It’s pop quiz time! Ready to travel the world from the comfort and safety of your home? This quiz will take you to the Sahara Desert and the Arctic Circle, all in 20 questions! If you think you know oceans, rivers, mountains and volcanoes all around the world, get some mental exercise in with this trivia quiz. Ready to challenge your world geography knowledge?
1: The Strait of Gibraltar is known for separating two continents on the border of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar and what country?
Unsplash by Alexander Awerin@awerin
The Strait of Gibraltar lies between Spain and Morocco, although Gibraltar itself is controlled by the UK. It was formed by two separate meteor impacts striking the surface. The strait is about 9 miles wide at its closest point and is the entryway to the Mediterranean Sea.
2: The two largest deserts are located in Antarctica and the Arctic. What continent is the third largest desert located on?
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The third largest desert in the world is, in fact, the Sahara. It is the largest hot desert, but not the largest desert in the world. A desert is defined as a dry and barren landscape with little precipitation and where the living conditions are hostile to life.
3: The crescent-shaped island of Santorini is located in the Aegean Seas and is known for its iconic white cubiform houses with what color roofs?
Unsplash by Heidi Kaden@infinitexplorer
The two principal towns of Santorini, Fira and Oia, cling to the cliff-side above an underwater caldera, where a volcano devastated the island in 16th century BC. Oia is one of the most photographed locations in the world thanks to those iconic houses and enchanting views.
4: The highest mountain in Africa has three dormant volcanic cones. What is the Tanzanian mountain’s name?
Wiki Commons by Chris 73
Mt. Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania, and it is the largest mountain in Africa. It is also the fourth most topographically prominent peak on Earth, and it is the highest freestanding mountain in the world as well.
5: Which continent is located in all four hemispheres?
Wiki Commons by Africa_map_blank.svg: Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting), derivative work: User:Zscout370 (Return fire)
Africa is the only continent that lies in the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western hemispheres. It is also the only continent with land on the prime meridian and the equator.
6: Italy contains two independent countries within its borders. One is San Marino. What is the other country?
Unsplash by CALIN STAN@calinstan
Vatican City is the other country fully surrounded by Italy. Besides these two, there is only one other country in the world surrounded by a single country. The lucky country is Lesotho, landlocked completely by South Africa.
7: What country has more than half of all natural lakes in the world?
Unsplash by Gabriel Perelman@gabrielperelman
On top of having so many lakes, Canada is the second largest country in the world. With so many lakes, Canada ends up having nine percent of its land covered with freshwater.
8: This country is shaped like a boot and is surrounded by four seas. Can you name it?
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The boot-shaped peninsula of Italy is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
9: The Amazon River is the largest river in the world. What is the longest river in the world?
Wiki Commons by Mohammed khaleefa
The Nile river was widely known to have been the longest river in the world, but a 14-day expedition called everything in to question in the ‘00s. A team of scientists claimed to have mapped an additional 176 miles of the Amazon river, making the Amazon longer than the Nile. While this hasn’t been verified, it did put our knowledge about the world into question.
10: What countries are the Ural mountains located in?
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The Ural mountains run from the coast of the Arctic all the way to the Ural river and the Northwestern corner of Kazakhstan. Its highest point is the peak of Mount Narodnaya at 6,217 ft high above sea level.
11: South Korea is located to the ____ of Japan.
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Japan and Korea are separated by the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea. To the west of Korea is the Yellow Sea.
12: The capital of Canberra is in which island country?
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Australia has a population of over 23 million, but 90% of their population lives on the coasts of Australia. The two most populous cities in Australia are Melbourne and Sydney despite the capital being Canberra.
13: The largest salt lake in the world is Chott el Djerid in southern Tunisia, and the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere is the Great Salt Lake. What US state is the Great Salt Lake located in?
Wiki Commons by Astro_Alex
The Great Salt Lake is located in Utah and is known colloquially as the Dead Sea of America. Its saline content is so high that humans are naturally buoyant.
14: Aurora borealis is the scientific name for the natural phenomena known as the Northern Lights. What is the scientific name for the Southern Lights?
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The best time to view the aurora australis is from March to September, during the Antarctic winter. They aren’t as well known as the aurora borealis because there is less land for people to view them from in the southern hemisphere.
15: What is the name of the world’s deepest lake?
Wiki Commons by Sergey Pesterev
If you thought Loch Ness had secrets buried deep within, Lake Baikal might be your new favorite source of mystery. Lake Baikal is known for its mysterious ice rings forming on its surface. At a depth of 5,315 feet, this lake holds about 20% of the world’s freshwater by itself on top of its many secrets.
16: India is the second largest producer of rice in the world; what is the first?
Unsplash by Sebastian Pena Lambarri@sebaspenalambarri
China produces over a third of the world’s rice, largely due to their large population and rice being a food staple worldwide. While China and India are the largest producers of rice, Thailand is the largest exporter of rice.
17: The deepest lake in the United States is named Crater Lake, formed in the collapsed crater of a volcano named Mount Mazama. What state is it located in?
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Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is fed exclusively by snowmelt and precipitation. Around eight thousand years ago, Native Americans in the area watched the violent eruption cause the peak of Mount Mazama to collapse, forming the lake.
18: There are three agreed on city-states in the world today. What are they?
Wiki Commons by ODEON, CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Ambra75
While city-states were common in ancient times, today there are only three: Monaco, Singapore, and Vatican City. Of these, Singapore is an island, and Vatican City is landlocked completely by Italy.
19: Jeddah Tower is under construction and will be the world’s tallest building when it is completed. What country is it located in?
Wiki Commons by Alejandro vn
Construction started on this tower in 2013, and it was scheduled to complete in 2020, although the COVID-19 pandemic causes delays in construction. It has three distinct spires and will be over one kilometer high when finished.
20: What ocean is the Mariana Trench located in?
Wiki Commons by astrobob
The Mariana Trench is located in the Pacific Ocean, and it is the deepest place on Earth. In fact, it is about 6.8 miles deep, which is about 1/9th of the distance of sea level to the Earth’s core.
