Geography quiz for 2011
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:16 am
Geography quiz for 2011
By John Flinn, Special to The SF Chronicle
Maybe we're splitting hairs here, but when Texas Gov. Rick Perry called Juarez "the most dangerous city in America," we felt obliged to point out that Juarez isn't actually in America. It's in Mexico, if you want to get all technical about it.
(And by "America," Perry was clearly referring to the United States, not "the Americas," in his talk last February with reporters.)
In the spirit of bipartisanship, we'll also point out that President Obama's staff recently mixed up Wyoming and Colorado on the press badges for his tour of Western states. Apparently those big, rectangular states all look alike.
Obviously an ignorance of geography is no handicap in American politics. Here's your chance to find out if you know better - our annual Geography Quiz.
It's not a serious test of knowledge, but rather a way to illuminate some fun facts we've stumbled upon, usually in the process of looking up something else. We hope it convinces you that our planet is a pretty darned interesting place, one well worth getting to know better.
There are no prizes for getting them all right, just the warm, quietly smug feeling that comes from realizing you know the globe better than the men who aspire to be leader of the Free World.
1. The reason it's officially called "Great Britain" is because there's also a "Little Britain." Where is Little Britain?
2. In last year's Miss America pageant, Miss Wyoming said her state "touches more than any of the others - but never inappropriately." A funny line, but, alas, not true. Wyoming borders six states, but two others share borders with eight states apiece. Can you name either?
3. The city of Nimes, in the Languedoc region of France, is the originator of a certain kind of fabric that grew to become very popular. What is it?
4. This continent's highest mountain is named for a hero of the American Revolution - who happened to be from Poland. Which continent? Bonus points if you can name the mountain.
5. It's officially known as "The Will Rogers Highway," although hardly anybody calls it that. It's also been called "America's Main Street." What do we know it as?
6. Other than Hawaii and Alaska, which U.S. states are likely to have residents older than the states themselves?
7. What major city's name officially starts with "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de" and ends with "del Rio de Porciuncula"?
8. Which is larger: Great Britain or California?
9. Which is larger: the Sahara desert or the United States?
10. Which is larger: Greenland or Australia?
11. You can get from New Mexico to Missouri by crossing just one state. Which one?
12. They don't call it Abyssinia anymore. What do they call it?
13. They don't call it Rhodesia anymore. What do they call it?
14. They don't call it British Honduras anymore. What do they call it?
15. They don't call it Persia anymore. What do they call it?
16. They don't call it East Pakistan anymore. What do they call it?
17. They don't call it Ceylon anymore. What do they call it?
18. What percentage of the U.S. population lives in the Eastern time zone?
19. You can get from Bulgaria to Iraq by crossing just one country. Which one?
20. Which two seas are connected by the Suez Canal?
21. What is the only U.S. state capital that shares a border with a foreign country?
22. Which continent is Greenland considered part of?
23. We all know (well, most of us, anyway) that Turkey straddles the traditionally accepted border between Asia and Europe. So does Russia. But which nation is partly in Asia and partly in Africa?
24. What motto do state prison inmates stamp onto the license plates they manufacture in New Hampshire?
25. If you want to surround yourself with 101 Dalmatians - the people, not the dogs - which country would you need to visit?
26. What's the only U.S. state named for a Greek island?
27. Three countries give you the choice of sunning yourself on either Mediterranean or Atlantic beaches. Name them.
28. If you were standing on the Khyber Pass, which countries would be on either side of you?
29. If you were standing on the Brenner Pass, which countries would be on either side of you?
30. What is the only state in New England that doesn't have an Atlantic coast?
31. Which two cities sit 5,772 miles apart, at either end of the Trans-Siberian Railway?
32. Which normal-sized European nation (as opposed to micro-states such as Monaco and Liechtenstein) does not belong to the European Union or NATO, and didn't even join the United Nations until 2002?
33. Six countries use the rupee as their currency. How many can you name? We'll spot you India.
34. What is the only country in which you can see cheetahs and penguins in the wild?
35. Twice a day, New Brunswick's St. John River reverses course and flows backward for 80 miles from its mouth. Why?
36. In which modern country is the site of Carthage?
37. What was the British capital of India before New Delhi? (No, not Old Delhi. Nice try.)
38. What is the only continent bisected by both the equator (zero degrees latitude) and the prime meridian (zero degrees longitude)?
39. The Danube River flows through the capitals of four nations, more than any other river. Name them.
40. William Stukeley, an English archaeologist who was a contemporary of Isaac Newton and astronomer Edmund Halley, claimed in 1752 that the Great Wall of China was visible from the moon with the naked eye. Aside from the fact that no one would be in position to check for another 217 years, was he correct? And if so, are any other man-made structures visible from the moon?
41. What is the only African capital named after a U.S. president?
42. There was talk this year of Greece dropping the euro and going back to the drachma. If Portugal, Italy and Spain were to do the same, what would be the names of their new/old currencies?
43. Approximately what percentage of the earth's surface is covered by water?
44. The Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are actually the submerged peaks of a famous mountain range. Which one?
45. The Chinese call this the Chang Jiang. What do we know it as?
46. If you stood perfectly still at the North Pole, after a few minutes you would no longer be standing at the North Pole. Why not?
47. In parts of Great Britain you often see, in addition to the Union Jack, a white flag with a thin red cross, known as St. George's Cross. What does it represent?
48. Which country has more time zones - Russia or China?
49. Which South American lake is known as the Lake of the Clouds?
50. If you rode a ferry 'cross the Mersey, what city would you be in?
ANSWERS BELOW --- NO PEEKING DUCK!
By John Flinn, Special to The SF Chronicle
Maybe we're splitting hairs here, but when Texas Gov. Rick Perry called Juarez "the most dangerous city in America," we felt obliged to point out that Juarez isn't actually in America. It's in Mexico, if you want to get all technical about it.
(And by "America," Perry was clearly referring to the United States, not "the Americas," in his talk last February with reporters.)
In the spirit of bipartisanship, we'll also point out that President Obama's staff recently mixed up Wyoming and Colorado on the press badges for his tour of Western states. Apparently those big, rectangular states all look alike.
Obviously an ignorance of geography is no handicap in American politics. Here's your chance to find out if you know better - our annual Geography Quiz.
It's not a serious test of knowledge, but rather a way to illuminate some fun facts we've stumbled upon, usually in the process of looking up something else. We hope it convinces you that our planet is a pretty darned interesting place, one well worth getting to know better.
There are no prizes for getting them all right, just the warm, quietly smug feeling that comes from realizing you know the globe better than the men who aspire to be leader of the Free World.
1. The reason it's officially called "Great Britain" is because there's also a "Little Britain." Where is Little Britain?
2. In last year's Miss America pageant, Miss Wyoming said her state "touches more than any of the others - but never inappropriately." A funny line, but, alas, not true. Wyoming borders six states, but two others share borders with eight states apiece. Can you name either?
3. The city of Nimes, in the Languedoc region of France, is the originator of a certain kind of fabric that grew to become very popular. What is it?
4. This continent's highest mountain is named for a hero of the American Revolution - who happened to be from Poland. Which continent? Bonus points if you can name the mountain.
5. It's officially known as "The Will Rogers Highway," although hardly anybody calls it that. It's also been called "America's Main Street." What do we know it as?
6. Other than Hawaii and Alaska, which U.S. states are likely to have residents older than the states themselves?
7. What major city's name officially starts with "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de" and ends with "del Rio de Porciuncula"?
8. Which is larger: Great Britain or California?
9. Which is larger: the Sahara desert or the United States?
10. Which is larger: Greenland or Australia?
11. You can get from New Mexico to Missouri by crossing just one state. Which one?
12. They don't call it Abyssinia anymore. What do they call it?
13. They don't call it Rhodesia anymore. What do they call it?
14. They don't call it British Honduras anymore. What do they call it?
15. They don't call it Persia anymore. What do they call it?
16. They don't call it East Pakistan anymore. What do they call it?
17. They don't call it Ceylon anymore. What do they call it?
18. What percentage of the U.S. population lives in the Eastern time zone?
19. You can get from Bulgaria to Iraq by crossing just one country. Which one?
20. Which two seas are connected by the Suez Canal?
21. What is the only U.S. state capital that shares a border with a foreign country?
22. Which continent is Greenland considered part of?
23. We all know (well, most of us, anyway) that Turkey straddles the traditionally accepted border between Asia and Europe. So does Russia. But which nation is partly in Asia and partly in Africa?
24. What motto do state prison inmates stamp onto the license plates they manufacture in New Hampshire?
25. If you want to surround yourself with 101 Dalmatians - the people, not the dogs - which country would you need to visit?
26. What's the only U.S. state named for a Greek island?
27. Three countries give you the choice of sunning yourself on either Mediterranean or Atlantic beaches. Name them.
28. If you were standing on the Khyber Pass, which countries would be on either side of you?
29. If you were standing on the Brenner Pass, which countries would be on either side of you?
30. What is the only state in New England that doesn't have an Atlantic coast?
31. Which two cities sit 5,772 miles apart, at either end of the Trans-Siberian Railway?
32. Which normal-sized European nation (as opposed to micro-states such as Monaco and Liechtenstein) does not belong to the European Union or NATO, and didn't even join the United Nations until 2002?
33. Six countries use the rupee as their currency. How many can you name? We'll spot you India.
34. What is the only country in which you can see cheetahs and penguins in the wild?
35. Twice a day, New Brunswick's St. John River reverses course and flows backward for 80 miles from its mouth. Why?
36. In which modern country is the site of Carthage?
37. What was the British capital of India before New Delhi? (No, not Old Delhi. Nice try.)
38. What is the only continent bisected by both the equator (zero degrees latitude) and the prime meridian (zero degrees longitude)?
39. The Danube River flows through the capitals of four nations, more than any other river. Name them.
40. William Stukeley, an English archaeologist who was a contemporary of Isaac Newton and astronomer Edmund Halley, claimed in 1752 that the Great Wall of China was visible from the moon with the naked eye. Aside from the fact that no one would be in position to check for another 217 years, was he correct? And if so, are any other man-made structures visible from the moon?
41. What is the only African capital named after a U.S. president?
42. There was talk this year of Greece dropping the euro and going back to the drachma. If Portugal, Italy and Spain were to do the same, what would be the names of their new/old currencies?
43. Approximately what percentage of the earth's surface is covered by water?
44. The Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are actually the submerged peaks of a famous mountain range. Which one?
45. The Chinese call this the Chang Jiang. What do we know it as?
46. If you stood perfectly still at the North Pole, after a few minutes you would no longer be standing at the North Pole. Why not?
47. In parts of Great Britain you often see, in addition to the Union Jack, a white flag with a thin red cross, known as St. George's Cross. What does it represent?
48. Which country has more time zones - Russia or China?
49. Which South American lake is known as the Lake of the Clouds?
50. If you rode a ferry 'cross the Mersey, what city would you be in?
ANSWERS BELOW --- NO PEEKING DUCK!