2009
1 Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States in January. In which US state was he born?
2 The Large Hadron Collider began its first run in November. Which two countries’ border does it cross?
3 Which country renamed a column-like peak ‘Avatar Hallelujah Mountain’ after the James Cameron epic that premiered in December?
PHOTOGRAPHS: EVERETT COLLECTION/ SHUTTERSTOCK, JULIA GAVIN/ALAMY, MATT MUNRO/LONELY PLANET
4 In which city did former railway tracks reopen as the High Line park?
5 Australia is the world’s smallest continent. Which is the world’s largest island, featured in our Best in Travel 2009 list?
2010
6 In which city is the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest structure, which opened in January?
7 In which country is the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, whose ash cloud led to cancelled flights across Europe in April?
8 Green, yellow and red are normally seen as pan-African colours, but which Southeast Asian country took them for its new flag in October?