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Politics of Place
Prisoners of Geography: The Quiz Book: How Much Do You Really Know About the World?
Put your geographical and political knowledge to the test and discover your geography IQ with this engaging collection of 300+ questions, puzzles, word games, and maps from New York Times bestselling author Tim Marshall.“In an ever more complex, chaotic, and interlinked world, Prisoners of Geography is a concise and useful primer on geopolitics” (Newsweek). Ever wonder just how much you really know about the world? Now, in this interactive quiz book based on the New York Times bestselling Prisoners of Geography, you can test yourself on topics every world citizen should know. Do you know your continents from your countries, your landmarks from your latitudes, your mountain ranges from your rivers? Covering every area of the world—from New Orleans to NATO and from Russia to Rhode Island—the book tests your expertise with a variety of questions, puzzles, word games and maps, designed to challenge you while expanding your world knowledge. With refreshing insights and his trademark wit, Marshall continues to make complex geopolitical strategies that shape the world accessible to millions around the globe. From trivia fans to international history buffs, this illuminating, interactive quiz book is a fun way to challenge your friends and family and discover who is the ultimate expert on world affairs.
240 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2024
128 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Tim Marshall
21 books2,621 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years' experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis.
Originally from Leeds, Tim arrived at broadcasting from the road less traveled. Not a media studies or journalism graduate, in fact not a graduate at all, after a wholly unsuccessful career as a painter and decorator he worked his way through newsroom nightshifts, and unpaid stints as a researcher and runner before eventually securing himself a foothold on the first rung of the broadcasting career ladder.
After three years as IRN's Paris correspondent and extensive work for BBC radio and TV, Tim joined Sky News. Reporting from Europe, the USA and Asia, Tim became Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem.
Tim also reported in the field from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He spent the majority of the 1999 Kosovo crisis in Belgrade, where he was one of the few western journalists who stayed on to report from one of the main targets of NATO bombing raids. Tim was in Kosovo to greet the NATO troops on the day they advanced into Pristina. In recent years he covered the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
He has written for many of the national newspapers including the Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Bio photo credit © Jolly Thompson.
Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years' experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis.
Originally from Leeds, Tim arrived at broadcasting from the road less traveled. Not a media studies or journalism graduate, in fact not a graduate at all, after a wholly unsuccessful career as a painter and decorator he worked his way through newsroom nightshifts, and unpaid stints as a researcher and runner before eventually securing himself a foothold on the first rung of the broadcasting career ladder.
After three years as IRN's Paris correspondent and extensive work for BBC radio and TV, Tim joined Sky News. Reporting from Europe, the USA and Asia, Tim became Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem.
Tim also reported in the field from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He spent the majority of the 1999 Kosovo crisis in Belgrade, where he was one of the few western journalists who stayed on to report from one of the main targets of NATO bombing raids. Tim was in Kosovo to greet the NATO troops on the day they advanced into Pristina. In recent years he covered the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
He has written for many of the national newspapers including the Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Bio photo credit © Jolly Thompson.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 14, 2025
Who doesn’t love a quiz? A well-written one has something for everyone, easy questions to give a little confidence to participants, harder questions for stretch people and the occasional tough question to sort the experts out. Up until now, I hadn’t read Prisoners of Geography, so before starting working my way through this, I read that book. It was eye-opening, but also a reminder of just how fast things can change in geopolitics!
Anyway, to the quiz book. There are about 300 questions, puzzles and word games in total to answer. These have been divided into nine sections below and these are my scores:
Americas – 33 right
Asia – 40 right
Europe – 50 right
Africa – 37 right
Middle East – 33 right
Latin America – 52 right
Oceania – 27 right
The Poles – 43 right
Space – 29 right
Some of them were fiendishly difficult, but thankfully some of these questions are fairly straightforward so most people should be able to score some marks. I did well in some regions and poorly in others. The story of my school life! I did think that I should have done better in America, but then I remembered just how little Americans know about the rest of the world, so didn’t feel too bad then.
I did surprise myself with some of the answers I got right though. Advantage of having read a lot of non-fiction over the years. It would have been nice to know what the total number of marks available per section was, but then I would know just how badly I performed! It was a great bit of fun though.
Anyway, to the quiz book. There are about 300 questions, puzzles and word games in total to answer. These have been divided into nine sections below and these are my scores:
Americas – 33 right
Asia – 40 right
Europe – 50 right
Africa – 37 right
Middle East – 33 right
Latin America – 52 right
Oceania – 27 right
The Poles – 43 right
Space – 29 right
Some of them were fiendishly difficult, but thankfully some of these questions are fairly straightforward so most people should be able to score some marks. I did well in some regions and poorly in others. The story of my school life! I did think that I should have done better in America, but then I remembered just how little Americans know about the rest of the world, so didn’t feel too bad then.
I did surprise myself with some of the answers I got right though. Advantage of having read a lot of non-fiction over the years. It would have been nice to know what the total number of marks available per section was, but then I would know just how badly I performed! It was a great bit of fun though.
January 7, 2026
Facts I learned/want to remember:
Seattle is nicknamed the Emerald City, Miami the Magic City
The discovery of large oil and natural gas reserves in territories outside the control of the USA might cause the largest disruptions in US exports
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands with have connected them with another..." - Declaration of Independence
Albany is the capital of New York, Des Moines the capital of Iowa, Honolulu of Hawaii, Jackson of Mississippi, Montgomery of Alabama, Phoenix of Arizona, Sacramento of California, Santa Fe of New Mexico
Rio Grande separates Texas from Mexico
In June 1950, NK crossed the 38th parallel, intending on reuniting the peninsula under one communist government. In September 1950, the USA, leading a United Nations force, surged into Korea, pushing the northern troops back and up almost to the Yalu River and the border with China. Chinese troops poured across the Yalu and nearly three years of fierce fighting ensued with massive casualties on all sides before they ground to a halt along the current border and agreed a truce, but not a treaty, meaning South Korea and North Korea are still technically at war
Four major islands of Japan - Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku Kyushu
Nicknames of European cities:
Peace Capital - Geneva
Grey city - Berlin
Little Vienna - Zagreb
Europe's only desert is the Tabernas Natural Beauty spot, in Spain
"Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy" - Margaret Thatcher
95% of Egypt's population live within a few kilometres of the Nile's banks
Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania
Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia, Dakar of Senegal, Tripoli of Libya
For much of history, ideas and technology were exchanged between human civilisations in the east and west across Eurasia, but not north to south across the whole African continent because of the Sahara desert, which proved a difficult barrier to cross for centuries. Almost the entire continent below the Sahara developed in isolation from the Eurasian landmass.
In the Middle East, the Babylonian Empire came first, then the Phoenician, then the Persian, then Byzantine, and the Ottoman is the most recent
Mount Sinai is located in Egypt and said to be the location where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Two main branches of Islam are Shia and Sunni, 90% of Muslims are Sunni
3 Holy Cities in Islam - Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
Treaty of Tordesillas resolved the disputes between Spain and Portugal over the first sightings made by their explorers, drawing a line north to south that ley west of the Cape Verde islands. Any lands to the west of the line would belong to Spain, and to the east would be Portugal's
Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive in Venezuela
Quechua is the third most spoken language in South America, with more than 7 million speakers. It's an indigenous language family that originated in Peru
Patagonia encompasses the southern tip of South America, covering parts of Chile and Argentina
South America is a demographically hollow continent, with the majority of the population living on the coastline. This is a geographical problem introduced by European settlers who stayed near the coasts, concentrating on getting the wealth out of each region and on to foreign markets. Thus most of the continent's biggest cities were established near the coasts and all roads from the interior were developed to connect to the capitals but not to each other. Even today many South American countries haven't invested in developing the interior of their lands.
The Amazon Rainforest is 28 times larger than the UK
Highest waterfall in the world - Angel Falls, Venezuela
Islas Malvinas = Falkland Islands
Galapagos Islands belong to Ecuador
Visible from outer space, the world's largest living structure is the Great Barrier Reef
Australis means southern in latin
Uluru is a monolith in the Northern Territory of Australia which is part of a UNESCO world heritage site
The Northernmost place with a settled population are the Svalbard Islands
"Earth is the cradle of humanity but one cannot live in the cradle forever." - Konstatin Tsiolkovsky, responsible for the first theoretical proof for the possibility of spaceflight. His formula, known as the 'Tsiolkovsky rocket equation' set out the relationship between the speed of the rocket, the changing mass of the rocket and its fuel, and the speed of the gas as it is expelled. It is the foundation of space travel
It is easier to launch a rocket at teh equator because that's where Earth's rotation is fastest. The most functional location for launch is one that takes maximum advantage of Earth's rotational speed for the quickest entry into space, thus using less fuel. And so the USA uses the Kennedy Space centre in Florida, as close to the equator as its borders allow. The EU has used French Guiana in South America, while Russia used Kazakhstan. Our planet rotates west to east, and so rockets are launched eastwards to receive an extra boost from Earth's rotations speed, saving fuel and time.
The Van Allen belts are two doughnut-shaped radiation belts that extend outwards from Earth for thousands of kilometres. They contain high energy particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field. Concentrations of radiation vary, but in places they are high enough to fry a spacecraft's electronics and, over time, damage human cells.
Rockets have to travel at 7900ms^-1 to leave Earth and go into orbit.
Seattle is nicknamed the Emerald City, Miami the Magic City
The discovery of large oil and natural gas reserves in territories outside the control of the USA might cause the largest disruptions in US exports
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands with have connected them with another..." - Declaration of Independence
Albany is the capital of New York, Des Moines the capital of Iowa, Honolulu of Hawaii, Jackson of Mississippi, Montgomery of Alabama, Phoenix of Arizona, Sacramento of California, Santa Fe of New Mexico
Rio Grande separates Texas from Mexico
In June 1950, NK crossed the 38th parallel, intending on reuniting the peninsula under one communist government. In September 1950, the USA, leading a United Nations force, surged into Korea, pushing the northern troops back and up almost to the Yalu River and the border with China. Chinese troops poured across the Yalu and nearly three years of fierce fighting ensued with massive casualties on all sides before they ground to a halt along the current border and agreed a truce, but not a treaty, meaning South Korea and North Korea are still technically at war
Four major islands of Japan - Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku Kyushu
Nicknames of European cities:
Peace Capital - Geneva
Grey city - Berlin
Little Vienna - Zagreb
Europe's only desert is the Tabernas Natural Beauty spot, in Spain
"Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy" - Margaret Thatcher
95% of Egypt's population live within a few kilometres of the Nile's banks
Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania
Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia, Dakar of Senegal, Tripoli of Libya
For much of history, ideas and technology were exchanged between human civilisations in the east and west across Eurasia, but not north to south across the whole African continent because of the Sahara desert, which proved a difficult barrier to cross for centuries. Almost the entire continent below the Sahara developed in isolation from the Eurasian landmass.
In the Middle East, the Babylonian Empire came first, then the Phoenician, then the Persian, then Byzantine, and the Ottoman is the most recent
Mount Sinai is located in Egypt and said to be the location where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Two main branches of Islam are Shia and Sunni, 90% of Muslims are Sunni
3 Holy Cities in Islam - Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
Treaty of Tordesillas resolved the disputes between Spain and Portugal over the first sightings made by their explorers, drawing a line north to south that ley west of the Cape Verde islands. Any lands to the west of the line would belong to Spain, and to the east would be Portugal's
Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive in Venezuela
Quechua is the third most spoken language in South America, with more than 7 million speakers. It's an indigenous language family that originated in Peru
Patagonia encompasses the southern tip of South America, covering parts of Chile and Argentina
South America is a demographically hollow continent, with the majority of the population living on the coastline. This is a geographical problem introduced by European settlers who stayed near the coasts, concentrating on getting the wealth out of each region and on to foreign markets. Thus most of the continent's biggest cities were established near the coasts and all roads from the interior were developed to connect to the capitals but not to each other. Even today many South American countries haven't invested in developing the interior of their lands.
The Amazon Rainforest is 28 times larger than the UK
Highest waterfall in the world - Angel Falls, Venezuela
Islas Malvinas = Falkland Islands
Galapagos Islands belong to Ecuador
Visible from outer space, the world's largest living structure is the Great Barrier Reef
Australis means southern in latin
Uluru is a monolith in the Northern Territory of Australia which is part of a UNESCO world heritage site
The Northernmost place with a settled population are the Svalbard Islands
"Earth is the cradle of humanity but one cannot live in the cradle forever." - Konstatin Tsiolkovsky, responsible for the first theoretical proof for the possibility of spaceflight. His formula, known as the 'Tsiolkovsky rocket equation' set out the relationship between the speed of the rocket, the changing mass of the rocket and its fuel, and the speed of the gas as it is expelled. It is the foundation of space travel
It is easier to launch a rocket at teh equator because that's where Earth's rotation is fastest. The most functional location for launch is one that takes maximum advantage of Earth's rotational speed for the quickest entry into space, thus using less fuel. And so the USA uses the Kennedy Space centre in Florida, as close to the equator as its borders allow. The EU has used French Guiana in South America, while Russia used Kazakhstan. Our planet rotates west to east, and so rockets are launched eastwards to receive an extra boost from Earth's rotations speed, saving fuel and time.
The Van Allen belts are two doughnut-shaped radiation belts that extend outwards from Earth for thousands of kilometres. They contain high energy particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field. Concentrations of radiation vary, but in places they are high enough to fry a spacecraft's electronics and, over time, damage human cells.
Rockets have to travel at 7900ms^-1 to leave Earth and go into orbit.
December 26, 2025
3.5 stars. Kind of fun.
Overall, it is not easy to answer all these questions. However, I am Asian so at least, I can answer most questions about Asia and the Middle East correctly. 🤣
Overall, it is not easy to answer all these questions. However, I am Asian so at least, I can answer most questions about Asia and the Middle East correctly. 🤣
June 17, 2025
Going through "Prisoners of Geography: The Quiz Book", I soon learned how much about the world I didn't know! This is an excellent geography quiz book.
Read
May 5, 2025Tested my Geog knowledge on the plane … bit worrying how much I didn’t know lolllll
Read
November 10, 2025WIĘŹNIOWIE GEOGRAFII QUIZ, to świetnie skonstruowana książka, która może wiele zmienić w kwestii wiedzy czytelnika o prawach rządzących światem... od niemal zawsze. Oczywiście dobrze znać poprzednie pozycje Tima Marshalla, ale nawet gdy się ich nie zna, to ten QUIZ sam w sobie wiele wyjaśnia.
Po pierwsze nie ma się co bać pytań - bo choć są trudne, to nie są tendencyjne i po zapoznaniu się z odpowiedziami w głowie wiele się zmienia. Książka ta jest inteligentnie skonstruowana. Mamy oczywiście w pierwsze części PYTANIA, w drugiej ODPOWIEDZI, ale mamy też podrozdziały, jak np. EUROPA, AMERYKA PÓŁNOCNA itd., itp. Pytań jest - jak okładka głosi - ponad 300, czyli jest nad czym główkować. Są to rzeczy, które poznane mogą służyć jako błysk geniuszu w gronie przyjaciół... mniej genialnych od nas - tzn. tych, którzy nie mieli szczęścia ani ochoty po ten QUIZ sięgnąć.
To zbiór nie tylko ciekawostek, takich jak potoczne nazwy miast (Wietrzne Miasto - Chicago), ale i konkretna wiedza, która pozwala spojrzeć na choćby politykę i historię z większym zrozumieniem. Jest to także wiedza przydatna do prognozowania przyszłości... może nie szalenie ciekawej i źle się zapowiadającej, lecz w tym kontekście tym bardziej lepiej wiedzieć, niż nie wiedzieć.
Tim Marshall zdecydowanie miło wkręca nas w geograficzne niuanse, potrafi zaciekawić i potrafi nauczyć. Jego oryginalne podejście do polityki międzynarodowej - geograficzne podejście - sprawia, że czytelnik także przyjmuje inny punkt widzenia na współczesność - a to otwiera oczy i nowe możliwości. Wprawdzie niektórzy powiadają "że niewiedza jest błogosławieństwem", lecz może w przypadku wiecznego manipulowania szarymi obywatelami warto zasięgnąć choć podstawowych informacji o prawach rządzących naszym marnym bytem.
z geograficznego punktu widzenia wybieram a)
Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka
egzemplarz recenzencki
Po pierwsze nie ma się co bać pytań - bo choć są trudne, to nie są tendencyjne i po zapoznaniu się z odpowiedziami w głowie wiele się zmienia. Książka ta jest inteligentnie skonstruowana. Mamy oczywiście w pierwsze części PYTANIA, w drugiej ODPOWIEDZI, ale mamy też podrozdziały, jak np. EUROPA, AMERYKA PÓŁNOCNA itd., itp. Pytań jest - jak okładka głosi - ponad 300, czyli jest nad czym główkować. Są to rzeczy, które poznane mogą służyć jako błysk geniuszu w gronie przyjaciół... mniej genialnych od nas - tzn. tych, którzy nie mieli szczęścia ani ochoty po ten QUIZ sięgnąć.
To zbiór nie tylko ciekawostek, takich jak potoczne nazwy miast (Wietrzne Miasto - Chicago), ale i konkretna wiedza, która pozwala spojrzeć na choćby politykę i historię z większym zrozumieniem. Jest to także wiedza przydatna do prognozowania przyszłości... może nie szalenie ciekawej i źle się zapowiadającej, lecz w tym kontekście tym bardziej lepiej wiedzieć, niż nie wiedzieć.
Tim Marshall zdecydowanie miło wkręca nas w geograficzne niuanse, potrafi zaciekawić i potrafi nauczyć. Jego oryginalne podejście do polityki międzynarodowej - geograficzne podejście - sprawia, że czytelnik także przyjmuje inny punkt widzenia na współczesność - a to otwiera oczy i nowe możliwości. Wprawdzie niektórzy powiadają "że niewiedza jest błogosławieństwem", lecz może w przypadku wiecznego manipulowania szarymi obywatelami warto zasięgnąć choć podstawowych informacji o prawach rządzących naszym marnym bytem.
z geograficznego punktu widzenia wybieram a)
Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka
egzemplarz recenzencki
January 23, 2025
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
A Geopolitical Journey Disguised as a Quiz Book - Tim Marshall, renowned for his insightful geopolitical analysis, masterfully blends education and entertainment in "Prisoners of Geography: The Quiz Book." This isn't your average trivia collection. Marshall cleverly uses the quiz format to delve into the intricate web of global relationships, exploring the profound impact of geography on history, politics, and current events.
Each question, carefully crafted and often accompanied by evocative maps, challenges readers to not just recall facts, but to understand the underlying geographical factors that shape global dynamics. From the enduring influence of mountain ranges to the strategic importance of checkpoints, Marshall guides readers through a fascinating exploration of our interconnected world.
Beyond the Trivia:
While the quiz format is engaging, the true value of this book lies in the insightful commentary that follows each question. Marshall provides detailed explanations, offering valuable historical context, geopolitical analysis, and thought-provoking insights into the complexities of the modern world.
This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in international relations, history, or current events.
Whether you're a seasoned geopolitics enthusiast or simply curious about the world around you, "Prisoners of Geography: The Quiz Book" will challenge your assumptions, broaden your horizons, and leave you with a deeper understanding of our planet and its inhabitants.
Marshall's unique approach makes learning about geography and geopolitics enjoyable and enlightening. This book is a testament to the power of interactive learning and a valuable addition to any bookshelf.
A Geopolitical Journey Disguised as a Quiz Book - Tim Marshall, renowned for his insightful geopolitical analysis, masterfully blends education and entertainment in "Prisoners of Geography: The Quiz Book." This isn't your average trivia collection. Marshall cleverly uses the quiz format to delve into the intricate web of global relationships, exploring the profound impact of geography on history, politics, and current events.
Each question, carefully crafted and often accompanied by evocative maps, challenges readers to not just recall facts, but to understand the underlying geographical factors that shape global dynamics. From the enduring influence of mountain ranges to the strategic importance of checkpoints, Marshall guides readers through a fascinating exploration of our interconnected world.
Beyond the Trivia:
While the quiz format is engaging, the true value of this book lies in the insightful commentary that follows each question. Marshall provides detailed explanations, offering valuable historical context, geopolitical analysis, and thought-provoking insights into the complexities of the modern world.
This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in international relations, history, or current events.
Whether you're a seasoned geopolitics enthusiast or simply curious about the world around you, "Prisoners of Geography: The Quiz Book" will challenge your assumptions, broaden your horizons, and leave you with a deeper understanding of our planet and its inhabitants.
Marshall's unique approach makes learning about geography and geopolitics enjoyable and enlightening. This book is a testament to the power of interactive learning and a valuable addition to any bookshelf.
August 10, 2025
Tim Marshall's original Prisoners of Geography is a concise primer for anyone wanting to improve their understanding of the global geopolitics.
I found this book while browsing the new arrivals in a library. It is a simple fun exercise to test your knowledge of geography.
The book can be completed easily over a couple of days.
I found this book while browsing the new arrivals in a library. It is a simple fun exercise to test your knowledge of geography.
The book can be completed easily over a couple of days.
February 8, 2025
Good trivia book. Perfect for travels.
February 25, 2025
Loved this book because I enjoy quizzes. A reminder of the importance of keeping up to date on geo-politics as it is always a shifting scene. 4 stars because the questions were so tough and needed pencil and paper to keep track of some answers!
March 1, 2025
This is a fun trivia book based off the book Prisoners of Geography.
May 27, 2025
Best purchase of my life.
November 12, 2024
Most of these questions were really effing hard but it was fun to have a little activity book and learn lots of new things!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews