Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The country that holds the world's freshwater

Canada's claim to the top spot comes largely from its lakes and rivers, but also from a less obvious source: glaciers and the vast northern watersheds that drain into the Arctic. In fact, Canada contains a significant share of the planet's renewable freshwater, a resource that shapes everything from its hydropower industry to its fisheries.

The primate that shares our family tree

Gorillas are the largest living primates, and they are also among our closest relatives, sharing a common ancestor with humans roughly eight million years ago. They live in the forests of central Africa and are divided into two species: the eastern and western gorilla. The western lowland gorilla is the most numerous, while the mountain gorilla remains critically endangered.

A tower that was never meant to last

When Gustave Eiffel's tower was completed in 1889 for the Paris World's Fair, many critics considered it an eyesore. It was originally intended to stand for only 20 years, but Eiffel argued that its height made it valuable for scientific experiments, particularly in meteorology and radio telegraphy. That practical use helped save it from demolition, and it remains one of the most visited monuments in the world.

A symphony written in a new world

Antonín Dvořák composed his Symphony No. 9, "From the New World", during his time in the United States in the early 1890s, where he served as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. The work blends the sounds of his Bohemian homeland with melodies inspired by African American spirituals and Native American music, which he believed should form the basis of a distinctly American classical style.

A castaway's long afterlife

Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe in 1719, and it is often described as one of the first English novels. The story was likely inspired in part by the real experiences of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who spent over four years stranded on a Pacific island. The book's themes of survival, solitude and self-reliance have influenced countless later works of fiction and film.