Geography Quiz

Answers to Quiz

1. Reno Nevada is father west than Los Angeles California.

True. Check map.

2. Despite its northerly location, London is usually warmer in the winter than Salt Lake City.

True. Check any climate charts.

3. The Matterhorn is the highest mountain in Switzerland.

False. The highest mountain in Switzerland is Dufourspitze on Monte Rosa.

4. Cuba and Dominican Republic are the two most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean Sea.

True. Americans aren't allowed to go to Cuba, but Europeans flock there in droves.

5. Equatorial Guinea is one of the richest countries in Africa.

True. Check any GDP chart. One word: Oil.

6. Most of Iceland is too cold for trees to grow.

True. Most of Iceland is north of the 50F/10C isotherm.

7. Wild tigers have been known to kill natives in Africa.

False. Wild tigers don't live in Africa, they live in Asia.

8. Statistically, Nicaragua is considered to be the second safest country to travel in the Americas.

True. Many, many sources are available and all of them point this out.

Sources

9. Statistically, Brazil is one of the most dangerous countries to travel in Latin America.

True. Check any crime rate chart/tourist statistics.

10. Ulaanbaatar is the coldest national capital I the world.

True. Check any climate charts from any source.

11. Bermuda is in the tropics.

False. Check map.

12. The Sultan of Brunei is one of the richest people in the world when you include royalty. He lives in an oil rich Muslim country in the Middle East.

False. Brunei is on Borneo, not in the Middle East.

13. The Ural Mountains are one of the highest mountain ranges in Russia.

False. The Ural Mountains are one of the lowest mountain ranges in Russia. Check map.

14. The wettest place in the world is a location on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.

False. The reason why this is perpetuated (especially by Hawaiians) is because the National Geographic Society accepted it as the wettest known place back in the 1970’s using the 1940-1970 rainfall averages for Mount Waialeale. Back in 1970, this was the default location since a disproportionate amount of weather stations were located in places like the United States and Europe, but in the past 40 years many locations have been found that are wetter.

15. Because of its warm, sunny climate and warm ocean waters, coastal Peru is a popular beach destination in South America.

False. Coastal Peru is very cool for a sea level location in the tropics and the ocean is also very cool for a tropical location.

16. Montana has bigger glaciers than Iran.

False. Some of the glaciers in the Alborz Mountains are bigger than any found in Montana.

See some photos taken in the mountains below:

Alum Kuh

17. More of Africa is south of the equator than is north of the equator.

False. Check map.

18. Most of Tibet is covered with permanent snow.

False. Most of Tibet is barren and dry. There is permanent snow at the highest elevation, but along with the Atacama Desert, the snowline there is the highest in the world.

19. Most of Australia is flat.

True. Check map (or go there!).

20. Although they are very near the equator, Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya have the largest glaciers in Africa.

False. The glaciers in the Rwenzori are larger. See below for some photos of some of the mountains:

Stanley

21. Cotopaxi is the highest volcano in the world.

False. Many volcanoes are higher than Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi isn't even the highest volcano in Ecuador, though it is the highest one in Ecuador considered active. At one time, Cotopaxi was considered to be the highest active volcano, but since then several other volcanoes have been found to be both higher and currently more active.

22. The closest US state to Europe is Maine.

False. Alaska is closer (straight over the North Pole to Norway).

23. By average world standards, Mexico is a rich country.

True. Check any GDP chart.

24. Mount Fuji has glaciers.

False. There are no glaciers on Mount Fuji. In Oregon, I've heard people say that Hood is the most climbed glaciated peak next to Mount Fuji, but this is incorrect and could be where some of the confusion lies. Part of it may also stem from the fact that many postcards and photographs of the mountain are taken in winter and spring when the mountain is covered in snow.

25. Timbuktu is in Asia.

False. Timbuktu is in Africa in the country of Mali. Check map.