100+ World General Knowledge Questions and Answers for Quizzes

It is a trivia night and someone asks a question: What is the capital of Australia?

One-half the room is boldly screaming, “Sydney!

They’re all wrong. It’s Canberra. That collective moment of surprise? There is the magic in general knowledge quizzes.

GK quizzes are successful since everyone is a specialist on something and no one is an expert at everything, and it turns out to be quite easy to learn something new, which is also very rewarding. Hosting quiz nights or teaching students, or organizing corporate activities or running a virtual meeting, the general knowledge questions will kick-start the process immediately and allow friendly competition.

As a matter of fact, research indicates that individuals remember information much easier when they are taught through quizzes and not by reading. This is why quizzes on world general knowledge will not get out of fashion.

This blog has 100+ world general knowledge questions and answers, which are well categorized under geography, history, science, culture and other related fields. These questions are not frustrating and do not require much time to answer, they are also educational and entertaining. 

You’ll also discover how an interactive quiz platform can transform simple questions into exciting live experiences with live scoring, leaderboards, and audience engagement features that work for any group size.

100+ World General Knowledge Questions with Answers

Geography Questions

1. What is the capital of Australia?

Answer: Canberra

2. Which is the largest country by area?

Answer: Russia

3. What is the longest river in the world?

Answer: The Nile River

4. How many continents are there?

Answer: Seven

5. What is the smallest country in the world?

Answer: Vatican City

6. Which desert is the largest in the world?

Answer: Antarctic Desert (or Sahara Desert if considering hot deserts)

7. What is the tallest mountain in the world?

Answer: Mount Everest

8. Which ocean is the largest?

Answer: Pacific Ocean

9. What is the capital of Canada?

Answer: Ottawa

10. Which country has the most time zones?

Answer: France (including territories)

11. What is the longest mountain range in the world?

Answer: The Andes

12. Which country is known as the Land of the Rising Sun?

Answer: Japan

13. What is the deepest point in Earth’s oceans?

Answer: Mariana Trench

14. Which African country has the largest population?

Answer: Nigeria

15. What is the capital of Brazil?

Answer: Brasília

16. Which two countries share the longest international border?

Answer: Canada and the United States

17. What is the smallest continent by area?

Answer: Australia

18. Which European capital city is located on two continents?

Answer: Istanbul, Turkey

19. What is the highest waterfall in the world?

Answer: Angel Falls in Venezuela

20. Which country has the most islands?

Answer: Sweden (or Indonesia, depending on the count)

21. What is the capital of Egypt?

Answer: Cairo

22. Which sea is the saltiest in the world?

Answer: The Dead Sea

23. What is the largest island in the world?

Answer: Greenland

24. Which country is shaped like a boot?

Answer: Italy

25. What is the capital of South Korea?

Answer: Seoul

History Questions

26. In which year did World War II end?

Answer: 1945

27. Who was the first President of the United States?

Answer: George Washington

28. What year did the Titanic sink?

Answer: 1912

29. Who discovered America?

Answer: Christopher Columbus (though Indigenous peoples were already there)

30. What ancient wonder is the only one still standing?

Answer: The Great Pyramid of Giza

31. Who was the first person to walk on the moon?

Answer: Neil Armstrong

32. In which year did World War I begin?

Answer: 1914

33. Who was known as the Iron Lady?

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

34. What year did the Berlin Wall fall?

Answer: 1989

35. Who painted the Mona Lisa?

Answer: Leonardo da Vinci

36. What ancient civilization built Machu Picchu?

Answer: The Incas

37. Who invented the telephone?

Answer: Alexander Graham Bell

38. What year did India gain independence?

Answer: 1947

39. Who was the first Emperor of Rome?

Answer: Augustus

40. What ship sank after hitting an iceberg?

Answer: The Titanic

41. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Answer: Thomas Jefferson (primary author)

42. What ancient civilization built the pyramids?

Answer: Ancient Egyptians

43. In which year did humans first land on the moon?

Answer: 1969

44. Who was the longest-reigning British monarch?

Answer: Queen Elizabeth II

45. What war was fought between the North and South in the United States?

Answer: The Civil War

46. Who discovered penicillin?

Answer: Alexander Fleming

47. What year did the French Revolution begin?

Answer: 1789

48. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?

Answer: Marie Curie

49. What ancient library was destroyed by fire?

Answer: The Library of Alexandria

50. Who invented the light bulb?

Answer: Thomas Edison (though others contributed)

Science Questions

51. What is the chemical symbol for gold?

Answer: Au

52. How many bones are in the human body?

Answer: 206 bones (in adults)

53. What is the speed of light?

Answer: Approximately 299,792,458 meters per second

54. What planet is known as the Red Planet?

Answer: Mars

55. What is the largest organ in the human body?

Answer: The skin

56. Who developed the theory of relativity?

Answer: Albert Einstein

57. What is H2O commonly known as?

Answer: Water

58. How many planets are in our solar system?

Answer: Eight planets

59. What is the smallest unit of life?

Answer: The cell

60. What gas do plants absorb from the atmosphere?

Answer: Carbon dioxide (CO2)

61. What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?

Answer: Diamond

62. What force keeps us on the ground?

Answer: Gravity

63. What is the center of an atom called?

Answer: The nucleus

64. What is the boiling point of water?

Answer: 100°C (212°F at sea level)

65. What is the largest planet in our solar system?

Answer: Jupiter

66. What type of animal is a whale?

Answer: A mammal

67. What is the study of weather called?

Answer: Meteorology

68. How many chromosomes do humans have?

Answer: 46 chromosomes (23 pairs)

69. What is the chemical formula for table salt?

Answer: NaCl (sodium chloride)

70. What is the powerhouse of the cell?

Answer: Mitochondria

Culture & Entertainment

71. Who wrote “Romeo and Juliet”?

Answer: William Shakespeare

72. What is the most widely spoken language in the world?

Answer: English (or Mandarin Chinese by native speakers)

73. Who painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling?

Answer: Michelangelo

74. What is the longest-running TV show?

Answer: “The Simpsons” or “Meet the Press”

75. Who wrote “Harry Potter”?

Answer: J.K. Rowling

76. What is the most popular sport in the world?

Answer: Soccer (football)

77. Who composed the “Moonlight Sonata”?

Answer: Ludwig van Beethoven

78. What is the highest-grossing film of all time?

Answer: Avatar (2009, and again after re-release)

79. Who is known as the King of Pop?

Answer: Michael Jackson

80. What is the oldest university in the world?

Answer: University of Bologna (or Al-Qarawiyyin, depending on definition)

81. Who wrote “1984”?

Answer: George Orwell

82. What is the most visited tourist attraction in the world?

Answer: The Forbidden City in Beijing (varies by year)

83. Who invented the printing press?

Answer: Johannes Gutenberg

84. What is the national sport of Japan?

Answer: Sumo wrestling

85. Who wrote “Pride and Prejudice”?

Answer: Jane Austen

86. What is the most expensive painting ever sold?

Answer: “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci

87. Who directed “Titanic”?

Answer: James Cameron

88. What is the oldest Disney movie?

Answer: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)

89. Who wrote “The Odyssey”?

Answer: Homer

90. What is the largest museum in the world?

Answer: The Louvre in Paris

Sports Questions

91. How many players are there in a soccer team?

Answer: 11

92. Which country won the FIFA World Cup in 2022?

Answer: Argentina

93. What sport uses a bat and ball?

Answer: Cricket

94. Who is known as the fastest man in the world?

Answer: Usain Bolt

95. In which sport is Wimbledon played?

Answer: Tennis

96. How often are the Olympics held?

Answer: Every 4 years

97. What is the national sport of Canada?

Answer: Ice hockey

98. Which country invented chess?

Answer: India

99. How many rings are on the Olympic flag?

Answer: Five

100. What sport does Lionel Messi play?

Answer: Football (Soccer)

General Mixed Questions

101. How many seconds are in a day?

Answer: 86,400 seconds

102. What is the currency of Japan?

Answer: Yen

103. How many stripes are on the American flag?

Answer: 13 stripes

104. What is the international distress signal?

Answer: SOS

105. How many legs does a spider have?

Answer: Eight legs

106. What is the freezing point of water?

Answer: 0°C (32°F)

107. What does NASA stand for?

Answer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

108. How many minutes are in a week?

Answer: 10,080 minutes

109. What is the largest mammal in the world?

Answer: The blue whale

110. What does WWW stand for in a website browser?

Answer: World Wide Web

111. How many hearts does an octopus have?

Answer: Three hearts

112. What is the main ingredient in guacamole?

Answer: Avocado

113. What is the capital of the United States?

Answer: Washington, D.C.

114. How many players are on a soccer team?

Answer: 11 players

115. What is the largest bird in the world?

Answer: The ostrich

How Slidea Turns World GK Quizzes into Live Experiences

Great GK questions deserve more than a static slideshow or paper-based format. The actual magic lies in the fact that each of the participants will be able to answer, compete, and remain engaged throughout the questions to the end.

That’s where Slidea, an interactive quiz creator, makes a real difference for world general knowledge quizzes.

Built for Quiz-First Experiences

Slidea is designed to run quizzes without any difficulties and you can convert your GK questions into dynamic with special quiz slide types that can make the game just flow naturally.

Slidea has:

Select Answer – Perfect on the traditional multiple choice GK questions such as capitals, flags and history facts.

Type Answer – Useful in short answer questions where recall is important (famous person, or scientific terms)

Pick the Number – Excellent with population statistics, years, heights or record based queries.

Lineup – Lets participants arrange answers in the correct order, such as historical events or country rankings

Faster Quiz Creation with AI

Short on time? The Create with AI option of Slidea assists you in creating quiz slides real-time. All you have to do is to type in your subject such as world geography or general science and narrow the questions down to suit your readers. This will save you on the time spent in the preparation and leave your GK quiz professional and interesting.

Live Participation Without Confusion

Participants join the quiz using a simple link or QR code or number code. Everyone responds individually, and the scores are displayed immediately after each question. This makes it very energetic and participatory, whether you are playing the quiz physically or virtually.

Works Anywhere, Anytime

Slidea fits seamlessly into:

• Classrooms and schools
• Corporate training sessions
• Virtual meetings
• Hybrid events with mixed audiences

Final Thoughts

World general knowledge quizzes are simple, powerful, and timeless. They help people learn, laugh, and connect, no matter their age or background. When you pair these questions with an interactive quiz maker like Slidea, learning becomes a shared experience instead of a one-way talk.

If your goal is better audience engagement, stronger participation, and memorable sessions, GK quizzes are the easiest place to start.

FAQs

Q1. What is a world general knowledge quiz?

It’s a quiz that includes questions from geography, history, science, sports, and culture around the world.

Q2. Can I use these questions for online quizzes?

Yes, they work perfectly for online, virtual, and hybrid events.

Q3. How can I make GK quizzes more engaging?

Use live polls, quizzes, leaderboards, and word clouds with an interactive quiz platform like Slidea.

Q4. Are these questions suitable for students?

Absolutely. They are easy to understand and work for kids, teens, and adults.

Q5. Do I need technical skills to use Slidea?

No. Slidea is beginner-friendly and designed for quick setup.