World Facts and Geography

The Canary Islands are an autonomous community of Spain, located off the northwest coast of Africa. They have been Spanish territory since the 15th century. The islands are not part of Norway, New Zealand, or Portugal, though they are geographically close to the Moroccan coast.

Finland is known as the 'Land of a Thousand Lakes' and actually has approximately 188,000 lakes, far more than the 55,000 mentioned in the question. Norway also has many lakes but fewer than Finland. Poland and Denmark have significantly fewer lakes. Finland's landscape was shaped by glacial activity.

Sri Lanka has a relatively small population compared to major countries like China, India, and Indonesia. Its population of around 20 million places it around 53rd globally in 2008 rankings.

Chile has a mid-sized population (around 17 million in 2008) that would rank it around 60th globally. The United States has a much larger population (3rd rank), while African nations like Niger and Mali have smaller populations.

Among the options, Chad has a relatively small population that could plausibly rank around 81st. Russia has a large population (9th), Belarus and Hungary are European countries with populations in the 10 million range.

Cuba has a population around 11 million, placing it around 72nd globally. India is the 2nd most populous country, and European nations like Greece and Portugal have populations in the 10-11 million range.

China has been the world's most populous country for decades, with over 1.3 billion people. India ranks second, followed by the United States in third place.

Austria has a population around 8.3 million, which could place it around 92nd globally. Australia has a larger population (22 million), while Russia and the United States are in the top 10.

Bangladesh was the 7th most populous country in 2008 with approximately 144 million people. The ranking order at that time was China (1st), India (2nd), United States (3rd), Indonesia (4th), Brazil (5th), Pakistan (6th), Bangladesh (7th). Nigeria has since grown to become the 7th most populous country, but in 2008 it ranked around 8-10th. Russia was ranked around 9th and Indonesia 4th.

Jordan had approximately 6 million people in 2008, placing it around 104th globally. Iran (70 million) ranked around 17th, Iraq (30 million) around 40th. 'Africa' is a continent, not a country, making it an invalid option for country ranking questions.

The United States was the 3rd most populous country in 2008 with approximately 304 million people. Russia (142 million) ranked around 9th, India (1.1 billion) was 2nd, and Indonesia (228 million) was 4th. The top three (China, India, USA) have consistently maintained these positions.