50 Fun Facts About History and Geography

Which Egyptian queen, who died in 30 BC, lived closer to the Moon landing than to the Great Pyramid's construction?

Cleopatra died about 2,570 years after the Great Pyramid rose around 2600 BC, but only 1,998 years before Apollo 11 landed in 1969. She was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Which country, the largest on Earth without a permanent river, gets about half its drinking water from desalination?

Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without permanent rivers, so around 50% of its drinking water comes from desalinated seawater. Seasonal wadis carry water only after rare rains.

Which US state is simultaneously the northernmost, westernmost and, thanks to the Aleutian Islands, easternmost?

Alaska counts as the easternmost state as well as the northernmost and westernmost because the Aleutian Islands stretch across the 180th meridian into the Eastern Hemisphere. Its Utqiagvik is the northernmost US city.

Which sultanate fought Britain on 27 August 1896 in a war that was over in under 45 minutes?

Zanzibar surrendered after 38 to 45 minutes of British naval bombardment, making the Anglo-Zanzibar War the shortest recorded war in history. Britain then installed a sultan of its own choosing.

Through which country's canal does an Atlantic-to-Pacific ship actually travel from northwest to southeast?

Panama's isthmus bends so sharply that the canal runs from northwest to southeast, leaving its Pacific end about a third of a degree east of its Atlantic end at Colón. Full control passed to Panama on 31 December 1999.

Which English university, teaching by 1096, is more than three centuries older than the Aztec Empire?

Oxford had teaching by 1096, over three hundred years before the Aztec Empire's Triple Alliance formed in 1428, and it is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Its press is the largest university press on Earth.

Which country, on 1 April 2001, became the first in the world to legalise same-sex marriage?

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, its law taking effect on 1 April 2001 after Queen Beatrix gave royal assent on 21 December 2000. Amsterdam's mayor conducted the first ceremonies.

Which bay between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia has the highest tidal range on Earth, averaging about 16 metres?

The Bay of Fundy's tides average about 16 metres against a worldwide average of one metre, because its funnel-shaped basin resonates with the Atlantic tide. Around 100 billion tonnes of water flow in and out every half-day cycle.

Which South Asian country elected Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1960, making her the world's first female prime minister?

Sri Lanka, then still called Ceylon, swore in Sirimavo Bandaranaike on 21 July 1960 after her Freedom Party's landslide. She served three separate terms, the last ending with her retirement in 2000.

Which Southeast Asian archipelago of about 7,641 islands has Luzon and Mindanao as its two largest?

The Philippines counts about 7,641 islands spread over some 300,000 square kilometres of land, grouped into Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The first Austronesian settlers arrived from Taiwan around 2200 BC.

Which African country, bordering the Spanish exclaves Ceuta and Melilla, has both an Atlantic and a Mediterranean coast?

Morocco's coast runs along the Atlantic Ocean and reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Spanish-held Ceuta and Melilla sitting on its northern shore. The disputed Western Sahara lies to its south.

Which country was carved up by three neighbours in 1772, 1793 and 1795 and vanished from the map for 123 years?

Poland disappeared when its three imperial neighbours completed the third partition in October 1795, and it did not return as a sovereign state until 1918. The Kościuszko Uprising of 1794 had failed to prevent it.

Which Italian volcano, in an almost constant state of activity and about 3,400 m tall, is the most active in Europe?

Etna rises about 3,403 m above eastern Sicily, making it the tallest peak in Italy south of the Alps, and it erupted as many as 16 times in 2001 alone. Its height changes with every summit eruption.

In which Central American country do bull sharks swim up the San Juan River into the region's largest freshwater lake?

Nicaragua's great lake, Cocibolca, holds sawfish, tarpon and bull sharks, which leap the San Juan River's rapids almost like salmon to reach the Caribbean. At 8,264 km² it is Central America's largest lake.

Which Norse explorer, founder of the settlement the sagas call Vinland, reached America five centuries before Columbus?

Leif Erikson is thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America, about 500 years before Columbus, and the Norse site at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland was occupied roughly 1,000 years ago.

Which sandy, semi-arid expanse, with the vast Makgadikgadi salt pans, covers much of Botswana and parts of Namibia?

The Kalahari Desert's 900,000 km² of sandy savanna take in much of Botswana plus parts of Namibia and South Africa, and its wider basin stretches into Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Being semi-arid, it supports grasses and acacia trees.

Which country split peacefully into two republics on 1 January 1993, in what was dubbed the 'Velvet Divorce'?

Czechoslovakia's Velvet Divorce took its name from the bloodless Velvet Revolution of 1989 that had ended Communist rule; the Czech Republic and Slovakia separated without any referendum being held. Both entered the EU on 1 May 2004.

Which Asian capital was known as Batavia under Dutch rule until the Japanese occupation renamed it in 1942?

Jakarta was rebuilt as Batavia by the Dutch East India Company after it seized the city in 1619, a name that lasted until 1942; today Greater Jakarta is the most populous urban area on Earth, with over 40 million people.

Which country lost about a quarter of its population to death and emigration in the Great Famine of 1845 to 1852?

Ireland's population fell by 20–25% between 1841 and 1871 as roughly one million people died and over a million more emigrated after potato blight destroyed the crop the poor depended on. Some towns lost two-thirds of their people.

Which South American country, independent from the Dutch since 1975, is the continent's smallest by area and population?

Suriname gained independence on 25 November 1975 and keeps Dutch as its official language; with about 613,000 people on 165,940 km², it is South America's smallest country and one of the least densely populated on Earth.

Which Caribbean island, the second-largest after Cuba, is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic?

Hispaniola covers 76,192 km², with the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic holding the eastern two-thirds and French- and Creole-speaking Haiti the west; it is the most populous island in the West Indies.

Which civilisation's Long Count calendar ended a 5,126-year cycle on 21 December 2012, sparking doomsday predictions?

The Maya Long Count's zero date falls on 11 August 3114 BC, so 21 December 2012 merely closed a bʼakʼtun cycle; festivities were held at Chichén Itzá and Tikal rather than the apocalypse some New Age writers foretold.

What fills the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, its northern and southern edges skirted by two branches of the Silk Road?

The Taklamakan Desert lies inside the Tarim Basin, hemmed in by the Kunlun, Pamir and Tian Shan ranges, and ranks about 15th among the world's largest deserts; caravans hugged its edges to avoid the interior.

Which US president bought Louisiana from France in 1803 for $15 million, nearly doubling the country's territory?

Thomas Jefferson had long wanted New Orleans, and Napoleon offered all of Louisiana after failing to crush the revolt in Saint-Domingue and facing renewed war with Britain; the 828,000 square miles cost under three cents an acre.

Which mountain range, with the microstate Andorra sandwiched inside it, seals off the Iberian Peninsula from Europe?

The Pyrenees extend nearly 500 km to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, peaking at 3,404 m on Aneto, with their main crest forming Spain's northern border and Andorra tucked into the eastern section of the range.

Which country was proclaimed an empire in Versailles' Hall of Mirrors in January 1871, inside a defeated enemy's palace?

Germany's princes proclaimed Prussia's King Wilhelm I as German Emperor at Versailles, in the very hall whose ceiling celebrated Louis XIV as a conqueror of German cities; Bismarck had engineered the unification without Austria.

Which African capital on the Congo River was called Léopoldville from 1881 until 1966?

Kinshasa took its present name in 1966 during Mobutu Sese Seko's campaign to restore pre-colonial names, honouring the village of Nshasa; it is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Alexander the Great died in Babylon, in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in June 323 BC at what age?

Alexander was 32: a Babylonian astronomical diary records him dying in Nebuchadnezzar II's palace between the evenings of 10 and 11 June 323 BC, after 12 to 14 days of fever; his general Ptolemy later seized the funeral cart in Syria.

Which country, largely the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta, is the most densely populated large nation on Earth?

Bangladesh packs about 1,265 people into each square kilometre of the Ganges Delta, the world's largest river delta, and ranks as the eighth most populous country; it won independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Which country's highest peak, the 5,137 m volcano Ararat, is the traditional resting place of Noah's Ark?

Turkey's Greater Ararat rises to 5,137 m in the far east of the country, yet the mountain is Armenia's principal national symbol and appears on its coat of arms with Noah's Ark. Persian tradition calls it the 'mountain of Noah'.

Which country's 1979 revolution replaced the Pahlavi monarchy with an Islamic republic led by Ayatollah Khomeini?

Iran's Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi left for exile on 16 January 1979, and Ruhollah Khomeini, himself banished since 1964, returned to become supreme leader of the new Islamic Republic.

Which Pacific kingdom's last queen, Liliʻuokalani, was overthrown in an 1893 coup, five years before US annexation?

Hawaii's monarchy fell on 17 January 1893 on Oahu after Liliʻuokalani tried to promulgate a constitution restoring royal power; the coup leaders set up a republic and achieved annexation by the United States in 1898.

Which country's Lake Balaton, fed by the Zala River and drained only by the Sió, is the largest lake in Central Europe?

Hungary's Lake Balaton is Central Europe's biggest lake and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations; the Zala River provides its largest inflow and the canalised Sió its only outflow.

Which South American country lost most of its population, by some estimates, in the 1864–70 War of the Triple Alliance?

Paraguay took on three neighbours at once under Francisco Solano López and, by some historians' estimates, lost the majority of its people to battle, hunger and disease; demographic studies range from 7% up to 69% of the prewar population.

Which West African country, formerly the Gold Coast, was the first sub-Saharan colony to gain independence, in 1957?

Ghana was born at midnight on 6 March 1957 when the Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories and British Togoland united as one dominion under Kwame Nkrumah, the first colony in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty.

At which Black Sea resort did Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin meet in February 1945 to plan post-war Europe?

Yalta was Stalin's choice, as he insisted his doctors forbade long journeys; the three delegations lodged in the Livadia, Yusupov and Vorontsov palaces for the February 1945 talks. Potsdam followed that July.

Which island nation, 80 km south of Italy and the tenth-smallest country on Earth, joined the European Union in 2004?

Malta packs about 574,000 people into 316 km², making it the ninth most densely populated country, and its capital Valletta is the EU's smallest capital by both area and population. It adopted the euro in 2008.

Which nutmeg island in the Banda Sea did the Dutch keep under the 1667 Treaty of Breda, while England kept Manhattan?

Run was worth the swap because of its nutmeg and mace; once in possession the Dutch chopped down every nutmeg tree on the island to stop the English retaking it, while New Amsterdam, kept by England, became New York.

On which Canadian Arctic island does Alert, the northernmost continuously inhabited place on Earth, sit at 82°30' N?

Ellesmere Island's Alert lies just 817 km from the North Pole and is staffed mainly by military and weather-station personnel; George Nares and his crew were the first recorded Europeans to reach the island's northern end, in 1875–76.

Which waterway, widened for dreadnoughts before 1914, links the North Sea to the Baltic across the base of Jutland?

The Kiel Canal saves ships about 460 km by letting them bypass the Jutland peninsula and the Danish Straits; it was widened between 1907 and 1914 so that the Kaiser's new dreadnought battleships could pass between the two coasts.

The 1917 October Revolution fell in November by the Western calendar because Russia still used which calendar?

Russia still ran on the Julian calendar in 1917, so the Bolshevik seizure of Petrograd on 25 October fell on 7 November by the Gregorian calendar used elsewhere. The new regime adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918.

Brazil, the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, did so with the Golden Law of which year?

Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, when Princess Isabel signed the Lei Áurea on 13 May 1888; the empire fell to a republican coup the next year.

Which European country gave women the federal vote only in 1971, after male voters rejected it in 1959?

Switzerland's men approved women's suffrage in federal elections on 7 February 1971, having thrown it out by two to one in 1959; neighbouring Liechtenstein, the last in Europe to act, waited until a referendum on 1 July 1984.

Which 1939-40 war saw Finland's ski troops hold off the Red Army for three and a half months?

The Winter War began with Stalin's invasion on 30 November 1939; Finland's ski troops held the Red Army for three and a half months before the Moscow Peace Treaty of March 1940 cost it 9% of its land, including much of Karelia.

Which British prime minister sent a task force to retake the Falklands after Argentina invaded in April 1982?

Margaret Thatcher's war cabinet dispatched the task force within days of the Argentine landings, code-named Operation Rosario; Argentina surrendered on 14 June 1982 after 74 days, and 907 people were killed in all.

The Blue Nile, flowing from Ethiopia's Lake Tana, meets the White Nile at which capital city?

Khartoum, Sudan's capital, stands at the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile; Lake Tana spills over a control weir into the Blue Nile, which plunges over the Blue Nile Falls soon after leaving the lake.

Jikji, the oldest surviving book printed with movable metal type, was made in 1377 under which Korean dynasty?

Korea's Goryeo dynasty printed Jikji in two volumes in 1377, 78 years before Gutenberg's 42-line Bible; UNESCO confirmed it as the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type in 2001.

Which southern African kingdom did Shaka forge in the 1810s with a standing army that consolidated rival clans?

The Zulu kingdom under Shaka stretched along the Indian Ocean coast from the Tugela River in the south to the Pongola in the north, centred on today's KwaZulu-Natal; Shaka was the illegitimate son of the Zulu chief Senzangakhona.

Which country's Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974 toppled the Estado Novo dictatorship with almost no shots fired?

Portugal's Estado Novo, founded by António de Oliveira Salazar and led by 1974 by Marcelo Caetano, fell to a military coup code-named Operation Historic Turn; carnations pushed into soldiers' gun barrels gave the revolution its name.

Which Roman emperor began a 117 km stone wall across northern Britain in AD 122 to mark the empire's frontier?

Hadrian's Wall ran 80 Roman miles from Wallsend on the Tyne to Bowness-on-Solway, with ditches in front and behind; it is the largest Roman archaeological feature in Britain and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.