UK Geography Quiz
Ben Nevis, the Severn, Lough Neagh and the Lake District: 15 questions on the geography of the British Isles.
Which city is the capital of Scotland?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh has been Scotland's capital since the fifteenth century and is home to the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, although Glasgow is the larger city.
Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town were jointly made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, and the city hosts the world's largest arts festival every August.
Which city is the capital of Wales?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cardiff
Cardiff was declared the capital of Wales in 1955 and hosts the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff Bay; it is also the largest city in the country.
Cardiff was once the biggest coal exporting port in the world, and its Coal Exchange is where the first million pound business deal was reportedly struck in 1904.
Which city is the capital of Northern Ireland?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Belfast
Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since the region was created in 1921, and the Parliament Buildings on its Stormont estate house the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The RMS Titanic was built in Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard, and the Titanic Belfast museum now stands on the site of the slipways.
Which is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands rises to 1,345 metres (4,413 feet), making it the highest point in Scotland and the whole of the British Isles.
The summit held a weather observatory from 1883 to 1904, and its staff recorded some of the harshest conditions ever measured in Britain.
Which is the longest river in the United Kingdom?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
River Severn
The Severn runs about 354 kilometres (220 miles) from the slopes of Plynlimon in mid Wales through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester to the Bristol Channel, edging out the Thames.
The Severn Bore, a tidal wave that surges up the river on big spring tides, is popular with surfers and can travel more than 30 kilometres (20 miles) inland.
Which is the highest mountain in Wales?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Snowdon
Snowdon, known in Welsh as Yr Wyddfa, stands 1,085 metres (3,560 feet) tall in Eryri National Park and is the highest point in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands.
A rack railway has carried passengers to the summit since 1896, and the national park officially adopted its Welsh name, Eryri, in 2022.
The Lake District is in which English county?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cumbria
The Lake District National Park lies within Cumbria in the far northwest of England and contains all of the country's land above 3,000 feet as well as Windermere, its largest lake.
Poet William Wordsworth lived most of his life in the Lake District, and Beatrix Potter wrote the Peter Rabbit tales at her farm near Hawkshead.
Which river flows through the centre of Glasgow?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
River Clyde
The Clyde flows through Glasgow on its way to the Firth of Clyde, and its shipyards built many of the world's great liners, including the Queen Mary and the QE2.
Glaswegians say the Clyde made Glasgow and Glasgow made the Clyde, since the river had to be dredged and deepened to allow ocean ships to reach the city.
Which is the highest mountain in England?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Scafell Pike
Scafell Pike in the Lake District rises to 978 metres (3,209 feet), the highest point in England, and it is one of the three peaks climbed in the National Three Peaks Challenge.
The summit was donated to the National Trust in 1919 by Lord Leconfield as a memorial to the men of the Lake District who died in the First World War.
The Giant's Causeway, with its 40,000 basalt columns, is in which county of Northern Ireland?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
County Antrim
The Giant's Causeway lies on the north coast of County Antrim near Bushmills and was Northern Ireland's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated in 1986.
Legend says the giant Finn McCool built the causeway to cross to Scotland, where similar columns appear on the island of Staffa at Fingal's Cave.
Which is the largest lake in the United Kingdom by surface area?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland covers about 390 square kilometres (150 square miles), far larger than any lake in Great Britain, and it touches five of Northern Ireland's six counties.
The lough supplies around 40 percent of Northern Ireland's drinking water and supports Europe's largest wild eel fishery.
Which is the largest ceremonial county in England by area?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire covers about 8,654 square kilometres (3,341 square miles), the largest of England's ceremonial counties, taking in the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and the city of York.
The county town is Northallerton, not York, which has its own unitary council within the ceremonial county.
Which Scottish loch holds the largest volume of water in Britain?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Loch Ness
Loch Ness holds about 7.4 cubic kilometres of water thanks to its depth of around 230 metres (755 feet), more than Loch Lomond, which has a bigger surface but is far shallower.
Loch Ness contains more water than all the lakes of England and Wales put together, and the monster legend dates back to a 1933 newspaper report.
Which Welsh island is linked to the mainland by the Menai Suspension Bridge?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Anglesey
Anglesey, or Ynys Môn, lies off the northwest coast of Wales across the Menai Strait and has been joined to the mainland by Thomas Telford's suspension bridge since 1826.
The island is home to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, the village with the famously long 58-letter name created in the 1860s to attract tourists.
Which headland is the northernmost point of mainland Britain?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head in Caithness lies about 17 kilometres (10.5 miles) west of John o' Groats and reaches further north, with its 1831 lighthouse looking out across the Pentland Firth to Orkney.
John o' Groats earns its fame as the traditional end of the Land's End to John o' Groats journey, not for being the most northerly point.
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All Geography quizzes →About the UK Geography Quiz
The United Kingdom squeezes four nations, three mountain ranges and more than 11,000 miles (17,800 kilometres) of coastline onto an island smaller than Oregon. Its highest peak, Ben Nevis, is just 1,345 metres (4,413 feet), yet its largest lake, Lough Neagh, could swallow the whole of the Lake District's waters with room to spare. And the northernmost tip of mainland Britain is not where most people think it is.
These 15 questions cover the capitals of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the longest rivers, the tallest mountains in each nation, the biggest lakes and lochs, famous counties and a few coastal landmarks. It suits Brits who want to beat their friends at the pub quiz, visitors planning a tour and geography students brushing up on the basics.
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
What is the highest mountain in the UK?
Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands near Fort William, at 1,345 metres (4,413 feet). Scafell Pike is the highest in England and Snowdon the highest in Wales.
What is the longest river in the UK?
The River Severn at about 354 kilometres (220 miles), rising in mid Wales and reaching the sea in the Bristol Channel. The Thames is slightly shorter.
What is the largest lake in the UK?
Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, covering roughly 390 square kilometres (150 square miles). Loch Ness holds more water because it is so deep.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which city is the capital of Scotland?
Edinburgh Edinburgh has been Scotland's capital since the fifteenth century and is home to the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, although Glasgow is the larger city. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town were jointly made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, and the city hosts the world's largest arts festival every August. - Which city is the capital of Wales?
Cardiff Cardiff was declared the capital of Wales in 1955 and hosts the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff Bay; it is also the largest city in the country. Cardiff was once the biggest coal exporting port in the world, and its Coal Exchange is where the first million pound business deal was reportedly struck in 1904. - Which city is the capital of Northern Ireland?
Belfast Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since the region was created in 1921, and the Parliament Buildings on its Stormont estate house the Northern Ireland Assembly. The RMS Titanic was built in Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard, and the Titanic Belfast museum now stands on the site of the slipways. - Which is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom?
Ben Nevis Ben Nevis near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands rises to 1,345 metres (4,413 feet), making it the highest point in Scotland and the whole of the British Isles. The summit held a weather observatory from 1883 to 1904, and its staff recorded some of the harshest conditions ever measured in Britain. - Which is the longest river in the United Kingdom?
River Severn The Severn runs about 354 kilometres (220 miles) from the slopes of Plynlimon in mid Wales through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester to the Bristol Channel, edging out the Thames. The Severn Bore, a tidal wave that surges up the river on big spring tides, is popular with surfers and can travel more than 30 kilometres (20 miles) inland. - Which is the highest mountain in Wales?
Snowdon Snowdon, known in Welsh as Yr Wyddfa, stands 1,085 metres (3,560 feet) tall in Eryri National Park and is the highest point in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands. A rack railway has carried passengers to the summit since 1896, and the national park officially adopted its Welsh name, Eryri, in 2022. - The Lake District is in which English county?
Cumbria The Lake District National Park lies within Cumbria in the far northwest of England and contains all of the country's land above 3,000 feet as well as Windermere, its largest lake. Poet William Wordsworth lived most of his life in the Lake District, and Beatrix Potter wrote the Peter Rabbit tales at her farm near Hawkshead. - Which river flows through the centre of Glasgow?
River Clyde The Clyde flows through Glasgow on its way to the Firth of Clyde, and its shipyards built many of the world's great liners, including the Queen Mary and the QE2. Glaswegians say the Clyde made Glasgow and Glasgow made the Clyde, since the river had to be dredged and deepened to allow ocean ships to reach the city. - Which is the highest mountain in England?
Scafell Pike Scafell Pike in the Lake District rises to 978 metres (3,209 feet), the highest point in England, and it is one of the three peaks climbed in the National Three Peaks Challenge. The summit was donated to the National Trust in 1919 by Lord Leconfield as a memorial to the men of the Lake District who died in the First World War. - The Giant's Causeway, with its 40,000 basalt columns, is in which county of Northern Ireland?
County Antrim The Giant's Causeway lies on the north coast of County Antrim near Bushmills and was Northern Ireland's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated in 1986. Legend says the giant Finn McCool built the causeway to cross to Scotland, where similar columns appear on the island of Staffa at Fingal's Cave. - Which is the largest lake in the United Kingdom by surface area?
Lough Neagh Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland covers about 390 square kilometres (150 square miles), far larger than any lake in Great Britain, and it touches five of Northern Ireland's six counties. The lough supplies around 40 percent of Northern Ireland's drinking water and supports Europe's largest wild eel fishery. - Which is the largest ceremonial county in England by area?
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire covers about 8,654 square kilometres (3,341 square miles), the largest of England's ceremonial counties, taking in the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and the city of York. The county town is Northallerton, not York, which has its own unitary council within the ceremonial county. - Which Scottish loch holds the largest volume of water in Britain?
Loch Ness Loch Ness holds about 7.4 cubic kilometres of water thanks to its depth of around 230 metres (755 feet), more than Loch Lomond, which has a bigger surface but is far shallower. Loch Ness contains more water than all the lakes of England and Wales put together, and the monster legend dates back to a 1933 newspaper report. - Which Welsh island is linked to the mainland by the Menai Suspension Bridge?
Anglesey Anglesey, or Ynys Môn, lies off the northwest coast of Wales across the Menai Strait and has been joined to the mainland by Thomas Telford's suspension bridge since 1826. The island is home to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, the village with the famously long 58-letter name created in the 1860s to attract tourists. - Which headland is the northernmost point of mainland Britain?
Dunnet Head Dunnet Head in Caithness lies about 17 kilometres (10.5 miles) west of John o' Groats and reaches further north, with its 1831 lighthouse looking out across the Pentland Firth to Orkney. John o' Groats earns its fame as the traditional end of the Land's End to John o' Groats journey, not for being the most northerly point.
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