Only two of this year’s 13 Nobel prizewinners were born in the United States. This made 2014 something of an unusual year for the nation that is the largest recipient of Nobel Prizes in the history of the honor. We wonder: Which country has produced the second-most Nobel prizewinners in history?
A. United Kingdom
B. Japan
C. Norway
D. Poland
Tea has long been one of the world’s most important commodities and has been traded globally for centuries. We wonder: Which country consumes the most tea per capita?
One of the most intractable problems of the 12-year war waged by the U.S. military and its NATO allies in Afghanistan is the production of opium. As the United States contemplates its future role in Afghanistan, we wonder: Which of the following statements about Afghanistan’s opium production are true?
The Catholic Church has a new leader, Pope Francis. The number of Catholics in the world is estimated to be about 1.2 billion today. That puts their number right between India’s and China’ population. We wonder: Which country boasts the largest Catholic community in the world?
There is an increasingly high demand for workers who are able to communicate in languages other than their native one. But for every student learning Chinese, English or Spanish, ever more of the world’s more exotic languages are endangered. We wonder: What percentage of the world’s living languages is in imminent danger of becoming extinct?
Coffee has been a stimulant for centuries. From its origins in Arabia around 1,000 AD to its spread to Europe in the 17th century, and on to the contemporary emergence of espresso machines in many advanced countries, coffee has long connected cultures. We wonder: On a per-person basis, which country drinks the most of the beverage?