Countries of the World – Capitals, Currencies & Nicknames
This topic covers the core 'World General Knowledge' facts tested in almost every LAT/CSS-style exam: how many countries exist, which countries changed names, capital cities, currencies, famous nicknames of countries/cities, and a handful of major 20th-century political events (partitions, mergers, independence dates).
How many countries are there?
There are 195 countries in the world today. This includes 193 UN member states plus 2 non-member observer states: the Holy See (Vatican) and the State of Palestine. By continent: 54 in Africa, 48 in Asia, 44 in Europe, 33 in Latin America & the Caribbean, and 14 in Oceania.
Countries that changed their names:
- Formosa → Taiwan
- Burma → Myanmar
- Zaire → Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Ceylon → Sri Lanka (a common related fact)
Capitals to memorize:
- Australia → Canberra (not Sydney)
- Ethiopia → Addis Ababa
- Uzbekistan → Tashkent
- Jordan → Amman
- Libya → Tripoli
- Turkey → Ankara (currency: Lira)
- Brazil → Brasília
Currencies:
- Turkey → Lira
- South Africa → Rand
- Iraq → Dinar (traditionally; note some test banks list 'Rial' — always verify against your source)
Famous country/city nicknames (very heavily tested):
- Norway → 'Land of the Midnight Sun'
- Nepal → 'Land of Mountains'
- Finland → 'Land of a Thousand Lakes'
- Netherlands → also called 'Holland'; nicknamed the 'Flower Garden of Europe'
- Gibraltar → 'Key to the Mediterranean'
- Agra (India) → home of the Taj Mahal
- Lhasa (Tibet) → the 'Forbidden City' (foreigners were historically forbidden entry)
- Rome → the 'Eternal City' and the 'City of Seven Hills'
- Iraq (Mesopotamia) → 'Site of Ancient Civilization'
- Afghanistan → the 'Buffer State' of Asia (historically buffered British India and Russian empires)
- Pakistan → after Iran, the world's largest manufacturer of hand-woven carpets
Key political/historical facts:
- Britain was the first country to explode a nuclear device underground.
- Germany was divided into East and West Germany in 1945 (after WWII), and the two reunified into one state on October 3, 1990.
- Kuwait was occupied by Iraq on August 2, 1990, triggering the Gulf War.
- Eritrea became independent from Ethiopia on May 24, 1993.
- Sheikh Hasina Wajid became Bangladesh's Prime Minister after Khalida Zia.
- India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh's independence.
- Rauf Denktash was the veteran statesman of (Turkish) Cyprus.
- Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the founding president of the UAE.
- George Washington was the first President of the USA; the USA is made up of 50 states.
- The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
- Antarctica is the uninhabited continent of the world.
- Russia is the only country that spans two continents: Europe and Asia.
- China is the world's most populous country and is a one-party (single-party) state.
- Mexico is the world's largest producer of silver.
- Vatican City is a sovereign city-state located within Italy (Rome).
- Fidel Castro was the President of Cuba.
Study tip: Group these facts into categories (capitals / currencies / nicknames / historical dates) rather than memorizing them as one long list — this mirrors how exam options are usually distractors from the same category.