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Which country spans the most time zones?

France, with 12

Counting its overseas territories from French Polynesia to Réunion, France spans 12 time zones, one more than Russia's 11. China spans five geographically but runs the whole country on a single clock.

In which of these countries is the capital not the largest city?

Turkey

Ankara is the capital but Istanbul is far larger, with roughly 15 million people to Ankara's 5.7 million. Paris, Tokyo and Buenos Aires are each both capital and largest.

Which two countries share the shortest international land border?

Vatican City and Italy

The Vatican's entire perimeter is its border with Italy, roughly 3.4 km. Monaco's border with France is about 6 km, the next shortest.

Which country's borders with its neighbours are still not fully agreed after decades of talks?

India and China

The Line of Actual Control is a de facto boundary rather than a settled border, and stretches of it remain disputed. Skirmishes have occurred as recently as 2020-21.

The Haskell Free Library sits on which border, with a line painted through the reading room?

Canada and the US

Built deliberately astride the Vermont-Quebec line in 1904. The books are in Canada and the main entrance is in the US, so readers cross an international boundary to reach the shelves.

Which city is split between two countries and shares a single name?

Nicosia, between Cyprus and the north

Nicosia has been divided since 1974. Other split cities such as Frankfurt an der Oder and Slubice sit either side of a river under different names.

Why does the prime meridian pass through Greenwich?

An 1884 conference chose it

The International Meridian Conference in Washington picked Greenwich because about two-thirds of the world's shipping tonnage already used charts based on it. France abstained and kept Paris time for decades.

Which country's borders have changed least in the past 500 years?

Portugal

Portugal's mainland borders have been essentially fixed since 1297, making them among the oldest stable frontiers in Europe. Its overseas empire changed enormously; the metropolitan shape did not.