Where in Asia? Trivia Quiz

Answer: China

The Great Wall of China is actually composed of multiple walls, not completely joined, that were built in stages over the years to provide defence against invaders from the inland part of Asia. The first walls were built in the 7th century BCE when various warring states built walls around themselves. It was in the 3rd century BCE that the Qin dynasty emerged victorious, and established the first unified Chinese polity. To unify the state, the first emperor had the internal walls destroyed, but added new walls to join existing walls on the northern border as defence against the Xiongnu people. Over the years, subsequent rulers added more pieces of wall, until it reached its greatest extent under the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century.

Although it is called the Great Wall, a number of sections are more accurately described as ditches, fortresses, or ramparts. These constituents run from Liaodong in the northeast across west to Lop Nur (roughly following the current Russian border), and curving south as far as the Tao River near its junction with the Yellow River. Including branches, its length is given as 21,196.18 km according to the UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Answer: India

While many historical dates relate to military or civil political matters, the founding of what was to become one of the world's major religions (currently practiced by over 300 million people) qualifies as a significant event in Asian history. Siddhartha Gautama was born in what is now Nepal, but spent his adult life as a traveling ascetic, until he reached a state of enlightenment he called nirvana while sitting under a tree at Bodh Gayta, in the northeast Indian state of Bihar. He then spent the rest of his life traveling in northern India spreading his message until his death in Kushinagar. Details of his life come from Buddhist tradition, and are more than a little imprecise - it is not even clear in what century this all happened! It was not until the 3rd century BCE that his teachings were compiled by his followers, and he was given the designation of Buddha (Enlightened one).

Although Buddhism originated in India, its practice there has diminished greatly, with the Hinduism from which it evolved remaining a dominant religion (albeit with some groups including Buddha in their pantheon). In other parts of Asia, the various forms of Buddhism have become the dominant religions. Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Cambodia, and is the most common religion of Laos and Thailand. Mahayana Buddhism is most commonly practiced in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, Mongolia, and Japan.

Answer: Armenia

The early growth of Christianity is usually associated with Mediterranean countries, spreading into Europe under the Holy Roman Empire. However, the Kingdom of Armenia, which evolved from states first established in the western Asian Caucasus region, adopted Christianity as its official religion in 301 CE. This was 12 years before Constantine issued the Edict of Milan (which ended the active persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire) and 79 years before the Edict of Thessalonica made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Before the arrival of the apostles Judas Thaddeus and Bartholomew, the religion of Armenians was primarily Mithridatic, related to the movement that was to develop onto Zoroastrianism. When Gregory the Illuminator baptised King Tiridates III, he gained the designation of Apostle to the Armenians, but it is Thaddeus and Bartholomew who are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In their honour, the Monastery of Saint Thaddeus (which is now in Iran) and the Saint Bartholomew Monastery (now in Turkiye) were established. In 1991 construction of Saint Thaddeus church began in Masis; construction was completed in 2015.

Answer: Cambodia

If you recall the rule of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge which ruled Cambodia, renamed to Democratic Kampuchea, between 1975 and 1979, you might have made the connection to the Khmer people. This ethnic group comprises almost 95% of the population of Cambodia, with significant populations in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam. The Khmer Empire was the dominant political force in Southeast Asia from the 9th century until 1431, when the Thai Ayutthaya Kingdom took over, following the defeat of the Khmer capital, Angkor.

It is not clear whether Jayavarman II was born in the area that is now Cambodia, or in Java; it is believed that he grew up in Java (although historians still debate the translation), and was initially installed as a Javanese vassal. He became known as a great warrior, and expanded the small state with which he started until he controlled most of the Southeast Asian peninsula. He died around 850, in his capital city of Angkor - whose remains are one of the best known relics of his empire.

Answer: Mongolia

If we called him Genghis Khan instead of using his birth name of Temujin, the association with Mongolia might have been immediate. In 1218, Genghis Khan rallied his troops to invade the Khwarazmian Empire at the site that was to become Karakorum, so some sources credit him with founding the city. However, there were no actual buildings until a few years later, and it was his son and successor, Ögedei Khan, who designated Karakorum as the Mongol capital. He had the Palace of Myriad Peace constructed, and erected fortified walls around the city, to make it a suitable place for his residence.

Karakorum remained the Mongol capital until 1260, when the Mongol Empire was broken up into several smaller polities, and Khubilai Khan chose to establish his capital in what is now Beijing. Karakorum remained an important administrative centre until the fall of the Yuan dynasty in 1368. It was inhabited on and off for a couple of centuries, before being permanently abandoned in the 16th century.

Answer: Laos

Located in what is now Laos, the kingdom of Lan Xang replaced the Khmers as the dominant force in Southeast Asia between 1353 and 1707. In 1707 it was divided into the two smaller Kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

Lan Xang is one Romanization of the Lao name which means a Million Elephants, a reference to the military might of its leader. Fa Ngum was successful in a war of succession that began in 1343, and led to him being crowned in 1353. His reign was marked by continued war (the Thai and Khmer still contesting for control), and in 1371, despite his many victories, he was deposed in favor of his son, Oun Huean (King Samsenthai, a name chosen to show alliance with the Thai rather then the Khmer). He died in exile sometime between 1373 and 1390.

Answer: Philippines

The Philippines played a strategic role in the Pacific front in World War II, and Jesús Antonio Flores Villamor was recognised as a national hero for his part. His flying training took place under American instructors both in Manila and in the US, before he was commissioned in the Philippines Army Air Corps in 1937. He became Director of Flight Training in 1939 - and one of those he trained was future US president Dwight Eisenhower.

Within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese planes headed towards the Philippines. On 10 December Villamor became the first Filipino to down a Japanese aircraft in a dogfight. The following day he led his squadron in the Battle of Batangas Field, for which he was one of three pilots to receive the Distinguished Service Cross from General MacArthur. After the PAAC troops were evacuated from Bataan, he returned as a spy on behalf of the Allies. In 1954, in recognition of his efforts both as a pilot and as a reconnaissance officer, he was awarded the highest Filipino military award, the Medal of Valor.

Answer: Indonesia

The Indonesian archipelago has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but gained international significance as a strategic point on the international trade routes between Europe and Asia during the Age of Discovery (15th to 17th centuries). It came under Dutch rule, regaining independence only after World War II, following the defeat of the Japanese who had occupied the nation in 1942. Indonesia is a polyglot nation, with different islands showing different amounts of influence from the various cultures which have arrived there.

Independence was declared on 17 August 1945, with Sukarno named as the first president and Mohammad Hatta the first vice-president in the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence. However, it was not until 1949 that the Netherlands agreed to the sovereignty of the new nation. Sukarno established a political structure that he called Guided Democracy, a careful balancing act between Islamic and communist political factions and military forces, with the president gaining the primary authority. It came unglued in the mid-1960s, and in 1968 a military coup established Major General Suharto as the president, under an authoritarian regime dubbed the New Order.

Answer: Oman

The title of sultan suggests an Arabic state, where that term was used for a sovereign. The use spread via the Ottoman Empire, but in the 21st century only Brunei, Malaysia, and Oman use that title for their ruler. The Sultanate of Oman, the oldest sovereign state in the Arab world, is located on the Arabian Peninsula. It is an absolute monarchy which has been ruled by the Al Bu Said dynasty since 1744.

Qaboos bin Said may have taken the throne in a coup d'etat (supported by the British), but his reign saw significant progress towards making Oman a modern state, rather than continuing its traditional isolation. He promulgated a constitution (albeit with no separation of powers), abolished slavery, and utilised the nation's oil resources to raise the standard of living significantly. When he died in 2020, he was succeeded by his cousin, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

Answer: Brunei

The Sultanate of Brunei (officially Brunei Darussalam) is located on the island of Borneo, surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with Indonesia also claiming territory on the island. At its peak, around 1500, Brunei claimed most of the island, but it declined significantly becoming a British protectorate in 1888. The sultan chose not to join the Malaysian federation as it was being set up in 1963, preferring to continue operating under the 1959 constitution which had declared Brunei to be self-governing, but with the United Kingdom responsible for defence and foreign affairs.

Although full independence was gained on 1 January 1984, Brunei's National Day is celebrated on 23 February.