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About This Quiz
You don't need to be a world traveler to have a good knowledge of world geography. Whether you are an explorer or an armchair geographer, this quiz will test your skills!
What term is used to describe the single, unbroken land mass that Earth's continents were a part of 200 million years ago?
Chimera
Pangea
The term Pangea (Greek for "all earth") was coined in the early 20th century by geologist Alfred Wegener to describe the contiguous land mass of Earth's continents 200 million years ago.
Latvia
Which of these countries is famous for the free heat provided to residents' homes from geothermal energy?
Iceland
Iceland is famous for the geothermal energy used to heat inhabitants' homes from hot water piped in from hot springs and geysers.
Norway
Denmark
Which of these African countries was ruled under the name Rhodesia as a colony of Great Britain?
Zaire
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe was formerly known as Rhodesia before it gained independence from Great Britain in 1980.
Zambia
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According to biblical evidence, Noah's Ark is thought to have landed on this mountain:
Mt. Everest
Mt. Fuji
Mt. Ararat
Noah's Ark is said to have landed somewhere on Mt. Ararat in Turkey. Searches of the mountain haven't turned up definitive evidence of the ark, though.
In June 1982, Great Britain and what country engaged in a war over the Falkland Islands?
Argentina
Argentina took the Falkland Islands, located off the country's coast, in April 1982. British forces invaded the following June and reclaimed the islands as a British territory.
Australia
Spain
What is the lowest known point on Earth?
the Grand Canyon
the Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean near Guam, is Earth's lowest point at about 36,000 feet (10, 900 m) below sea level.
the Continental Shelf
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What day of the year does the sun never set on the Antarctic Circle?
Mar. 21
Oct. 5
Dec. 22
The sun doesn't set for the entire day of Dec. 22 in the Antarctic, the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.
Which of these groups is believed to have named Asia?
Chinese
Slavs
Greeks
The Greeks named Asia, possibly after the Trojan ruler Asios. The Greeks also named Egypt, which was referred to by its ancient inhabitants as Kemet.
The Bikini Atoll (in the Marshall Island chain) is best known as what?
the site where Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory was inspired
a nuclear weapons proving ground
The Bikini Atoll is known for having served as a nuclear weapons testing site for the United States from 1946 to 1958.
the first island to host a telegraph tower
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What state has the longest coastline?
Alaska
Alaska wins the contest, but Michigan comes in a surprising second with its freshwater coastline.
Florida
Michigan
Where state can claim 1 percent of Yellowstone National Park?
Montana
Utah
Idaho
Yellowstone is almost entirely in Wyoming, but 3 percent of it is in Montana and a 1 percent sliver is in Idaho.
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What country is home to the world's deepest lake, Lake Baikal?
Russia
Russia's Lake Baikal is 5,000 feet deep, with a four-mile-thick layer of sediment at the bottom.
South Africa
Australia
How much of Australia receives so little rain that it's technically classified as desert?
10 percent
70 percent
35 percent
While 70 percent of Australia is considered arid or semi-arid, more than a third of it (35 percent) is classified as actual desert.
What is the circumference of Australia's Uluru (formerly known as Ayer's Rock)?
5.8 miles (9.4 km)
The gigantic sandstone rock is nearly 6 miles round.
2.3 miles (3.7 km)
9.6 miles(15.4 km)
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How many islands does Japan consist of?
Thousands
While there are four main islands in Japan, there are actually thousands of smaller ones surrounding them.
Hundreds
Four
How much of Japan's land is viable for agriculture?
65 percent
25 percent
15 percent
Only about 15 percent of Japan's land can be used for farming.
What two main rivers (along with the third, the Brahmaputra) deposit into the Great Plain of India?
The Indus and Ganges rivers
The Indus and Gagnes rivers deltas make up the Indo-Gangetic Plain of Northern India.
The Nile and Indus
The Ganges and Krishna
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What mountain range forms nearly half the border between British Columbia and Alberta?
The Fraser Mountains
The Rocky Mountains
The Canadian Rockies (including Mount Fraser) stretch nearly 900 miles between BC and Alberta.
The Appalachian Mountains
Who wrote one of the first books about world geography?
Ptolemy
Ptolemy's "Guide to Geography" was written in the 2nd century CE.
Aristotle
Homer
How much of our planet is currently covered by glacial ice?
2 percent
10 percent
10 percent of the Earth is covered with glaciers, ice sheets and ice caps.
25 percent
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What state has the largest area of glaciers in the contiguous US?
Montana
Washington
Washington state has the most glaciers in the lower 48.
Minnesota
What is the most western country in Europe?
Great Britain
Greenland
Iceland
While Greenland is farther west that Iceland, it's actually considered part of the North American continent.
How many countries border Russia?
14
Ready? Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland and Ukraine make 14 countries that border Russia.
12
10
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What tiny country is in the Pyrenees Mountains, between France and Spain?
Luxembourg
Monaco
Andorra
With a 73 mile (118 km) border, Andorra takes up a teeny spot in Europe.
What year did Czechoslovakia split?
1993
On Jan. 1, 1993, Slovakia and the Czech Republic became independent nations.
1995
1988
The Holy See is its own sovereign state. How big is it?
Less than a quarter square mile
At 109 acres, the Holy See is the smallest nation.
2 square miles
4 square miles
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How many overseas territories are claimed by Great Britain?
16
14
Since Australia and New Zealand-associated territories are counted separately, Great Britain has 14 overseas territories.
4
How many countries are part of the British Commonwealth?
18
53
There are 53 members of the Commonwealth, and each can voluntarily withdraw at any time.
6
The Sahara Desert is about the size of which country?
Australia
Canada
Brazil
At roughly 3.3 million sq miles (8.5 km), the Sahara is roughly the size of South America's largest country.
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