On your mark, get set, GEO! Take the current events geography challenge! - Special Report

Current Events, March 14, 2003

Are you hot stuff when it comes to geography? A master of the mountains? A star of the seas? Probably not. Study after study has shown that U.S. kids are lost in the world of geography. Here's your chance to prove that research wrong. Current Events scoured the globe in search of questions that will put your worldly knowledge to the ultimate test. Do you think you can navigate your way through it? Get started!

Here's Your First Question:

1 What is the tallest mountain in North America?

a) Pico de Orizaba in Mexico

b) Mount Rainier in Washington

c) Mount Logan in Canada

d) Mount McKinley in Alaska

2 What is the smallest country in the world and on which continent is it located?

a) Swaziland, Africa

b) Liechtenstein, Europe

c) Vatican City, Europe

d) Lebanon, Asia

3 This is the flag of which country?

a) Italy

b) Japan

c) Egypt

d) Mexico

4 Which of these coupes does not lie along the equator?

a) Brazil

b) Kenya

c) Argentina

d) Indonesia

5 Put these oceans in order from biggest to smallest, with 1 indicating the biggest and 4 the smallest.

-- Atlantic

-- Arctic

-- Pacific

-- Indian

6 Which group uses the euro as its currency?

a) United Nations

b) League of Arab Nations

c) European Union

d) World Trade Organization

7 What is the name of the island in the Pacific Ocean that is home to hundreds of mysterious statues?

a) Papua New Guinea

b) Easter Island

c) Okinawa

d) Taiwan

8 What is the name of this building and where is it located?

a) Sydney Opera House, Australia

b) St. Basil's Cathedral, Russia

c) Vatican, Vatican City

d) Taj Mahal, India

9 Put these countries in order from most populous to least populous, with 1 indicating the country with the largest population and 4 indicating the country with the smallest population.

-- India

-- United States

-- China

-- Indonesia

10 Which type of landform is shown at the center of this satellite photo?

a) island

b) cape

c) isthmus

d) peninsula

11 Mecca, a holy city and pilgrimage destination for Muslims, is located in which modern country?

a) Saudi Arabia

b) Israel

c) Iran

d) Iraq

12 The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, is located off the coast of which country?

a) Peru

b) South Africa

c) Norway

d) Australia

13 Look at this map of the Middle East. Some of the countries and bodies of water are labeled with numerals or letters. Fill in the spaces below by matching each numeral or letter with the country or body of water it represents.

-- Iran

-- Iraq

-- Afghanistan

-- Kuwait

-- Saudi Arabia

-- Mediterranean Sea

-- Persian Gulf

-- Arabian Sea

14 What is the largest desert in the world and on which continent is it located?

a) Sahara Desert, Africa

b) Gobi Desert, Asia

c) Kalahari Desert, Africa

d) Mojave Desert, North America

15 What is an estuary?

a) the area where a river meets a sea or an ocean

b) the beginning of a river

c) a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water

d) low, watery land formed at the mouth of a river

16 Africa is home to how many independent countries?

a) 37

b) 46

c) 53

d) 64

17 Where was the ancient Maya civilization located?

a) Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador

b) Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

c) Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia

d) Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile

18 The current population of the United States falls within which range?

a) between 50 million and 100 million people

b) between 250 million and 300 million people

c) between 550 million and 600 million people

d) between 1 billion and 2 billion people

ANSWERS

1 What is the tallest mountain in North America?

d) Mount McKinley. Mount McKinley isn't just the tallest mountain in North America; it's also one of the coldest. Parts of the Alaskan mountain that are 14,500 feet high can get as cold as -95 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine how chilly Mount McKinley's highest point gets--it's 20,320 feet tall! Nearly 1,000 people attempt to climb Mount McKinley each year, but only about half make it. Though it is named after former president William McKinley, some Alaskans call it Denali, a native word meaning "high one."

2 What is the smallest country in the world and on which continent is it located?

c) Vatican City, Europe. If you ever drive through Vatican City, be careful not to shut your eyes. If you blink, you might miss the tiny nation! Also called the Holy See, Vatican City is only 108.7 acres--less than 0.2 of a square mile! It is located in Rome, Italy, and is the headquarters for the Roman Catholic Church. The pope is the country's absolute ruler. Vatican City became a country in 1929.

3 This is the flag of which country?.

d) Mexico

4 Which of these countries does not lie along the equator?

c) Argentina. Argentina lies south of the equator.

5 Put these oceans in order from biggest to smallest, with 1 indicating the biggest and 4 the smallest.

(2,4,1,3). When it comes to size, the Pacific Ocean blows the other oceans out of the water. It's 70 million square miles--that's bigger than the other three oceans combined! The Atlantic Ocean stretches almost 32 million square miles, the Indian Ocean spans about 28 million square miles, and the Arctic Ocean is the smallest, at about 5 million square miles. Together, the oceans cover two-thirds of the Earth.