Terravel · Quizzes · Europe

Europe geography quiz

8 questions about real places across Europe — deserts, lakes, caves and valleys most people have never heard of. Answer each one and the explanation appears straight away. No sign-up.

Question 1

Which European canyon contains the country's oldest artificial reservoir, surrounded by medieval monasteries?

Matka Canyon in North Macedonia is home to Matka Lake, the oldest artificial reservoir in the country, and features medieval monasteries within its gorge.

Question 2

Which gorge's name means 'Gate of the Alans' and has served as a historic mountain crossing between two nations?

The Darial Gorge is named from 'Dar-i-Alan' ('Gate of the Alans') and historically functioned as a crucial passage between Russia and Georgia through the Caucasus Mountains.

Question 3

Which UNESCO World Heritage Site was founded by Saint Ferapont in 1398 as a monastic retreat in the forests of northern Europe?

Ferapontov Monastery in Russia was established by Saint Ferapont in 1398 and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, making it a globally recognized center of Orthodox Christian heritage.

Question 4

Which shallow lake in northwestern Europe was the vital nexus of the Varangian trade route connecting Scandinavia to Byzantium?

Lake Ilmen in Russia served as the crucial junction where the legendary Varangian trade route connected northern warriors to Byzantine Greeks, with the Volkhov River carrying its waters to Veliky Novgorod, a major medieval trading hub.

Question 5

Which Ural Mountain cave displays ochre handprints and animal paintings over 14,000 years old?

Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash) in Russia's Bashkortostan contains some of the world's oldest known cave art, with ochre handprints and animal paintings dating back over 14,000 years.

Question 6

Which Moscow monastery was built to celebrate a military victory over Lithuania and has remained architecturally unchanged since the 17th century?

Novodevichy Convent was founded in 1524 by Grand Duke Vasily III to commemorate the capture of Smolensk from Lithuania in 1514, and its white stone walls and cupolas have survived virtually untouched since the 17th century.

Question 7

Which Arctic island between two seas holds stone idols left by indigenous peoples as spiritual markers?

Vaygach Island, located between the Pechora Sea and Kara Sea in the Russian Arctic, is renowned for the stone idols and offerings placed there by the Nenets people as sacred spiritual markers.

Question 8

Which French territory is a submerged reef in the Indian Ocean, located between Madagascar and the Glorioso Islands?

Banc du Geyser is a submerged reef in the Mozambique Channel approximately 125 km northeast of Mayotte and 112 km southwest of the Glorioso Islands, sitting at the intersection of three French territories in the Indian Ocean.

Come back tomorrow for a new one.