How good is your geography?
Scroll down and put it to the test, because here we reveal the 10 most misidentified landmarks in the world – world famous sites that people mistake for other similar and sometimes more famous buildings.
The ranking is courtesy of travel insurance firm Everything Clear, which asked 2,000 people to identify famous landmarks from around the world using multiple-choice answers, including several similar but incorrect places and a ‘don’t know’ option.
From the results, researchers were able to compile a ranking of the planet’s most misidentified famous landmarks.
The list includes London bridges, palaces in Vienna and ancient buildings Mexico. Many people also got confused about two towers in North America.
Here’s the full rundown of buildings that usually don’t match up – including one confusing pair that aren’t even on the same continent… Do you know them all?
1. LONDON’S TOWER BRIDGE – SAVE FOR LONDON BRIDGE
In a survey, 2,000 people were asked to identify famous landmarks, as part of a study by travel insurance firm AllClear. The results revealed that the 10 landmarks are most confused with other places around the world. Tower Bridge (left), London, was the most commonly misidentified location, with 66 percent of people confusing it with its not-quite-as-big neighbor, London Bridge (right), a 15-minute walk away. It’s an easy mistake to make, not helped by Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie infamously rapping about London Bridge while standing in front of Tower Bridge, in her 2006 music video
2. SAGRADA FAMILIA, BARCELONA, SPAIN – RESERVOIR FOR SAINT MARK’S BASILICA, VENICE
Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia (left) was confused with St. Mark’s Basilica, in Venice, Italy (right) by 62 percent of people surveyed. The two European buildings are both extremely large, although the Spanish church is still unfinished, 140 years after construction began on it
3. SCHONBRUNN PALACE, VIENNA, AUSTRIA – DECORATED FOR THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES, FRANCE
Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna (left) is often referred to as ‘Austria’s Versailles’ because it resembles the Palace of Versailles in France (right). It is perhaps no surprise that 60 percent of the study group confused the former with the latter
4. CN TOWER, TORONTO, CANADA – WEATHER WITH THE SPACE NEEDLE, SEATTLE, USA
The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada (left) is the fourth most misidentified landmark worldwide, with 55 percent of people guessing it was the Space Needle in Seattle (right). Both towers are visually similar, with a slender needle-like design, although the CN Tower is much taller at 553m/1,184ft, compared to the Space Needle, which stands at 184m/603ft.
5. FORBIDDEN CITY, BEIJING, CHINA – SAVE FOR CHANGDEOKGUNG PALACE, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
In Asia, the most misidentified landmark is the Forbidden City in Beijing, China (left), which was mistaken for Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea (right) by 55 percent of those surveyed.
6. PARTHENON, ATHENS, GREECE – PANTHEON, ROME, ITALY
These ancient structures have very similar names – as well as many columns – so it’s not surprising that 51 percent of those surveyed confused the Parthenon (left), in Athens, Greece, with the Pantheon (right), located in Rome have, Italy
7. BRANDENBURG GATE, BERLIN, GERMANY – STORAGE FOR THE ARCH DE TRIOMPHE, PARIS, FRANCE
Probably because of their similar, arch-like appearance, 37 percent of those surveyed confused the Brandenburg Gate (left), located in Berlin, Germany, with the Arc de Triomphe (right), located in Paris, France.
8. SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – RESERVOIR FOR GIBRALTAR ROCK, GIBRALTAR
The only natural landmark in the top 10 most misidentified ranking is Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (left), an impressive peak that rises dramatically above Guanabara Bay. Thirty-seven percent of people mistook it for the Rock of Gibraltar (right), Gibraltar, another distinctive geological landmark, all the way across the Atlantic
9. CHICHEN ITZA, TINUM, MEXICO – MISTAKED FOR THE TEOTIHUACAN PYRAMIDS, SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACAN, MEXICO
Chichen Itza (left) and the Teotihuacan Pyramids (right) are both located in Mexico, as well as Unesco World Heritage Sites, and pyramid-shaped. The result? Thirty-three percent of the people surveyed got them mixed up
10. HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT BUILDING, BUDAPEST – CONFUSED WITH THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON
The Hungarian Parliament building in Budapest (left) and the Palace of Westminster, London (right) are both ornate and located by water – perhaps that’s why 31 percent of the study group confused the former with the latter
