Africa Geography Quiz
Sahara, Zambezi, Serengeti, Lesotho: 15 questions on the countries, capitals and landscapes of Africa.
Which desert covers most of North Africa and is the largest hot desert on Earth?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Sahara
The Sahara spans around 9 million square km (3.5 million square miles), roughly the size of the United States, stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.
The Sahara was green and dotted with lakes as recently as 6,000 years ago, and it swings between wet and dry phases over thousands of years.
What is the capital of Egypt?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cairo
Cairo, on the Nile just south of the delta, has been Egypt's capital since the Fatimid dynasty founded it in 969. Alexandria was the capital in ancient Greek and Roman times.
Egypt is building a New Administrative Capital in the desert east of Cairo to house government ministries and ease congestion.
Which island nation off the southeast coast of Africa is famous for its lemurs and baobab trees?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Madagascar
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, and about 90 percent of its wildlife, including all lemurs, is found nowhere else on Earth.
Madagascar separated from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago, which is why its animals evolved in isolation.
What is the capital of Kenya?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Nairobi
Nairobi began in 1899 as a railway depot on the line from Mombasa to Uganda and grew into the capital of British East Africa and then independent Kenya in 1963.
Nairobi National Park lies inside the city limits, so lions and giraffes can be photographed against a skyline of office towers.
Which is the largest country in Africa by area?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Algeria
Algeria covers about 2.38 million square km (919,000 square miles), and it has been the largest African country since South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011, dropping Sudan to third.
More than 80 percent of Algeria is Sahara desert, and most of its people live along the Mediterranean coast.
Which is the largest lake in Africa by surface area?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria covers about 68,800 square km (26,600 square miles) across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, making it the largest lake in Africa and the largest tropical lake in the world.
The lake is the main source of the White Nile, which leaves it at Jinja in Uganda on its long journey to Egypt.
Victoria Falls lies on which African river?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Zambezi
Victoria Falls is on the Zambezi River on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, where the river plunges about 108 m (354 ft) into a narrow gorge.
The local Lozi name for the falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning 'the smoke that thunders', after the spray visible from miles away.
Which country is entirely surrounded by South Africa?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lesotho
Lesotho is an enclave inside South Africa, one of only three countries in the world completely surrounded by a single other country, alongside San Marino and Vatican City.
Lesotho is the only country in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in elevation, earning it the nickname the Kingdom in the Sky.
Which strait separates Morocco from Spain at the entrance to the Mediterranean?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is only about 13 km (8 miles) wide at its narrowest, separating Africa from Europe and linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
Spain still holds two cities on the African side, Ceuta and Melilla, while Britain holds Gibraltar on the European side.
The Serengeti, famous for the great wildebeest migration, is in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Tanzania
Serengeti National Park is in northern Tanzania, and the migration of more than a million wildebeest crosses into Kenya's Maasai Mara, which is the northern end of the same ecosystem.
Tanzania is also home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar, making it one of Africa's biggest safari destinations.
The Okavango Delta, a vast inland river delta, is in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Botswana
The Okavango River flows into the Kalahari in northern Botswana and spreads into a delta that never reaches the sea, instead evaporating into the desert.
The delta floods in the dry season because its water comes from rains that fell months earlier in the Angolan highlands.
The Atlas Mountains stretch across Morocco, Algeria and which other country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Tunisia
The Atlas range runs about 2,500 km (1,600 miles) from Morocco's Atlantic coast through Algeria to northern Tunisia, separating the Mediterranean coast from the Sahara to the south.
The highest peak, Toubkal in Morocco, rises to 4,167 m (13,671 ft) and is a popular trek from Marrakesh.
Which is the deepest lake in Africa and the second deepest in the world?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika reaches about 1,470 m (4,823 ft) deep, second only to Lake Baikal in Siberia, and it is also the longest freshwater lake in the world.
The lake holds about 16 percent of the world's available fresh water and is shared by Tanzania, DR Congo, Burundi and Zambia.
Which is the smallest country on the African mainland?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Gambia
The Gambia covers only about 11,300 square km (4,360 square miles). It follows the Gambia River for about 320 km (200 miles) and is surrounded by Senegal on three sides.
The Gambia is less than 50 km (30 miles) wide at its widest point, and its borders were drawn by British and French negotiators in 1889.
Which African country has more pyramids than any other?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Sudan
Sudan has more than 200 pyramids, most of them at Meroë, built by the Kingdom of Kush between roughly 700 BC and AD 350. Egypt has around 120 to 140.
Nubian pyramids are much steeper and smaller than Egypt's, and the royal tombs were dug beneath them rather than inside.
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All Geography quizzes →About the Africa Geography Quiz
Africa holds 54 countries, the world's largest hot desert and a lake so big it has its own weather. Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt, The Gambia is barely 30 miles wide, and Lesotho is a country completely surrounded by another country.
These 15 questions cover the capitals of Egypt and Kenya, the great rivers and lakes, the Sahara and the Atlas Mountains, famous landscapes like the Serengeti and the Okavango Delta, and a few deeper cuts for fans of the continent. It suits students, safari planners, geography lovers and quiz players who want to go beyond the usual Kilimanjaro and Nile questions.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
How many countries are there in Africa?
There are 54 internationally recognized countries in Africa, with South Sudan the newest after it split from Sudan in 2011.
What is the largest country in Africa?
Algeria is the largest at about 2.38 million square km (919,000 square miles), ahead of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan.
Which African country has the most pyramids?
Sudan, where the Kingdom of Kush built around 200 pyramids at Meroë alone and more than 250 across the country, well over Egypt's total.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which desert covers most of North Africa and is the largest hot desert on Earth?
Sahara The Sahara spans around 9 million square km (3.5 million square miles), roughly the size of the United States, stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. The Sahara was green and dotted with lakes as recently as 6,000 years ago, and it swings between wet and dry phases over thousands of years. - What is the capital of Egypt?
Cairo Cairo, on the Nile just south of the delta, has been Egypt's capital since the Fatimid dynasty founded it in 969. Alexandria was the capital in ancient Greek and Roman times. Egypt is building a New Administrative Capital in the desert east of Cairo to house government ministries and ease congestion. - Which island nation off the southeast coast of Africa is famous for its lemurs and baobab trees?
Madagascar Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, and about 90 percent of its wildlife, including all lemurs, is found nowhere else on Earth. Madagascar separated from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago, which is why its animals evolved in isolation. - What is the capital of Kenya?
Nairobi Nairobi began in 1899 as a railway depot on the line from Mombasa to Uganda and grew into the capital of British East Africa and then independent Kenya in 1963. Nairobi National Park lies inside the city limits, so lions and giraffes can be photographed against a skyline of office towers. - Which is the largest country in Africa by area?
Algeria Algeria covers about 2.38 million square km (919,000 square miles), and it has been the largest African country since South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011, dropping Sudan to third. More than 80 percent of Algeria is Sahara desert, and most of its people live along the Mediterranean coast. - Which is the largest lake in Africa by surface area?
Lake Victoria Lake Victoria covers about 68,800 square km (26,600 square miles) across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, making it the largest lake in Africa and the largest tropical lake in the world. The lake is the main source of the White Nile, which leaves it at Jinja in Uganda on its long journey to Egypt. - Victoria Falls lies on which African river?
Zambezi Victoria Falls is on the Zambezi River on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, where the river plunges about 108 m (354 ft) into a narrow gorge. The local Lozi name for the falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning 'the smoke that thunders', after the spray visible from miles away. - Which country is entirely surrounded by South Africa?
Lesotho Lesotho is an enclave inside South Africa, one of only three countries in the world completely surrounded by a single other country, alongside San Marino and Vatican City. Lesotho is the only country in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in elevation, earning it the nickname the Kingdom in the Sky. - Which strait separates Morocco from Spain at the entrance to the Mediterranean?
Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is only about 13 km (8 miles) wide at its narrowest, separating Africa from Europe and linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Spain still holds two cities on the African side, Ceuta and Melilla, while Britain holds Gibraltar on the European side. - The Serengeti, famous for the great wildebeest migration, is in which country?
Tanzania Serengeti National Park is in northern Tanzania, and the migration of more than a million wildebeest crosses into Kenya's Maasai Mara, which is the northern end of the same ecosystem. Tanzania is also home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar, making it one of Africa's biggest safari destinations. - The Okavango Delta, a vast inland river delta, is in which country?
Botswana The Okavango River flows into the Kalahari in northern Botswana and spreads into a delta that never reaches the sea, instead evaporating into the desert. The delta floods in the dry season because its water comes from rains that fell months earlier in the Angolan highlands. - The Atlas Mountains stretch across Morocco, Algeria and which other country?
Tunisia The Atlas range runs about 2,500 km (1,600 miles) from Morocco's Atlantic coast through Algeria to northern Tunisia, separating the Mediterranean coast from the Sahara to the south. The highest peak, Toubkal in Morocco, rises to 4,167 m (13,671 ft) and is a popular trek from Marrakesh. - Which is the deepest lake in Africa and the second deepest in the world?
Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika reaches about 1,470 m (4,823 ft) deep, second only to Lake Baikal in Siberia, and it is also the longest freshwater lake in the world. The lake holds about 16 percent of the world's available fresh water and is shared by Tanzania, DR Congo, Burundi and Zambia. - Which is the smallest country on the African mainland?
The Gambia The Gambia covers only about 11,300 square km (4,360 square miles). It follows the Gambia River for about 320 km (200 miles) and is surrounded by Senegal on three sides. The Gambia is less than 50 km (30 miles) wide at its widest point, and its borders were drawn by British and French negotiators in 1889. - Which African country has more pyramids than any other?
Sudan Sudan has more than 200 pyramids, most of them at Meroë, built by the Kingdom of Kush between roughly 700 BC and AD 350. Egypt has around 120 to 140. Nubian pyramids are much steeper and smaller than Egypt's, and the royal tombs were dug beneath them rather than inside.
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