by John Flinn
In September, a Louisville, Ky., schoolteacher was forced to resign because of “strong parent concerns” that she might be infected with the Ebola virus.
The woman, also a registered nurse, had just come back from doing missionary work in Kenya — which is as close to the Ebola-infected part of Africa as, well, Oslo, Norway. It’s the geographic equivalent of avoiding Anchorage,
Alaska, because of a viral outbreak in Mexico City.
News stories may come and go, but the one sorry constant is America’s collective ignorance and idiocy about the rest of the world.
Excluding you and me, of course.
Which brings us to this year’s geography quiz. As always, it’s not so much a serious test of knowledge as a way to highlight fun facts about physical,
political and cultural geography that we stumbled upon over the past 12 months. Above all, it’s a reminder that our planet is an endlessly fascinating place and well worth getting to know better.
As always, there are no prizes for acing the test — just the quiet satisfaction of knowing your grasp of geography is far better than the parents in Louisville.
The 50 questions:
Spoiler
1. True or false: One reason Canadians weigh less on average than Americans is that they have less gravity up there.
2. What are Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian and Aventine collectively known as?
3. Which U.S. state is closest to Africa?
4. Capt. Arthur Phillip, founder of Sydney, Australia, was so impressed by the virility, confidence and masculinity of the Aborigines on one local beach that he named it after them. What is its name?
5. What weather phenomenon occurs most often in North America, specifically between the hours of 3 and 9 p.m.?
6. What does the word “sahara” mean in Arabic?
7. The statue of King Charles I at Charing Cross, just south of Trafalgar Square in London, has special meaning for motorists in Britain. Why?
8. Twice a day, the St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada — North America’s second-longest river east of the Rockies — reverses course and flows backward for 80 miles from its mouth. What causes this?
9. Name the only U.S. state to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
10. The New Zealand air force’s mascot is the kiwi bird. Why is this unlikely to engender fear and respect among the nation’s enemies?
11. If you were to sail due west from Cape Horn in South America, what land would you strike first?
12. What lies at a latitude of 66° 33’ 44” north?
13. What is the name of the enormous trench that runs for 3,700 miles from Jordan to Mozambique?
14. On which nation’s flag do the words “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) appear 22 times?
15. True or false: The Eisenhower Interstate Highway System requires that 1 mile in every 5 must be straight so it can be used as an airstrip in times of war or other emergencies.
16. What separates South America’s mainland from Tierra del Fuego?
17. Spitzbergen is the largest island in Norway and 36th largest in the world, yet it cannot be seen in whole or in part on many globes. There’s a practical reason for this. What is it?
18. Who, according to the American Alpine Club, has more natural features in the United States named for him than any other person?
19. What European capital was known as Christiania (sometimes spelled Kristiania) from 1624 to 1925?
20. What runs for 120 miles between Port Said and Port Tewfik in Egypt?
21. If you woke up in a strange country and a local told you you were in Suomi, where would you be?
22. Which continent has the highest average elevation?
23. Where is the Great Sandy Desert?
24. Where would you find the Spanish Riding School? (Hint: Not Spain.)
25. Two entities feature dragons on their flags — one a Himalayan kingdom, the other one of the four countries that constitute the United Kingdom. Name them.
26. Of polar bears, penguins and walruses, which two can be seen together in the wild?
27. How many U.S. states have “New” in their name, and which is the only one named for a currently independent nation?
28. Which European nation officially calls itself a Grand Duchy?
29. In which European city would you find the “Beatles-Platz,” a small plaza made to look like a vinyl record, surrounded by statues of the musicians?
30. The Palestinian territory known as the West Bank is on the west bank of what, exactly?
31. Where would you find the island of Zealand?
32. What is the name for the coastal regions of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Turkey?
33. What do they call the warm southerly wind that blows across southern Italy from the Sahara?
34. “Uhuru” is the Swahili word for “freedom.” Where is Uhuru Peak?
35. What is the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in London more commonly known as?
36. Which is farther north: Portland, Ore., or Toronto?
37. Mozambique’s flag depicts something no other national flag does, something Sen.Dianne Feinstein has been trying for years to regulate. What is it?
38. What Mediterranean island is split in two by the Attila Line?
39. When you’re traveling east across the international date line, does the date go forward or backward?
40. Two nations on the South American mainland drive on the left. Name them.
41. Englishman Thomas West, through his baronial title, gave his name to a bay, a river, an Indian tribe and a U.S. state. What was his title?
42. What often-bawdy five-line poetry form takes its name from a town in Ireland?
43. This town’s name is synonymous with tea, it’s the terminus of a narrow-gauged railroad known as the Toy Train and it’s the only population center from which you can see one of the world’s highest mountains. Name it.
44. Over the years, this nation has been known as the Duchy of Brabant, Burgundian Netherlands, Hapsburg Netherlands, Spanish Netherlands, Austrian Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Netherlands. What do we call it now? (Hint: Not the Netherlands or Holland. Different country entirely.)
45. Of the five boroughs of New York — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx and Queens — which is the only one on the North American mainland?
46. The town of Vaduz has no airport, no rail station and only 5,100 people, yet it’s a European capital. What nation is it the capital of?
47. Two rivers in Africa gave their names to a total of four nations. Name the rivers and nations.
48. Of the world’s five oceans — the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern and Arctic — which is smallest?
49. Name the only continent without an active volcano.
50. Which is larger — California or France?
2. What are Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian and Aventine collectively known as?
3. Which U.S. state is closest to Africa?
4. Capt. Arthur Phillip, founder of Sydney, Australia, was so impressed by the virility, confidence and masculinity of the Aborigines on one local beach that he named it after them. What is its name?
5. What weather phenomenon occurs most often in North America, specifically between the hours of 3 and 9 p.m.?
6. What does the word “sahara” mean in Arabic?
7. The statue of King Charles I at Charing Cross, just south of Trafalgar Square in London, has special meaning for motorists in Britain. Why?
8. Twice a day, the St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada — North America’s second-longest river east of the Rockies — reverses course and flows backward for 80 miles from its mouth. What causes this?
9. Name the only U.S. state to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
10. The New Zealand air force’s mascot is the kiwi bird. Why is this unlikely to engender fear and respect among the nation’s enemies?
11. If you were to sail due west from Cape Horn in South America, what land would you strike first?
12. What lies at a latitude of 66° 33’ 44” north?
13. What is the name of the enormous trench that runs for 3,700 miles from Jordan to Mozambique?
14. On which nation’s flag do the words “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) appear 22 times?
15. True or false: The Eisenhower Interstate Highway System requires that 1 mile in every 5 must be straight so it can be used as an airstrip in times of war or other emergencies.
16. What separates South America’s mainland from Tierra del Fuego?
17. Spitzbergen is the largest island in Norway and 36th largest in the world, yet it cannot be seen in whole or in part on many globes. There’s a practical reason for this. What is it?
18. Who, according to the American Alpine Club, has more natural features in the United States named for him than any other person?
19. What European capital was known as Christiania (sometimes spelled Kristiania) from 1624 to 1925?
20. What runs for 120 miles between Port Said and Port Tewfik in Egypt?
21. If you woke up in a strange country and a local told you you were in Suomi, where would you be?
22. Which continent has the highest average elevation?
23. Where is the Great Sandy Desert?
24. Where would you find the Spanish Riding School? (Hint: Not Spain.)
25. Two entities feature dragons on their flags — one a Himalayan kingdom, the other one of the four countries that constitute the United Kingdom. Name them.
26. Of polar bears, penguins and walruses, which two can be seen together in the wild?
27. How many U.S. states have “New” in their name, and which is the only one named for a currently independent nation?
28. Which European nation officially calls itself a Grand Duchy?
29. In which European city would you find the “Beatles-Platz,” a small plaza made to look like a vinyl record, surrounded by statues of the musicians?
30. The Palestinian territory known as the West Bank is on the west bank of what, exactly?
31. Where would you find the island of Zealand?
32. What is the name for the coastal regions of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Turkey?
33. What do they call the warm southerly wind that blows across southern Italy from the Sahara?
34. “Uhuru” is the Swahili word for “freedom.” Where is Uhuru Peak?
35. What is the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in London more commonly known as?
36. Which is farther north: Portland, Ore., or Toronto?
37. Mozambique’s flag depicts something no other national flag does, something Sen.Dianne Feinstein has been trying for years to regulate. What is it?
38. What Mediterranean island is split in two by the Attila Line?
39. When you’re traveling east across the international date line, does the date go forward or backward?
40. Two nations on the South American mainland drive on the left. Name them.
41. Englishman Thomas West, through his baronial title, gave his name to a bay, a river, an Indian tribe and a U.S. state. What was his title?
42. What often-bawdy five-line poetry form takes its name from a town in Ireland?
43. This town’s name is synonymous with tea, it’s the terminus of a narrow-gauged railroad known as the Toy Train and it’s the only population center from which you can see one of the world’s highest mountains. Name it.
44. Over the years, this nation has been known as the Duchy of Brabant, Burgundian Netherlands, Hapsburg Netherlands, Spanish Netherlands, Austrian Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Netherlands. What do we call it now? (Hint: Not the Netherlands or Holland. Different country entirely.)
45. Of the five boroughs of New York — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx and Queens — which is the only one on the North American mainland?
46. The town of Vaduz has no airport, no rail station and only 5,100 people, yet it’s a European capital. What nation is it the capital of?
47. Two rivers in Africa gave their names to a total of four nations. Name the rivers and nations.
48. Of the world’s five oceans — the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern and Arctic — which is smallest?
49. Name the only continent without an active volcano.
50. Which is larger — California or France?
The answers:
Spoiler
1. Remarkably, this is true … sort of. Large swaths of Canada, particularly around Hudson Bay, have measurably less gravity than other parts of the globe. It has something to do with convection in the Earth’s mantle and the slow rebound of the crust after being compressed by the Laurentian Ice Sheet 10,000 years ago. The gravitational difference is 0.005 percent, or about 0.1 ounces for an average adult. That leaves about 17 pounds of unexplained weight differential between U.S. and Canadian adult males.
2. The seven hills of Rome.
3. The closest U.S. state to Africa is Maine. (Seriously. Look at a globe. You’ll also notice that Newfoundland is closer to Africa than any U.S. state.)
4. Manly Beach.
5. Tornadoes.
6. “Sahara” means “desert” in Arabic. So, yes: “Sahara Desert” is redundant.
7. It is considered by many to be the “exact center” of London, and so road distances to and from the capital are measured from there.
8. The enormous tides of the Bay of Fundy, into which the St. John empties.
9. California. Los Angeles hosted the Summer Games in 1932 and 1984; Squaw Valley hosted the Winter Games in 1960.
10. Kiwis can’t fly.
11. If you sailed due west (or east) from Cape Horn, at the southernmost tip of South America, you’d go all the way around the globe and arrive back at Cape Horn without touching any other land. That’s why it’s so windy down there.
12. The Arctic Circle.
13. The Great Rift Valley, although the name is falling out of favor with geographers because it encompasses different fault systems.
14. Iran.
15. False. It’s a curiously durable urban legend almost as old as the interstate highway system itself.
16. The Strait of Magellan.
17. Spitzbergen is so far north that it’s covered by the brass cap on the top on many globes.
18. John Muir.
19. Oslo, Norway.
20. The Suez Canal.
21. Finland.
22. Antarctica, at about 6,500 feet.
23. Australia.
24. Vienna.
25. Bhutan and Wales.
26. Polar bears and walruses live in the far north latitudes; the former often tries to eat the latter. Penguins live south of the equator. (And a few live directly on the equator around the Galapagos Islands.)
27. There are four “New” states: New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York. Mexico is the only independent nation.
28. Luxembourg.
29. In Hamburg, Germany, where the Beatles honed their musical chops before hitting it big. Incidentally, there are five statues: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (who played bass for the group at that time and died young of a brain hemorrhage) and a “hybrid” figure of drummers Pete Best and Ringo Starr, who each played drums at times during the Hamburg years.
30. The River Jordan.
31. Zealand is the largest and most populated island in Denmark. Copenhagen is partly located on it. Incidentally, the island did not give its name to New Zealand; that’s named after the Dutch province of Zeeland.
32. The Levant.
33. The sirocco.
34. Uhuru Peak, also called Uhuru Point, is the highest point on 19,341-foot-high Kilimanjaro, the rooftop of Africa.
35. Westminster Abbey.
36. Portland is about 130 miles farther north than Toronto. You should know by now to pick the nonintuitive answer on these.
37. An AK-47 assault rifle.
38. Cyprus. The line delineates the island’s Turkish and Greek sides.
39. Backward.
40. Guyana and Suriname.
41. West was the third and 12th (it’s complicated) Baron De La Warr. It’s pronounced (and today spelled) “Delaware.”
42. The Limerick.
43. Darjeeling, India. The mountain is 28,169-foot Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest summit.
44. Belgium.
45. The Bronx. Manhattan and Staten Island are separate islands, and Brooklyn and Queens are at the southern tip of Long Island. (For the nitpickers: Yes, a tiny Manhattan neighborhood named Marble Hill does sit on the Bronx side of the Harlem River, i.e., on the North American mainland.)
46. Liechtenstein.
47. The Congo River, Africa’s second longest (after the Nile) gave its name to the Congo and the smaller Republic of Congo. The Niger River, Africa’s third longest, gave its name to the nations of Niger and Nigeria.
48. The Arctic Ocean is the world’s smallest. It’s less than one-tenth the size of the Pacific. (And, yes, nitpickers, technically there is only one ocean on the planet, since they’re all connected.)
49. Australia. However, there are two active volcanoes on islands off the continent of Australia but still within Australian territory.
50. France is considerably larger — 247,000 square miles to California’s 164,000 square miles.
2. The seven hills of Rome.
3. The closest U.S. state to Africa is Maine. (Seriously. Look at a globe. You’ll also notice that Newfoundland is closer to Africa than any U.S. state.)
4. Manly Beach.
5. Tornadoes.
6. “Sahara” means “desert” in Arabic. So, yes: “Sahara Desert” is redundant.
7. It is considered by many to be the “exact center” of London, and so road distances to and from the capital are measured from there.
8. The enormous tides of the Bay of Fundy, into which the St. John empties.
9. California. Los Angeles hosted the Summer Games in 1932 and 1984; Squaw Valley hosted the Winter Games in 1960.
10. Kiwis can’t fly.
11. If you sailed due west (or east) from Cape Horn, at the southernmost tip of South America, you’d go all the way around the globe and arrive back at Cape Horn without touching any other land. That’s why it’s so windy down there.
12. The Arctic Circle.
13. The Great Rift Valley, although the name is falling out of favor with geographers because it encompasses different fault systems.
14. Iran.
15. False. It’s a curiously durable urban legend almost as old as the interstate highway system itself.
16. The Strait of Magellan.
17. Spitzbergen is so far north that it’s covered by the brass cap on the top on many globes.
18. John Muir.
19. Oslo, Norway.
20. The Suez Canal.
21. Finland.
22. Antarctica, at about 6,500 feet.
23. Australia.
24. Vienna.
25. Bhutan and Wales.
26. Polar bears and walruses live in the far north latitudes; the former often tries to eat the latter. Penguins live south of the equator. (And a few live directly on the equator around the Galapagos Islands.)
27. There are four “New” states: New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York. Mexico is the only independent nation.
28. Luxembourg.
29. In Hamburg, Germany, where the Beatles honed their musical chops before hitting it big. Incidentally, there are five statues: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (who played bass for the group at that time and died young of a brain hemorrhage) and a “hybrid” figure of drummers Pete Best and Ringo Starr, who each played drums at times during the Hamburg years.
30. The River Jordan.
31. Zealand is the largest and most populated island in Denmark. Copenhagen is partly located on it. Incidentally, the island did not give its name to New Zealand; that’s named after the Dutch province of Zeeland.
32. The Levant.
33. The sirocco.
34. Uhuru Peak, also called Uhuru Point, is the highest point on 19,341-foot-high Kilimanjaro, the rooftop of Africa.
35. Westminster Abbey.
36. Portland is about 130 miles farther north than Toronto. You should know by now to pick the nonintuitive answer on these.
37. An AK-47 assault rifle.
38. Cyprus. The line delineates the island’s Turkish and Greek sides.
39. Backward.
40. Guyana and Suriname.
41. West was the third and 12th (it’s complicated) Baron De La Warr. It’s pronounced (and today spelled) “Delaware.”
42. The Limerick.
43. Darjeeling, India. The mountain is 28,169-foot Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest summit.
44. Belgium.
45. The Bronx. Manhattan and Staten Island are separate islands, and Brooklyn and Queens are at the southern tip of Long Island. (For the nitpickers: Yes, a tiny Manhattan neighborhood named Marble Hill does sit on the Bronx side of the Harlem River, i.e., on the North American mainland.)
46. Liechtenstein.
47. The Congo River, Africa’s second longest (after the Nile) gave its name to the Congo and the smaller Republic of Congo. The Niger River, Africa’s third longest, gave its name to the nations of Niger and Nigeria.
48. The Arctic Ocean is the world’s smallest. It’s less than one-tenth the size of the Pacific. (And, yes, nitpickers, technically there is only one ocean on the planet, since they’re all connected.)
49. Australia. However, there are two active volcanoes on islands off the continent of Australia but still within Australian territory.
50. France is considerably larger — 247,000 square miles to California’s 164,000 square miles.
