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Which island has the most people living on it?

Java

Java holds about 155 million people on roughly 130,000 km2, more than half of Indonesia's population on about 7 percent of its land. Honshu, second, is around 100 million.

Which country has the most active volcanoes?

Indonesia

Indonesia has roughly 130 active volcanoes, sitting where three tectonic plates meet along the Ring of Fire. Its 1815 Tambora eruption caused a year without a summer in Europe.

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.

Outside North America, which country gets the most tornadoes for its size?

Britain

The UK records roughly 30 to 50 a year over a small area, giving it more tornadoes per square kilometre than anywhere else. They are almost all weak compared with American ones.

In 2023 Japan recounted its islands. What happened to the number?

It more than doubled

Better digital mapping raised the official count from 6,852 to about 14,125. No new land appeared. The old survey simply could not resolve the smallest islets.

Which country has no native snakes at all?

New Zealand

New Zealand separated from other landmasses before snakes spread, and has none in the wild. Ireland and Iceland are also snake-free, though for glacial rather than tectonic reasons.

Which is larger: the economy of California, or that of most countries?

It ranks about fifth

California's output is comparable with Germany's or Japan's, putting it around fourth or fifth if it were counted as a country.

In how many of the world's countries do people drive on the left?

About a third

Around 75 of roughly 200 countries and territories drive on the left, mostly former British territories plus Japan, Indonesia and Thailand. By population the share is similar.