Questions and Answers about
Places
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in PlacesDoes the letter Z exist in the Cyrillic Russian alphabet?
Answer: The letter Z does not exist in the Cyrillic Russian alphabet. Yet, Z has become the main symbol of public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Observers first spotted the mysterious Z-shaped letter hand-painted on Russian tanks massed on the Ukrainian border in Feb. 2022. On March 4, 2022, thousands of Serbs waving Russian…
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in PlacesWhat’s Europe’s largest street party?
Answer: With more than 1 million people participating, the annual Notting Hill Carnival is Europe’s largest street party. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the carnival, which celebrates Caribbean culture every August, had to be held online and finally returned to the streets of London on Aug. 27, 2022.
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in PlacesWhat’s the thinnest skyscraper in the world?
Answer: Completed in April 2022, and holding 60 apartments, New York City’s Steinway Tower, or 111 West 57th Street, is the world’s skinniest skyscraper. The 84-story residential house on “Billionaires’ Row” is the second-tallest residential tower in NYC, surpassed only by the nearby Central Park Tower and rising 1,428 feet (435 meters). The tower’s upper…
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in PlacesWhy did Japan launch a nationwide campaign to boost alcohol consumption?
Answer: The Japanese government has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage people to drink more alcohol after alcohol consumption had fallen to an average of 75 liters per person a year in 2020, accounting for 1.7% of Japan’s tax revenue, down from 5% in 1980. Japan’s health ministry hoped the campaign would also remind people…
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in PlacesWhich lunar year started on Feb. 1, 2022?
Answer: The Year of the Tiger started on Feb. 1, 2022. The Lunar New Year is the Chinese New Year, also celebrated in other Asian countries, including Vietnam and South Korea.
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in PlacesWhat is the Aboriginal flag?
Answer: You’re looking at the Aboriginal flag, which has been recognized as an official flag of Australia since 1995. The Australian government said on Jan. 25, 2022, it had acquired copyright to the Aboriginal flag from its creator, indigenous artist Harold Thomas for $20 million. The flag can now be freely used, resolving a commercial…
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in PlacesWhat’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai?
Answer: Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai is a volcanic island, one of Tonga’s Polynesian archipelago of 176 islands. On Jan. 15, 2022, the underwater volcano erupted, causing a Pacific-wide tsunami of about 1 meter (3 feet) that smashed boats in New Zealand, caused an oil spill and two drownings in Peru, and coated Tonga with acidic (but…
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in PlacesIn the US, which city is known as the Mile High City?
Answer: Denver, Colorado, is nicknamed the Mile High City because its official elevation is one mile (or 1.6 km) above sea level. As of 2022, the city’s hockey teams hold the Stanley Cup, NCAA, and national high school hockey champions.
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in PlacesWhich of these countries is NOT a member of the EU?
Answer: Serbia is not a part of the European Union. Yet. On Dec. 14, 2021, Serbia was permitted to open talks on climate change and environment, energy, transport policy, and trans-European infrastructure networks; – a significant step towards joining the European Union. More answers inside!
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in PlacesHow many of the 27 European Union countries have legalized same-sex marriage?
Answer: The EU includes 16 nations that have legalized same-sex marriage, compared to about 30 countries overall in the world. The European Court of Justice ruled Dec. 14, 2021 that a child with two mothers certified in one EU nation must also be recognized by the other EU members as such – even if that…
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in PlacesIn New York City, what are “Overdose Prevention Centers” (OPCs)?
Answer: The privately run “Overdose Prevention Centers” (OPCs) are New York City’s supervised drug injection sites, meant to reduce deadly overdoses in the city. The OPCs provide a monitored place for drug users where an antidote can be served if needed. Also known as safer consumption spaces, they exist in Canada, Australia, and Europe and…
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in PlacesWhich country announced it would ban young people from buying cigarettes for life?
Answer: On Dec. 8, 2021, New Zealand announced that it will ban young people from buying cigarettes for life by making it illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone aged 14 and under from 2027. That means a person aged 60 in 2073 will be banned from buying cigarettes, while a person aged 61 will be…
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in PlacesWhat is the world’s most expensive city to live in, in 2021?
Answer: Israel’s Tel Aviv has been ranked the world’s most expensive city to live in, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report published Nov. 30, 2021. The Israeli seaside city climbed five spots in 2021 to take the title from last year’s joint winners of Paris, Hong Kong, and Zurich. More answers inside!
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in PlacesWhere is Peppa Pig World located?
Answer: The Peppa Pig World theme park is inside the Paultons Park amusement park in the New Forest National Park, in Hampshire, England. More answers inside!
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in PlacesWhich country is planning a city with no property, income, or municipal taxes and zero carbon dioxide emissions?
Answer: El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced Nov. 20, 2021, that his government would build an oceanside “Bitcoin City” at the base of the Conchagua volcano – with no property, income, or municipal taxes and zero carbon dioxide emissions. More answers inside!
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Which country still has KGB in 2021?
Answer: Under Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’s principal security agency kept its symbolic acronym of KGB. More answers inside!
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in PlacesPrincess Mako is a royal of which country?
Princess Mako is the niece of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito._x000D_
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in PlacesHow many children are Chinese couples permitted to have?
In June 2021, The Chinese government announced it would now allow all couples to have three children instead of two’ while introducing new policies designed to reduce the financial burden of raising children. ‘
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in PlacesWhere is (old) Zeeland?
In 1643 Dutch cartographers named the newly discovered islands Nova Zeelandia, after the Dutch province of Zeeland (in the Netherlands). This name was later anglicized to New Zealand.
