Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A capital built almost from scratch

Ngerulmud is one of the world's youngest capitals, purpose-built on the island of Babeldaob to replace Koror as Palau's seat of government. It is also among the smallest capital cities anywhere by population. Its name comes from a type of local tree, and the surrounding state of Melekeok remains the country's traditional and political heart. Few travellers realise that Palau's capital is not its largest settlement.

Footwear that tells a story of survival

Mukluks are soft boots traditionally made from animal skins such as sealskin or caribou hide, worn by Inuit and Yupik peoples across the Arctic. The word itself comes from an Inuit language, and the design is far from decorative: insulation, grip on ice and protection from frostbite were matters of survival. Styles, materials and decorative patterns vary widely between regions, so a pair of mukluks can signal exactly where its maker came from.

A sonata with a misleading nickname

Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" was not named by the composer. The nickname came later, from a critic who compared the opening movement to moonlight on a lake. Its official title is Piano Sonata No. 14, and its famous first movement is marked Adagio sostenuto, meaning slow and sustained. Beethoven reportedly said the piece was inspired by a scene in nature rather than the night sky.

Kazakhstan's moving capital

Kazakhstan's capital has changed names several times: founded as Akmolinsk, it became Tselinograd, then Akmola, then Astana, then Nur-Sultan in 2019, before reverting to Astana in 2022. The city was moved to the country's northern steppe in the late 1990s, replacing Almaty, the largest city, as the seat of government. Its skyline, full of futuristic towers, is one of the most distinctive in Central Asia.

Why Amsterdam earned its nickname

Amsterdam's 17th-century canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the reason it is often called the Venice of the North. The city has more than a hundred kilometres of canals, around 1,500 bridges and a network of narrow waterways lined with historic gabled houses. The comparison is not unique: Bruges, Stockholm and St Petersburg have all been given the same nickname at various times.