World Facts and Geography

Antarctica was the last continent discovered by Europeans, first sighted in 1820. While Australia/Oceania was discovered earlier (17th century), Antarctica's harsh conditions and remoteness meant it wasn't confirmed until the 19th century. It remains the only continent without a native human population.

Antarctica was the last continent discovered by Europeans, with the first confirmed sighting occurring around 1820. South America was encountered in 1492, Australia in the 1600s, and Greenland around 986 AD. Antarctica's remote location and harsh conditions delayed its discovery until the 19th century.

India, along with Japan, is among the few countries that have developed supercomputers indigenously (without importing complete systems). India's PARAM series and Japan's various supercomputers demonstrate indigenous capability in high-performance computing, placing both nations in an elite technological group alongside the United States.

Christ the Redeemer statue overlooks Rio de Janeiro from Corcovado mountain. The distractors are other Brazilian states but not the statue's location.

Japan is called 'Nippon' or 'Nihon' in Japanese, which means 'land of the rising sun'. This is the native Japanese name for their country, used officially and informally within Japan. The other options (B, C, D) appear to be made-up spellings or distortions without any linguistic basis.

The BundesBank (Deutsche Bundesbank) is the central bank of Germany, headquartered in Frankfurt. It is responsible for monetary policy and financial stability in Germany. Russia, France, and Holland have their own central banks - the Bank of Russia, Banque de France, and De Nederlandsche Bank respectively.

Qantas is the flag carrier airline of Australia, founded in 1920. It is the third oldest airline in the world and is known for its safety record. The name is an acronym for 'Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services'.

The United States is the world's leading producer of peaches, with major production in states like California, Georgia, and South Carolina. The country's diverse climate and extensive orchard infrastructure support high yields. Argentina produces peaches but at a significantly lower volume than the USA.

Tankan is the quarterly survey of business confidence published by the Bank of Japan. It's one of Japan's key economic indicators, surveying thousands of companies on their business conditions. The term comes from Japanese 'tanki keizai kanshi' meaning 'short-term economic observation'. Holland (Netherlands), Denmark, and Switzerland have their own economic indicators but not Tankan.

In the 1964 film Goldfinger, the villain's plan was to detonate a atomic bomb inside Fort Knox to contaminate the US gold reserve, not to steal it. Fort Knox in Kentucky is the actual US gold depository, making this the correct answer.

PETRONAS (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) is Malaysia's national oil and gas company, established in 1974. It is fully owned by the Malaysian government and is one of the largest companies in Southeast Asia, operating globally in oil exploration, production, and refining.

Vatican City (option A) has the smallest birth rate due to its unique demographic structure - it has a very small population (mostly celibate clergy, Swiss Guards, and lay workers) with very few resident families, resulting in virtually zero births. Japan, Italy, and France all have significantly higher birth rates, though all developed nations have declining birth rates compared to historical averages.

Germany (option B) was indeed the first country to introduce old age pensions. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck established the world's first comprehensive social security system in the 1880s, including old age pensions in 1889. This became a model for many other nations. Britain introduced pensions later (1908), the US even later (1935 with Social Security), and India after independence.

Goa was a Portuguese colony (option A) for approximately 450 years, from 1510 until 1961, when it was annexed by India. Portugal was the last European colonial power to leave the Indian subcontinent. Spain, France, and the USA never colonized Goa, though France did have other colonies in India (Pondicherry, Chandernagore, etc.).