Extraordinarily Eurasian Trivia Quiz

Answer: Georgia

Located in the Caucasus region, Georgia - the native country of notorious Soviet leader Joseph Stalin - is a very ancient land. One of the states that made up its territory in the classical (pre-Hellenistic) period was called Colchis - the destination of Jason and the Argonauts' expedition to retrieve the Golden Fleece, on the Black Sea coast. Like most of the countries mentioned in this quiz, Georgia was part of the Soviet Union, from which it seceded on 9 April 1991. Since its independence, Georgia's relations with Russia have worsened, leading to a brief war in 2008 and an ongoing territorial dispute concerning the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia's Western name probably comes from Persian; its native name is Sakartvelo, "land of the Kartvelians".

The nation's capital and largest city is Tbilisi.

Answer: Kazakhstan

While most of Kazakhstan's huge territory lies in Central Asia, its western part is located in Eastern Europe, west of the Urals. On account of its sheer size (it is the world's 9th-largest country, as large as Western Europe) and rich natural resources (which include oil and gas), it is Central Asia's predominant nation. Like many of its neighbours, Kazakhstan is rather sparsely populated. One-third of the country is occupied by the flat, dry Kazakh Steppe; the Tien Shan mountains are found in the south-east, near the border with China. Kazakhstan became independent on 16 December 1991; its purpose-built capital, formerly known as Astana, was renamed Nur-Sultan (after the nation's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev) in March 2019.

Answer: Ukraine

Though poor by European standards, and riddled with corruption - not to mention embroiled in an ongoing territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula - Ukraine has a longer and richer history than many other countries on the continent. In the Middle Ages the state of Kievan Rus', a federation of peoples of Slavic, Germanic and Finnic origin founded in the 9th century, occupied a large part of modern Eastern Europe. Known as a "breadbasket" for its extremely fertile "chernozem" (black earth), Ukraine is also home to a rich biodiversity. Sadly, the country's environmental issues are also well-documented - first and foremost, the lingering aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Ukraine became independent on 24 August 1991; its capital is Kiev (or Kyiv), located on the Dnieper River.

Answer: Turkmenistan

A very sparsely populated country, Turkmenistan boasts the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas. The Karakum ("black sand") Desert covers most of the country, and is crossed by the world's second-largest irrigation canal, which carries water from the Amu Darya River. Turkmenistan became independent on 27 October 1991; its capital is Ashgabat.

Unfortunately, the country's main claim to fame in modern times is its extremely repressive regime. Former President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov established a veritable cult of personality around himself, complete with huge golden statues and other eccentricities.

However, things have marginally improved since he passed away in 2006.

Answer: Azerbaijan

With vast flatlands sandwiched between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus mountains, Azerbaijan straddles Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The presence of oil on its territory was known since ancient times, and because of that the country was called the "Land of the Holy Fire" by the adherents of the Zoroastrian religion. Now oil extraction and transport via an extensive network of pipelines account for most of the country's economy. Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 30 August 1991; its capital, Baku, located on the Caspian Sea, is the world's lowest-lying national capital.

The Turkic Council is an international organization comprising Turkey, Azerbajian, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, where Turkic languages are spoken.

Answer: Belarus

Belarus ("White Rus") was named Byelorussia ("White Russia") when it was part of the Soviet Union. Located in north-eastern Europe, is the northernmost of the countries of OECD's Eurasian region. A relatively flat country with a high percentage of forested land, Belarus became independent on 25 August 1991; its capital is Minsk. Belarus has been ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994, and is considered Europe's last dictatorship, though it is has a surprisingly high standard of living, especially if compared to other former Soviet countries. Unlike most other European countries, Belarus has never applied to join the European Union; as of 2020, it is also the only country on the continent that still uses the death penalty.

Answer: Uzbekistan

A doubly landlocked country is one that is completely surrounded by other landlocked countries. Uzbekistan, bordered by Afghanistan and the other Central Asian "stans" (all very much landlocked), fits the bill, as does Liechtenstein, which is surrounded by Switzerland and Austria.

Originally part of the Persian Empire, after the Muslim conquest Uzbekistan prospered due to its importance for the trade that happened along the Silk Road, with cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara becoming hotbeds of art, culture and science. Mostly occupied by desert or steppe, Uzbekistan is a dry country; its largest body of water, the Aral Sea, has now almost completely desiccated. Uzbekistan became an independent republic on 31 August 1991; its capital is Tashkent.

Answer: Armenia

Though small, Armenia (Hayastan in the native Armenian language, which belongs to the Indo-European family) is rich in history. Its adoption of Christianity as the official state religion is traditionally dated to 301 AD, 12 years before Constantine the Great's Edict of Milan. Armenia is located in the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, but does not border either of them; its largest body of water is Lake Sevan.

Independent since 21 September 1991, the country has suffered through a number of tragic historical events, such as the genocide that occurred between 1914 and 1923, and led to the death of up to 1.5 million ethnic Armenians in Turkey and neighbouring regions. Armenia's capital, Yerevan, is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.

Answer: Mongolia

The easternmost of OECD's Eurasian nations, Mongolia is also the world's second-largest landlocked country, sandwiched between Russia and China. Though its inclusion in the Eurasian region might sound odd - considering how distant it is from Europe if compared to other countries - one only needs to take a look at this fascinating country's history to understand its impact on the history of both Europe and Asia.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Most of Mongolia's territory is covered by grassy steppe, and the nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle of its famous ancestors - strongly rooted in horse culture - is still relatively common among its sparse population. Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar ("Red Hero") is one of the world's coldest capitals.

Answer: Tajikistan

The smallest of the five "stans" of Central Asia, Tajikistan is a landlocked nation bordering Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. It is also the only one of the "stans" whose population has Indo-European rather than Turkic ancestry: the Tajik language is considered a dialect of Persian (also known as Farsi or Dari). Most of Tajikistan's territory - the home of many ancient cultures - is covered by the mountains of the Pamir range, and lies at an elevation of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level; about 2% of the country's area is covered by lakes. Tajikistan became independent on 9 September 1991; its capital is Dushanbe.

The remaining three countries part of the OECD's Eurasian region are Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.