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Countries Closest to United States by Continent

For each continent, can you name the 5 countries that are closest to the United States?
Quizzes-by-continent concept: Quizzer6794
Not including the external territories of the U.S. or other countries
Quiz by TenThousand
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Last updated: July 23, 2019
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First submittedNovember 16, 2015
Times taken110,673
Average score83.3%
Rating4.99
4:00
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North America
0 mi
Canada
0 mi
Mexico
53 mi
Bahamas
93 mi
Cuba
471 mi
Jamaica
 
 
South America
1,053 mi
Colombia
1,121 mi
Venezuela
1,612 mi
Ecuador
1,756 mi
Peru
1,758 mi
Brazil
Europe
1,852 mi
Portugal
2,026 mi
Iceland
2,514 mi
Ireland
2,555 mi
United Kingdom
2,815 mi
Spain
 
 
Asia
2 mi
Russia
1,366 mi
Japan
1,664 mi
China
2,042 mi
North Korea
2,300 mi
South Korea
Africa
3,074 mi
Cape Verde
3,161 mi
Morocco
3,276 mi
Mauritania
3,341 mi
Algeria
3,529 mi
Senegal
 
 
Oceania
1,035 mi
Kiribati
2,127 mi
Marshall Islands
2,485 mi
Tuvalu
2,509 mi
Samoa
2,700 mi
Nauru
+21
Level 77
Nov 16, 2015
This can be nice series :)
+3
Level 60
Oct 23, 2016
True, now it can be a fun quiz series to feature. Probably do the same with capitals.
+5
Level 75
Mar 19, 2017
+5
Level 58
Mar 21, 2017
Just missed Kiribati and Samoa. Surprised to learn that Jamaica is closer than Haiti but not after looking at a map!
+1
Level 45
Jan 18, 2018
lucky guess with tuvalu at 0:02!
+1
Level 25
Feb 19, 2022
Me too!
+1
Level 50
Aug 6, 2022
I was guessing for 3/5 of Oceania answer, and I successfully guessed all of it
+2
Level 23
Oct 25, 2023
real
+24
Level 81
Oct 23, 2016
Very US-centric ;)
+2
Level 65
Oct 23, 2016
I thought the same thing!
+5
Level 75
Oct 29, 2016
Wouldn't the US have to be an answer, at least once, to qualify for uscentricity?
+6
Level 65
Nov 13, 2016
well the US isn't an answer in this quiz ;)
+5
Level 72
Mar 9, 2018
Even if the US isn't an answer, it's pretty much at the center of the quiz.
+3
Level 65
Jun 30, 2019
yea for it to be the center, the other stuff needs to be around it, so quite correct. In all senses of the word.
+4
Level 75
Oct 29, 2016
The Europe answers depend on whether you count the Azores, which are a part of Portugal just as Hawaii is a part of the US, as a part of Europe. We have, but if we hadn't, then Portugal would drop off this list and be replaced by France.
+2
Level 86
Nov 6, 2016
It's a bit complicated. I guess the distance for Ecuador and Peru is taken with Hawaii?
+5
Level 36
Nov 12, 2016
Hawaii is about 5.000 km farther away from Ecuador and Peru than Florida. :P
+1
Level 49
Dec 31, 2021
then i dont get how Guyana isnt closer than Ecuador
+5
Level 49
Dec 31, 2021
ok i get it now

whats confusing is, you think that NA is directly on top of SA, but really SA is entirely east of Alabama

+1
Level 86
Jul 8, 2018
Ah, I wondered how Portugal could be so dramatically closer to the U.S. than Spain.
+2
Level 57
Oct 19, 2022
Azores and Madeiras Islands.
+4
Level 80
Dec 29, 2016
Isn't Denmark one of the closest countries by virtue of Greenland?
+5
Level 75
Dec 29, 2016
Greenland is physiographically a part of North America, not Europe. If you have a look at a world map, Greenland is way closer to the North American mainland than the European one.
+3
Level 57
Mar 19, 2017
Greenland is a Denmark territory
+4
Level 58
Jan 22, 2019
Greenland is not part of the European continent, though. However, the Azores are not part of the European continent either, but are apparently being counted.
+2
Level 75
Jan 22, 2019
Which continent would you place the Azores in? (It is far closer to the European mainland than the North American one).
+2
Level 35
Feb 24, 2022
How about Africa?
+1
Level 64
Sep 9, 2022
Debatable. The Azores actually sit on three continental plates (African, European and North American). In fact, that's why they exist; they're volcanic islands that rose out of these fault lines. Only the westernmost two islands are tectonically in North America though, the rest straddle the Europe-Africa border.
+2
Level 31
Jan 17, 2017
how is the average score on this so high?
+16
Level 61
Jan 18, 2017
Many if not most of the people who take geography quizzes on JetPunk are people who have mastered the countries of the world quiz - that tends to skew the results.
+10
Level 65
Jan 20, 2017
Didn't you know? everyone on Jetpunk is a genius. :)
+7
Level 65
Jun 30, 2019
Or will be after spending a few months here.
+2
Level 52
Jan 21, 2017
Technically, isn't the US closest to the US?
+2
Level 35
Jun 3, 2017
lol
+2
Level 65
Jun 30, 2019
how would that even be possible. Unless, ofcourse, you count alternate universes, or slightly out of phase ones.
+1
Level 52
Jan 21, 2017
Got Marshall Islands with 0:02 left :P
+1
Level 75
Mar 19, 2017
I typed it three times but must have been spelling it wrong. Probably forgot an L.
+1
Level 32
Mar 5, 2017
Forgot Tuvalu :|
+1
Level 25
Mar 19, 2017
Typed all the Oceanian countries :)
+2
Level 55
Mar 19, 2017
Congrats on making 2500 quizzes!
+1
Level 75
Mar 19, 2017
Thanks man :)
+3
Level 70
Mar 19, 2017
Why is Russia not in the North America list? Less than 3 miles apart at their closest separation.
+4
Level 71
Mar 19, 2017
Are you suggesting that Russia is a part of North America?...... really
+1
Level 66
Mar 20, 2017
My bad - I'd flipped the question round in my head and was looking at the countries closest to North America, rather than which North American countries were closest to the US.
+1
Level 51
May 22, 2018
part of eastern russia (such as kamchatka) is actually on the north american tectonic plate.
+1
Level 75
Oct 20, 2021
It was, once.
+4
Level 46
Mar 19, 2017
Only 99% of people get Canada... I am disappointed in society.
+1
Level 50
Dec 22, 2021
Happens, haven't seen people not answering correctly whether India and Pakistan share a border or not?

I've seen, so I think maybe some people are just beyond our limits of thinking. :)

+1
Level 58
Mar 19, 2017
i got 27 of 30 my first try and only did better than 30 percent stuff it
+1
Level 65
Mar 18, 2020
Why do people get mad if they get 90% right? What does it matter what others get.

(Only scenario where I think it could matter is if there were prizes, and like significant prices not a stuffed animal or even a weekend trip. But like rentfree living and free groceries the rest of your life)

+2
Level 22
Mar 20, 2017
Algeria? The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and perhaps even Liberia are all closer to the US.
+5
Level 75
Mar 20, 2017
Yes, and No, No, No, No and No. (Get a globe and some string, and be surprised!)
+2
Level 45
May 23, 2018
only the gambia was a bit surprising ti me. the others are clearly to far away.
+3
Level 65
Jun 30, 2019
yea senegal being on, but not gambia was a surprise.

Will have to dust of that globe :)

+2
Level 76
Feb 19, 2020
Senegal makes it on the list from the Cap Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa
+1
Level 22
Jun 26, 2021
Yes France is also closer than Algeria
+2
Level 50
Dec 22, 2021
But not closer than Portugal, Iceland, Ireland, the UK, and Spain.
+2
Level 44
Mar 20, 2017
More people got Ireland than Russia?
+1
Level 44
Feb 24, 2018
the closet neighbor that isn't touching the US is Russia by virtue of Alaska, which BTW was a part of Russia at one time, its sad...
+2
Level 65
Mar 18, 2020
People are conditioned to think from left to right. Plus most maps have the same layout (americas left, asia right)
+1
Level 50
Dec 22, 2021
Yes, this might sound awkward but it really really confusing.

I mean, when it comes to the US borders, people mostly forget about the Alaskan or Hawaiian, or Aleutian part of the US. So, it's more common to forget Russia as one of the closest neighbors.

+1
Level 35
Mar 20, 2017
1 second left phew
+4
Level 53
Mar 22, 2017
Is this the only quiz counting Russia as part of Asia and not Europe? I'm not complaining, just curious. Most of its land is in what we would typically call Asia, but this is the first I've seen it included in the Asia category. Seems inconsistent.
+3
Level 75
Mar 22, 2017
There is the occasional one, but not many. Russia's usually listed as European because most of its population lives there, but in this quiz, I don't know how else we could manage a Closest Country quiz with its Asian part being so close to Alaska.
+2
Level 45
May 23, 2018
its talking about the closest a country is, no matter the continent. its using territory as a whole and being u.s.centric.
+1
Level 35
Jun 3, 2017
Is it funny that I have exactly 196 poi- oh wait I'm gonna bring up this discussion again...
+3
Level 30
Nov 28, 2017
Why did neither France or Denmark count?
+2
Level 62
Jun 24, 2021
Why would they? The caveats clearly stated external territories (the Greenland/St. Pierre and Miquelon you’re using) are not included!
+4
Level 61
Mar 5, 2018
First I was wondering why North Korea was listed as closer to the United States than South Korea. But then I remembered: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
+2
Level 49
Apr 2, 2018
Denmark is the closest in Europe due to that Greenland is part of Denmark
+3
Level 75
Apr 2, 2018
See our answer to AJS, above.
+2
Level 48
Jan 22, 2019
Forgot Molossia
+1
Level 65
Aug 22, 2019
I assume it was a close call between guyana/suriname and ecuador/peru?
+1
Level 75
Aug 22, 2019
Guyana misses out by just 10 miles, and Suriname by 278 miles.
+1
Level 50
Dec 22, 2021
See the explanation I gave above! I really drew a right angle triangle to explain it!
+1
Level 64
Oct 15, 2019
I always remember every Oceanian country except Samoa :/
+1
Level 17
Oct 20, 2019
what about denmarks greenland and frances south american exclave? nice quiz though! :)
+1
Level 43
Apr 12, 2022
French Guiana is further than other countries on the South America list (as are Guyana and Suriname).
+2
Level 46
Oct 20, 2019
I thought Norway would have been closer than Spain
+1
Level 36
Oct 20, 2019
Did you count Puerto Rico (USA)?
+2
Level 75
Oct 20, 2019
We didn't; please note the instructions.
+1
Level 15
Oct 20, 2019
yee
+1
Level 61
Oct 23, 2019
how is algeria closer to the us than gambia which is inside senegal?!
+3
Level 75
Oct 23, 2019
Gambia's further away than Senegal because, as you say, it is "inside" Senegal (not strictly true, but we know what you mean). As for Algeria, time for you to get a globe and some string and check it out. Projecting a circular world onto a flat map creates distortions.
+1
Level 63
Apr 23, 2023
Senegal stretches further out than Senegal. Dakar is the westernmost point on Afro-Eurasia.
+2
Level 37
May 6, 2020
I believe the 1% that didn't get Canada forgot it on purpose :|
+1
Level 51
Jul 8, 2020
100%
+1
Level 57
Mar 3, 2021
Didn't get Iceland until the last 20 seconds.. :p
+2
Level 63
Jun 1, 2021
I think that Russia should be on the Europe category because in the Countries Of The World quiz Russia is a part of Europe or you could just make a category that says EurAsia but it might ruin the point of the quiz.
+1
Level 43
Apr 12, 2022
But the European side of Russia is further from USA than the 5 listed European countries, and the Asian side of Russia is literally Alaska's doorstep.
+1
Level 22
Jul 4, 2021
All North American countries are closest to USA but then it would be just like a Countries of North America quiz.
+1
Level 22
Jul 4, 2021
Norway and Finland and Sweden can also be there.
+2
Level 50
Dec 22, 2021
But not in the top 5 list.
+2
Level 63
Apr 23, 2023
No, they can't...
+3
Level 40
Oct 20, 2021
What about French Guyana being closer than some in Europe?
+1
Level 65
Jan 19, 2022
Martinique and Guadeloupe are even closer
+1
Level 61
Mar 1, 2022
Except those aren't in Europe, so they can't qualify France.
+1
Level 44
Mar 2, 2022
If the Azores are accepted for Portugal, then Canary should be accepted for Spain and counted in Africa (even if it might sound strange).
+1
Level 43
Apr 12, 2022
If the Azores declare independence from Portugal.... which continent will the new country be part of? It's on a triple junction.
+2
Level 9
May 9, 2022
Im sorry but Guyana or Suriname is much closer to US than Brasil in south america.
+1
Level 63
Apr 23, 2023
I'm sorry, but you're obviously wrong.
+2
Level 41
Sep 2, 2022
Flat maps make land masses appear stretched so it heavily distorts the position and size of land mass also Suriname and Guyana is on the right of the US whereas Brazil more closer and is under the US.
+1
Level 20
Jan 15, 2023
Missed Nauru :[
+1
Level 60
Feb 19, 2023
26/30 , sorry but the time limits don't give enough time to think.
+2
Level 63
Apr 23, 2023
It does give enough time. You just need to have better spatial reasoning and ability to visualize a map in your head. It seems that most everyone else can do that.
+1
Level 67
Jun 5, 2023
1:58 used
+1
Level 11
Nov 19, 2023
i am from Poland, and i am 28/30