Geography Quiz

Answer: Philippines. Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, less than 100 km northwest of Manila. Considered dormant and covered in thick rainforest, it erupted in June 1991 after 500 years of inactivity.

Answer: Adriatic. The Adriatic Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea, stretching about 800 km long with an average width of 180 km. The Caspian Sea is a large landlocked body of saltwater in western Asia.

Answer: Peru. Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city perched at 2,430 m altitude in the Peruvian Andes. It was 'rediscovered' by the Western world in 1911. The Incas, of course, knew where it was.

Answer: Maldives. 80% of the Maldives' land area is less than one meter above sea level.

Answer: Nile. The Nile flows through Cairo from south to north before emptying into the Mediterranean via its delta. Cairo, founded in 969 AD, is today Africa's most populous city with over 20 million inhabitants.

Answer: Bering Strait. The Bering Strait separates Russia from Alaska at its narrowest point: about 85 km. The two Diomede Islands — one Russian, one American — lie in the middle and are separated by the International Date Line.

Answer: Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea separates Spain from Morocco, notably at the Strait of Gibraltar. Its name comes from the Latin 'mare mediterraneum': the sea in the middle of the lands.

Answer: The polar circle. Beyond about 66° latitude, the Sun does not set at the summer solstice… and does not rise at the winter solstice. Enough to upset any body clock.

Answer: Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty reserves the white continent for peace and scientific research. Several countries' territorial claims are frozen there… which, given the climate, seems fitting.

Answer: Northern Hemisphere. The reference latitude of St. Lucia is about 13.9° N.

Answer: 12. The 12 countries are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Answer: 10. The countries covered by the Sahara are: Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Mauritania, Libya, Tunisia, Mali, Chad, Egypt, and Sudan.

Answer: Chimborazo. Although Everest is the highest above sea level, Chimborazo in Ecuador (6,268 m) is the farthest point from Earth's center due to the equatorial bulge. Earth is not a perfect sphere.

Answer: Seine. The Seine flows through Paris for about 12 km. It rises in Côte-d'Or at 471 m altitude and flows 775 km to reach the English Channel at Honfleur. Its booksellers have seen many tourists come and go.

Answer: Andes. The Andes stretch about 7,500 km along the western coast of South America, from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego. It is the world's longest mountain range, though the Himalayas are the highest.

Answer: Norway. Norway is crossed by the Arctic Circle (66°33'N), as are Sweden, Finland, and Russia in Europe. Iceland is just below it. Norway offers access to the Northern Lights and the midnight sun.

Answer: Burma (Myanmar). Burma is nicknamed 'the land of golden temples' because of its thousands of gilded pagodas and stupas, notably in Bagan where over 2,000 Buddhist monuments dot the plain.

Answer: About 16. There are about 16: Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Czechia, Hungary, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland and the Vatican, depending on how you count.

Answer: From a very winding river in Turkey, the Maeander. This river of Asia Minor, now called the Büyük Menderes, twisted so much that the ancient Greeks turned its name into a common noun. The word is also used for… tortuous reasoning.

Answer: La Paz. Perched at around 3,600 m, La Paz (Bolivia) is the highest seat of government on the planet (the constitutional capital being Sucre). Visitors often feel 'soroche', altitude sickness, as soon as they step off the plane. Quito sits at about 2,850 m and Bogotá at about 2,640 m.