A Game of Three Clues Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mongolia

Mongolia is the world's 18th largest country and the second-largest landlocked country, covering an area of 1,564,116 km² (603,908 sq mi). It borders Russia to the north and China to the south: the Mongolia - China border (4,677 km/2,906 mi) is the fourth-longest in the world, while the one between Mongolia and Russia (3,485 km/2,165 mi) is the seventh-longest.

Mongolia's vast territory, consisting of mountains, grasslands and arid semi-desert, is inhabited by barely over 3.5 million people, with an average density of 2.24/km2 (5.8/sq mi). This makes Mongolia the most sparsely populated sovereign nation in the world: only Western Sahara, whose sovereignty is only partially recognized, ranks lower. It is estimated that about one-third of Mongolia's population lead a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle.

Mongolia's capital city, Ulaanbataar (meaning "Red Hero" in the Mongolian language), lies near the centre of the county, at an elevation of 1,350 m (4,430 ft) above sea level. Due to its location and distance from the sea, the city has an average annual temperature of 0.2 °C (32.4 °F) - which makes it not only the world's coldest national capital, but also the coldest city with a population of over one million.

Answer: Naoero

Formerly known as Nauru, the Republic of Naoero is a tiny island located in the Micronesia region of the South Pacific Ocean. With an area of 21 km ² (8.1 sq mi), only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller than this former German colony, which became an independent nation on 31 January 1968.

The territory of Naoero consists of phosphate rock, whose surface deposits - particularly rich in the island's interior - were intensively strip-mined during the 20th century. This damaged its environment to the point of nearly turning the island into an uninhabitable wasteland. The income from mining made Naoero very wealthy for a short time after independence: however, the money was mismanaged and the valuable mineral resources ran out, leaving the country's economy in shambles. Though in the past decade the situation has improved, Naoero still must contend with high unemployment and the deterioration of its infrastructure.

The island country's name was officially changed to Republic of Naoero by a constitutional amendment passed by its Parliament in May 2026. The UN was informed of the name change on 26 June 2026. According to President David Adeang, this name change is a more accurate reflection of the country's identity, heritage and language. The previous name Nauru had been adopted in 1888, when Naoero became a German protectorate.

Answer: Croatia

Located in Central and Southeastern Europe, from 1944 to 1991 Croatia was one of the constituent countries of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Before that, it had been part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (created in 1918) and a puppet state installed by the Axis powers during WWII. Croatia declared its independence on 25 June 1991; Yugoslavia dissolved less than a year later. The country was engaged in a war of independence until 1995 and joined the European Union in 2013.

Croatia borders the Adriatic Sea. Its archipelago comprises over 1,000 islands, islets and reefs, though only 48 of the islands are permanently inhabited. The largest islands in the Croatian archipelago are Krk, Korčula, Brač and Hvar: the latter two are part of the historic region of Dalmatia, which also includes the well-known city of Dubrovnik, a popular tourist destination.

The word cravat - denoting a kind of scarf worn around the neck and tucked into a shirt collar - comes from the name of Croatia. In the 17th century, King Louis XIV of France enlisted a regiment of Croatian mercenaries known as Cravats, who wore a distinctive piece of neckwear originally called "tour de cou" (around the neck). This item caught on among the French population and became known as "cravate" - a word that is still used in French to denote a necktie.

Answer: Bolivia

Bolivia is one of two landlocked countries in South America (the other being Paraguay). However, when the Republic of Bolivia was established in 1825 one of its departments - known as Littoral - bordered the Pacific Ocean. Rich in mineral resources, especially nitrates, it lay within the Atacama Desert. In 1879, war broke out between Chile and Bolivia (allied with Peru) because of a dispute over nitrate taxation. The war, known as War of the Pacific, ended in 1883 with Bolivia's defeat and the loss of its coastline to Chile. This loss is commemorated every year on 23 March, the "Día del Mar" (Day of the Sea).

Some of the world's most populous high-altitude settlements are found in Bolivia. Its de facto capital, La Paz, enjoys the distinction of highest national capital, standing at an elevation of 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level. El Alto (a suburb of La Paz where its airport is located) and the historic city of Potosí are at an even higher elevation, both over 4,000 m (13,123 ft). Bolivia's constitutional capital, Sucre, also stands at a very respectable 2,790 m (9,150 ft) - the world's second- or third-highest capital.

Bolivia's official name, Plurinational State of Bolivia, emphasizes the ethnic diversity of its population. This is reflected in the number of official languages. Spanish, spoken by two-thirds of Bolivians, is used by the main public and private institutions, the media and commercial activities. Among the other indigenous languages, the most widespread are Quechua, Aymara and Guarani.

Answer: Georgia

Georgia lies in the Caucasus region, shared by Eastern Europe and Asia. It is considered a transcontinental country like its neighbours Turkey, Russia and Azerbaijan (though not Armenia, which is considered wholly within Asia). Georgia also borders the Black Sea to the west. Though geographically only about 5% of the Georgian territory is located in Europe, north of the Greater Caucasus watershed, the country is widely regarded as part of Europe because of its cultural, historical and political ties to the continent.

The ancient country of Colchis corresponded to western Georgia, including the disputed region of Abkhazia. Eastern Georgia, on the other hand, was known as Iberia. According to Greek and Roman sources, Colchis was rich in natural resources and had a very diverse population. In Greek mythology Colchis was the land ruled by King Aeëtes, son of the Sun god Helios and father of the sorceress Medea. Colchis was the destination of the expedition of the Argonauts led by the hero Jason with the aim of seizing the Golden Fleece.

Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili, known as Joseph Stalin ("man of steel" in Russian), was born in 1878 in the city of Gori, in eastern Georgia, at the time part of the Russian Empire. A prominent member of the Bolshevik party, he became leader of the Soviet Union in 1924, ruling the huge country with an iron fist until his death in 1953 and causing the deaths of millions of people. Georgia was one of the constituent republics of the USSR, gaining its independence on 9 April 1991.

Answer: Jamaica

Located south of Cuba, Jamaica is the third-largest island in the Caribbean. When Christopher Columbus landed there in 1494, the island was inhabited by the indigenous Taino people. The latter's numbers, however, declined dramatically after Spanish arrival - mainly due to the diseases brought by the Europeans. The Spanish thus began importing African slaves to use as workforce. However, most enslaved Africans came to Jamaica during British rule, when they were employed in the profitable sugar industry. By 1850, the Black and mixed-race population of Jamaica outnumbered whites by 20 to one. In the 2011 census, almost 77% of the current Jamaican population claimed African descent, with an additional 15% claiming Afro-European descent.

A member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Jamaica is a constitutional monarchy whose head of state is the King or Queen of the United Kingdom with the official title of King of Jamaica. The sovereign is represented by the Governor-General of Jamaica, who is nominated by the country's Prime Minister. Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral Parliament. Its Constitution came into force in 1962, when the country became independent from the United Kingdom.

One of Jamaica's most iconic exports is its renowned Blue Mountain Coffee, a globally protected certification mark. The coffee - a variety of Arabica originally from southwestern Ethiopia - is grown in the Blue Mountains of eastern Jamaica, whose cool and rainy climate and excellent soil offer ideal conditions. The use of the Blue Mountain trademark is strictly regulated and applies only to coffee grown in the parishes of Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas, Saint Mary and Portland. Prized for its delicate flavour and lack of bitterness, Blue Mountain is one of the world's most expensive coffees and is particularly popular in Japan.

Answer: Uganda

Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa. It is one of seven African countries crossed by the Equator, along with São Tomé and Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Somalia and its neighbours Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya. The longest line of latitude crosses the southern part of the country, passing through Lake Victoria immediately south of the city of Entebbe.

Adopted on 9 October 1962, the day in which the country became independent from the UK, the national flag of Uganda has a striking colour scheme. Six horizontal bands in black, yellow and red are charged with a white disc depicting a grey crowned crane, the country's national bird. Among the indigenous Buganda people, this beautiful bird is a symbol of prosperity, longevity and good fortune. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, the grey crowned crane is listed by IUCN as Endangered because of threats to its habitat.

Uganda is part of the Nile basin, as the White Nile - the longer of the two major tributaries of the world's longest river - has its source at Jinja, on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. From there, the river flows northwest through most of Uganda, then north through South Sudan and Sudan until its confluence with the Blue Nile (which rises at Lake Tana in Ethiopia) at Khartoum. The source of the White Nile was first discovered in 1858 by British explorer John Hanning Speke; his findings were confirmed by Henry Morton Stanley in the 1870s.

Answer: Pakistan

Though its territory was home to some of the world's oldest civilizations, the modern state of Pakistan was created in the 1930s to protect the rights of Indian Muslims and became independent from the UK in 1947. The world's 33rd-largest country, it is the fifth-most populous, with a population of over 240 million, most of whom practice the Muslim faith.

Pakistan's first national capital was the seaport of Karachi on the Arabian Sea, the country's largest city and economic hub. Karachi, however, was too distant from the rest of the country. Therefore, in 1959 it was decided to build a new capital in the north near the headquarters of the Pakistani Armed Forces in Rawalpindi, which became the interim capital while the new one was being constructed. Islamabad ("city of Islam") officially became the capital of Pakistan on 14 August 1967, exactly 20 years after the country's independence.

The northern part of Pakistan is extremely mountainous - particularly the region of Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders Afghanistan, China and India. This region is home to five of the 14 "eight-thousanders" (peaks over 8,000 m/26,247 ft in elevation) - notably the world's second-highest peak, K2, which lies within the Karakoram range, also known for its massive glaciers. Part of this mighty mountain - nicknamed the "Savage Mountain" because of the dangers of its ascent - lies in Xinjiang, an autonomous region of China.

Answer: Norway

Located in the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway has a long, relatively thin (except in the south) territory that reaches north of the Arctic Circle. The Svalbard archipelago and the island of Jan Mayen in the Arctic Ocean are also included in Norway's core territory. Norway's coastline, deeply indented by spectacular fjords and dotted with thousands of islands, is the world's second-longest (after Canada), with a total length of 100,915 km (62,706 mi) when islands are included.

First established in 872 AD, the Kingdom of Norway remained independent until the Kalmar Union of 1397 that brought the three Scandinavian countries under the rule of the Queen of Denmark. Norway remained in a union with Denmark until 1814, when it was ceded to Sweden after Denmark's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars. The union with Sweden was peacefully dissolved on 7 June 1905, allowing Norway to become fully independent.

Norwegian is a North Germanic language, descended from Old Norse and closely related to Swedish and Danish. The standard language has two official written forms, Bokmål ("book-tongue") and Nynorsk ("new Norwegian"). The former, which is closer to Danish, is by far the most common, used by about 85% of the population; Nynorsk is primarily used around Bergen, the country's second-largest city. Many Norwegians also speak local dialects, which are generally mutually intelligible.

Answer: Namibia

Present-day Namibia became part of the German Empire in 1884 with the name of German South-West Africa. German rule lasted until 1912, when the territory was occupied by South African troops that deposed the German administration. During the 31 years of German rule genocide was committed against two indigenous ethnic groups, the Herero and the Nama, who in 1904-1907 had revolted against German settlers. An estimated 75,000 people were killed in this shameful episode of European colonial history. The territory was renamed South-West Africa after South African occupation, which lasted until 1990.

The name Namibia taken by the country after independence comes from the Namib Desert, the world's oldest, which occupies the country's entire coastal area. The Namib ("vast place" in the Nama language) is described as a cold coastal desert, characterized by dense fogs that are the main source of water in one of the world's driest places. The Kalahari Desert, on the other hand, lies in the eastern part of the country, on the border with Botswana. The regions between these two deserts have a less arid climate, especially the Bushveld in north-eastern Namibia.

Namibia has been nicknamed "the cheetah capital of the world" as it is home to a relatively large population of these fast-running felines - an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 mature individuals living mostly outside protected areas. Because of that, conflicts with farmers due to livestock predation are not infrequent, leading to retaliatory killings. In 1990 the Cheetah Conservation Fund was established in Namibia to protect wild populations of these iconic cats.