World General Knowledge Questions & Answers

Your quick reference for popular GK topics

Geography

• 1. What is the longest river in the world?
  The Nile River, flowing about 6,650km (4,130mi) through northeastern Africa.
• 2. Which country has the largest land area?
  Russia, covering about 17.1million square kilometres.
• 3. Name the smallest independent nation by both area and population.
  Vatican City 44ha and roughly 800 residents.
• 4. What is the capital city of Australia?
  Canberra.
• 5. Which desert is the largest in the world (excluding polar deserts)?
  The Sahara Desert, covering about 9.2millionkm.

History

• 1. Who was the first President of the United States?
  George Washington, inaugurated in 1789.
• 2. In which year did the Berlin Wall fall?
  1989, on 9November.
• 3. Which empire was ruled by Genghis Khan?
  The Mongol Empire.
• 4. What ancient civilization built Machu Picchu?
  The Inca civilization.
• 5. Which treaty ended World WarI?
  The Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28June1919.

Science & Technology

• 1. What is the chemical symbol for gold?
  Au.
• 2. Who formulated the theory of general relativity?
  Albert Einstein, published in 1915.
• 3. What planet is known as the Red Planet?
  Mars.
• 4. What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?
  Diamond.
• 5. Which element has atomic number 1?
  Hydrogen.

Cultural & Arts

• 1. Who wrote the play Romeo and Juliet?
  William Shakespeare.
• 2. Which city is famous for the carnival called Rio de Janeiro Carnival?
  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• 3. What is the worlds most widely spoken language by native speakers?
  Mandarin Chinese.
• 4. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
  Leonardo daVinci.
• 5. In which country did the sport of judo originate?
  Japan.

Sports & Games

• 1. Which nation has won the most FIFA World Cup titles?
  Brazil, with five championships.
• 2. Who holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals?
  American swimmer Michael Phelps 23 gold medals.
• 3. Which chess grandmaster became world champion at age 22 in 1972?
  Bobby Fischer.
• 4. What sport uses a shuttlecock?
  Badminton.
• 5. In which country were the first modern Olympic Games held?
  Greece, in Athens, 1896.