Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The parrots that traded the tropics for the subway

Monk parakeets, also called Quaker parrots, are native to the temperate regions of South America, yet a wild population has lived in New York City for decades, with a famous colony of nests built around utility poles in Brooklyn. They are unusual among parrots for building large communal stick nests, which help them survive cold winters. Similar feral populations exist in several other cities around the world.

The many Guadalcanals of geography

The Grand Canyon is not simply in Arizona; it is Arizona. Carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, the canyon exposes layered rock that records a huge span of the planet's geological history. Its scale is hard to absorb from photographs: it stretches for roughly 446 kilometres and reaches depths of over 1,800 metres. The Colorado River, confusingly, does not flow through the state of Colorado's most famous canyon.

Kilimanjaro and the roof of Africa

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest mountain in Africa, rising to about 5,895 metres, and it is also one of the world's largest free-standing mountains, not part of a range. It has three volcanic cones, and although it sits near the equator, its summit is glaciated. Everest and K2 may be higher, but neither is in Africa, which makes Kilimanjaro a genuine continental record.

Italy's crowded trophy shelf

Italy holds more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country, with a list that includes Rome's historic centre, the Amalfi Coast and the trulli of Alberobello. China and Spain also rank near the top, so the contest is closer than it looks. UNESCO's list is not just a beauty pageant: sites are chosen for cultural, historical or natural significance, and inscription often brings both prestige and tourist pressure.