Countries of the World Quiz: Populations, Borders & Records

This countries of the world quiz tests how well you know the 193 UN member states, with questions on India, Russia, San Marino, Bolivia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Kazakhstan. Ten questions, 90 seconds, and each answer is explained below.

Start Countries of the World Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Population
Which country has the largest population in the world?
Size
Which is the largest country in the world by area?
United Nations
How many member states does the United Nations have?
Europe
Apart from Vatican City, which country is completely surrounded by Italy?
South America
Along with Paraguay, which South American country has no coastline?
New Nations
Which country became independent in 2011, making it the newest widely recognized nation?
Africa
Which African country has the largest population?
Borders
Which country shares the longest international land border with the United States?
Asia
Which Southeast Asian country's name means land of the free?
Records
Which is the largest landlocked country in the world?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which country has the largest population in the world?
Answer: India
India passed China as the world's most populous country in 2023, according to United Nations estimates, and now has more than 1.4 billion people. China's population has started to shrink.
Q2: Which is the largest country in the world by area?
Answer: Russia
Russia covers about 17.1 million square kilometers, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Canada is the second-largest country by area.
Q3: How many member states does the United Nations have?
Answer: 193
The United Nations has 193 member states, and South Sudan, which joined in 2011, was the most recent. The Holy See and Palestine take part as non-member observer states.
Q4: Apart from Vatican City, which country is completely surrounded by Italy?
Answer: San Marino
San Marino is an enclave entirely surrounded by Italy and claims to be the world's oldest surviving republic, founded in 301 according to tradition. Vatican City is the other country found entirely inside Italy.
Q5: Along with Paraguay, which South American country has no coastline?
Answer: Bolivia
Bolivia and Paraguay are South America's only landlocked countries. Bolivia lost its coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific in the 1880s, yet it still has a navy that patrols Lake Titicaca.
Q6: Which country became independent in 2011, making it the newest widely recognized nation?
Answer: South Sudan
South Sudan became independent from Sudan on July 9, 2011, after a referendum, and joined the United Nations a few days later. Its capital is Juba.
Q7: Which African country has the largest population?
Answer: Nigeria
Nigeria has well over 200 million people, the largest population in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Its biggest city, Lagos, is among the fastest-growing cities on Earth.
Q8: Which country shares the longest international land border with the United States?
Answer: Canada
The border between Canada and the United States runs about 8,890 kilometers, including the Alaska section, making it the longest international border in the world.
Q9: Which Southeast Asian country's name means land of the free?
Answer: Thailand
Thailand means land of the free, and it is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized by a European power. Until 1939 it was known as Siam.
Q10: Which is the largest landlocked country in the world?
Answer: Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan covers about 2.7 million square kilometers, making it the largest landlocked country and the ninth-largest country overall. Mongolia is the second-largest landlocked country.

Countries of the World Quiz – 193 Nations, One Quiz

There are 193 member states of the United Nations, plus two observer states, the Holy See and Palestine. They range from Russia, which spans eleven time zones, to Vatican City, which you can walk across in about twenty minutes. Some, like San Marino, have been independent for many centuries; others, like South Sudan, are only a few years old. Each has its own borders, languages and history, which is what makes countries one of the richest topics in trivia.

This quiz looks at countries through records and surprises: the most populous nation, the largest landlocked state, the longest shared border and the newest member of the United Nations. A few questions test the kind of detail that trips up experienced players, such as which South American countries have no coastline and which country's name means land of the free.

Populations and borders do change over time, so the explanations note when a fact is based on recent estimates. India overtook China as the most populous country only in 2023, a reminder that the world map keeps moving.

Country trivia also rewards curiosity about names and history. Many nations have changed their names in living memory: Siam became Thailand, Burma became Myanmar, Swaziland became Eswatini and Czechia adopted its short name in 2016. Knowing these changes helps when old books, maps or films use names that look unfamiliar today.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is aimed at geography fans, students learning about the world and travelers who want to know more about the places on their list.

Why India is now the world's most populous country
How many countries belong to the United Nations, and which joined last
Which tiny countries sit entirely inside Italy
Why Bolivia has a navy but no coastline
Which country has never been colonized in Southeast Asia
How the Canada-U.S. border became the world's longest

Quick Facts About the World's Countries

Africa has 54 countries, more than any other continent.
The Netherlands is the official name for the whole country, while Holland refers to only two of its provinces.
Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan are the world's only doubly landlocked countries, surrounded only by other landlocked nations.
Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.
The Philippines is named after King Philip II of Spain.
Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world.