MapGEOMapGE

Which place receives the most rain in an average year?

Mawsynram

Mawsynram in Meghalaya averages around 11,800 mm a year, most of it during the monsoon. Locals have historically used grass to soundproof huts against the noise of the rain.

Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic is notable for being what?

The most remote island

It is about 1,700 km from Antarctica and 2,600 km from South Africa, almost entirely covered by glacier. Norway claims it; nobody lives there.

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.

How many NATO members share a land border with Russia after 2023?

Five

Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (via Kaliningrad) and Poland (also via Kaliningrad), plus Finland from 2023. Finland's accession more than doubled NATO's land border with Russia.

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 of these countries has no railway network at all?

Iceland

Iceland has never had a public railway. The population is small and dispersed, the terrain is volcanic and shifting, and roads plus coastal shipping have always been cheaper.

Roughly how long is Chile from north to south?

About 4,300 km

Chile stretches roughly 4,300 km while averaging only about 180 km wide. Laid over Europe it would reach from Norway to North Africa.

Which two national flags are so similar they are frequently confused?

Chad and Romania

Both are blue, yellow and red vertical tricolours differing only in the precise shade of blue. Chad objected at the UN when Romania readopted its version in 1989.