Cartógrafo
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Geography fun facts

Over 400 fun facts from Cartógrafo's maps, each one checked: from the world's countries to every country's provinces and the borders of other eras. Next to each group, its map to play.

The world and its continents

World

  • Vatican City, the world's smallest country, covers less than half a square kilometre.
  • France has the most time zones of any country, 12, thanks to its overseas territories.
  • Canada has the world's longest coastline: over 200,000 km.
  • Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world.
  • Russia is so wide that it spans 11 time zones.
Play: World →

Europe

  • The Danube flows through 10 countries, more than any other river in the world.
  • Four capitals stand on the Danube: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.
  • Mount Elbrus in the Russian Caucasus is Europe's highest peak (5,642 m), higher than Mont Blanc.
  • Iceland has no army of its own.
  • Russia and Turkey both have land in Europe and in Asia.
Play: Europe →

Asia

  • China uses a single time zone, although it is about 5,000 km wide.
  • The shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest point on dry land: about 430 m below sea level.
  • Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands.
  • Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest lake in the world: over 1,600 m.
  • Everest, on the Nepal–China border, is the world's highest mountain: 8,849 m.
Play: Asia →

Africa

  • Algeria has been Africa's largest country since Sudan split in 2011.
  • Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa.
  • South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein.
  • Ethiopia uses its own calendar, with 13 months.
  • The Nile basin spans 11 countries.
Play: Africa →

North America & Caribbean

  • Greenland is the world's largest island and part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
  • Lake Superior, between Canada and the US, is the largest freshwater lake in the world by area.
  • Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean.
  • The Canada–US border is the longest between two countries: about 8,900 km.
Play: North America & Caribbean →

Central & South America

  • Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.
  • Bolivia and Paraguay are South America's only landlocked countries.
  • Angel Falls in Venezuela is the world's highest waterfall: 979 m.
  • The Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia is the largest salt flat in the world.
  • The Panama Canal saves a ship sailing from New York to San Francisco about 13,000 km.
Play: Central & South America →

Oceania

  • Australia is the only country that takes up a whole continent.
  • Over 800 languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea, more than in any other country.
  • New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, in 1893.
  • Kiribati is the only country in all four hemispheres.
Play: Oceania →

Europe

Provinces of Spain

  • Badajoz is Spain's largest province, and Gipuzkoa its smallest.
  • Soria is the Spanish province with the fewest people.
  • Llívia is a town in Girona entirely surrounded by France.
  • The provinces were drawn in 1833; the Canaries were split in two in 1927, making 50.
Play: Provinces of Spain →

Districts of Portugal

  • Mainland Portugal has 18 districts; the Azores and Madeira are autonomous regions.
  • Cabo da Roca, in Lisbon district, is the westernmost point of mainland Europe.
  • Portugal's highest mountain, Pico (2,351 m), is in the Azores.
  • The Spain–Portugal border is one of Europe's oldest: it has barely changed since 1297.
Play: Districts of Portugal →

Regions of France

  • Since 2016 France has 13 regions in Europe, plus five overseas.
  • Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the largest region of European France.
  • France's longest border is with Brazil, through French Guiana.
  • Mont Blanc (4,806 m), in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is the highest peak in the Alps.
  • Napoleon was born in Corsica, in Ajaccio.
Play: Regions of France →

Departments of France

  • The departments were created in 1790, during the French Revolution.
  • Each department has a number, in almost alphabetical order: it starts every postcode.
  • Corsica has had two departments since 1976: 2A and 2B.
  • Gironde is the largest department of European France, and Paris the smallest.
Play: Departments of France →

Regions of Italy

  • Italy has 20 regions, five of them with special status.
  • Aosta Valley is Italy's smallest and least populated region.
  • Sicily is Italy's largest region and the biggest island in the Mediterranean.
  • Two independent countries lie inside Italy: Vatican City and San Marino.
  • Mount Etna, in Sicily, is Europe's highest active volcano.
Play: Regions of Italy →

States of Germany

  • Germany has 16 states; three are cities: Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen.
  • Bavaria is Germany's largest state.
  • The Zugspitze, in Bavaria, is Germany's highest mountain: 2,962 m.
  • The state of Bremen is made up of two separate cities: Bremen and Bremerhaven.
  • North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state.
Play: States of Germany →

Provinces of the Netherlands

  • Flevoland, the youngest province (1986), was built on land reclaimed from the sea.
  • About a quarter of the Netherlands lies below sea level.
  • Amsterdam is the capital, but the government and parliament sit in The Hague.
  • Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, in the Caribbean, are special Dutch municipalities.
Play: Provinces of the Netherlands →

Cantons of Switzerland

  • Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.
  • Switzerland has no official capital: Bern is the 'federal city'.
  • Graubünden is the largest canton and the only one where Romansh is official.
  • Basel-Stadt is Switzerland's smallest canton.
  • In Appenzell Innerrhoden people still vote by show of hands in the town square.
Play: Cantons of Switzerland →

States of Austria

  • Austria has nine states; Vienna is both the capital and a state.
  • The Grossglockner, between Tyrol and Carinthia, is Austria's highest mountain: 3,798 m.
  • East Tyrol does not touch the rest of Tyrol: Salzburg and Italy lie between them.
  • Lower Austria is the country's largest state.
  • More than 60% of Austria is mountains: the Alps.
Play: States of Austria →

Regions of Poland

  • Poland has been divided into 16 voivodeships since 1999.
  • Masovia, home to Warsaw, is the largest and most populous voivodeship.
  • Kraków was Poland's capital until the end of the 16th century.
  • Białowieża Forest, in Podlaskie, is one of Europe's last primeval forests.
Play: Regions of Poland →

Provinces of Belgium

  • Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German.
  • Belgium has 10 provinces, five in Flanders and five in Wallonia; Brussels belongs to none.
  • Brabant was split in 1995 into Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant.
  • Baarle-Hertog is a Belgian town made of more than 20 pieces surrounded by the Netherlands.
Play: Provinces of Belgium →

Regions of Czechia

  • Czechia has 13 regions plus Prague, which is a region of its own.
  • The Central Bohemian Region completely surrounds Prague.
  • Sněžka (1,603 m), on the Polish border, is Czechia's highest peak.
  • Bohemia in the west and Moravia in the east are the country's two big historic lands.
Play: Regions of Czechia →

Counties of Sweden

  • Norrbotten, in the far north, covers almost a quarter of Sweden.
  • Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic Sea.
  • In northern Sweden the sun doesn't set for weeks in summer.
  • Kebnekaise, in Lapland, is Sweden's highest mountain.
Play: Counties of Sweden →

Counties of Romania

  • Romania has 41 counties plus the municipality of Bucharest.
  • The Danube Delta, in Tulcea, is one of Europe's best-preserved wetlands.
  • The Carpathians form a great arc around Transylvania.
  • Bran Castle, in Brașov, is known as 'Dracula's Castle'.
  • Romanian is a Romance language, related to Spanish and Italian.
Play: Counties of Romania →

Regions of Greece

  • Greece has 13 regions, plus Mount Athos, a self-governing land of monks.
  • Greece has about 6,000 islands and islets, but only around 200 are inhabited.
  • Mount Olympus, Greece's highest mountain, is nearly 2,920 m high.
  • Crete is the largest Greek island.
Play: Regions of Greece →

Counties of Ireland

  • The Republic of Ireland has 26 counties; the whole island has 32, counting the six in the North.
  • Cork is Ireland's largest county, and Louth its smallest.
  • Carrauntoohil, in Kerry, is Ireland's highest mountain: 1,038 m.
  • The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and in the British Isles.
Play: Counties of Ireland →

Regions of Finland

  • Finland has about 188,000 lakes.
  • The Åland Islands are self-governing, demilitarised and Swedish-speaking.
  • Lapland is the largest region: almost a third of Finland.
  • Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish.
Play: Regions of Finland →

Counties of Estonia

  • Estonia has more than 2,000 islands; Saaremaa is the biggest.
  • About half of Estonia is covered by forest.
  • Estonia was the first country to allow online voting in a general election, in 2007.
  • Estonian is related to Finnish, not to the Slavic or Baltic languages.
Play: Counties of Estonia →

Counties of Lithuania

  • Lithuania has 10 counties.
  • According to France's National Geographic Institute, the centre of Europe lies in Lithuania, near Vilnius.
  • The Curonian Spit, a 98 km strip of sand, is shared by Lithuania and Russia.
  • Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence, in 1990.
Play: Counties of Lithuania →

Counties of Hungary

  • Hungary has 19 counties plus the capital, Budapest.
  • Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe.
  • Budapest was created in 1873 by joining Buda, Óbuda and Pest.
  • Hungarian is not an Indo-European language: it is a distant relative of Finnish.
Play: Counties of Hungary →

Counties of Croatia

  • Croatia has 20 counties plus the City of Zagreb.
  • Croatia has more than 1,000 islands and islets in the Adriatic.
  • Since 2022 the Pelješac Bridge links Dubrovnik to the rest of Croatia without crossing Bosnia.
  • The necktie comes from 17th-century Croatian soldiers: 'cravat' means Croat.
Play: Counties of Croatia →

Districts of Serbia

  • Serbia is divided into 24 districts and the City of Belgrade, not counting the 5 Kosovo districts Serbia also claims.
  • Belgrade stands where the Sava flows into the Danube.
  • Vojvodina, in the north, is an autonomous province with six official languages.
  • Serbian is written in two alphabets: Cyrillic and Latin.
Play: Districts of Serbia →

Provinces of Bulgaria

  • Bulgaria has 28 provinces.
  • The Cyrillic alphabet was born in the First Bulgarian Empire, around the 10th century.
  • In Bulgaria, shaking your head from side to side means 'yes'.
  • Musala (2,925 m), in the Rila range, is the highest peak in the Balkans.
Play: Provinces of Bulgaria →

Regions of Ukraine

  • Ukraine is the largest country lying entirely in Europe.
  • Ukraine has 24 regions (oblasts), plus Crimea and the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol.
  • Ukraine's black earth, chernozem, is among the most fertile soil in the world.
  • Hoverla (2,061 m), in the Carpathians, is Ukraine's highest peak.
Play: Regions of Ukraine →

Regions of the United Kingdom

  • The United Kingdom is made up of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • Its only land border is the one between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
  • Ben Nevis in Scotland, at 1,345 metres, is the highest mountain in the British Isles.
  • "Big Ben" is actually the name of the great bell in the tower of the Palace of Westminster in London.
Play: Regions of the United Kingdom →

Regions of Russia

  • Sakha (Yakutia) is the largest subnational division in the world: over 3 million km².
  • Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania, does not touch the rest of Russia.
  • Moscow and Saint Petersburg are federal cities, ranked the same as a region.
  • The Trans-Siberian Railway, from Moscow to Vladivostok, runs for more than 9,000 km.
Play: Regions of Russia →

Asia

Regions of Georgia

  • Abkhazia has been outside the Tbilisi government's control since the 1990s.
  • Batumi, on the Black Sea, is the capital of Adjara.
  • Kakheti is the great wine region: Georgia's clay-jar (qvevri) method is on UNESCO's Intangible Heritage list.
  • In Svaneti, high in the Caucasus, villages keep their medieval defensive towers.
Play: Regions of Georgia →

Provinces of Armenia

  • Mount Ararat, Armenia's symbol, is in Turkey, though it can be seen from Yerevan.
  • Lake Sevan, in Gegharkunik, is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus.
  • Yerevan began as the fortress of Erebuni, founded in 782 BC.
  • Armenia was the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion, in 301.
Play: Provinces of Armenia →

Governorates of Syria

  • Damascus is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
  • The Euphrates crosses Syria from Turkey to Iraq, through Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
  • The ruins of Palmyra are in Homs governorate, in the middle of the desert.
  • Latakia and Tartus are the two governorates on the Mediterranean coast.
Play: Governorates of Syria →

Governorates of Jordan

  • Petra, the city carved into the rock by the Nabataeans, is in Ma'an governorate.
  • Aqaba is Jordan's only coastal city, on the Red Sea.
  • The Dead Sea, on the western border, is the lowest point on dry land: more than 400 m below sea level.
  • Jerash holds one of the best-preserved Roman cities, ancient Gerasa.
Play: Governorates of Jordan →

Governorates of Oman

  • Musandam is cut off from the rest of Oman by the UAE and overlooks the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Madha is an Omani enclave inside the UAE, and inside Madha lies a UAE enclave: Nahwa.
  • In summer, the khareef rains turn Dhofar's mountains green.
  • Dhofar's frankincense trees are part of the 'Land of Frankincense', a World Heritage Site.
Play: Governorates of Oman →

Provinces of Turkey

  • Turkey has 81 provinces.
  • Istanbul lies on two continents, split by the Bosphorus.
  • The capital has been Ankara since 1923, not Istanbul.
  • Mount Ararat (5,137 m), near Iran and Armenia, is Turkey's highest peak.
Play: Provinces of Turkey →

Regions of Saudi Arabia

  • Saudi Arabia has 13 regions.
  • It is the largest country in the world with no permanent rivers.
  • The Rub' al Khali, the 'Empty Quarter', is the largest continuous sand desert in the world.
  • Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, are in the west of the country.
Play: Regions of Saudi Arabia →

Provinces of Iraq

  • Mesopotamia, the region's ancient name, means 'between rivers': the Tigris and the Euphrates.
  • The Tigris and Euphrates meet in Basra province to form the Shatt al-Arab.
  • Baghdad was founded in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.
  • The ruins of Babylon lie in today's Babil province.
Play: Provinces of Iraq →

Provinces of Iran

  • Iran has 31 provinces.
  • Damavand (about 5,610 m) is the highest volcano in Asia.
  • Ground temperatures above 70 °C have been measured in the Lut Desert, among the highest on Earth.
  • In the West, Iran was called Persia until 1935.
  • The Caspian Sea, to the north, is the largest lake in the world.
Play: Provinces of Iran →

Regions of Uzbekistan

  • Uzbekistan is one of only two doubly landlocked countries: neither it nor its neighbours reach the ocean.
  • Karakalpakstan, in the west, is an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan.
  • Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva were key stops on the Silk Road.
  • The Aral Sea, between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, has lost most of its water since the 1960s.
Play: Regions of Uzbekistan →

Provinces of Afghanistan

  • Afghanistan has 34 provinces and no coastline.
  • The Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip in the northeast, reaches the border with China.
  • Noshaq (7,492 m), in the Hindu Kush, is the country's highest peak.
  • The Buddhas of Bamiyan, giants carved into the cliff, were destroyed in 2001.
Play: Provinces of Afghanistan →

Provinces of Mongolia

  • Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world.
  • Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city in the world.
  • The Gobi Desert covers much of southern Mongolia.
  • From here, in the 13th century, Genghis Khan began the largest contiguous empire in history.
Play: Provinces of Mongolia →

Regions of Myanmar

  • Myanmar has 7 regions, 7 states and the capital territory, Naypyidaw.
  • Naypyidaw has been the capital since 2005; before that it was Yangon.
  • The Irrawaddy River runs through the country from north to south.
  • Bagan has more than 2,000 temples and pagodas.
Play: Regions of Myanmar →

States of Malaysia

  • Malaysia has 13 states and 3 federal territories.
  • The South China Sea splits the country in two: the peninsula and Borneo.
  • Nine states have a sultan, and Malaysia's king is chosen from among them every five years.
  • Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), in Sabah, is Malaysia's highest mountain.
Play: States of Malaysia →

States of India

  • India has 28 states and 8 union territories.
  • Rajasthan is the largest state; Uttar Pradesh is the most populous.
  • Goa is India's smallest state.
  • India's Constitution recognises 22 languages.
  • Mawsynram, in Meghalaya, is one of the wettest places on Earth.
Play: States of India →

Provinces of Thailand

  • Thailand has 76 provinces plus Bangkok.
  • It is the only Southeast Asian country never colonised by Europeans.
  • Bangkok's full Thai name is one of the longest place names in the world.
  • Until 1939 Thailand was called Siam.
Play: Provinces of Thailand →

Provinces of China

  • China administers 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and 2 special regions: Hong Kong and Macau.
  • Xinjiang is China's largest division: a sixth of the country.
  • China borders 14 countries, tied with Russia for the world record.
  • The Great Wall, counting all its sections, is more than 20,000 km long.
Play: Provinces of China →

Provinces of South Korea

  • Seoul and its metropolitan area are home to half of South Korea's people.
  • Jeju Island holds Mount Halla, South Korea's highest peak.
  • Sejong is a new city, built to take in many government ministries.
  • Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was created in the 15th century by order of King Sejong.
Play: Provinces of South Korea →

Africa

States of Nigeria

  • Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.
  • Lagos was the capital until 1991; since then it has been Abuja, built in the middle of the country.
  • More than 500 languages are spoken in Nigeria.
  • The Niger River, which gives the country its name, meets the Benue at Lokoja.
Play: States of Nigeria →

Provinces of South Africa

  • South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (government), Cape Town (parliament) and Bloemfontein (judiciary).
  • South Africa has had 12 official languages since 2023, when sign language was added.
  • Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa.
  • At Cape Agulhas, in the Western Cape, the Atlantic and Indian oceans officially meet.
Play: Provinces of South Africa →

Governorates of Egypt

  • Almost all of Egypt's people live in the Nile valley and delta, about 5% of the country.
  • The Suez Canal, opened in 1869, links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
  • The pyramids of Giza are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
  • The Sinai Peninsula is the part of Egypt that lies in Asia.
Play: Governorates of Egypt →

Regions of Senegal

  • Dakar stands on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost tip of mainland Africa.
  • The Gambia is a long, narrow strip inside Senegal, along the Gambia River.
  • Gorée Island, off Dakar, is a World Heritage Site for its role in the slave trade.
  • Lake Retba, near Dakar, is known as the Pink Lake for the colour of its water.
Play: Regions of Senegal →

Regions of Cameroon

  • Cameroon has two official languages, French and English; the Northwest and Southwest are English-speaking.
  • Mount Cameroon, about 4,040 m high, near Buea, is the highest mountain in West and Central Africa.
  • The capital is Yaoundé, but the largest city is Douala, its great port.
  • It is called 'Africa in miniature' for the variety of its landscapes and climates.
Play: Regions of Cameroon →

Provinces of Mozambique

  • The country is named after the Island of Mozambique, its first colonial capital.
  • Portuguese is Mozambique's official language.
  • The Zambezi River crosses the country and flows into the Indian Ocean.
  • Mozambique's flag is the only one in the world with an assault rifle.
Play: Provinces of Mozambique →

The Americas

Provinces of Canada

  • Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories.
  • Nunavut, the largest territory, is bigger than Mexico.
  • Quebec is the largest province and the only one whose sole official language is French.
  • The Bay of Fundy, between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has the highest tides in the world.
  • Ottawa, the capital, is in Ontario, on the border with Quebec.
Play: Provinces of Canada →

States of the USA

  • Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas.
  • Hawaii is the only state made up entirely of islands.
  • Rhode Island, the smallest state, would fit into Alaska more than 400 times.
  • Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet at a single point: Four Corners.
Play: States of the USA →

States of Mexico

  • Mexico has 32 federal entities: 31 states and Mexico City.
  • Chihuahua is Mexico's largest state, and Colima has the fewest people.
  • Mexico City was built on a lake and is still sinking several centimetres a year.
  • Mexico officially recognises 68 indigenous languages.
Play: States of Mexico →

Provinces of Cuba

  • Cuba has 15 provinces and one special municipality: Isla de la Juventud.
  • In 2011 the old Havana province was split into Artemisa and Mayabeque.
  • Pico Turquino, in the Sierra Maestra, is Cuba's highest point: about 1,970 m.
  • Cuba is long and narrow: about 1,250 km from end to end.
Play: Provinces of Cuba →

Provinces of the Dominican Republic

  • The Dominican Republic has 31 provinces plus the National District, home to Santo Domingo.
  • It shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
  • Pico Duarte, about 3,100 m, is the highest mountain in the Caribbean.
  • Lake Enriquillo lies about 40 m below sea level: the lowest point in the Caribbean.
  • Santo Domingo, founded in 1496, is the oldest European city in the Americas.
Play: Provinces of the Dominican Republic →

Departments of Guatemala

  • Guatemala has 22 departments.
  • Petén, the largest, covers about a third of the country.
  • Tikal, in Petén, was one of the greatest Maya cities.
  • Tajumulco volcano (4,220 m) is the highest point in Central America.
  • More than 20 Mayan languages are spoken in Guatemala.
Play: Departments of Guatemala →

Departments of Honduras

  • Honduras has 18 departments.
  • The Maya ruins of Copán lie next to the border with Guatemala.
  • The Bay Islands form a department in the Caribbean Sea.
  • Tegucigalpa has been the capital since 1880; before that it was Comayagua.
  • La Mosquitia, in the east, is one of Central America's largest rainforests.
Play: Departments of Honduras →

Departments of El Salvador

  • El Salvador, with 14 departments, is the smallest country in mainland Central America.
  • It is the only Central American country with no Caribbean coast.
  • It is called the 'land of volcanoes': it has more than 20.
  • In 2021 it became the first country to make bitcoin legal tender.
Play: Departments of El Salvador →

Departments of Nicaragua

  • Nicaragua has 15 departments and two autonomous regions on the Caribbean coast.
  • It is the largest country in Central America.
  • Lake Nicaragua is Central America's largest lake, and bull sharks live in it.
  • Ometepe Island, in Lake Nicaragua, is made of two volcanoes.
Play: Departments of Nicaragua →

Departments of Colombia

  • Colombia has 32 departments plus Bogotá, Capital District.
  • It is the only South American country with coasts on both the Pacific and the Caribbean.
  • San Andrés and Providencia, in the Caribbean, are closer to Nicaragua than to Colombia.
  • Amazonas is Colombia's largest department.
  • Colombia has more bird species than any other country.
Play: Departments of Colombia →

States of Venezuela

  • Venezuela has 23 states, the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, a group of Caribbean islands.
  • Angel Falls, in Bolívar, is the world's highest waterfall: 979 m.
  • More lightning strikes over the Catatumbo River, in Zulia, than anywhere else on Earth.
  • Venezuela means 'little Venice', after the houses on stilts in Lake Maracaibo.
Play: States of Venezuela →

Provinces of Ecuador

  • Ecuador has 24 provinces, and the Galápagos Islands are one of them.
  • The summit of Chimborazo is the point on Earth farthest from its centre.
  • Ecuador is named after the equator, which crosses the country near Quito.
  • Quito, at about 2,850 m, is one of the highest capitals in the world.
Play: Provinces of Ecuador →

Departments of Peru

  • Peru has 24 departments plus the Constitutional Province of Callao.
  • Lake Titicaca, between Puno and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world.
  • Loreto, in the Amazon, covers more than a quarter of Peru.
  • The Colca Canyon, in Arequipa, is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.
Play: Departments of Peru →

States of Brazil

  • Brazil has 26 states and the Federal District, home to Brasília.
  • Brasília was built from scratch and has been the capital since 1960.
  • The state of Amazonas is bigger than Peru.
  • The Pantanal, in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, is the world's largest tropical wetland.
  • Brazil is the only country in the Americas whose official language is Portuguese.
Play: States of Brazil →

Departments of Bolivia

  • Bolivia has 9 departments.
  • Sucre is the constitutional capital, but the government sits in La Paz.
  • La Paz, at about 3,600 m, is the highest seat of government in the world.
  • The Uyuni salt flat, in Potosí, is the largest salt flat in the world.
  • Bolivia has 37 official languages: Spanish and 36 indigenous ones.
Play: Departments of Bolivia →

Departments of Paraguay

  • Paraguay has 17 departments plus the capital, Asunción.
  • Guaraní is an official language alongside Spanish and is spoken by most people.
  • The Paraguay River splits the country in two: the Eastern Region and the Chaco.
  • The Itaipú Dam, shared with Brazil, is one of the world's largest hydroelectric plants.
  • Paraguay's flag has a different emblem on each side.
Play: Departments of Paraguay →

Regions of Chile

  • Chile is more than 4,000 km long, but on average only about 180 km wide.
  • The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world.
  • Easter Island (Rapa Nui) lies more than 3,500 km off the Chilean coast.
  • Chile has 16 regions; the newest, Ñuble, was created in 2018.
Play: Regions of Chile →

Provinces of Argentina

  • Argentina has 23 provinces plus the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
  • Aconcagua, in Mendoza, is the highest mountain outside Asia: 6,961 m.
  • The Iguazú Falls, in Misiones, are made up of about 275 drops.
  • Argentina is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world.
Play: Provinces of Argentina →

Departments of Uruguay

  • Uruguay has 19 departments.
  • It is South America's second-smallest country, after Suriname.
  • Uruguay won the first football World Cup, in 1930, played in Montevideo.
  • In 2013 Uruguay became the first country to legalise growing and selling cannabis.
Play: Departments of Uruguay →

Oceania

States of Australia

  • Australia has 6 states and 2 major territories.
  • Western Australia covers a third of the country.
  • Canberra was built as the capital because Sydney and Melbourne couldn't agree.
  • The Great Barrier Reef, off Queensland, is the largest structure built by living things.
  • Uluru, in the Northern Territory, is a rock sacred to Aboriginal peoples.
Play: States of Australia →

Regions of New Zealand

  • New Zealand has 16 regions.
  • There are about five sheep for every person in New Zealand.
  • Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world.
  • A hill in Hawke's Bay has one of the longest place names in the world: 85 letters.
Play: Regions of New Zealand →

Historical maps

Europe after the Congress of Vienna

  • The Final Act of the Congress of Vienna was signed on 9 June 1815, nine days before the Battle of Waterloo.
  • The German Confederation had 39 members, among them four free cities: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck.
  • Tsar Alexander I of Russia was also King of Poland.
  • Kraków was a free city until 1846, when Austria annexed it.
  • The King of the United Kingdom was also King of Hanover until 1837.
  • Belgium broke away from the Netherlands in the revolution of 1830.
  • Norway had been Danish until 1814, when it passed to the King of Sweden.
  • Napoleon spent his last years on the island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.
Play: Europe in 1815 →

Europe after the Congress of Berlin

  • Germany had been united for only nine years: the German Empire was founded in 1871.
  • Edison patented his light bulb in January 1880.
  • Italy was unified in 1861, but Rome only became its capital in 1871.
  • Cologne Cathedral was finished in 1880, more than 600 years after it was begun.
  • Romania, Serbia and Montenegro won full independence in 1878, at the Congress of Berlin.
  • There were no cars yet: Benz's first automobile came in 1886.
  • Norway had its own parliament but shared a king with Sweden.
  • London was the most populous city in the world.
Play: Europe in 1880 →

Europe on the eve of the First World War

  • In 1914 Poland did not exist: its land was split between Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary.
  • The war broke out after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed in Sarajevo on 28 June.
  • Norway had been independent for only nine years: it left its union with Sweden in 1905.
  • The Panama Canal opened in August 1914, days after war began in Europe.
  • Albania was brand new: it broke away from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.
  • At Christmas 1914 there were spontaneous truces on the front: soldiers from both sides left their trenches.
  • Finland was then a grand duchy within the Russian Empire.
  • Spain stayed neutral throughout the war.
Play: Europe in 1914 →

Europe between the wars

  • In March 1938 Germany annexed Austria: the 'Anschluss'.
  • The Munich Agreement, in September 1938, handed Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to Germany.
  • Spain was in the middle of its civil war (1936–1939).
  • In November, 'Kristallnacht' unleashed violence against Jews in Germany and Austria.
  • Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were independent; the USSR occupied them in 1940.
  • In December 1938 nuclear fission was discovered in Berlin.
  • Yugoslavia, born in 1918, united Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
  • France hosted the 1938 football World Cup, and Italy won it.
Play: Europe in 1938 →

Europe at the end of the Second World War

  • In 1945 Germany was split into four zones: American, British, French and Soviet.
  • The war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945.
  • Austria was also occupied by the Allies, until 1955.
  • In February 1945, at Yalta, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin discussed Europe's future.
  • Poland moved west: it lost land in the east and gained German territory.
  • In June 1945 the UN Charter was signed in San Francisco.
  • Königsberg went to the USSR and was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946.
  • As borders moved, millions of people had to leave their homes: one of the largest exoduses in history.
Play: Europe in 1945 →

Europe at the end of the Cold War

  • The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989; the two Germanys reunited in 1990.
  • The World Wide Web was proposed in 1989 at CERN, in Geneva.
  • Where there are 15 countries today there was just one: the Soviet Union.
  • In the 'Baltic Way', about two million people joined hands across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
  • Czechoslovakia split peacefully in 1993 into Czechia and Slovakia.
  • In June 1989 Poland held the Eastern Bloc's first partly free elections.
  • Yugoslavia broke up in the 1990s into six countries, seven counting Kosovo.
  • The Velvet Revolution ended Czechoslovakia's communist regime in a few weeks.
Play: Europe in 1989 →

The colonial partition of Africa

  • In 1914 only Ethiopia and Liberia were independent in all of Africa.
  • At the Berlin Conference (1884–1885) the European powers set the rules for carving up Africa.
  • Ethiopia defeated Italy at Adwa in 1896 and kept its independence.
  • The First World War was also fought in Africa, in German colonies such as Cameroon and Tanganyika.
  • Liberia was founded in the 19th century by freed slaves from the United States.
  • South Africa had been formed in 1910 as a British dominion.
  • The Congo was the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium until 1908.
  • Egypt became a British protectorate in December 1914.
Play: Africa in 1914 →

1960, the Year of Africa

  • In 1960, the 'Year of Africa', 17 countries became independent.
  • In 1960 the Congo won independence from Belgium, with Patrice Lumumba as its first prime minister.
  • Angola and Mozambique remained Portuguese until 1975.
  • Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila won the 1960 Rome marathon barefoot: the first Olympic gold for a Black African.
  • Namibia only became independent in 1990.
  • Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, became independent on 1 October 1960.
  • Ghana, independent in 1957, led the way under Kwame Nkrumah.
  • In 1960 work began on Egypt's Aswan High Dam.
Play: Africa in 1960 →

Asia on the eve of the First World War

  • By 1914 China was no longer an empire: it had been a republic since 1912.
  • Puyi, China's last emperor, had abdicated in 1912 aged just six.
  • Korea had been part of the Japanese Empire since 1910.
  • You could already travel by train from Moscow to Vladivostok, on the Pacific.
  • British India included today's Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
  • Japan joined the war on the Allied side and seized Germany's possessions in China and the Pacific.
  • Mecca was still under the Ottoman Empire; it broke away in 1916.
  • India's Rabindranath Tagore won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Asian to do so.
Play: Asia in 1914 →

Latin America before independence

  • In 1810 Spain ruled almost the whole continent, from California to Cape Horn.
  • On 25 May 1810, the May Revolution set up Buenos Aires' first governing junta.
  • Bolivia, then Upper Peru, belonged to the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, with its capital in Buenos Aires.
  • On 20 July 1810 the Junta of Santa Fe de Bogotá was formed: today it is Colombia's national day.
  • Chiapas was part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala; it joined Mexico in 1824.
  • On 16 September 1810, Miguel Hidalgo launched the 'Cry of Dolores' in Mexico.
  • French Guiana had been occupied by Portugal since 1809, at war with Napoleon.
  • Chile formed its First Government Junta on 18 September 1810: today it is its national day.
Play: Latin America in 1810 →

The new republics

  • Simón Bolívar was the first president of Gran Colombia.
  • The battle of Ayacucho (9 December 1824) ended Spanish rule in South America.
  • Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar.
  • In 1825 Portugal recognised the independence of Brazil, an empire under Pedro I since 1822.
  • Uruguay was Brazil's Cisplatine province; in 1825 the Thirty-Three Orientals began the fight that made it independent in 1828.
  • In 1825 Britain recognised Mexico, Gran Colombia and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata.
  • Haiti held the Spanish part of the island from 1822 to 1844: the Dominican Republic celebrates its independence from Haiti.
  • Cuba and Puerto Rico were Spain's last colonies in the Americas: they stayed Spanish until 1898.
Play: Latin America in 1825 →

Asia after the Ottoman Empire

  • France and Britain shared out the Ottoman Empire's Arab provinces as League of Nations mandates.
  • Turkey was proclaimed a republic in October 1923, with Mustafa Kemal as president and Ankara as capital.
  • The Hejaz, with Mecca and Medina, was an independent kingdom; Ibn Saud conquered it in 1925.
  • In March 1924 Turkey abolished the caliphate.
  • Tuva was an independent country from 1921 to 1944, when it joined the Soviet Union.
  • The Soviet Union was founded in December 1922; Lenin died in January 1924.
  • Burma was part of British India until 1937.
  • Urga was renamed Ulaanbaatar in 1924, when the Mongolian People's Republic was born.
Play: Asia in 1924 →

Asia at the end of the Second World War

  • Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into a Soviet zone and an American one.
  • Japan signed its surrender on 2 September 1945, aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
  • British India still took in today's Pakistan and Bangladesh.
  • Indonesia proclaimed independence on 17 August 1945; the Netherlands only recognised it in 1949.
  • Taiwan returned to China in October 1945, after half a century of Japanese rule.
  • Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam's independence in Hanoi on 2 September 1945.
  • Palestine and Transjordan were still British mandates.
  • Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines were founding members of the UN in 1945.
Play: Asia in 1945 →