Geography Potpourri

40 questions · Answers revealed below each question · Print this set

1.Which canal connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas?
- A. Rideau Canal
- B. Suez Canal
- C. Kiel Canal
- D. Corinth Canal
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Suez Canal
Did you know? The Suez Canal opened in 1869 in Egypt.
2.Which canal linked the Hudson River to the Great Lakes?
- A. Kiel Canal
- B. Panama Canal
- C. Erie Canal
- D. Suez Canal
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Erie Canal
Did you know? The Erie Canal opened in 1825 in New York State.
3.Which canal links the North Sea and the Baltic Sea?
- A. Suez Canal
- B. Kiel Canal
- C. Panama Canal
- D. Rideau Canal
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Kiel Canal
Did you know? The Kiel Canal is in northern Germany.
4.Which country is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and has a land border only with Spain?
- A. Ireland
- B. Portugal
- C. Morocco
- D. Andorra
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Portugal
Did you know? Portugal occupies the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula.
5.Which country has the only national flag that is not rectangular or square?
- A. Vatican City
- B. Switzerland
- C. Nepal
- D. Bhutan
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Nepal
Did you know? Nepal's flag is made of two stacked triangles.
6.Which South American country is named after the Italian city of Venice?
- A. Venezuela
- B. Argentina
- C. Uruguay
- D. Colombia
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Venezuela
Did you know? Early explorers saw stilt houses that reminded them of Venice.
7.Which country is called the "Land of the Rising Sun"?
- A. South Korea
- B. China
- C. Thailand
- D. Japan
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Japan
Did you know? The name comes from Japan's position east of the Asian mainland.
8.Which is the largest country located entirely in Europe?
- A. Ukraine
- B. France
- C. Germany
- D. Spain
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Ukraine
Did you know? Ukraine covers about 603,000 square kilometres.
9.What is the deepest river gorge in the world?
- A. The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon
- B. Fish River Canyon
- C. The Grand Canyon
- D. Colca Canyon
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The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon
Did you know? The Tsangpo canyon twists through Tibet.
10.What is the periodic Pacific warming called that affects weather worldwide?
- A. Santa Ana
- B. La Niña
- C. El Niño
- D. El Toro
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El Niño
Did you know? El Niño years bring floods and droughts far from the Pacific.
11.What is the largest tropical wetland in the world?
- A. The Amazon floodplain
- B. The Everglades
- C. The Pantanal
- D. The Okavango Delta
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The Pantanal
Did you know? The Pantanal spreads across Brazil and Bolivia.
12.Which country is called the "Land of the Thunder Dragon"?
- A. Mongolia
- B. Bhutan
- C. Nepal
- D. Tibet
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Bhutan
Did you know? "Druk Yul", Bhutan's local name, means Land of the Thunder Dragon.
13.Which strait links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman?
- A. Bering Strait
- B. Palk Strait
- C. Strait of Gibraltar
- D. Strait of Hormuz
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Strait of Hormuz
Did you know? Much of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
14.Which country is nicknamed "the Hexagon" for its shape?
- A. Romania
- B. France
- C. Spain
- D. Poland
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France
Did you know? French people commonly call mainland France "l'Hexagone".
15.Which cold current runs along Peru's coast?
- A. The Humboldt Current
- B. The Kuroshio
- C. The Gulf Stream
- D. The Brazil Current
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The Humboldt Current
Did you know? The Humboldt carries cold, nutrient-rich water.
16.Which canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans?
- A. Panama Canal
- B. Erie Canal
- C. Suez Canal
- D. Kiel Canal
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Panama Canal
Did you know? The Panama Canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama.
17.What is the opposite, cooling phase of El Niño called?
- A. El Dorado
- B. Polar Vortex
- C. La Niña
- D. El Niño
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La Niña
Did you know? La Niña strengthens Pacific trade winds.
18.Which strait lies between South America and Antarctica?
- A. Drake Passage
- B. Strait of Malacca
- C. Strait of Gibraltar
- D. Strait of Hormuz
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Drake Passage
Did you know? The Drake Passage is famous for rough seas.
19.Which is the largest country of the Caribbean?
- A. Jamaica
- B. Cuba
- C. Haiti
- D. Dominican Republic
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Cuba
Did you know? Cuba stretches about 1,200 km from end to end.
20.Which strait separates Australia from Tasmania?
- A. Bass Strait
- B. Taiwan Strait
- C. Bosporus
- D. Strait of Magellan
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Bass Strait
Did you know? Bass Strait is named after explorer George Bass.
21.What is the largest glacier of Europe?
- A. Jostedalsbreen
- B. Pasterze
- C. Vatnajökull
- D. Aletsch Glacier
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Vatnajökull
Did you know? Vatnajökull covers much of Iceland.
22.Which strait connects the Atlantic to the Mediterranean?
- A. Drake Passage
- B. Strait of Magellan
- C. Bering Strait
- D. Strait of Gibraltar
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Strait of Gibraltar
Did you know? Gibraltar and Morocco face each other across the strait.
23.Which canal links Ottawa to Kingston in Canada?
- A. Rideau Canal
- B. Panama Canal
- C. Erie Canal
- D. Corinth Canal
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Rideau Canal
Did you know? The Rideau Canal becomes the world's largest skating rink in winter.
24.Which is the world's largest archipelago?
- A. The Japanese Archipelago
- B. The Malay Archipelago
- C. The Caribbean islands
- D. The Philippine islands
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The Malay Archipelago
Did you know? The Malay Archipelago sits between Asia and Australia.
25.Which country is known as the "Land of the Maple Leaf"?
- A. United States
- B. Switzerland
- C. Sweden
- D. Canada
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Canada
Did you know? The maple leaf appears at the center of Canada's flag.
26.Which country flies the oldest national flag still in use?
- A. Denmark
- B. Sweden
- C. Japan
- D. United Kingdom
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Denmark
Did you know? The Danish flag "Dannebrog" dates by legend to 1219.
27.Which region is traditionally called the "Roof of the World"?
- A. Switzerland
- B. Nepal
- C. Tibet
- D. Mongolia
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Tibet
Did you know? The Tibetan Plateau is the world's highest large plateau.
28.Which country is made up of about 7,600 islands?
- A. Philippines
- B. Greece
- C. Iceland
- D. Cuba
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Philippines
Did you know? The Philippines has roughly 7,600 islands.
29.Which is the driest inhabited continent?
- A. Africa
- B. South America
- C. Australia
- D. Asia
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Australia
Did you know? Over a third of Australia is desert.
30.Which strait lies between India and Sri Lanka?
- A. Strait of Magellan
- B. Strait of Malacca
- C. Palk Strait
- D. Mozambique Channel
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Palk Strait
Did you know? The Palk Strait is named after a British governor.
31.Which country is known as the "Land of Smiles"?
- A. India
- B. Indonesia
- C. Mexico
- D. Thailand
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Thailand
Did you know? Thailand's tourism campaigns popularized the nickname.
32.Which ocean current warms Western Europe?
- A. The Humboldt Current
- B. The Gulf Stream
- C. The Canary Current
- D. The Benguela Current
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The Gulf Stream
Did you know? The Gulf Stream keeps ports like Bergen ice-free.
33.Which is the highest capital city of Africa?
- A. Addis Ababa
- B. Kigali
- C. Nairobi
- D. Asmara
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Addis Ababa
Did you know? Addis Ababa lies about 2,355 m above sea level.
34.Which strait separates Asia from North America?
- A. Strait of Magellan
- B. Bering Strait
- C. Denmark Strait
- D. Strait of Hormuz
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Bering Strait
Did you know? The Bering Strait lies between Russia and Alaska.
35.Which strait runs through Istanbul, dividing Europe from Asia?
- A. Palk Strait
- B. Bass Strait
- C. Bosporus
- D. Strait of Malacca
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Bosporus
Did you know? The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
36.Which Brazilian beach is often listed as the world's longest?
- A. Ipanema
- B. Praia do Cassino
- C. Jericoacoara
- D. Copacabana
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Praia do Cassino
Did you know? Praia do Cassino stretches over 200 km in Rio Grande do Sul.
37.Which is Africa's largest country by area?
- A. Sudan
- B. Democratic Republic of the Congo
- C. Algeria
- D. Libya
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Algeria
Did you know? Algeria became Africa's largest country after South Sudan split from Sudan.
38.Which canal cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece?
- A. Panama Canal
- B. Corinth Canal
- C. Suez Canal
- D. Erie Canal
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Corinth Canal
Did you know? The Corinth Canal is only about 6 km long.
39.Which African country is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills"?
- A. Uganda
- B. Rwanda
- C. Ethiopia
- D. Kenya
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Rwanda
Did you know? Rwanda's landscape is famous for its rolling green hills.
40.Which country is called the "Land of Fire and Ice"?
- A. Iceland
- B. Japan
- C. Norway
- D. Greenland
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Iceland
Did you know? Iceland has both volcanoes and huge glaciers.

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