Impossible quiz

Well, I'll bet it wasn't Sweden...

 

Sweden was actually amongst the first nations to acknowledge Norway ( the majority of the Swedish people was after all in favour of total independence for Norway ), but not the very first. I would not have been surprised if they were though.

 

Was it the US?

 

No, that wouldn't be much of a surprise.

HINT > The countries which immediately gave Norway their acknowledgement were : The U.S.A., Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, France, Russia and Denmark. One country is missing from the list, however, the very first country to acknowledge Norwegian independence.

 

I'm betting on Finland or Iceland. :-?

Enough with the Brownie points!

 

Finland and Iceland weren't independent back then.

 

True. I should have known about Finland but really didn't about Iceland.

OK then, Liberia?

 

How about an "Elite Forces" Point instead. (Snigger, snigger) :lol:

 

Holland?

 

Now you have to do it right. Holland is a province, the country is called the Netherlands. Holland can acknowledge all it wants but it won't matter to anyone.

 

*Ahem*

The Netherlands?

 

No.

Last hint > Not European.

 

Japan?

 

Was this an educated guess, or just pure luck?

Anyway, Japan is indeed the correct answer.

Your turn, Roel.

 

Roel.

The bit about the difference between Holland & The Netherlands; I know it is off-topic, but I am sure that I am not alone in being interested. Could you enlighten me please.

 

Of course.

The Netherlands is a country divided in 12 provinces that have their own local governments (with marginal powers). Two of these are called "Holland": North Holland (with Amsterdam in it) and South Holland (where I live).

Historically, however, the Netherlands were made up of seven semi-autonomous provinces. Holland was one of these provinces, stretching across all of modern North and South Holland and forming the economic, political and demographic heart of the Netherlands. Holland made the policies of the Netherlands and the other six provinces could only follow. Holland alone also brought in about 60% of the taxes, so their dominance in national politics was entirely reasonable. Because of Holland's dominance in the politics of the entire country, "Holland" was at a time in the 17th and 18th centuries a very reasonable indication of the Netherlands as a whole.

Nowadays, while a great many Dutchmen still live in what was once "Holland" and while this area is still economically the most powerful part of the country, technically "Holland" no longer exists. The correct name of the country is therefore "The Netherlands", but "Holland" is shorter and more convenient in conversation and therefore it sort of stuck.

About the quiz, Skua: it was a more or less educated guess. I reckoned that if it was not a European country and the USA was already mentioned, it had to be one of the countries that had in 1905 recently established themselves as an autonomous country mattering in world affairs. Hence Japan.

I'm going to be thinking about a good impossible quiz question now...

 

Thanks Roel.

Just one last question.

Geographically, what %age (roughly will do) of the Netherlands do the combined areas of North & South Holland make up?

Thanks.

 

About 14%, according to a series of very superficial Google searches...

 

Btw, do you have any idea where the term "dutch" comes from?

There is no translation for it in other languages I know.
In France dutch are all called "hollandais"(hollanders)(which I know know is wrong.... )

There is one other word to designate dutchmen which is "Bataves".
This word comes from the "Batavian republic" which was the name given to the Netherlands when it was occupied by the armies of the french revolution.
But this name is not used very much.

 

They should be called Holes, well people from Poland are called Poles.