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Countries with Wild Penguins

In just two minutes, name the 13 countries where penguins still exist in the wild.
Source: www.theworldgeography.com
Species count includes native penguins, as well as those that are rare, accidental or vagrant visitors.
The shaded answer is an overseas territory. Typing either the territory or its owner will work
Quiz by kiwirage
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Last updated: September 5, 2018
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First submittedOctober 11, 2014
Times taken73,305
Average score69.2%
Rating4.89
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Species
Country
11
Australia
10
Chile
7
New Zealand
7
Argentina
5
UK (Falklands)
4
South Africa
4
Brazil
Species
Country
3
Uruguay
2
Ecuador
2
Peru
2
Namibia
1
Angola
1
Mozambique
+70
Level 87
Nov 22, 2015
No Madagascar?
+66
Level 62
Nov 22, 2015
Interestingly, a lone Southern Rockhopper penguin - 1500 miles from home - turned up in Madagascar in January 1956, according to this National Geographic article. That seems to be the sole example, though (other than the DreamWorks cartoon kind, of course).
+166
Level 77
Nov 23, 2015
Kowalski...get me more information...
+102
Level 74
Nov 26, 2015
Just smile and wave boys...
+37
Level 66
Aug 16, 2017
You didn't see anything...... right?!
+5
Level 72
Sep 2, 2021
Sounds like a rare, accidental, vagrant penguin to me. Maybe revise the instructions or something?
+3
Level 47
Oct 8, 2022
all my life i have been lied to
+3
Level 48
Oct 8, 2022
The quiz only includes countries where penguins still live, and it is likely that said penguin that turned up in Madagascar has died already, given 1956 was a good 66 years ago.
+9
Level 74
Nov 25, 2015
Great idea for a quiz!
+3
Level 74
Sep 2, 2021
I still think it's a great idea for a quiz! And I got 'em all this time. I have been schooled in penguins. Or rather, waddled.
+6
Level 61
Dec 1, 2015
Got 8/12, missing most of the south american countries. Aside from Chile and Argentina (and those two countries do get darn close to the antarctic ocean at their very southern ends) I didn't think there were penguins that far north!
+8
Level 75
Jan 21, 2016
The sea on the west coast of South America is really, really cold - must be a current direct from Antarctica - so penguins in Ecuador are plausible (though I only guessed that answer cos I ran out of southern countries to try).
+42
Level 52
Feb 6, 2016
The Galapagos islands are part of Ecuador, and that is where the pinguins are.
+7
Level 40
Apr 25, 2019
There is a species of penguin called the Galapagos Penguin, which coincidentally live on and near the Galapagos Islands, which are part of Ecuador.
+1
Level 27
Mar 30, 2020
The most probable reason to why Ecuador is on there is (as the others said) because of Ecuador's Galapagos Penguin.
+5
Level 75
Sep 2, 2021
It's because the Galapagos Islands have penguins and they're part of Ecuador, so that's why it makes the list.

(in case someone missed the 3 previous explanations)

+3
Level 73
Sep 2, 2021
So you're saying there are pinguins in Ecuador? On the Galapagos Islands?
+6
Level 63
Sep 2, 2021
I have swam with the Penguins at the Galapagos Islands. Only Penguins that live north of the equator!
+2
Level 60
Oct 10, 2022
Wait, why is Ecuador on here again? Can someone explain? /s
+1
Level 37
Sep 13, 2023
Galápagos Islands
+5
Level 82
Jan 12, 2016
How about UK? i.e. Falkland Islands.
+1
Level 62
Jan 15, 2016
Good point - sorry to have missed that out, as they have five species of penguins. Submitted an update.
+15
Level 75
Jan 21, 2016
In that case, also Adélie Land (France - hence Adélie Penguins) and Queen Maud Land (Norway)?
+3
Level 69
Feb 12, 2016
Err...
+10
Level 33
Jun 7, 2021
Those lands fall under the Antarctic treaty, so they don't really count, while kerguelen islands / Crozet islands (France) and Bouvet Island (Norway) does count
+15
Level 75
Jan 21, 2016
OK, Kowalski, another question for you: How do the penguin census takers decide if a penguin is accidental or vagrant? "That one looks like riff-raff, must be a vagrant; this scruffy one over here - clearly present accidentally; but this fine, well mannered immaculately groomed specimen is clearly, well, a non-accidental non-vagrant." Whatever you call those.
+1
Level 63
Feb 10, 2016
If I got this from the source correctly breeding plays a role. Some species seem just to breed elsewhere. That probably makes the difference between native and vagrant penguins. Other than that I'm guessing it's observation or residues left as "evidence". Accidental is probably as easy as finding a single penguin or few penguins somewhere where they have never been seen before which is unlikely as they usually live in larger groups. Maybe they broke out of a zoo like the penguins in the movie Madagascar. That's just what I'm thinking.
+4
Level 88
Sep 29, 2018
Ones who mate anywhere they go, don't care who they do it in front of? Now that sounds like vagrants.
+3
Level 79
Jan 24, 2016
Educational. Thank you.
+1
Level 69
Feb 10, 2016
This is weird, I live in Uruguay. It's pretty small. Yet I've never seen a wild penguin, where are they?
+33
Level 65
Feb 10, 2016
Ironically, I live in the UK which is also pretty small, and I've seen a wild Uruguayan. He's called Luis Suarez.
+22
Level 92
Feb 10, 2016
Please remember to take care in handling and observation of this specimen. Like many wild creatures, he bites. :)
+1
Level 52
Feb 10, 2016
Suarez. The best. After Messi.
+2
Level 65
May 1, 2016
Correction: Suarez. The best smile* After Messi
+1
Level 58
Feb 11, 2016
Given that they are mostly marine animals, it will be in the sea... Anyway, according to Google there was a case in 2011 when 600 dead Magellan pinguins washed up on the Uruguayan shore.
+1
Level 50
Jul 19, 2018
Perhaps there have been some occasional lost ones there
+6
Level 65
Feb 10, 2016
bouvet island has the famous Macaroni Penguin. bouvet island is Norwegian and is placed south south west of South Africa
+2
Level 89
Feb 10, 2016
Well I did a lot better on this quiz than I expected to. Only missed the last three.
+3
Level 51
Feb 10, 2016
I've had the opportunity to go see the wild penguins off robin island in south africa. Very cool experience. :)
+2
Level 71
Sep 2, 2021
In which case you should know that it is Robben Island
+6
Level 60
Sep 2, 2021
Strangely I have never been asked if I could spell a location before they let me visit.
+2
Level 71
Sep 2, 2021
But you would normally know after you have visited
+1
Level 74
Sep 2, 2021
You might be having so much fun you forgot to worry about it. Or English is not your first language, and perhaps you're even transliterating to boot. Personally I've never been asked before or after visiting anywhere to spell it.

"Should" and "normal" are two boring hammers that I normally eschew...and chewing hammers is not remotely scintillating.

+1
Level 73
Feb 10, 2016
I only ended up with 12 and just typed in answers till i got the 13th. I went and double checked your source you listed and they only list 12 countries, and not surprisingly, didn't mention the one I was missing either. I would remove the source as it is not accurate.
+6
Level 65
Feb 13, 2016
France should've been in this list aswell! They have the French oversees territories called 'TAAF' (Terres Atlantiques et Australes Françaises), which includes the Kerguelen for example, where you can find penguïns.
+1
Level 66
Feb 13, 2016
The Falklands got me. But when it is thousands of miles from the main UK, does it count then?
+2
Level 68
Nov 18, 2016
Got them all. But then, I live in NZ, so have seen them around the place. And in Australia.
+1
Level 62
Apr 21, 2017
Can you except South Geogria for the UK as that territory also has penguins.
+1
Level 62
Apr 21, 2017
Georgia I mean.
+2
Level 79
Apr 25, 2019
Yes, the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands also contain wild penguins.
+1
Level 68
Feb 14, 2018
Surprised about Ecuador and Peru!
+3
Level 79
Apr 25, 2019
Haven't you heard of Galapagos penguins?
+1
Level 72
Dec 24, 2020
Yeah but having a hard time visualizing penguins roaming through Machu Picchu.
+1
Level 40
May 29, 2018
I didn't realize that the Galapagos Islands were part of Ecuador. Also I thought there was Madagascar?
+4
Level 55
Mar 13, 2019
And Kergelen?
+1
Level 48
Mar 22, 2019
What about Greenland
+4
Level 68
Apr 25, 2019
Ummm...
+12
Level 88
Apr 25, 2019
Did they do a house swap with polar bears on airbandb?
+1
Level 42
Apr 25, 2019
Actually

1. Greenland is part of the kingdom of Denmark

2. Those are polar bears think of it like this:

Polar bears are up north, and Penguins are down south.

+4
Level 78
Sep 11, 2020
Reminds me of that joke: Q: why don't polar bears eat penguins? A: Because they can't get the wrappers off.
+13
Level 74
Apr 25, 2019
Kerguelen Islands of France are home to millions of penguins. Bouvet Island of Norway also has penguins.
+2
Level 79
Apr 25, 2019
Wow, millions!
+7
Level 74
Apr 25, 2019
Kerguelen and Bouvet were already mentioned in the comments three years ago. If Falklands are included, why not the others?
+1
Level 74
Apr 25, 2019
Then we have Gabon, "accidental or vagrant" jackass penguins aren't that uncommon over there.
+12
Level 47
Apr 25, 2019
Norway is missing. Bouvet Island and Island of Peter 1 are Norwegian islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Bouvet is home to Macaroni penguin and, to a lesser extent, Chinstrap penguin and Adélie penguin. Chinstrap and Adélie visit Peter 1 regularly, as does other types of penguin.
+1
Level 42
Apr 25, 2019
I was surprised there is no Madagascar or Norway because they have islands near Antarctica but I still got the all correct. Anyways, nice quiz
+4
Level 66
Apr 25, 2019
I have a couple questions. 1: Do areas like the Norwegian and French territories in the Antarctic ocean as well as other British territories such as South Georgia or Gough Island have a different status than the Falkland Islands? I'm at a loss as to why they don't make this list. 2: If accidental/vagrant visitors are included, as the caveat suggests, why is Madagascar not amongst the correct answers? OP even provided a source above. Other countries that should be on here include Congo and Gabon, see https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/penguins/African_penguin.html
+2
Level 49
Dec 15, 2019
I decided to do all South America countries for fun and it worked. Lol. I never thought of a random idea that could actually work.
+1
Level 28
Apr 3, 2020
kind of surprised Lesotho isn't there because South Africa is and Lesotho is inside it
+7
Level 70
May 17, 2020
Penguins don’t really travel over land and Lesotho isn’t coastal
+7
Level 71
Sep 2, 2021
Yep. Bearing in mind it is around 550km from Lesotho to the sea and the fact that penguins can't fly, it is one hell of a waddle
+6
Level 74
Sep 2, 2021
One Hell of a Waddle would be a great penguin road trip movie.
+1
Level 78
Oct 8, 2022
They have to get their steps in some way.
+5
Level 70
May 17, 2020
I think France should be here because of reunion and desolation islands
+1
Level 78
Sep 11, 2020
To avoid all arguments (as if), you should exclude overseas territories.
+2
Level 60
Oct 10, 2022
Why not just include them all?
+1
Level 55
Sep 16, 2020
got all of them in the first try
+1
Level 74
Oct 10, 2020
Wait, what about sleet and blizzard?
+7
Level 38
Nov 4, 2020
What about France?

They have at least 4 species of penguins (4 and 3 subspecies of rockhopper penguin) and half the world's king penguins breed on the Crozet Islands (this is excluding Antarctic claims as with the other countries on the list)

+1
Level 56
Nov 28, 2020
Namibia!! Some penguins obviously like a bit of heat...
+2
Level 69
Sep 2, 2021
The Benguela current that runs up Namibia's coast is really cold, it comes directly from Antarctica. The Namibian penguins are on offshore islands and overheating can be a problem. In the days of guano mining the penguins couldn't dig burrows and some died of heat exhaustion.
+3
Level 70
Jan 27, 2021
What about Norway? It has (among others) Bouvet Island, where penguins live.
+1
Level 40
Mar 19, 2021
As hard as it may be to picture penguins in Brazil, I still typed it in third xD
+1
Level 55
May 6, 2021
the Falklands, one of the British Overseas Territories are not part of the UK.
+2
Level 49
Aug 16, 2021
I know there are penguins in the pacific coast of south america, up to ecuador, but i really have a hard time believing uruguay has penguins, and 3 species of them. its just too flat and the waters are too human crowded
+6
Level 65
Sep 2, 2021
Add Norway and France or get rid of UK
+4
Level 72
Sep 2, 2021
Either a) ditch the UK or b) include France and Norway, otherwise the quiz is very inconsistent, since France and Norway both have far more penguins than the UK if you include overseas territories, and none of them have wild penguins at all if you don't.
+1
Level 32
Sep 2, 2021
only got the 7 south americans and south africa
+1
Level 65
Sep 2, 2021
How many species in Antarctica? It would be nice to have that included as a pre-filled answer.
+1
Level 59
Sep 2, 2021
There are 2
+1
Level 57
Feb 3, 2022
I'm pretty sure there's also penguins in Kerguelen and other southern french territories.
+1
Level 22
May 18, 2022
penguins are my favourite animal and finished it with 18 seconds left. phew!
+2
Level 74
Oct 8, 2022
I think there are Penguins in the US. We can find some in the state of Pennsylvania sliding on ice rinks. Sydney Crosby being a famous one. Mario Lemieux is another albeit older one. There is a Russian species called the Malkin Penguin.
+1
Level 65
Oct 9, 2022
omg the best

love love love to learn new things

I remember macaroni penguins from my son's report one year

and the penguins in the streets in South Africa on Netflix

+1
Level 78
Oct 10, 2022
The random fact that showed up for this was: "Interesting Facts #529 Penguins only live in the Southern Hemisphere...."
+1
Level 54
Jan 25, 2023
What about France (Kerguelen Islands)? Or the Norwegian islands in the Southern hemisphere?
+1
Level 61
Feb 12, 2023
There are penguins on Bouvetøya (Norway) and the Îles Crozet (France). If the UK is to be included, these should be too.
+1
Level 59
Feb 21, 2023
A lot of countries own a slice of Antarctica . . .

However, we may not have information to prove how many penguins are in each slice of Antarctica.

Still, many other overseas territories should be included.

+1
Level 67
Jul 8, 2023
Those "slices" of Antarctica aren't recognized as owned by these countries most of the time.
+1
Level 51
Apr 19, 2023
I had just one coutry missing, so I went for the strategy of "which imperialistic country would have lands they have no business having?". Got everything right first try...
+1
Level 37
Sep 13, 2023
If you're wondering why Australia has 11 species but at the same time really only one species (little penguins, also called fairy penguins or blue penguins, the smallest penguin species in the world and is found in Australia and New Zealand, in fact there is a penguin colony at Manly Beach in Sydney), it's because Australia owns the Heard and MacDonald Islands, Macquarie Island and a lot of Antarctica.