Minnesota Returned
Peace Corps Volunteers
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Minnesota Returned
Peace Corps Volunteers |
The 2002 MNRPCV Geography Quiz is now online!
Put on your thinking caps, and dig in to:
The Great Geography Genius Quiz
2002 Edition
Brought to you by the Minnesota Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
1. GMT and CST: How wide (in degrees of longitude) is each time zone? (5 pts.)
2. Primary Colors: The color combination of red, white, and blue on national flags seems to be the most popular, with more than 10% of the world’s nations choosing flags composed entirely of these three colors. Name two countries on each continent whose national flags contain all the colors red and white and blue – and only red, white, and blue. (2 pts. each)
North America ___________ ____________________
South America ___________ (one only)
Europe _________________ ____________________
Africa __________________ (one only)
Asia ___________________ ___________________
Oceania ________________ ____________________
3. United but not Union: The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) has four member nations, none of which are members of the European Union (EU). Name the four EFTA members. (2 pts. each)
__________________ _________________
__________________ _________________
4. Great Names of the Past: Match the ancient city or civilization listed on the left with the modern nation-state on the right that has jurisdiction over the location. (2 pts. each)
Angkor Cambodia Anuradhapura China Carthage Iran Changan Mexico Inca Niger Kush Pakistan Mohenjo Daro Peru Teotihuacan Sri Lanka Troy Sudan Tunisia Turkey 5. Below Zero: The capital city of which of the following equatorial nations where Peace Corps Volunteers have served lies farthest south? (5 pts.)
ColombiaEcuador
Gabon
Indonesia
Kenya
6. At the Crest: If you could stand on the Walvis Ridge, the Carlsberg Ridge, the Nazca Ridge, or the Reykjanes Ridge, where would you be? (5 pts.)
DesertIce Cap
Mountain
Ocean
7. Slaking Your Thirst: Inside the borders of which country lie one of the top three largest lakes in the world and one of the top three longest river systems in the world? The lake and river system in question may or may not also lie inside one or more other countries. (5 pts.)
Bolivia Russia Brazil Rwanda Canada Uganda Kazakhstan United States 8. State-less Languages: Name the language with a substantial number of native speakers in each of the three countries listed. Each language has at least 10 million speakers total. (3 pts. each)
Iran/Iraq/Turkey ___________________
Andorra/France/Spain ___________________
Cameroon/Niger/Nigeria ___________________
Afghanistan/Iran/Pakistan ___________________
Malawi/Zambia/Zimbabwe ___________________
UNITED NATIONS KNOWLEDGE:
9. How many letters in the alphabet are not the first letter of the official name of any of the UN member nations? (5 pts.) ________
10. How many independent states (countries) belong to the UN? Credit given for being within 10 of the actual number (5 pts.) ________
BONUS: Name the two countries admitted to the UN in 2002 (5 pts. if both correct)
___________________ ___________________
DOMESTIC MATTERS:
11. Honored Animals: Identify the states with the following fauna-related nicknames. (2 pts. each):
Badger State ___________________
Beaver State ___________________
Beehive State ___________________
Coyote State ___________________
Gopher State ___________________
Hawkeye State ___________________
Pelican State ___________________
Razorback State ___________________
Wolverine State ___________________
12. Engineering Achievements: Which state has (3 pts. each) …
the two longest land vehicular tunnels ___________________
the two longest underwater vehicular tunnels ___________________
13. Think Big: True or False? If Alaska were split into two states of equal area, California would then become the third largest state. (2 pts.)
14. Outlying Areas: The U.S. territory includes several areas that are not states. The smallest islands are directly administered by the Dept. of Defense or Interior, but the five largest territories–all of them islands or island groups–each has some form of local government, and four have delegates in the U.S. House. Name the five large such territories (2 pts. each):
Hint: two are in the Caribbean, three are in the Pacific
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
OUT OF THIS WORLD:
15. (3 pts. each)
a. What is the name of the galaxy we live in? _______________________
b. What is the name of the nearest major galaxy? _______________________
16. Which word means "the point in an orbit farthest from the Sun"? (3 pts.)
aphelionapogee
perigee
perihelion
Answers are coming up – don't go there until you just can't stand it any more...
2002 MNRPCV Geography Genius Quiz – Answers
1. 15 degrees
2. NA: Cuba, Panama, US
SA: Chile
EU: Czech Rep., France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, U.K., Yugolsavia
AF: Liberia
AS: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, North Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
OC: Australia, New Zealand, Western Samoa
3. EFTA: The Republic of Iceland, The Principality of Liechtenstein, The Kingdom of Norway, and The Swiss Confederation (Switzerland)
4. Angkor – Cambodia
Anuradhapura – Sri Lanka
Carthage – Tunisia
Changan – China
Inca – Peru
Kush – Sudan
Mohenjo Daro – Pakistan
Teotihuacan –Mexico
Troy – Turkey
5. Indonesia; Jakarta is further south than Bogota, Quito, Libreville, or Nairobi
6. Ocean. Walvis is in South Atlantic, Carlsberg in Indian, Nazca in South Pacific, and Reykjanes in North Atlantic
7. Uganda, with #1 river Nile and #3 lake Victoria. Russia has #5, 6, 10 R. (Yenisey-Angara, Ob-Irtysh, Lena) and #1 and #7 L. (Caspian, Baikal); U.S has #4 R. (Mississippi-Missouri) and #2, 4, 5 L. (Superior, Huron, Michigan); Brazil has #2 R. (Amazon) but no large lakes; China has #3, 7 R. (Chang Jiang/Yangtze, Huang/Yellow) but no large lakes
8. State-less languages:
Kurdish 11+ million; Catalan 10+; Hausa 40+; Pashtu 19+; Nyanja 10+
9. Two, W and X
b 191 is actual (credit for any answer 181-201)
BONUS: Switzerland, Timor-Leste
11. Badger State Wisconsin
Beaver State Oregon
Beehive State Utah
Coyote State South Dakota
Gopher State Minnesota
Hawkeye State Iowa
Pelican State Louisiana
Razorback State Arkansas
Wolverine State Michigan
12. Colorado has two longest land tunnels, both on Interstate 70
New York has two longest underwater, the Brooklyn-Battery and the Holland
13. False. Texas, now the 2nd largest state, would become 3rd. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas.
14. In the Caribbean: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands (St. John, St. Croix, St. Thomas)
In the Pacific: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam
15. a. Milky Way b. Andromeda
16. aphelion
Total possible points: 141
High score by a group ("Kara’s Team") at the MNRPCV Holiday Party on 7 Dec 2002: 107
(Questions 3, 5, 7, 12 were edited slightly from their original form for clarity sake.)
Questions may be directed to JohnNania@aol.com