France

I definitely struggle with early 19th century French history and it may well be that only a deep dive will help me to unpick these things consistly.

Questions

Having its capitals at Reims and Trier, which Roman province established in 22 BC after the Gallic Wars lasted until the 5th century?

GALLIA BELGICA

Stores by Jean-François Houbigant, Hermès and Coco Chanel among many other luminaries in the world of fashion can be found on which famous street in Paris? Part of its course runs parallel to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and it is also home to the British Embassy and Élysée Palace.

RUE DU FAUBOURG SAINT-HONORÉ

The Hôtel Carnavalet was home to 17th century female writer Madame de Sévigné, who provides the current name of its street. It now makes up part of the Musée Carnavalet that illustrates the history of Paris and can be found in which historical district of the city that lies north of the Seine, well known for its LGBT culture?

THE MARAIS

Lying south of Lake Geneva, which French department has its prefecture at Annecy and is home to Chamonix, the first host of the Winter Olympic Games?

HAUTE-SAVOIE

Home to Tour de France favourite Alpe d’Huez, which department along with Hautes-Alpes hosts Écrins National Park? It is named for a river that is a tributary of the Rhône, with its prefecture Grenoble lying on its banks.

ISÈRE

First performed during the Nazi occupation, which play by Jean Anouilh got its British première in 1949 with Vivien Leigh in the title role?

ANTIGONE

The seaside resort of Arachon south-west of Bordeaux can be found in which large forest? This natural area gives its name to a department that is the second largest in France, with its prefecture being the modestly sized Mont-de-Marsan.

LANDES

Its French title being “L’Alouette”, how is this translated into English to provide a 1952 Jean Anouilh play about Joan of Arc?

THE LARK

Pablo Picasso’s love interest Dora Maar was born in Paris to a Croatian architect with what surname, with her having taken part of this for the one by which she was well known?

MARKOVITCH / MARKOVIĆ

Known as Duke of Anjou since this title that was bestowed on him after his father’s death in 1989, Louis Alphonse de Bourbon is considered a pretender to the French throne by which group? They have used their current name since they rejected the claim of the July Monarchy in 1830.

LEGITIMISTS

Germany

A few legacy questions that I still can’t get right and I can imagine I’ll never get the MSV Duisburg one. Thankfully no one else will ever see fit to ask such a question about a team that haven’t been in the top flight since the ’90s.

Questions

Theologian Thomas Müntzer was a controversial figure who was captured in 1525 during the German Peasants’ War after suffering defeat at the Battle of Frankenhausen. His execution took place outside the walls of which Thuringian city, the birthplace of Brooklyn Bridge designer John A. Roebling and where Johann Sebastian Bach was organist from 1707 to 1708?

MÜHLHAUSEN

Which German female won the inaugural biathlon events of the 15km individual and 7.5km sprint at the Winter Olympics in 1992? She was formerly a cross-country skier who married American biathlete Ian Harvey and won the Heidi Kreiger medal for her refusal to take part in the systematic doping of East Germany.

ANTJE MISERSKY

One of the most famous painters of his time, which German painter of historical and political scenes was the most significant artist of the Wilhelmine period? His works include the 1877 painting “Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms”.

ANTON VON WERNER

An important settlement for Danish Vikings and Swedish Varangians in Schleswig-Holstein, which early medieval city in Northern Europe was an important trading place? The fortification Danevirke is included with it in a World Heritage listing.

HEDEBY

Who won the 15km individual biathlon for Germany in 2002, as well as a team gold? Her younger sister is a cross-country skier and she was the first biathlete to become world champion in each individual event.

ANDREA HENKEL

Characterised by white buildings with straight lines, which site in Stuttgart is the sole German entry included in the mass World Heritage listing of Le Corbusier works?

MAISONS DE LA WEISSENHOF-SIEDLUNG

Also known as ‘the Elder’ and ‘the Salic’, which Holy Roman Emperor founded the romanesque Speyer Cathedral in 1030?

CONRAD II

Having a westwork that dates back to the Carolingian era, which abbey in North Rhine-Westphalia has made in on to UNESCO’s World Heritage list? It became a prince-bishopric in 1792, only to have that status taken away by Napoleon.

CORVEY

Calling Dore Hoyer ‘Europe’s last great modern dancer’, which German pioneer of expressionist dance encouraged movement training without pointe shoes and was an iconic figure of Weimar German culture?

MARY WIGMAN

Including among its collection works by artists from the Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter movements, which modern and contemporary art museum has been in Dortmund’s U-Tower since 2010?

MUSEUM OSTWALL

The first initial representing a district within the city, what does the MSV in the full name of the major football club from Duisburg stand for?

MEIDERICHER SPIELVEREIN

Germany

Ich habe viele Fragen um Deutschland, aber sie sind nicht fertig. Ich muss sie eine andere Zeit schreiben.

Questions

Which German province that existed from 83 to 475 had its capital at Mogontiacum, better known today as Mainz?

GERMANIA SUPERIOR

Not singing on their massive hit “Rhythm is a Dancer” where the main female vocals were provided by Thea Austin, who sung alongside Turbo B on Snap!’s “The Power”? She also did work with Soul II Soul, featuring on the UK number 12 hit “Love Enuff”.

PENNY FORD

Though he was in charge for less than two months, this was the period during which the Berlin Wall fell. Who succeeded Erich Honecker as East Germany’s General Secretary in 1989, later spending time in jail for his political activities?

EGON KRENZ

Manufacturer of the ‘Flying Pencil’ bomber, the Dornier Flugzeugwerke were headquartered in which Baden-Württemberg city that is home to the only German volleyball club to have won the CEV Champions League since unification?

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN

Elected at the instigation of his cousin Otto III, who is considered to have been the first German pope in 996, his birthplace being in modern day Austria? He later returned thanks by elevating Otto to the title of Holy Roman Emperor.

GREGORY V

Part of the first all-German team to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era, what is the alliterative name of the tennis player who along with Andreas Mies tasted victory in back-to-back French Opens in 2019 and 2020?

KEVIN KRAWIETZ

Also when Constitution Day is celebrated in Ukraine, on what date in 1914 was Franz Ferdinand assassinated? Just over a month later Germany declared war on Russia.

28 JUNE

Murdered during the Night of the Long Knives, who was the last Chancellor of Germany prior to Adolf Hitler, his short reign lasting from December 1932 to January 1933?

KURT VON SCHLEICHER

Becoming Chancellor in the aftermath of the Great Depression, who was in charge from 1930 to 1932, his policies credited with causing an unemployment rate around 30% that led to him becoming very unpopular?

HEINRICH BRÜNING

The Bauhaus World Heritage listing covers sites in Weimar, Dessau and which other place, this being located about 10km north-east of Berlin and represented by the ADGB Trade Union School?

BERNAU

Noted for his use of primary colours and being called ‘colour blind’ by Le Corbusier, which German architect was known for designing Berlin’s Hufeisensiedlung, which translates to English as horseshoe estate?

BRUNO TAUT

Vietnam

My phone can’t cope with the accents required for Vietnamese, so I’ll have to put up with sub-standard work until I decide that I should not use that as an excuse and figure out how else it can be done.

Questions

Russell White being the doppelgänger for Donald Trump, what is the name of the Kim Jong-un impersonator who was in Hanoi in 2019 prior to the North Korea-United States Summit? He was deported back to Hong Kong before it began for having an ‘invalid’ passport.

HOWARD X

Bordered by Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, what is the name of the body of water that you would pass through to reach the South China Sea from the Bay of Bangkok?

GULF OF THAILAND

Having the common Vietnamese surname of Nguyen, by what first name is the person who has been General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam since 2011 often known? He also held the post of president from 2018 to 2021.

TRỌNG

Its name coming from the Ancient Greek for ‘mother city’, at which Hanoi hotel that was built in French Colonial style did Donald Trump meet Kim Jong-un in 2019?

METROPOLE

Which luxury hotel chain based in Paris that has been owned by Accor since 1980 run the Metropole hotel in Hanoi?

SOFITEL (LEGEND)

Bánh đa Cua is a noodle soup that is a speciality of the port city of Haiphong that features which meat, this being referenced by the ‘cua’ part of its name?

CRAB

Part of the Northern Vietnam region, the city of Haiphong is situated in which subregion that takes its name from a water feature?

RED RIVER DELTA

The Vietnamese city of Haiphong was established at the instigation of which president of the French Third Republic, who was assassinated by Italian anarchist Sante Geronimo Caserio after a Lyon banquet in 1894?

SADI CARNOT

Also known as the Dai Viet or Great Viet, which dynasty that existed from 1527 to 1677 moved their capital to Cao Bang in 1592 after losing control of Dong Kinh, modern day Hanoi?

MAC DYNASTY

Emptying into the Gulf of Tonkin, on which short distributary of the Thái Binh does the city of Haiphong stand? If you remove the diacritic marks it shares its name with an English river.

CAM

Vietnamese warlord Ngo Quyen defeated the Chinese at the 938 Battle of Bach Dang, this leading to a period of rule under the Ngo dynasty. By what three-word term was the kingdom they ruled known, this previously having been an administration division under the Tang dynasty and translating as ‘peaceful sea army’?

TINH HAI QUAN

Trong and Ngoai feature in the names of two regions that Vietnam was split between during the 17th and 18th centuries. What is the four-letter word that precedes both, with the terms translating as something like ‘inner land’ and ‘outer land’?

DANG

After which month has the revolution launched by the Viet Minh in 1945 come to be known, though its independence from France was only declared on the 2nd of the following month, a date that Vietnam now celebrates as its National Day?

AUGUST

Vietnam is one of the members of the TPP, that acronym standing for which three words? The United Kingdom became a signatory in 2023 with other members including Canada but not the US.

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

Cape Verde

To date the only African country I have been to and also the only time I’ve been to a desert.

Questions

Home to a team that won the Cape Verdean Football Championship six times in the 2010s, what is the largest city on the island of São Vicente?

MINDELO (The team is CS Mindelense)

The airport serving the city of Mindelo on Cape Verde’s São Vicente island is named for which 2004 Grammy Award winner who is known as the ‘Queen of Morna’?

CESÁRIA ÉVORA

In which sport did Cape Verde have to withdraw from the 2021 World Championship after they couldn’t field the minimum number of players for their second match after too many of their squad tested positive for Covid? They qualified again in 2023, on that occasion registering a win against Uruguay.

HANDBALL

Mindelo is named after a Portuguese place north of Porto where an important landing took place during a conflict that ended in 1834. Sometimes known as the Portuguese Civil War, War of the Two Brothers or Miguelite War, what other name are these wars known by, this coming from the name of the faction that fought against the Miguelites?

LIBERAL WARS

Made up of western and eastern parts, what name is given to the northern group of islands in Cape Verde that includes São Vicente, Sal and Boa Vista? Their name is a Portuguese term that means ‘windward’.

BARLAVENTO (ISLANDS)

Each represented by a star on the country’s flag, how many main islands make up the archipelago of Cabo Verde?

TEN

Helping to determine the vertical direction, which object dangled from a piece of string that consists of a weight with a pointed tip at the bottom can be found at the top of Cape Verde’s emblem? Builders and decorators are among those who might it useful.

PLUMB BOB

“Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada” was replaced by “Cântico da Liberdade” as Cape Verde’s national anthem in 1996, but which other country still uses it? The lyrics were written by Amílcar Cabral, an independence leader who was born within its modern day borders.

GUINEA-BISSAU

Elected as president in 2021, which Cape Verdean politician had a long spell as Prime Minister from 2001 to 2016? He represents the PAICV, a former Marxist-Leninist Party with a longer name that translates as African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde.

JOSÉ MARIA NEVES

The Cape Verdean escudo is represented by a dollar sign with two strokes that is known by what Portuguese term? It was formerly used with Portugal’s escudo before that country moved to the Euro.

CIFRÃO

Sharing its name with the country’s fourth largest island on which it can be found, what is the highest point on Cape Verde?

(PICO DE) FOGO

Appealing to hikers as it features mountainous terrain and stunning scenery such as the Ribeira da Garça, which largest of the Barlavento Islands lies to the north-west of São Vicente?

SANTO ANTÃO

Super sunny Sal is a Cabo Verdean tourist hotspot that has its largest settlement named after the Portuguese word for which vegetable? The ‘squarrosus’ version of this plant is endemic to the country and finds use in traditional medicine.

ASPARAGUS (It’s called Espargos)

One of the largest settlements in Cape Verde, Assomada can be found on which of its islands, the largest within the Sotavento grouping?

SANTIAGO

Previously known as Ribeira Grande, what is the two word name of the settlement on the south coast of Santiago that became Cape Verde’s first World Heritage Site in 2009? A colonial site set up in the tropics, the 15th century Nossa Senhora do Rosário church was built there and is still standing.

CIDADE VELHA

Uruguay

Never the percentage guess, so I need to brush up on the clues that will help me isolate this country as an answer when needed. Maldonado department does not equal Venezuela just because of the F1 driver.

Questions

Used to measure the performance of the uterus during childbirth, Montevideo units were created by which double-barreled doctor alongside Hermógenes Alvarez? He was the first Uruguayan to be nominated for a Nobel Prize.

ROBERTO CALDEYRO-BARCIA

Having an unusual circular shape that forces the traffic to slow down, Laguna Garzón Bridge was designed by which architect who died in 2023 after suffering an aneurysm?

RAFAEL VIÑOLY

Taking its name from a local 18th century figure who shares their surname with a famous film director, which coastal department within Uruguay is on the country’s border with Brazil? The border city of Chuy makes up one urban area with its Brazilian sister town of Chuí.

ROCHA

Its name coming from a member of Italian explorer Sebastian Cabot’s crew who was left in charge during the 16th century, the coastal department of Maldonado is home to which high point of Uruguay, part of the Sierra Carapé hills?

CERRO CATEDRAL / CERRO CORDILLERA

The white and blue stripes on the flag of Uruguay represent the country’s original number of departments. Though those divisions have since increased to 19, how many were there to start with?

NINE

Son of the president from 1990 to 1995, who became president of Uruguay at the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020? The second part of his surname comes from his mother, a politician herself.

LUIS LACALLE POU

Though there are descendants alive today, which indigenous people were effectively wiped out at the 1831 Massacre of Salsipuedes, that event being named for a creek that means ‘leave if you can’ in Spanish?

CHARRÚA

First established by the Portuguese in 1680, what is the full three-word name of the city in south-west Uruguay that has its historic quarter listed as a World Heritage Site? Maybe take a stroll along the Calle de los Suspiros, which ominously translates as the ‘Street of Sighs’.

COLONIA DEL SACRAMENTO

Ushering in a period of military dictatorship that lasted for nearly 12 years following a coup in 1973, which president who had taken office the previous year was forced to resign himself in 1976? He was later charged for murders carried out during this period, dying in 2011 while under house arrest.

JUAN MARÍA BORDABERRY

His image having graced banknotes, which Uruguayan wrote the epic love poem “Tabaré”, a tale where the titular character falls for the Spaniard Blanca? His son was a noted sculptor who created a monument to him as well as public works such as the Obelisk of Montevideo.

JUAN ZORRILLA DE SAN MARTÍN

Romania

It turns out there are no princes of Bessarabia, so that should hopefully help me home in on Wallachia next time it’s required.

Questions

Part of the Romanian team that defended their gymnastics title from the 2000 Olympics, who won gold on the vault in 2004 ahead of the USA’s Annie Hatch and the brilliantly named Anna Pavlova? She retired the following year after failing to regain form following an injury.

MONICA ROŞU

A triple gold medallist at the 2004 Olympics with winning performances in the balance beam and the floor exercise being added to the team title, which Romanian gymnast had a resurgence in form at the 2012 Olympics where she once again got on the floor podium? She lost out on the top spot to Aly Raisman.

CĂTĂLINA PONOR

Denying Federica Pellegrini the gold, though the Italian would win the same event four years later, which Romanian swimmer was women’s 200m freestyle champion at the 2004 Olympics?

CAMELIA POTEC

Romania’s first ever Olympic gold medallist in swimming was in 2000 when which female won both the 100m and 200m backstroke?

DIANA MOCANU

Taking home two gold medals for Romania at the 2004 Olympics, Georgeta Damian topped the podium five times in total during her career. In which sport was she a success?

ROWING

Elected to the role of ‘hospodar’ in 1843, who was deposed as Prince of Wallachia during a revolution in 1848?

GHEORGHE BIBESCU

Victorious at the 1330 Battle of Posada, who was the founder of a namesake House that later split into the rival branches of the Dăneşti and Drăculeşti, the latter containing the famous ruler Vlad the Impaler?

BASARAB

Replaced by “Limba noastră” during the mid-90s in neighbouring Moldova, Romania’s national anthem “Deşteaptă-te, române” takes its lyrics from a poem by which revolutionary figure who was active during the 1848 shake-up around Transylvania?

ANDREI MUREŞANU

Two of which aquatic animal represent the region of Dobruja on the coat of arms of Romania? They are yellow on a blue background and can be described as urinant, a Latin word that indicates ‘diving’.

DOLPHINS

Mayor of Sibiu when it was European Capital of Culture, which former physics teacher who became President of Romania in 2014 saw his country rank the lowest within the European Union in the 2022 “Democracy Index”, an assessment published biennially by “The Economist”?

KLAUS IOHANNIS

Greece

I’ve just started the first few Greek lessons on Duolingo so am fast becoming in the know about ‘water in the couscous’…

Questions

Once given the nickname of ‘Little Moscow’ when a communist mayor was elected in 1934, which city in Greece is served by Alexander the Great Airport? One of its sights is an aqueduct of Roman origin that also goes by the name ‘Kamares’, though the present structure dates to the 16th-century Ottoman period.

KAVALA

Commemorated in the scientific name for the fire-tailed rainbow skink, who competed against Zeuxis in a famous painting contest? While Zeuxis had fooled the birds with his bunch of grapes, when that painter tried to open a curtain to see his rival’s effort he discovered that the curtain itself was the painting.

PARRHASIUS

Not requiring the use of pins, what type of cloak in ancient Greece could be worn over a chiton or peplos? Men were expected to wrap it so that the left shoulder was covered, while women could use it as a veil and had more scope to choose their own personal style.

HIMATION

Because the excess material for a chiton or peplos had to go somewhere, the ancient Greeks had different ways of doing this. One such was a ‘blousing’, or hanging it in loose folds above a ‘zone’, a name for a type of belt or girdle. Not to be confused with the apoptygma which was higher up, what is the name of this pouch-like area that could usually be found around the bosom?

KOLPOS

Most famous as the place where the Venus de Milo was found, it was also the site of a 416 BC siege that resulted in an Athenian victory during the Peloponnesian War. Having its capital at Plaka, the island of Melos is the southwesternmost in which group?

CYCLADES

Coming up against the Thebans under the leadership of Epaminondas at the 371 BC Battle of Leuctra, which Spartan king saw his forces utterly defeated and lost his life during the process?

CLEOMBROTUS

Born in the Tuscan spa resort of Monsummano Terme though he soon moved to France, Yves Montand had a small amount of screen time as Grigoris Lambrakis in “Z”. What was the French actor’s birth name?

IVO LIVI

Played by Jean-Louis Trintignant in “Z”, which magistrate during the trial that followed Grigoris Lambrakis’ assassination later became president in 1985? Born in Thessaloniki, he stayed in the role until 1990.

CHRISTOS SARTZETAKIS

Used as the site of a concentration camp by Italian authorities during World War II, Lazaretto Island can be found a short distance off the coast of which major Greek island?

CORFU

Who was the father of Pleione, a nymph featured in Greek mythology who got married to Atlas and gave birth to the Hyades and Pleiades?

OCEANUS

Greece’s national motto of “Eleftheria i thanatos” translates into which three English words, this also being the name given to a 1913 speech delivered in Connecticut by Emmeline Pankhurst?

FREEDOM OR DEATH

At which cave in Macedonia that is open to the public has the earliest evidence of human ancestors in the Balkans been found? It was discovered by accident in 1959 and came to more prominent attention when a namesake skull was found in 1960.

PETRALONA

Russia adds

Will I ever master the coastal geography of this ridiculously large country?

Questions

Having to deal with the War of the Austrian Succession during her reign and dying before the end of the Seven Years’ War, which eldest daughter of Peter the Great was on the throne from 1741 until 1762? She was the third to hold the title of Empress of Russia after Catherine I and Anne.

ELIZABETH

Born in Kiel and not being very proficient in Russian, Peter III was a main character in the TV series “The Great”. He was portrayed by which English actor whose other roles include the title character in “Renfield”, a film that saw Nicolas Cage provide his take on Dracula.

NICHOLAS HOULT

Originating in the Udmurt Republic, the river Kama runs for well over 1,000km before it joins the Volga. What is the largest city on its banks, this being situated in a Krai of the same name and formerly having the name Molotov?

PERM

Doubts remain as to whether he was fathered by Peter III or Sergei Saltykov. Catherine the Great’s successor was which son of hers, though he didn’t even last five years on the throne because a team of assassins brought an end to his life?

PAUL I

Its tributaries including the Donets that flows through Ukraine, the river Don empties after a journey of over 1,500km into which body of water?

SEA OF AZOV

One of the oblasts that the Don flows through is named for which large city that lies in a region known for its rich soil, it being the seat of the short-lived Central Black Earth Oblast from 1928 to 1934? Its football team Fakel returned to the Russian top flight for the 2022-23 season after an absence of over 20 years.

VORONEZH

Soldier Grigory Melekhov fights in the Russian Civil War during the novel “And Quiet Flows the Don”, a work by which author who was born in Rostov Oblast?

MIKHAIL SHOLOKHOV

Belkovsky Island is the westernmost of which subgroup of Russia’s New Siberian Islands? Its name is taken from an explorer who fought at the Battle of Navarino and was descended from a French Huguenot.

ANZHU / ANJOU ISLANDS

The New Siberian Islands have the East Siberian Sea to their east and which other sea to their west? The Lena river empties into this body of water that has the Taymyr peninsula and Severnaya Zemlya to its west.

LAPTEV SEA

Russian explorer Eduard von Toll disappeared in 1902 during a polar expedition in search of which phantom island that was supposedly sighted in the early 19th century? It inspired a sci-fi novel by Vladimir Obruchev that was later turned into a 1973 film.

SANNIKOV LAND

Solomon Islands

A complete re-write of some old questions about a country I suspect I’ll never get around to visiting.

Questions

Although the Solomons Islands is a predominantly Melanesian country, which province made up of two inhabited atolls that lies to the south of the country’s main chain of islands is actually Polynesian?

RENNELL and BELLONA

Celebrated as a public holiday on the 7 July, in which year did the Solomon Islands become independent?

1978

Surviving a no-confidence vote in 2021 after switching his country’s allegiance from Taiwan to China, which Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands began his fourth spell in the role in 2019? His first was back in 2000.

MANASSEH SOGAVARE

Offered human flesh by natives while trying to source much needed supplies, an expedition under which Spanish navigator was the first to visit the Solomon Islands? His voyages also led to the discovery of the Marquesas and the Cook Islands.

ÁLVARO DE MENDAÑA

Situated on Buka Island a short distance from Bougainville, in which cave has the earliest evidence of human occupation in the Solomon Islands chain been found? Findings here suggest that paleolithic inhabitants travelled over the open ocean to trade with Nissan Island in Papua New Guinea.

KILU

Much closer to Vanuatu than the country’s main chain of islands, which archipelago in the Solomon Islands that is part of Temutu province gives its name to a 1942 battle that saw the sinking of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet? It is considered to be part of the Vanuatu rain forests ecoregion.

SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS

Named for a culture that practised headhunting, the Roviana Lagoon can be found off the south of which largest island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands?

NEW GEORGIA

Although not the largest island in the Solomon Islands, which is the most populous? It lies to the north-east of Guadalcanal.

MALAITA

Commemorated in the name of the strait between Hokkaido and Sakhalin, which French explorer is believed to have died after his ship was wrecked on the reefs of Vanikoro?

COMTE DE LAPÉROUSE

A failed attempt to capture Port Moresby during World War II, which operation with a very short name saw the Japanese occupy Tulagi in the Solomon Islands?

MO

The largest settlement on Malaika, which place became the temporary capital of the Solomon Islands in World War II after the Japanese captured Tulagi?

AUKI

They were located on remote Pacific islands during World War II and played an important role in the Guadalcanal campaign. What is the common name given to these Allied operatives who provided intelligence on enemy movements in the area?

COASTWATCHERS