General Knowledge
A Comprehensive Reference Guide
Page Topic
2 World Geography
3 Science & Nature
4 History & Civilizations
5 Space & Astronomy
6 Art, Culture & Literature
7 Technology & Inventions
8 Human Body & Health
9 Economy & World Organizations
10 General Quiz — 20 Q&A
This guide covers major topics tested in competitive examinations, general awareness tests, and trivia quizzes.
World Geography
Continents of the World
Earth has 7 continents: Asia (largest), Africa (2nd largest), North America, South America, Antarctica,
Europe, and Australia/Oceania (smallest). Asia covers about 44.6 million km² and is home to more than
60% of the world's population.
Continent Area (km²) Countries Largest Country
Asia 44,614,000 49 Russia (partly)
Africa 30,365,000 54 Algeria
North America 24,709,000 23 Canada
South America 17,840,000 12 Brazil
Antarctica 13,720,000 0 (permanent) —
Europe 10,530,000 44 Russia (partly)
Australia/Oceania 8,526,000 14 Australia
Key Geographic Facts
• Longest River: Nile (Africa) — approx. 6,650 km
• Highest Mountain: Mount Everest (Nepal/China) — 8,849 m
• Largest Ocean: Pacific Ocean — covers ~165 million km²
• Deepest Point: Mariana Trench (Pacific) — ~11,034 m
• Largest Desert: Sahara (hot desert); Antarctica (cold desert)
• Largest Freshwater Lake: Lake Superior (North America)
• Largest Country by Area: Russia — 17.1 million km²
• Most Populous Country: India (surpassed China in 2023)
Science & Nature
Fundamental Forces of Nature
Force Range Carrier Particle Role
Gravitational Infinite Graviton (theoretical) Holds planets, stars, galaxies
Electromagnetic Infinite Photon Light, electricity, magnetism
Weak Nuclear Very short W & Z bosons Radioactive decay
Strong Nuclear Very short Gluon Holds atomic nuclei together
The Periodic Table Highlights
The periodic table organises 118 confirmed elements by atomic number. Key milestones: Hydrogen
(lightest element, #1), Carbon (#6, basis of life), Gold (#79, symbol Au), Uranium (#92, heaviest
naturally occurring element). The table was first published by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869.
Laws of Physics — Quick Reference
• Newton's 1st Law: An object remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by an external
force.
• Newton's 2nd Law: F = ma (Force = mass × acceleration).
• Newton's 3rd Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
• Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
• Einstein's E = mc²: Mass and energy are interconvertible; c is the speed of light (~3×10■ m/s).
• Ohm's Law: V = IR (Voltage = Current × Resistance).
History & Civilizations
Ancient Civilizations
Civilization Period Region Key Contribution
Mesopotamia ~3500–500 BCE Iraq/Syria Cuneiform writing, wheel, code of Hammurabi
Ancient Egypt ~3100–332 BCE Northeast Africa Hieroglyphics, pyramids, papyrus
Indus Valley ~2600–1900 BCE India/Pakistan Urban planning, sanitation systems
Ancient Greece ~800–146 BCE Southern Europe Democracy, philosophy, Olympics
Roman Empire 27 BCE–476 CE Europe/N. Africa Law, engineering, Latin language
Ancient China ~2100–221 BCE East Asia Paper, printing, silk, gunpowder
Key Events in Modern History
Year Event
1776 American Declaration of Independence signed on July 4.
1789 French Revolution begins; Declaration of the Rights of Man proclaimed.
1859 Darwin publishes 'On the Origin of Species'.
1914–18 World War I — over 17 million deaths.
1939–45 World War II — deadliest conflict in history (~70–85 million casualties).
1945 United Nations founded; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
1969 Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong becomes first human on the Moon (July 20).
1991 Dissolution of the Soviet Union; Cold War ends.
2001 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
2020 COVID-19 declared a global pandemic by WHO.
Space & Astronomy
Our Solar System
Planet Type Moons Distance from Sun (AU)Notable Fact
Mercury Terrestrial 0 0.39 Closest to Sun; no atmosphere
Venus Terrestrial 0 0.72 Hottest planet (~465°C)
Earth Terrestrial 1 1.00 Only known planet with life
Mars Terrestrial 2 1.52 Home of Olympus Mons (tallest volcano)
Jupiter Gas Giant 95 5.20 Largest planet; Great Red Spot storm
Saturn Gas Giant 146 9.58 Iconic ring system; least dense planet
Uranus Ice Giant 28 19.2 Rotates on its side (98° tilt)
Neptune Ice Giant 16 30.1 Strongest winds in solar system
Key Space Facts
• The Sun accounts for ~99.86% of the total mass of the solar system.
• Light from the Sun takes approximately 8 minutes 20 seconds to reach Earth.
• The Milky Way galaxy contains an estimated 100–400 billion stars.
• The observable universe is about 93 billion light-years in diameter.
• A Black Hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing—including light—can
escape.
• The Big Bang is estimated to have occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago.
• The James Webb Space Telescope (launched Dec 2021) can observe galaxies over 13 billion
light-years away.
• Voyager 1 (launched 1977) is the most distant human-made object, now in interstellar space.
Art, Culture & Literature
Famous Works of Art
Work Artist Year Location
Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci ~1503–19 Louvre, Paris
The Starry Night Vincent van Gogh 1889 MoMA, New York
The Last Supper Leonardo da Vinci ~1495–98 Milan, Italy
The Creation of Adam Michelangelo ~1508–12 Sistine Chapel, Rome
Guernica Pablo Picasso 1937 Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid
Girl with a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer ~1665 Mauritshuis, The Hague
The Persistence of Memory Salvador Dalí 1931 MoMA, New York
Literary Classics & Their Authors
Title Author Year Country
Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes 1605 Spain
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 1813 England
War and Peace Leo Tolstoy 1869 Russia
One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel García Márquez 1967 Colombia
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee 1960 USA
1984 George Orwell 1949 England
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald 1925 USA
Technology & Inventions
Landmark Inventions
Invention Inventor Year Impact
Printing Press Johannes Gutenberg ~1440 Mass literacy & information spread
Steam Engine James Watt (improved) 1769 Industrial Revolution
Telephone Alexander Graham Bell 1876 Global communication
Light Bulb Thomas Edison 1879 Extended productive hours
Airplane Wright Brothers 1903 Global travel & trade
Penicillin Alexander Fleming 1928 Antibiotic medicine revolution
World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee 1989 Internet as we know it
Smartphone Apple (iPhone) 2007 Mobile computing era
Modern Technology Milestones
• 1969 — ARPANET (precursor to the internet) first operational.
• 1971 — Intel releases the first commercial microprocessor (Intel 4004).
• 1983 — The internet's TCP/IP protocol standardised; modern internet born.
• 1997 — IBM's Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
• 2004 — Facebook founded; social media era begins.
• 2016 — AlphaGo (DeepMind) defeats world Go champion, a landmark in AI.
• 2022 — ChatGPT launched, sparking mainstream AI adoption.
• 2023 — CRISPR gene editing used in first approved human therapy.
Human Body & Health
Key Body Systems
System Function Key Organs
Circulatory Transports blood, oxygen, nutrients Heart, arteries, veins, capillaries
Respiratory Gas exchange (O2/CO2) Lungs, trachea, bronchi, diaphragm
Digestive Breaks down food; absorbs nutrients Stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas
Nervous Controls body functions & responses Brain, spinal cord, nerves
Skeletal Support, protection, movement 206 bones, cartilage, ligaments
Muscular Movement & posture ~600 muscles (skeletal, cardiac, smooth)
Immune Defends against pathogens White blood cells, lymph nodes, spleen
Endocrine Hormonal regulation Pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas
Notable Health & Biology Facts
• The human brain has approximately 86 billion neurons.
• An adult human body contains about 37 trillion cells.
• Blood makes up approximately 7–8% of total body weight.
• The human heart beats about 100,000 times per day (~35 million per year).
• DNA in a single human cell, if stretched, would be about 2 metres long.
• The liver is the largest internal organ and performs over 500 functions.
• The small intestine is approximately 6–7 metres long, absorbing most nutrients.
• Normal human body temperature is ~37°C (98.6°F); fever starts above 38°C.
Economy & World Organizations
Major World Organizations
Organization Founded HQ Purpose
United Nations (UN) 1945 New York, USA International peace & cooperation
World Health Org. (WHO) 1948 Geneva, Switzerland Global public health
World Bank 1944 Washington DC, USA Economic development loans
IMF 1944 Washington DC, USA Monetary stability & trade
WTO 1995 Geneva, Switzerland International trade rules
NATO 1949 Brussels, Belgium Collective defence alliance
ASEAN 1967 Jakarta, Indonesia SE Asian economic cooperation
African Union (AU) 2002 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Pan-African unity
G20 1999 Rotating Major economies policy forum
Top Economies by GDP (2024 estimates)
Rank Country GDP (USD Trillion)
1 United States ~27.4
2 China ~17.7
3 Germany ~4.4
4 Japan ~4.2
5 India ~3.7
6 United Kingdom ~3.1
7 France ~3.0
General Quiz — 20 Questions & Answers
Q1. What is the capital of Australia?
A: Canberra (not Sydney or Melbourne)
Q2. Which element has the chemical symbol 'Fe'?
A: Iron (from Latin 'Ferrum')
Q3. Who wrote 'Hamlet'?
A: William Shakespeare (~1600–1601)
Q4. How many bones are in the adult human body?
A: 206 bones
Q5. What is the speed of light in a vacuum?
A: ~299,792,458 m/s (approximately 3×10■ m/s)
Q6. Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
A: Mars
Q7. In what year did World War II end?
A: 1945 (V-E Day: May 8; V-J Day: September 2)
Q8. What is the powerhouse of the cell?
A: The Mitochondria
Q9. Which country is the largest by land area?
A: Russia (~17.1 million km²)
Q10. Who developed the theory of general relativity?
A: Albert Einstein (1915)
Q11. What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?
A: Diamond
Q12. How many continents does Earth have?
A: 7 continents
Q13. What year was the United Nations founded?
A: 1945
Q14. Which ocean is the largest?
A: The Pacific Ocean
Q15. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
A: Leonardo da Vinci
Q16. What is the chemical formula of water?
A: H■O (2 hydrogen, 1 oxygen)
Q17. In which country were the first modern Olympics held (1896)?
A: Greece (Athens)
Q18. What is the smallest planet in our solar system?
A: Mercury
Q19. Who invented the telephone?
A: Alexander Graham Bell (1876)
Q20. What language has the most native speakers in the world?
A: Mandarin Chinese (~920 million native speakers)
End of General Knowledge Guide — Keep learning, keep growing!