Think you know the world? These ten geography facts are guaranteed to surprise you — even if you consider yourself a geography expert.

1. Sudan Has More Pyramids Than Egypt

When people think of pyramids, Egypt immediately comes to mind. But Sudan actually has over 200 pyramids — more than Egypt. The Nubian pyramids were built by the rulers of the ancient Kingdom of Kush and are found throughout modern-day Sudan. They are generally narrower and steeper than Egyptian pyramids, but no less impressive.

The Nubian pyramids of Meroe, Sudan — more numerous than Egypt's

2. France Has the Most Time Zones of Any Country

You might expect Russia or the United States to top this list, but France actually has 12 time zones. This is because France includes numerous overseas territories spread across the globe, including French Polynesia, Martinique, Reunion and French Guiana. Russia comes in second with 11 time zones.

3. The World's Largest Desert Is Antarctica

A desert is defined by low precipitation, not high temperatures. By that definition, Antarctica is the world's largest desert at 14.2 million km². The Sahara, which most people consider the largest desert, is actually third — behind Antarctica and the Arctic Desert.

Antarctica — the world's largest desert by official definition

4. Lesotho Is Completely Surrounded by One Country

Lesotho is one of only three countries in the world that is entirely surrounded by another country. The entire nation sits within South Africa's borders. The other two are Vatican City and San Marino, both surrounded by Italy.

5. Australia Is Wider Than the Moon

The Moon has a diameter of about 3,474 km. Australia, measured from east to west, spans approximately 4,000 km. So if you placed the Moon next to Australia, it would actually be narrower than the continent.

6. Russia Borders 14 Countries

Russia shares land borders with 14 countries — more than any other nation in the world. These include Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea.

7. Qatar Is the Only Country Starting With Q

Every letter of the alphabet is represented as the starting letter of at least one country — but Q has only one: Qatar. It is the only sovereign country in the world whose name begins with the letter Q.

8. Canada Has More Lakes Than the Rest of the World Combined

Canada is home to over 3 million lakes, which accounts for about 60% of the world's total lake area. The country has so many lakes that many of them remain unnamed.

9. Bhutan Has the Highest Average Elevation

Nepal might be home to Mount Everest, but Bhutan has a higher average elevation than any other country at around 3,280 metres. Bhutan's lowest point is still over 97 metres above sea level.

10. The Dead Sea Is the Saltiest Body of Water on Earth

The Dead Sea has a salinity of about 34% — nearly 10 times saltier than the ocean. This extreme salinity makes it impossible for most life to survive, and so easy to float that you cannot sink even if you try.

The Dead Sea — so salty you float without trying

How many of these did you already know? Test your geography knowledge with our free quizzes — from flags and capitals to country silhouettes and world facts.