Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Coldest Places on Earth?

Could you survive a day where the air itself feels deadly? Across the globe, some places have hit temperatures so low they seem stolen straight from a sci-fi novel. From the heart of the Arctic to the remote corners of Asia and Europe, these countries boast the most bone-chilling records on Earth.

Ready to test your climatology smarts? See if you can bear the cold in the quiz below, featuring 44 questions on the world’s nippiest nations.

Did you power through all 44, or did you leave some of these countries out in the cold? If you’re feeling the chill and want to warm up with some more trivia, you should check out our geography section. Or, if you’re looking to put your brain to work again, try our other quizzes.

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Breaking the Ice

When looking at the list of the coldest places in the world, it’s hard not to peg them as desolate, barren places where happiness goes to hibernate. However, there’s another, warmer way to see them: as lands where people learn to live in their natural climate and find comfort in the cold, snow-clad chaos.

In Mongolia, where temperatures reach as low as -72.4 degrees Fahrenheit, survival has always depended on ingenuity. Mongolians have spent centuries mastering the art of warmth, using special materials, such as cashmere and yak fiber—which can be up to eight times warmer than regular wool—and sipping hot drinks on the daily.

Other countries have come up with a third option to the popular phrase “adapt or die”: embrace, in this case, coziness. Norway has its own version of hygge, called koselig. Instead of dreading the darkness that comes with the long, cold winter months, some citizens, like the townspeople of Tromsø, simply make their own light. Think twinkling light-strung streets, gatherings in candlelit cafes, and numerous festivals—from electronic music to Northern Lights—that bring everyone together. Studies have even shown that this mindset shift helps residents maintain their mental health much better than you’d expect in such extreme environments.

Whether it’s the winter gear of Mongolia or the moonlit traditions of Norway, these cultures remind us that we can go from merely surviving the cold to actually enjoying it. It’s a pretty compelling argument for embracing the winter, even if you’re nowhere near the Arctic Circle.

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