Blixen lived there from 1917 to 1931 and described her life on the coffee farm in Out of Africa, published in 1937.
Thailand
As of 2026, which of these places is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
1. A. The Grand Palace
2. B. Sukhothai Historical Park
3. C. Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple
4. D. The Bridge on the River Kwai
Show the answer
Sukhothai Historical Park. Sukhothai Historical Park is part of the World Heritage Site 'Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns', listed in 1991. The other three are not on the list.
Costa Rica
Which volcano erupted without warning in 1968, destroying the small town of Tabacón?
1. A. Arenal
2. B. Poás
3. C. Irazú
4. D. Chirripó
Show the answer
Arenal. Arenal erupted in 1968 and stayed active until 2010. Chirripó is the highest mountain, not an active volcano.
Sri Lanka
Buddhists honour the footprint-shaped mark on top of Adam's Peak as the footprint of whom?
1. A. The Buddha
2. B. King Vijaya
3. C. Emperor Ashoka
4. D. King Kashyapa
Show the answer
The Buddha. For Buddhists it is the footprint of the Buddha. Hindus see it as Shiva's, and some Muslims and Christians as Adam's.
Mexico
Which famous Aztec treasure can you see in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City?
1. A. The Rosetta Stone
2. B. The Sun Stone
3. C. The Terracotta Army
4. D. The Mask of Agamemnon
Show the answer
The Sun Stone. The Sun Stone, often called the Aztec calendar, is the museum's most famous piece. The Rosetta Stone is in London, the Terracotta Army in China and the Mask of Agamemnon in Athens.
Ukraine
The Historic Centre of Odesa became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.
True or false?
Show the answer
True. True. It was inscribed in January 2023 and placed at once on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Bolivia
The Incas believed that the sun god was born on the Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca.
True or false?
Show the answer
True. True. In Inca religion the sun god was born on the Island of the Sun, which has more than 80 ruins.