Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A name the country left behind

Thailand was known internationally as Siam until 1939, when it was officially renamed. The word "Siam" had been used by foreigners for centuries, while Thai speakers generally referred to the country as Mueang Thai. The old name survives in the names of companies, hotels and even a famous musical, which is why it still feels familiar to many people today.

The smallest capital with a big name

Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein, one of only two landlocked countries in Europe that share a border with no coastline at all. The principality is tiny, with a population of roughly 40,000, and it is ruled by a prince whose family gave the country its name. Vaduz itself is known for its hilltop castle, which overlooks the town and remains the official residence of the princely family.

A language that crossed an ocean

Suriname, on the northern coast of South America, has Dutch as its official language, a legacy of its time as a Dutch colony. It is the only sovereign state in the Americas where Dutch is the official tongue, though most people also speak Sranan Tongo, an English-based creole, in everyday life. The country became independent from the Netherlands in 1975.

The novel that keeps being revisited

Margaret Atwood published "The Handmaid's Tale" in 1985, and it has never really left the public conversation. Set in a theocratic republic called Gilead, the novel explores themes of power, gender and control. Its renewed popularity in the 2010s, helped by a television adaptation, introduced the story to a new generation of readers and prompted Atwood to write a sequel, "The Testaments", decades later.