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About This Quiz
Depending on whom you ask, there are between 189 and 196 independent countries in the world. While they may share similarities, each has developed a unique culture with customs and pleasantries unlike anything else in the world. Just think of how many differences there are just between the states in the United States. Could you possibly confuse a Brooklynite with someone from Mobile? Adjust that paradigm to the whole world and you get an idea of how complex humanity has become.
Some customs develop because of the war history of a nation, or the style of a king from centuries ago. Other cultures develop customs based on superstitions, or legends, or the intersection of multiple religions. For example, The Netherlands has a lot of customs that owe to the influx of Jews several centuries ago, and Thailand has customs owing to its former status as a French colony. Even the United States has legacies of our colonial time, with the inheritance of British Common Law forming the basis of our system of jurisprudence.
So how well do you know the world? When you visit a country, do you bother to dig into the local customs, so you can know what it is like to be a local, or do you just take selfies and hop on the next leg of your trip? Could you identify these nations from one cultural fact?
This nation is the birthplace of democracy. Which country is it?
Greece
Greece was the cradle of western civilization, giving the world some of its greatest philosophers, some of its earliest scientists and of course, democracy.
Holland
Iceland
The United Kingdom
This country is the traditional home of Count Dracula. Which country is it?
Macedonia
Greece
Turkey
Romania
There was a real Romanian prince who brutally fought the Turks when they invaded, but that man has been transformed into the Count Dracula of popular culture.
More people, per capita, drive convertibles in this country than any other. What is it?
The United States
The United Arab Emirates
The United Kingdom
The British love their drop tops, because when the sun comes out, they want to make the most of it.
Germany
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This country is famed for its pyramids. Which country is it?
Syria
Egypt
Egypt's main claim to fame is its history as the seat of the pharaohs, men and women who controlled a vast empire, with the Nile as its backbone.
Tunisia
Somalia
Blowing your nose in public without a tissue is just fine here. What country is it?
China
It's not clear why this is the case, but in 2008, the Beijing authorities tried to curb the nose blowing to make Olympic visitors more at ease.
Japan
Russia
France
In this country, people ride bicycles everywhere, and rarely break much of a sweat. Which country is it?
China
The Netherlands
Holland is very flat, and its people, the Dutch, like to ride bicycles to get around. In fact, they are so popular, there is an informal bike-sharing culture in many of its major cities.
The United States
Zimbabwe
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If you're invited to a party in this country, you should send flowers ahead of your visit. Which country is it?
Canada
Germany
South Africa
Denmark
In Denmark, people expect everyone to learn and respect social norms. If you break the rules, you'll be told about it and expect to adjust your behavior. One of those rules is that when you're a party guest, you should send flowers ahead of your arrival.
In this country, showers don't usually have curtains. Instead, you are given a sort of broom with a squeegee on the end so you can push water into a drain in the floor. Which country is it?
Israel
Israel has done an excellent job in irrigation, and perhaps that is the reason they don't mind having water go everywhere when you take a shower. Perhaps there were safety concerns about the use of shower curtains. Either way, showers are usually just a head coming out of the wall, with no little tub under it, and water goes everywhere.
Russia
Azerbaijan
France
In this country, it is customary to point not with your finger, but by pursing your lips. Which country is it?
Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico, pointing with your finger is fine, but pursing your lips and sort of "kissing" in the direction you're pointing in is also acceptable.
Syria
Croatia
Canada
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In this country, it is considered unlucky and impolite to have a conversation in the doorway to your house. Which country is it?
Russia
It's an old superstition in Russia that talking through the doorway of a home is bad luck, so that has evolved into a mostly unspoken cultural norm that you either exit your home to talk, or invite the visitor in immediately.
China
Germany
Morocco
In this country, tone of voice can indicate size in the native language. Which country is it?
The Philippines
In the Philippines, the native language is Tagalog, and in that language the size of a thing can be conveyed by the pitch of your voice. A small thing would have a high pitch, and a large thing a low pitch.
Mexico
Brazil
Australia
In this country, Christmas presents are opened on Christmas Eve. Which country is it?
Mexico
Austria
Among its many unique Christmas traditions, in Austria it is normal to open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve.
Canada
The United States
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In this country, you might get pulled over for driving too slowly. Which country is it?
Italy
Italy is a country that doesn't brook zealous rule-following. As the ancestral homeland of the sports car, they love their native cars. Many visitors lucky enough to drive a Ferrari or a Lamborghini report being pulled over so the police can admire their car, and then tell them to drive faster.
Ireland
Poland
Japan
This country has two similar languages, and a region doing its best to split off and form its own nation. Which country is it?
Spain
Spain has two major languages: Spanish and Catalan. Catalonia, the region including Barcelona, has been making noises about going independent for years, but now they've been holding referendums, and it may come to pass someday soon.
Germany
Norway
Finland
In this country, the government invents new words every year. Which country is it?
The United States
France
There is an office in the French government that creates French words for things that appear in other languages, most notably English. This is to protect the cultural integrity of the French language, so it doesn't fall into disuse as it becomes corrupted with lots of English words for things like "online" and "cellphone".
India
Australia
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In this country, their national health service goes back to the Year Without a Summer. Which country is it?
Ireland
Ireland was hit hard by the eruption of Mount Tambora, which caused 1816 to become the Year Without a Summer. There was a famine (before the famous potato famine) and people huddled together in their homes, spreading disease like wildfire. Thus, the government stepped in and developed the first national health service in the world.
Germany
Liechtenstein
Hungary
In this country, greetings include a handshake, usually followed by a question to do with the status of the addressee, rather than the word "Hello." Which country is it?
Saudi Arabia
The United States
Yes! In the United States, greetings usually involve a handshake and some variation on "What's up?"
China
Ukraine
Nomads in this country should always be approached from the north if you're friendly, and they will always offer you tea, but if they want you to leave, the tea will be filled all the way up and it will not be sweet. Which country is it?
Saudi Arabia
Bedouin nomads in the Middle East, as in Saudi Arabia, will always show hospitality to a friendly stranger, but they have subtle ways of saying they'd like you to leave, because they cannot actually ask you to leave. That wouldn't be friendly.
Poland
Norway
Liberia
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This country recently passed a law making it illegal to say anyone in the country cooperated with The Holocaust. Which country is it?
Poland
Poland recently passed a law making it illegal to call any of the Nazi-built concentration camps in Poland as "Polish Concentration Camps" but also made it a crime to claim anyone in Poland took part in The Holocaust or aided the Nazis at all.
Germany
Montenegro
Switzerland
In this country, they have their own special version of the pickup truck which everyone loves. Which country is it?
Australia
Australians have a kind of streamlined pickup truck called a ute, which is basically just a muscle car with a bed in the back. These weird, wonderful trucks never seem to make it across the Pacific to the US, but then that makes sense. Australia is halfway around the world.
Brazil
Argentina
Japan
81% of the residents in this country live in cities. Which country is it?
Canada
Canada is often lauded for its relative liberalism, and perhaps a lot of that is because much of the population live in cities, where pluralism and diversity are a fact of life, and liberalism can flourish more easily.
Mexico
Uruguay
Costa Rica
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This country celebrates a military victory over France on May 5th. Which country is it?
Japan
Thailand
Mexico
The victory on May 5th, 1862 is the basis for the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo! A French defeat that leads to a fun party? Who can complain about that? Other than the French?
New Zealand
In this country, when you go to the bathroom you only flush if it's a number 2, unless it's bedtime. Which country is it?
New Zealand
Bermuda
Due to a fresh water shortage in Bermuda, it is normal to flush number 2s, but leave number 1s to sit until the end of the night, when you flush the toilet so it's fresh for the next day.
The Isle of Man
Iceland
In this country, it is considered rude to show the soles of your feet. Which country is it?
Hungary
Iceland
Thailand
In Thailand, showing someone the soles of your feet is somewhere between giving them the finger, and mooning them. Don't do it!
Costa Rica
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Slapping someone with your shoe is considered especially rude here. Which country is it?
Iraq
While slapping someone or something with your shoe could be considered rude just about anywhere, it is considered particularly egregious in Iraq, where one manufacturer made shoes with images of George Bush on the sole as a very specific insult.
Romania
Finland
Ukraine
In this country, the difficult driving standards have produced many of the world's finest race car drivers. Which country is it?
Finland
Finland's roads are awful, gravel-strewn messes. Their driving test involves many advanced driving skills, like getting out of a skid, and a move called The Scandinavian Flick. As a result, many of the greatest race car drivers come from Finland.
Brazil
Chile
Vietnam
In this country, it is normal to greet the faeries before driving past standing stones. Which country is it?
Iceland
The Isle of Man
Tax haven the Isle of Man has a long history, going back to the stone age. The island is home to many standing stones, and it is believed these stones are favored by faeries. When people drive past, they say hello, and god forbid you try to move one.
New Zealand
Japan
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When a blockbuster movie was made in this country, the producers had to rope in dozens of women to play bearded men. Which country is it?
New Zealand
When the Lord of the Rings films were under way in New Zealand, the script called for dozens of men on horseback. There were literally not enough men in New Zealand who could ride, but there were plenty of women who rode horses. As a result, the producers put fake beards on the women, dressed them as men, and filmed battles with dozens of warrior women.
Nicuragua
Colombia
Romania
This country sits astride two continents, one of which is Asia. Which country is it?
Turkey
Turkey controls land both on the European continent and the Asian continent, with the Bosporus running in between.
Egypt
Panama
Afghanistan
In this country, there are people who work as vending machine attendants. Which country is it?
India
India is a very populous nation, and everyone needs a job. As a result, there are certain jobs there that come as a bit of a shock to westerners. One of those jobs is that of vending machine attendant; usually men who stand in front of vending machines, and operate them for you.
Hungary
Taiwan
Croatia
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This African nation is hailed as one of the friendliest countries in the world. Which country is it?
South Africa
Zambia
Zambia is home to over 100,000 Asians, mostly from China and India, and many European expats. The nation is known for being welcoming, and benefits from its visitors and new residents.
Zimbabwe
Liberia
This nation's written alphabet is called Lacinka. Which country is it?
Greece
Ukraine
Belarus
Belarus is often confused for a part of Russia, and while Russian is often spoken there, the national tongue is Belarusian, which uses a Latin-based script they call Lacinka.
Macedonia
This nation had a coup in 2005, and then another in 2008. Which country is it?
Morocco
Algeria
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritania has a coup in 2005, followed by the creation of a new constitution, but that didn't stick, so there was another coup in 2008, and the leader of the 2005 coup was elected president in 2009.
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This nation is the second most densely populated nation in Africa. Which country is it?
Burundi
Burundi is Rwanda's equally small next door neighbor, and like Rwanda, it is very densely populated, but not quite as much.
Rwanda
South Africa
The Democratic Republic of Congo
In this country, people drive on the left side of the road because swordsmen, who wore swords on their left hip, could ride in opposite directions without smacking their scabbards together. What country is it?
Japan
In feudal Japan, smacking scabbards was considered reason to fight to the death. Thus, by putting people and horses on the left side of the road, this problem could be mostly averted. This custom continues to this day, but without the swords.
China
Thailand
India
You Got:
/35
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