Around the world in 50 countries: the globe-trotting Christmas travel quiz
NEWS | 25 December 2025
1-6 Name the six countries or territories Donald Trump has said or suggested he would like to annex, acquire or take control of. View image in fullscreen Photograph: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images 7-10 The original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (of which only one survives) were located in which four present-day countries? 11-15 Name the only five Caribbean countries to ever qualify for the finals of the men’s football World Cup. View image in fullscreen Photograph: Gilbert Bellamy/Reuters 16-21 The equator passes through which six African mainland countries? 22 & 23 Name the only two countries in South America that do not border Brazil. View image in fullscreen Photograph: Wagner Meier/Getty Images 24-28: Name these countries from their distinctive landmarks: 24 25 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Brian Jannsen/Alamy 26 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Santiago Urquijo/Getty Images 27 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Chris Mattison/Alamy 28 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Erik Lattwein/Alamy 29-33: Where were these famous movies filmed? Clue: none are in the country the story is set. 29 30 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy 31 32 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive 33 34-38: In which county would you be if you were eating these foods? 34 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Vasiliy Budarin/Getty Images/iStockphoto 35 36 37 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Valery Voennyy/Alamy 38 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Mizina/Getty Images 39-45 There are seven Asian “stan” countries – can you name them on this map? View image in fullscreen Illustration: Guardian Design 46-50: Name the last five countries to join the United Nations. Here are their flags to help you. 46 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Ingram Publishing/Alamy 47 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Daboost/Getty Images 48 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Ingram Publishing/Alamy 49 View image in fullscreen Photograph: Ingram Publishing/Alamy 50 View image in fullscreen Photograph: daboost/Getty Images The answers 1 to 6 Greenland, Canada, Panama (canal), Venezuela, Mexico and Gaza 7 to 10 Greece (Colossus of Rhodes and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia), Egypt (Lighthouse of Alexandria, pictured, and Great Pyramid of Giza), Turkey (Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Temple of Artemis) and Iraq (Hanging Gardens of Babylon) 11 to 15 Cuba (in 1938), Haiti (1974 and 2026), Jamaica (1998), Trinidad and Tobago (2006) and Curaçao (2026, pictured) 16 to 21 from west to east, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Somalia 22 and 23 Chile and Ecuador 24 Mongolia (Genghis Khan statue) 25 St Lucia (The Pitons) 26 Mali (Great Mosque of Djenné) 27 Namibia’s red desert sand dunes 28 Portugal (Christ the King statue in Almada) 29 Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon (stood in for Thailand in The Bridge on the River Kwai) 30 Ireland or England (in Saving Private Ryan, Ballinesker in County Wexford stood in for Normandy’s D-day beaches; the rest of the film was shot at various English locations) 31 Tunisia (for the Holy Land in The Life of Brian) 32 Spain (for the US/Mexico in A Fistful of Dollars) 33 The Philippines (for Vietnam in Apocalypse Now) 34 Spain (tortilla) 35 Vietnam (goi cuon) 36 Morocco (tagine) 37 Georgia (khachapuri) 38 Indonesia (satay) 39 Kazakhstan 40 Turkmenistan 41 Uzbekistan 42 Tajikistan 43 Kyrgyzstan 44 Afghanistan 45 Pakistan 46 Montenegro (2006) 47 Timor-Leste (2002) 48 South Sudan (2011) 49 Serbia (2000) 50 Switzerland (2002)
Author: Gavin Mcowan.
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