World Geography
🔒 Log in to trackNicknames and boundary lines
🔒 Log in to trackThis topic is a set of matching lists: nicknames of countries and cities, boundary lines, old and new names, and capitals on rivers. Each list is short. The exam reshuffles the options, so learn each pair firmly.
Country nicknames
| Nickname | Country or place |
|---|---|
| Land of the Rising Sun | Japan. It is easternmost, so it sees the Sun first |
| Land of the Midnight Sun | Norway. The summer Sun never sets in the far north |
| Land of a Thousand Lakes | Finland |
| Land of the White Elephant | Thailand |
| Land of the Thunder Dragon | Bhutan (Druk Yul) |
| Sugar Bowl of the world | Cuba |
| Emerald Isle | Ireland |
| Gift of the Nile | Egypt |
| Playground of Europe | Switzerland |
| Roof of the World | Pamir Knot (Tibet region) |
| Land of the Maple Leaf | Canada |
| Land of the Morning Calm | Korea |
| Land of Fire and Ice | Iceland |
| Land of the Long White Cloud | New Zealand (Aotearoa) |
| Land of the Golden Fleece | Australia (wool) |
| Dark Continent | Africa |
Watch: Finland is the Thousand Lakes. Norway is the Midnight Sun. Do not swap them.
City nicknames
- Big Apple: New York.
- Eternal City and City of Seven Hills: Rome.
- City of Light: Paris.
- Windy City: Chicago.
- City of Canals: Venice.
- Forbidden City: the imperial palace in Beijing. Lhasa too was long closed to outsiders.
- Golden City or City of Gold: Johannesburg.
- City of the Golden Gate: San Francisco.
Rome and Paris are the classic pair that options swap.
Boundary lines
| Line | Between | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Radcliffe Line (1947) | India and Pakistan | Drawn at Partition by Sir Cyril Radcliffe |
| Durand Line (1893) | Pakistan and Afghanistan | Drawn by Sir Mortimer Durand |
| McMahon Line (1914) | India and China (Tibet region) | Sir Henry McMahon, Simla talks |
| 38th Parallel | North Korea and South Korea | Fixed in 1945 |
| 49th Parallel | USA and Canada | Long straight border |
| 17th Parallel | Former North and South Vietnam | 1954 Geneva accord |
| Maginot Line | France and Germany | French forts of the 1930s |
| Hindenburg Line | German defence line | First World War |
| Oder-Neisse Line | Germany and Poland | Set after the Second World War |
| Mannerheim Line | Finland and Russia | Finnish defence of the Winter War |
Tip: Match the pair first. India-Pakistan is Radcliffe. Pakistan-Afghanistan is Durand. India-China is McMahon. Korea is the 38th. USA-Canada is the 49th.
Old names and new names
Countries:
- Ceylon to Sri Lanka (1972). Burma to Myanmar (1989). Siam to Thailand.
- Persia to Iran (1935). Abyssinia to Ethiopia. Formosa to Taiwan.
- Kampuchea is Cambodia. Gold Coast to Ghana (1957). Rhodesia to Zimbabwe (1980).
- Nyasaland to Malawi. Dutch East Indies to Indonesia. East Pakistan to Bangladesh (1971).
Cities:
- Constantinople to Istanbul. Peking to Beijing. Rangoon to Yangon.
- Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City. Batavia to Jakarta. Leningrad to St Petersburg.
- Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkata.
Capitals and their rivers
| Capital | River | Capital | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | Thames | Cairo | Nile |
| Paris | Seine | Baghdad | Tigris |
| Rome | Tiber | Khartoum | Blue and White Nile meet |
| Moscow | Moskva | Delhi | Yamuna |
| Berlin | Spree | Dhaka | Buriganga |
| Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade | Danube | Bangkok | Chao Phraya |
| Warsaw | Vistula | Hanoi | Red River |
| Prague | Vltava | Seoul | Han |
| Ottawa | Ottawa River | Tokyo | Sumida |
| Washington | Potomac | Lisbon | Tagus |
Baghdad is on the Tigris, not the Euphrates. Khartoum is at the Nile confluence. Downstream, the Danube capitals run Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Country nicknames
'Which country is the Land of the Rising Sun', 'Land of Thousand Lakes', 'Land of White Elephant', nickname matching.
Group by theme: sun (Japan, Norway, Korea, Canada).
Nature: Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Bhutan, Ireland.
Symbols: Thailand, Cuba, Egypt, Switzerland, Australia.
Match the nickname to the country and eliminate.
Themes make sixteen nicknames easy to hold.
Which country is called the 'Land of the Thunder Dragon'?
Show solutionHide solution
Its local name is Druk Yul.
Its flag also bears the dragon.
Bhutan
City nicknames
'Big Apple', 'City of Seven Hills', 'Eternal City', 'City of Light', which city is called.
New York is the Big Apple. Chicago is the Windy City.
Rome is the Eternal City and City of Seven Hills. Paris is the City of Light.
Venice is the City of Canals. Beijing has the Forbidden City.
Johannesburg is the Golden City.
Options usually swap a European city pair, so hold Rome and Paris apart.
Which city is known as the 'Big Apple'?
Show solutionHide solution
Rome and Paris have other nicknames.
The Big Apple is a US city.
New York
Boundary lines and borders
'Durand / Radcliffe / McMahon line separates', '38th parallel', '49th parallel', 'Maginot line'.
Match the pair of countries first.
India-Pakistan: Radcliffe (1947). Pakistan-Afghanistan: Durand (1893). India-China: McMahon (1914).
Korea: 38th. USA-Canada: 49th. Vietnam: 17th.
Forts: Maginot (France-Germany), Hindenburg (WWI), Mannerheim (Finland-Russia).
The same question returns with reshuffled options.
The McMahon Line is the boundary between:
Show solutionHide solution
It was drawn in 1914 at the Simla talks.
It runs along the Himalayas.
India and China
Old names and new names
'Siam is the old name of', 'Ceylon is now', 'Constantinople', old and new name matching.
Learn countries: Ceylon-Sri Lanka, Burma-Myanmar, Siam-Thailand, Persia-Iran.
Learn cities: Constantinople-Istanbul, Peking-Beijing, Rangoon-Yangon, Saigon-Ho Chi Minh City.
Indian cities are rarely asked.
The list is short and each pair is one fact.
Siam was the former name of which country?
Show solutionHide solution
Ceylon became Sri Lanka.
Siam became Thailand.
Thailand
Capitals on rivers
'Which capital stands on the Danube', 'Baghdad is on which river', 'Paris is on the Seine'.
Small rivers: London-Thames, Paris-Seine, Rome-Tiber, Moscow-Moskva, Berlin-Spree.
Big rivers: Cairo-Nile, Baghdad-Tigris, Delhi-Yamuna, Bangkok-Chao Phraya.
The Danube passes Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.
Capital and river are a fixed pair, and the Danube is the favourite.
Which river flows through Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade?
Show solutionHide solution
All three are on one river.
It also passes Bratislava.
The Danube
Shortcuts that save time
Rising Sun is Japan, in the east of Asia, where the Sun comes up first. Midnight Sun is Norway, in the Arctic summer.
Radcliffe split India and Pakistan. McMahon runs along the Himalayas with China. Durand divides Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Durand Line separates which countries?
Show solutionHide solution
Durand was drawn in 1893.
It runs between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan and Afghanistan
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Giving the Durand Line to India and Afghanistan.
Today it is the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Confusing Finland (thousand lakes) with Norway (midnight sun).
Finland has the lakes. Norway has the midnight sun.
Placing the 38th parallel between the two Vietnams.
It divides the Koreas. Vietnam was split at the 17th.
Putting Baghdad on the Euphrates.
Baghdad stands on the Tigris.
Swapping Rome and Paris nicknames.
Rome is the Eternal City. Paris is the City of Light.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Rising Sun: Japan. Midnight Sun: Norway. Thunder Dragon: Bhutan. White Elephant: Thailand. Emerald Isle: Ireland. Sugar Bowl: Cuba.
Boundary pairs: Radcliffe (India-Pakistan), Durand (Pakistan-Afghanistan), McMahon (India-China), 38th (Korea), 49th (USA-Canada).
Old to new: Ceylon-Sri Lanka, Burma-Myanmar, Siam-Thailand, Persia-Iran, Constantinople-Istanbul, Rangoon-Yangon, Peking-Beijing.
Baghdad on the Tigris. Khartoum at the Nile confluence. Cairo on the Nile. Paris on the Seine.
The Danube capitals: Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade.
Practice: 21 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 3 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.