1. Germany
   Russia
2. France
   Poland

“France was built with swords. The fleur-de-lis, symbol of national unity, is only the image of a spear with three pikes.” –Charles de Gaulle

1. Brazil
   Spain
2. China
   Belgium

Madrid is not only the capital of Spain but also its largest city. Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country are unique regions of Spain that have their own language.

1. Poland
   Morocco
2. Malaysia
   Hungary

"I used to pray to recover you. Ach, du. In the German tongue, in a Polish town scraped flat by the roller of wars, wars, wars." –Sylvia Plath, Daddy

1. Canada
   India
2. Thailand
   South Africa

Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore are the three most populous cities in India, and each has more than 5 million people in it. Delhi and Mumbai have more than 10 million inhabitants in them, making them megacities.

1. Guatemala
   Denmark
2. The United States
   Canada

“In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.” - Barack Obama

1. Thebes, Argos, and Athens
   Nuremberg, Dresden, and Cologne
2. Zurich, Lausanne, and Zermatt
   Oran, Algiers, and El Oued

Argos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It has been a village or city since about 6000 B. C. Athens began around 5000 B. C. and Thebes around 1600 B. C.

1. Uzbekistan
   Suriname
2. United Arab Emirates
   South Africa

“Traffic in Joburg [Johannesburg, South Africa] is like the democratic process. Every time you think it's going to get moving and take you somewhere, you hit another jam.” ― Lauren Beukes, Zoo City

1. Saudi Arabia
   Indonesia
2. Russia
   Mexico

Although Indonesian is the official language, there are more than 300 different languages spoken throughout the country. There are more than 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago.

1. France
   China
2. Austria
   Russia

“They're professionals at this in Russia, so no matter how many Jell-O shots or Jager shooters you might have downed at college mixers, no matter how good a drinker you might think you are, don't forget that the Russians - any Russian - can drink you under the table.” –Anthony Bourdain, A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

1. Sucre, Potosi, and Cochabamba
   Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Ayutthaya
2. Sliven, Dobrich, and Pleven
   Douala, Kumbo, and Bertoua

From May to September, rain falls almost every day in Thailand. Children go to elementary school for six years, but parents must pay for the next six years of high school. Boys have mandatory military training beginning in the ninth grade.

1. Australia
   Colombia
2. Philippines
   Venezuela

“Alone of all the races on earth, [Australians] seem to be free from the 'Grass is Greener on the other side of the fence' syndrome, and roundly proclaim that Australia is, in fact, the other side of that fence. They call the land "Oz", "Godzone" (a verbal contraction of "God's Own Country")… The irritating thing about this is they may be right.” –Douglas Adams, Australia—The Confusing Country

1. Chile
   Canada
2. Brazil
   The United Kingdom

Brazil is the largest country in South America. It is the world’s fifth largest country by both land area and population.

1. Somalia
   Bhutan
2. Turkey
   Romania

“Turkey’s true master is the peasant.” –Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkish revolutionary and army officer who founded the Republic of Turkey and served as its first president

1. Argentina
   Italy
2. Laos
   Kyrgyzstan

The Colosseum is the most visited tourist attraction in Italy. It was built from stone in concrete from 72 A. D. to 80 A. D. It is the world’s largest amphitheater.

1. Khartoum, Al-Khartum Bahri, and Al Fashir
   Lanzhou, Xiantao, and Hangzhou
2. Dublin, Killarney, and Cork
   Fes, Marrakesh, and Taza

“Out of Ireland have we come, great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start. I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic heart.” –W. B. Yeats, The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats

1. Ireland
   South Africa
2. Mexico
   Israel

The lowest point in Israel is the Dead Sea, which is also the lowest point on Earth. Its surface is 1,412 ft. below sea level.

1. Cambodia
   Brunei
2. Mongolia
   Japan.

“I've never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because I don’t like eating fish. And I know that's very popular out there in Africa.” –Britney Spears, 1999

1. Libya
   Argentina
2. Georgia
   Chile

Legends of a mountain of silver and a “White King” led Spanish explorers to the interior of Argentina. The actual mountain is thought to be Cerro Rico de Potosi in Bolivia, and the king is assumed to be the Inca king, Huayna Capac. Argentina means “made of silver” in Italian. It was initially named “Rio de la Plata” in Spanish.

1. Iceland
   Liechtenstein
2. Mauritania
   Yemen

“There is no more sagacious animal than the Icelandic horse. He is stopped by neither snow, nor storm, nor impassable roads, nor rocks, glaciers, or anything. He is courageous, sober, and surefooted. He never makes a false step, never shies. If there is a river or fjord to cross (and we shall meet with many), you will see him plunge in at once, just as if he were amphibious, and gain the opposite bank.” ― Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth

1. Durango, Toluca, and Chihuahua
   Lilongwe, Zomba, and Mzuzu
2. Visegrád, Miskolc, and Budapest
   Deir ez-Zur, Homs, and Hama

Erno Rubik (born July 13, 1944) is an architect and inventor best known for his invention of the Rubik’s cube. He was born in Budapest, Hungary and invented the cube in 1974. It took him over a month to solve the puzzle he created.

1. Zürich, Geneva, and Bern
   Strasbourg, Reims, and Dijon
2. Ango, Poko, and Bumba
   Pyongyang, Kanggye, and Chongjin

“Switzerland would be a mighty big place if it were ironed flat.” –Mark Twain, referring to the mountains

1. Denmark
   Italy
2. China
   Egypt

“When we find something new at Giza, we announce it to the world. The Sphinx and the pyramids are world treasures. We are the guardians of these treasures, but they belong to the world.” Zahi Hawass

1. Georgia
   Iraq
2. Philippines
   Zambia

“They keep talking about drafting a constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys. It's worked for over 200 years, and Hell, we're not using it anymore.” ― Jay Leno

1. Cuba
   Cyprus
2. Denmark
   Liberia

Denmark joined the European Economic Community in 1973. Although it applied with the United Kingdom in 1961, it refused to join when Charles de Gaulle vetoed the United Kingdom’s acceptance.

1. Germany
   Italy
2. Croatia
   Hungary

“Germans grew reluctant to stay in communal ski lodges, fearing they might talk in their sleep. They postponed surgeries because of the lip-loosening effects of anesthetic. Dreams reflected the ambient anxiety. One German dreamed that an SA man came to his home and opened the door to his oven, which then repeated every negative remark the household had made against the government.” ― Erik Larson, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

1. Cambodia
   Ukraine
2. Mexico
   China

In addition to traditional McDonald's fare, Ukranian McDonald's offer croissants, black currant muffins and pies, spinach quiche, fried cheese, a variety of cheesecakes and tiramisu, and exotic fruit juice. The “McFoxy” is a Ukrainian competitor.

1. Montenegro
   Portugal
2. Switzerland
   Luxembourg

“By day Lisbon has a naive theatrical quality that enchants and captivates, but by night it is a fairy-tale city, descending over lighted terraces to the sea, like a woman in festive garments going down to meet her dark lover.” ― Erich Maria Remarque, The Night in Lisbon

1. Ireland
   Vietnam
2. Australia
   Gambia

The narrowest point of Vietnam is only 30 miles across. The Mekong River and the Red River are two of its largest rivers.

1. Mexico
   Sudan
2. Ireland
   Latvia

"You can't say no, in Acapulco. With every beat your heart will answer, ‘yes’ where lovers sing instead of talk and dance instead of walk together in a night, that's filled with stars and strumming guitars.” –Elvis Presley, You Can’t Say No in Acapulco

1. Tehran, Shiraz, and Kish
   Wellington, Auckland, and Dunedin
2. Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Liverpool
   Minsk, Mogilev, and Gomel

New Zealand remains under the Queen of England, but a governor-general represents her in the country. The Prime Minister is currently Bill English.

1. Manila, Cebu, and Bohol
   Quito, Santa Cruz, and Guayaquil
2. Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu
   Suva, Nadi, and Viti Levu

“And then it occurs to me. They are frightened. In me, they see their own daughters... They see daughters who grow impatient when their mothers talk in Chinese, who think they are stupid when they explain things in fractured English. They see that joy and luck do not mean the same to their daughters, that to these closed American-born minds "joy luck" is not a word, it does not exist.” –Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club

1. Ethiopia
   Turkey
2. Paraguay
   Nepal

Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world according to the CIA World Factbook. As an agricultural nation, its manufacturing primarily consists of processing jute, tobacco, grains, sugarcane and pulses.

1. Bolivia
   Romania
2. Saudi Arabia
   Afghanistan

“No matter how powerful, countries cannot rule the whole world. The world is ruled by brains, by justice, by morals, and by fairness.” –Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

1. Australia
   Belize
2. Mongolia
   Ireland

Ghengis Khan united the tribes of Mongolia 1206-1263 A. D. In 1691, China’s Qing dynasty controlled the area. It did not hold its first multi-party election until 1990, after the fall of the Soviet Union.

1. Madagascar
   Canada
2. Honduras
   Panama

“Canada is not the party. It’s the apartment over the party." –Craig Ferguson, Scotish-American comedian, actor, and television host