Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

When Persia became Iran

For most of Western history, the country we now call Iran was known abroad as Persia, a name rooted in Pars, the region at the heart of the ancient Achaemenid Empire. In 1935, the Iranian government asked foreign governments to use the name Iran - meaning "land of the Aryans" - in official correspondence, though "Persia" lingered in English for decades. The change reflected a desire to emphasise the nation's identity rather than a classical Greek-derived label.

The Maldives and the art of being small

The Maldives is not just Asia's smallest country by land area; it is also one of the most geographically scattered, spread across roughly 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean. Only around 200 of those islands are inhabited, and many sit barely a metre or two above sea level. That low elevation makes the country a frequent reference point in discussions of climate change and rising seas.

Why lead is Pb

The chemical symbol Pb for lead comes from the Latin plumbum, the word that also gives us "plumbing" - ancient Roman water pipes were famously made of lead. Li, meanwhile, belongs to lithium, and a lone L is not a valid element symbol at all. The mismatch between English names and Latin roots trips up plenty of people, but it is a neat reminder that chemistry keeps its own historical vocabulary.

Casablanca and its unlikely director

Casablanca (1942) was directed by Michael Curtiz, a Hungarian-born filmmaker who had already built a long and prolific career in Hollywood. The film was shot quickly during wartime, with a script that was still being revised as production went on. Despite that chaos, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture and became one of the most quoted films ever made.

Montevideo's position

Montevideo, the answer to the final question, is the capital of Uruguay, sitting on the northern shore of the Río de la Plata. Across the water lies Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is why the two cities share a strong cultural and footballing rivalry. Uruguay itself is one of South America's smallest countries, yet it hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup in 1930.