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Quiz about World Hot Spots 19992001
Quiz about World Hot Spots 19992001

World Hot Spots, 1999-2001 Trivia Quiz


This quiz covers areas of the world in the news during the two-year period prior to August of 2001.

A multiple-choice quiz by chessart. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
chessart
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
48,569
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
14 / 25
Plays
4046
Last 3 plays: LadyNym (18/25), Guest 92 (16/25), Guest 69 (16/25).
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Question 1 of 25
1. Which country is known as a 'geographical and cultural crossroads', where 'East meets West'? Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. Russia attacked the capital city of what region with missiles and tanks in late 1999 and early 2000? Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. North and South Korea are arguing over control of a group of islands located in what body of water? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. The 'pendebas' are a group engaged in community development in which country? Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. The U.S. relinquished control over what area on December 31, 1999? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. Which is the only South Pacific Island group never brought under foreign rule? Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. The new African country of Eritrea has been engaged in a bloody border war with which country? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. The Gurunsi, known for the 'painted sandcastle' architecture of their distinctive villages, are a rural people located in which country? Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. Which country banned executions of minors within the past two years, leaving only five countries which still execute their citizens for crimes committed while a minor? Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. Until late 2001, the fundamentalist Taliban controlled the vast majority of which country? Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. The Tamils have been waging a civil war since 1983 for an independent homeland. Which country are they trying to break away from? Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. The Karen is a hill tribe fighting for independence since 1948 in which country? Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. In January of 2001 Laurent Kabila was assassinated. Kabila was President of which country? Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. Also in January of 2001, the corrupt President Estrada was ousted as head of which country? Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. A stone located at the geographical 'center of Europe' can be found in which country? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. What is the 'Oresund Fixed Link'? Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. Which two U.S. States had a border dispute that had to be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court in April of 2001? Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. Which city is known as the world's oldest inhabited city? Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. Which country did the Peace Corps recently pull out of for safety reasons, and also is the site where John D. Rockefeller's great-grandson vanished 40 years ago? Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. Which U.S. State became the first to regulate water pollution from cruise ships? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. What is (the) 'Hunley'? Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. In July of 2001 a new peace agreement was put into place in which country? Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. Which countries are fighting over control of Kashmir? Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. Which country was denied membership in the European Union because of its mistreatment of the Kurds? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. The 'Trojet Shqiptare' refers to the common identity felt by which ethnic group? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 09 2024 : LadyNym: 18/25
Feb 12 2024 : Guest 92: 16/25
Feb 04 2024 : Guest 69: 16/25

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which country is known as a 'geographical and cultural crossroads', where 'East meets West'?

Answer: Uzbekistan

Located midway between Portugal and Japan, Uzbekistan is a pleasing mixture of Eastern and Western cultures.
2. Russia attacked the capital city of what region with missiles and tanks in late 1999 and early 2000?

Answer: Chechnya

Chechnya is a republic in southern Russia which has been fighting for its independence from Russia. The bloody 1994-1996 war ended in a stalemate. Russia again attacked Chechnya in the Fall of 1999, and after almost 5 months of fighting captured its capital, Grozny, on Feb. 6, 2000.

The West condemned Russia'a actions, and Russia eventually softened its ultimatum that Grozny be completely evacuated.
3. North and South Korea are arguing over control of a group of islands located in what body of water?

Answer: Yellow Sea

The 1953 demarcation line juts north through the Yellow Sea so as to give a number of small islands to South Korea. Fortunately the dispute over control of these islands has not yet erupted into a shooting war.
4. The 'pendebas' are a group engaged in community development in which country?

Answer: Tibet

'Pendebas' is Tibetan for 'one who does good deeds'. Similar to the U.S. Peace Corps, the pendebas are working with rural peasants to improve their lives, as part of a settlement of a dispute between the government and the peasants over the destruction of the forest and wildlife that has historically provided their livelihood.
5. The U.S. relinquished control over what area on December 31, 1999?

Answer: Panama Canal

A 1977 treaty set up joint U.S.-Panamanian control of the canal, with full control to be turned over to Panama at the end of 1999.
6. Which is the only South Pacific Island group never brought under foreign rule?

Answer: Tonga

Located 1,200 miles northeast of New Zealand, and just west of the International Dateline, this tiny country was the first, and is now the last, Polynesian kingdom. It is considered the best place to observe Polynesian culture still largely intact.
7. The new African country of Eritrea has been engaged in a bloody border war with which country?

Answer: Ethiopia

Although Eritrea finally gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1991, the two countries have been engaged in a border war described metaphorically as 'two bald men fighting over a comb', because the argument is over a piece of barren land sometimes described as 'a pile of rocks'.
8. The Gurunsi, known for the 'painted sandcastle' architecture of their distinctive villages, are a rural people located in which country?

Answer: Burkina Faso

The traditional Gurunsi family lives in a compound of dwellings set in a circle around a courtyard. The fortress like design of the villages is a manifestation of their independent nature, and of their isolation from Western influence.
9. Which country banned executions of minors within the past two years, leaving only five countries which still execute their citizens for crimes committed while a minor?

Answer: Yemen

The remaining five countries are the United States, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
10. Until late 2001, the fundamentalist Taliban controlled the vast majority of which country?

Answer: Afghanistan

The Taliban is a religious army which took control of Afghanistan. During their reign they imposed severe restrictions on the activities of the Afghan people, such as banning TVs, VCRs, music and dancing. Women were beaten for going outdoors without a male relative. Critics say the Taliban edicts were rooted more in tribal traditions than in the Koran. Thankfully, this brutal regime has now been ousted.
11. The Tamils have been waging a civil war since 1983 for an independent homeland. Which country are they trying to break away from?

Answer: Sri Lanka

Historically there have been two distinct kingdoms on the island of Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon): the Tamil kingdom in the North, and the Sinhala kingdom in the South. For ease of administration the British combined the two nations into a single entity.

Then when independence was granted to Ceylon in 1948, control over the island was given to the Sinhalese, who have oppressed the Tamils ever since.
12. The Karen is a hill tribe fighting for independence since 1948 in which country?

Answer: Myanmar

In a depressingly familiar scenario, ethnic strife followed independence from Britain in 1948 in the country of Myanmar (formerly called Burma). The government claims that there are 135 different races in the country, and ceasefires have been negotiated with 17 different ethnic groups. The Karen, however, carry on the struggle, although many have fled to neighboring Thailand.
13. In January of 2001 Laurent Kabila was assassinated. Kabila was President of which country?

Answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kabila, who came to power in 1997 after overthrowing the longtime dictator Mobutu, was the victim of a coup, shot by one of his bodyguards.
14. Also in January of 2001, the corrupt President Estrada was ousted as head of which country?

Answer: Philippines

The four-count impeachment complaint filed in October of 2000 accused Estrada of bribery and corruption. With his support crumbling, Estrada stepped down a few months later, reminiscent of the ousting of Marcos in 1986.
15. A stone located at the geographical 'center of Europe' can be found in which country?

Answer: Lithuania

Lithuania was the first Baltic republic to proclaim its independence from the Soviet Union, doing so in 1990. The Soviet Union finally recognized Lithuania's independence a year later. The stone marking the center of Europe is located in eastern Lithuania, near the capital of Vilnius.
16. What is the 'Oresund Fixed Link'?

Answer: a bridge and tunnel route between Denmark and Sweden

The $4 billion dollar, 10-mile route was opened in July of 2000, cutting the time down for cars from the more than an hour it takes by ferry, to only 20 minutes. It marks the first transcontinental land link through Western Europe from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean Sea.
17. Which two U.S. States had a border dispute that had to be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court in April of 2001?

Answer: Maine and New Hampshire

The dispute was over the 201-year-old Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which is located on a 297-acre island in the middle of the Piscataqua River which separates the two states. At stake was the {$5} million dollars in Maine state income tax paid by the 1,300 New Hampshire residents who work at the shipyard.

The Court rather quickly ruled against New Hampshire, citing a 1740 decree signed by King George II, and a 1977 decision settling a lobster fishing dispute between the two states.
18. Which city is known as the world's oldest inhabited city?

Answer: Damascus

Currently the capital of Syria, Damascus is known to have been a thriving city in the third millennium B.C.
19. Which country did the Peace Corps recently pull out of for safety reasons, and also is the site where John D. Rockefeller's great-grandson vanished 40 years ago?

Answer: Papua New Guinea

About 800 Peace Corps volunteers have worked in Papua New Guinea since 1981, but in June of 2001 the decision to withdraw from the country was made because of crime and security problems.
20. Which U.S. State became the first to regulate water pollution from cruise ships?

Answer: Alaska

The cruises through the island area south of Juneau are so popular that the state was compelled to take action to reduce the pollution being generated.
21. What is (the) 'Hunley'?

Answer: a Confederate submarine

The Hunley is historically significant as the first submarine successfully used in battle. It sank in February 17, 1864, in the aftermath of its maiden attack. It was discovered in 1995 off Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, and was finally raised in 2000.
22. In July of 2001 a new peace agreement was put into place in which country?

Answer: Sierra Leone

The United Nations has sent peacekeeping troops to Sierra Leone to help enforce the tenuous ceasefire.
23. Which countries are fighting over control of Kashmir?

Answer: India and Pakistan

Kashmir, known as 'the Switzerland of the East' for its mountains and natural beauty, has been the subject of dispute since the independence of India and Pakistan from Britain in 1947.
24. Which country was denied membership in the European Union because of its mistreatment of the Kurds?

Answer: Turkey

25. The 'Trojet Shqiptare' refers to the common identity felt by which ethnic group?

Answer: Albanians

The term means 'Albanian Domain'. The first independent state of Albania was created in 1912, but it excluded about 45 percent of the ethnic Albanian population. That figure still roughly applies today, with the 45 percent found in neighboring Kosovo and Macedonia.
Source: Author chessart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series World Hot Spots:

Here are my quizzes on world trouble spots since 1999.

  1. World Hot Spots, 1999-2001 Tough
  2. Global Hot Spots 2002 Tough
  3. Global Hot Spots 2003 Average
  4. World Hot Spots in 2010 Average
  5. World Hot Spots in 2017 Average

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