Knowledge is Power

Taj Mahal
20 May, 1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.

20 May, 1927 – At 07:52 Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, on the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, touching down at Le Bourget Field in Paris at 22:22 the next day.

20 May, 1983 – First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo individually.


Army of 2.5 million officials starts task of Indian census of a billion people


indefatigable: untiring.
This capital of Latvia is sometimes known as the "Paris of the Baltic."

* Riga

Which country is the largest exporter of sawn wood?
Canada

Which world religion is said to have been conceived by a semi-mythical Chinese philosopher called Lao-Tzu?
Taoism

Pagan Irish fire festivals gave rise to a 'holiday' in America related to weather prediction. Which holiday is this?
Groundhog Day

European Country Specializing In Production Of Machines?
Germany

What is the word for the type of land that lies between the tree line and the Arctic ice cap in North America, Europe and Asia?
tundra


What is the name of the strait between Alaska and Russia?
Bering

Which degree of longitude is the prime meridian?
0 degrees

Which city lies on Lake Michigan?
Milwaukee

Which country leads the world in duck production for food?
China

On which Mediterranean island is Mount Etna?
Sicily

The surnames Kim, Park and Lee are the three most common in which country?
Korea

In July, 1921, Canadian doctor Frederick Banting and his collaborator Charles Best isolated a substance that eliminates the often fatal symptoms of diabetes. What was this substance?
Insulin

Which is the longest river of Europe?
River Danube

Pizza origin is:
Italy

Which is the water body that separates the British Isles from the mainland?
English Channel

Which country leads the tobacco production?
Cuba

What queenly lake is the largest in Africa?
Lake Victoria

What is the largest country in Africa?
Sudan

The Gobi Desert is located in?
Asia

Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which was the first built?
Egyptian Pyramids


Tobacco, Tomatoes, and Maize all originated in which region?
Central America

What is the name of the trench that is the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean?
Mariana Trench

Where is Emerald Island?
Ireland


What is the name of the strait between Alaska and Russia?
Bering


She had the great misfortune of living in Paris during the Reign of Terror, and she was forced to make death masks of the people who had been guillotined. Later she moved to Britain, and these death masks became the basis of a famous wax museum. What was her name?
Madame Tussaud


Which is the mountain that separates Europe from Asia?
Ural Mountains


What is the distance around the earth at the equator in miles? (To the nearest 1,000 miles)
25,000

Land of Thousand Lakes?
Finland

Which U.S. state is known as the Volunteer State?
Tennessee


How far is the earth from the moon?
239,000 miles

Which is the busiest river of Europe?
River Rhine


Which is the water body that separates Europe from Africa in the West?
Strait of Gibraltar

On which river is the city of Rome situated?
River Tiber


Which city was home to the first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building?
Chicago

Many countries are defined by their most famous beers. Which country, then, would be defined by the name 'Guinness'?
Ireland


Most Highly Industrialized European Country?
Germany

What is special about stereoscopic images?
They allow viewing of an image in 3-D


The Region Of Germany Famous For Its Cakes And Cuckoo Clocks?
Blackforest


How high is the Eiffel Tower in Paris?
300 meters


What was the most popular color used on national flags during the 20th century?
Red

A French philosopher was a source of early inspiration for Enlightenment thinkers, and has been given credit for the phrase 'I think, therefore I am'. Who was he?
Descartes


European Country Having Super Highways Called 'Autobahns'?
Germany

Which is the hardest rock type?
Topaz

What is the highest mountain in the Earth's Southern Hemisphere?
Mt. Aconcagua


Which constellation is depicted on the flag of Australia?
Crux - Southern Cross

Where is the lowest place on earth?
Israel

Which African country is the most populous?
Nigeria

Which country has over 40% of the world's swine?
China

Where are the Pillars of Hercules?
Strait of Gibraltar

Which country holds the record for the deepest permafrost?
Russia

Which country contains the ancient region of Mesopotamia?
Iraq

The ruins of the ancient Greek Palace of Knossos are located on what island in the Mediterranean?
Crete

What is the term for an assorted meal, popularized in Sweden, which includes a variety of meats, pastries and other delectables?
Smorgasbord

What is the maximum length of an Exclusive Economic Zone in the oceans?
200 nautical miles

The Italians love their pasta, and as a result have developed dozens of varieties. Which very common variety of pasta derives its name from the Italian for 'ribbons'?
Fettucini


Which continent has the highest number of Christians?
Europe

The world headquarters of the Baha'i religion is located in what eastern Mediterranean country?
Israel


The Sumerians were the inventors of the world's first writing system, a series of wedge-shaped markings called what?
Cuneiform

The United States has the largest Gross Domestic Product. Which country is second?
China

_______ is the highest peak in the Alps of Europe.
Mount Blanc

Which country is represented by the top-level Internet domain.ch?
Switzerland


What was the first city to grow to one million people?
Rome


Which disaster does the Mercalli scale measure?
Earthquakes

Which country is responsible for ~33% of the world's rice exports?
Thailand
1. 2nd July, 2009

2. Which is known as the roof of the world? Pamir
3. Angel waterfalls are situated in which country? Venezuela
4. Adam’s bridge is between which countries? India and Sri Lanka
5. Anthropological society of India is in which city? Kolkata
6. Who was known as King of Pop? Michael Jackson
7. Expand DVD? Digital Versatile Disk
8. Tsunami is a word from which language? Japanese
9. First woman speaker of Lok Sabha? Meira Kumar
10. Expand NSG? National Security Guard
11. General Elections are held once in _____ years for Lok Sabha? Five
12. Telugu is the third most spoken language in India
13. Trishul is surface-to-air missile
14. World Environment Day – 5 June
15. Hope Island is in Andhra Pradesh
16. SEZ: Special Economic Zone
17. Area-wise biggest district in Andhra Pradesh – Anantapur
18. Godavari river has the second longest course within India, has about 1450 km long.
19. Aamukta Maalyadha written by Sri Krishna Deva Raya
20. AP State bird – Indian Roller
21. AP State animal – Black Buck
22. Fastest flying bird – Japanese swift
23. Sri Ram Sagar project has been constructed on the river Godavari
24. The first hydroelectric power plant in India was set up at – Shivasamudram
25. First education minister of India – Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
26. First Viceroy of India – Lord Canning
27. The system of budget was introduced in British India in 1860
28. Coldest place in the world – Siberia
29. The world’s longest continuous border is the one between the USA and Canada
30. How many countries are members of the UN – 192
31. Japan has the highest life span in the world
32. India has the largest livestock population in the world
33. China is the largest producer of fertilizers in the world.
34. Michael Jackson topped the Forbes list in 1989 as the highest paid entertainer of all time.
35. Most populous city – Tokyo
36. Paris Commune was established in Paris during February, 1871. This was the first communist government established in the world.

37. The first woman president of the Indian National Congress – Annie Besant
38. The longest country in the world – Chile
39. India’s oldest paramilitary force – Assam Rifles
40. Oldest university in India – University of Calcutta
41. The first foreigner to figure on a British stamp was – Mahatma Gandhi
42. City of seven hills – Rome
43. “Moon Walk” is an autobiography by – Michael Jackson
44. Deodhar trophy is associated with – Cricket
45. Where was the first oil well struck – USA
46. Cases pending as on 30th June, 2009:- Supreme Court – 52,592; High Courts – 40, 17,956; Other courts – 2,71,19,092. Total 3,11,89,640

47. Bhoodan movement was started by – Vinoba Bhave
48. Keoladeo National Park is in Rajasthan
49. Which country has the highest population density in the world? Monaco – 44,000 people per square mile.
50. According to Hindu mythology, whop was the teacher of the Gods? Brihaspati
51. The sweetest sugar – Fructose
52. Indonesia is the most populated island country of the world
53. India’s first ever Individual Olympics gold medalist – Abhinav Bindra
54. Which is more important for the growth of boys and girls under age 14? Proteins
55. What is the main source of electricity in India – Thermal Power
56. India’s first indigenous satellite launch vehicle – SLV 3
46. First Indian woman to become Miss World – Reita Faria
57. World’s tallest brick minaret – Qutub Minar
58. Malgudi Days written by RK Narayan
59. Which country has about 24% of the world’s petroleum reserves – Saudi Arabia
60. A ruler measures – length
61. Who invented laser – Theodore Maiman
62. India paper is made of - vegetable fibre
63. 32 F is equal to 0 c
64. Who built Osmania University – Osman Ali Khan
65. City of Lakes – Udaipur (Rajasthan)
66. India’s life expectancy is projected to 75.6 years.
67. There are 26 International airports in India
68. Which God was considered as the God of creation by the Harappans – Pasupati
69. The Head office of the World Bank is in Washington, D.C.
70. India is the largest producing country of milk.
71. Mrs Pratibha Patil is the 12th president of India
72. Name of India’s station in the Arctic – Himadri
73. In which year Mother Teresa won Nobel Peace Prize- 1979
74. Damodar Valley Corporation is the first public corporation of India
75. Television transmission began in India on 15th September, 1959
76. How many Railway zones are there in India – 16
77. The unburnt end of a cigarette – butt
78. Everything can wait, but not agriculture, which Indian leader’s words – Jawaharlal Nehru
79. The number of gram panchayats in India – 2,33,606
80. The last Nizam of Hyderabad – Mir Osman Ali Khan
81. With microfinance 10 crore women are benefited across the world. They are provided $ 25 billion by loans/
82. DTH – Direct To Home
83. The population density of Andhra Pradesh is 277 persons per square kilometer.
84. H1N1 virus causing swine flu is medically called – influenza
85. Which vitamin is known as Beauty vitamin – Vitamin E
86. The number of netizens as per Internet World Stats – 1,596,270,108 (India – 8.1 crore – 4th place in the world)
87. The Ostrich is not only the biggest bird but it also lays the biggest eggs.
88. The spin-tailed swift is the fastest bird. It flies at a speed of 170 km/ hour
89. Cuckoo is the only bird that never builds a nest. There are 127 kinds of this bird in the world.
90. Baby Zebras can stand and walk within an hour of their birth.
91. Which animal can turn its head around completely and thus can see backward – Owl
92. Which animal does not have teeth at all – Turtle
93. For how many days a camel survive without water – 2 weeks
94. Which is the smallest mammal – Pygmy shrew
95. For how many years does a butterfly live – 1 week
96. The Humming bird is the world’s lightest bird.
97. The Bombay duck is not a duck. It is a fish, found in the sea near Mumbai.
98. The seahorse is not a horse. It is a fish.
99. If a starfish is cut into large pieces, each piece will grow into a whole fish.
100. The female of a whale is known as a cow.
101. The Albatross has the largest wing span of any sea bird.
102. The Rafflesia is the biggest flower in the world.
103. What is the Indian name for the gooseberry fruit – Amla
104. What is a shooting star – A flowering plant
105. What is the Bo tree popularly known as in India – Peepal
106. The world’s oldest tree is the bristlecone pine tree in California. It is over 4,800 years old.
107. The tallest grass in the world is the thorny bamboo of India. It can reach a height of 120 ft.
108. Helium is the lightest gas in the world.
109. One drop of blood contains about 100 million red blood corpuscles (cells)
110. The board game of monopoly was invented by Charles Darrow
111. The national sport of USA is baseball
112. The total distance covered in a marathon race is 42.2 km.
113. The world’s largest stadium is the Strahov Stadium at Prague in Czech Republic
114. Scrabble, the word game, was invented by Alfred Brutts