Question

Which country is known as the Land of White Elephants?
a)Korea
b)Japan
c)Thailand
d)Tanzania

Answer 1

Hint:A White Elephant is a rare kind of elephant which is lightish grey to pink in shade. It is not a distinct species but has mythological importance in many South Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

Complete Answer:The white elephants are also known as albino elephants and are not a species in itself. However , these kinds of elephants are given special importance only in the culture of some countries like Myanmar, India etc.
In Myanmar these elephants are considered to be symbols of good fortune and in India they are considered to be possessions of Lord Indra.

Let us look at the options given to us.
A)Korea : Known as the Land of Morning Calm, elephants are seen as symbols of wisdom and prosperity in Korea. However Korea is not a habitat for elephants and the species is not naturally found there . Hence this option is not correct.

B)Japan : Known as the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan has mentions of elephants in its Buddhist literature and iconography but Japan is not known as the Land of White elephants.

C)Thailand : Thailand is known as the Land of White Elephants as here they are considered sacred. These elephants are considered to be a symbol of royal power. Any White elephant found in Thailand is presented to the King. Hence , option (c ) is correct.

D)Tanzania : This option is incorrect too as albino elephant ,which is rare to find, is a rarer occurrence amongst African elephants.

Note:It is important to note that in Thailand , the white elephants are not necessarily albino. However the elephant has to have pale skin. Another fact to note is that Elephants are Thailand’s National Animal. The elephant found here is the Indian Elephant which is a subspecies of the Asian Elephant.