This North America geography quiz tests your knowledge of capitals, islands, mountains, rivers and seas with 20 multiple-choice questions. Check each answer, read a short explanation and finish with a score out of 20.
This quiz uses the seven-continent model: North America includes Central America and the Caribbean, as well as Canada, the United States and Mexico. There is no timer.
Test your mental map of North America
20 questions · No timer · One point per correct answer
Easy, Medium and Hard are relative editorial difficulty levels for general geography learners, not standardized ratings. Every correct answer earns one point.
Choose an answer, then open “Show answer” to check it yourself. Interactive scoring appears when JavaScript is available.
Choose one answer, select Check answer, then continue to the next question.
Your North America quiz result
Easy
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Correct answer: Ottawa.
Ottawa is Canada’s national capital.
Easy
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Correct answer: Rocky Mountains.
The Rocky Mountains extend from Canada into the western United States, reaching New Mexico.
Medium
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Correct answer: Jamaica.
Kingston is the capital of Jamaica, an island country in the Caribbean.
Easy
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Correct answer: South.
Cuba lies south of Florida. Relative position helps distinguish it from the islands and mainland around it.
Medium
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Correct answer: St. Lawrence River.
The St. Lawrence River carries water from Lake Ontario toward the Atlantic. It is part of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence waterway.
Medium
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Correct answer: Mexico.
The Baja California Peninsula is in Mexico. The Pacific Ocean lies to its west.
Medium
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Correct answer: North America.
Greenland is geographically part of North America. Politically, it is a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark; geography and political association are different questions.
Medium
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Correct answer: Caribbean Sea.
The eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula faces the Caribbean Sea.
Medium
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Correct answer: San José.
San José is the capital of Costa Rica.
Easy
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Correct answer: Canada and the United States.
The international boundary between Canada and the United States crosses Lake Superior.
Easy
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Correct answer: Atlantic Ocean.
The Bahamas is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean.
Easy
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Correct answer: Colorado River.
The Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon through layers of rock.
Hard
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Correct answer: Belmopan.
Belmopan is the national capital of Belize.
Medium
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Correct answer: Hispaniola.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two countries on the island of Hispaniola.
Medium
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Correct answer: Yucatán Peninsula.
The Yucatán Peninsula extends beyond Mexico into parts of Belize and Guatemala. A peninsula’s physical outline need not match national boundaries.
Easy
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Correct answer: Atlantic and Pacific.
The Panama Canal gives ships a route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Panama.
Easy
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Correct answer: Mexico City.
Mexico City is the national capital of Mexico.
Medium
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Correct answer: Appalachian Mountains.
The Appalachian Mountains run through the eastern United States. The Appalachian Trail follows their ridgelines from Georgia to Maine.
Hard
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Correct answer: Lake Nicaragua.
Ometepe lies in Lake Nicaragua. Its two main volcanoes are Maderas and Concepción.
Medium
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Correct answer: Bering Strait.
The Bering Strait lies between Alaska and Siberia, separating North America from Asia.
Turn your score into a map check
Each correct answer earns one point, with no penalty for a wrong answer. At the end, select Review answers to see every question and explanation, or Try again to replay the same set. The quiz does not save your score between visits.
- For capitals: find the country before finding its capital. A familiar city name is not always the right answer.
- For islands and peninsulas: check the surrounding water and nearby mainland. Physical features do not always line up with national borders.
- For rivers and mountains: trace their routes across a map rather than remembering isolated names.
For a wider challenge, try the world geography quiz. If you would rather recall country names and fill a map, play the countries of the world quiz.
What Did We Learn Today?
North America’s geography connects countries and landforms: the St. Lawrence links the Great Lakes with the Atlantic, Hispaniola is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and the Yucatán Peninsula extends into three countries. Separating physical geography from political association also makes Greenland’s place on the map clearer.
Sources & Data Notes
This quiz follows the seven-continent model, including Central America and the Caribbean within North America. Greenland’s geographic classification is distinguished from its political relationship with the Kingdom of Denmark. Peninsula questions refer to physical features, which may cross national borders. The questions use stable locations rather than changing population figures, river-length rankings or disputed country counts.
- Capital-city references from UNData: UNData country profile: Canada; UNData country profile: Jamaica; UNData country profile: Costa Rica; UNData country profile: Belize; UNData country profile: Mexico.
- Continental scope and Greenland: Continent; Greenland: The world’s largest island.
- Mountains and the Grand Canyon: Rocky Mountain System Provinces; Nature & Science: Appalachian National Scenic Trail; Geologic Formations: Grand Canyon.
- Lakes, rivers and the canal: St. Lawrence River and Seaway; Lake Superior drainage basin map; Learn about the history of the Panama Canal.
- Peninsulas and adjacent seas: Earth from Space: Baja California Peninsula; Earth from Space: Yucatan Peninsula.
- Island locations and countries: Southern Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas; A portion of the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Bahamas; Hispaniola’s Changing Forests.
- Ometepe and the Bering Strait: Ometepe Island: Man and the Biosphere Programme; Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.
