GEOGRQPHY TRIVIA - -PAGE ONE

1. What is the world's largest continent? Asia

2. What is the world's smallest continent? Australia
3. What is the world's largest ocean? Pacific
4. What is the world's longest river? Nile
5. What is the world's largest lake? Caspian Sea
6. What is the world's deepest lake? Baykal (in Asia)
7. What is the world's highest waterfall? Angel Falls (in Venezuela)
8. What is the world's largest desert? Sahara
9. What is the world's lowest continental point? Dead Sea
10. Name the world's five oceans. Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctic, Arctic, Indian
11. Name the earth's seven continents. Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South
American
12. Which continents lie completely in the northern hemisphere? North America, Europe
13. Which continents lie completely in the southern hemisphere? Australia, Antarctica
14. Vast deposits of petroleum - about 8 billion barrels - are one of Texas's most abundant natural resources.
These depositis account for about _______ of the known supply in the United States. (A) ONE-HALF (B)
ONE-THIRD (C) ONE-FIFTH one-third
15. What is the study of the earth and of the ways people who live and work on it called? geography
16. Name the "Five Themes of Geography". location, place, human/environment interaction, movement,
region
17. Imaginary lines that circle the earth parallel to the Equator and measure the distance north and south of
the Equator in degrees, can be called "parallels" or what else? latitude
18. The equator is measured at what degrees? zero
19. The North Pole and the South Pole are measured at how many degrees, (N) north and (S) south? 90
20. The Tropic of Cancer is located at _______. twenty-three and one-half degrees North
21. The Tropic of Capricorn is located at _______. twenty-three and one-half degrees South
22. The lines from pole to pole that measure distance east and west are called merdians or _____ ? longitude
23. Zero degrees longitude is called what? the Prime Meridian
24. Tje lines of latitude and longitude cross one another to form a pattern called what kind of system? grid
25. How many hemispheres are there? Name them. Four: Northern Hemispher, Southern Hemisphere,
Western Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere
26. What people invented the compass? Applying it to navigation about A.D. 1000 Chinese.
27. What early map makers placed north at the bottom of their maps rather than at the top. Marco Polo used
one of these early maps on his journey to the Far East. Arab
28. _____means that a certain measurement on a map represents a certain measurement on the earth's
surface. scale
29. The ____ explains the symbols used on a map. key or legend

30. The ________ _____ shows the cardinal directions or the intermediate directions on a map. compass rose
31. Who was the English instrument maker that created longitude by inventing a clock that could keep
accurate time at sea. John Harrison
32. The physical features of the earth's surface, as shown on maps are called. topography
33. What are the differences in elevation, or heights of landforms in a particular area as shown on maps
called? relief
34. What are the lines that connect all points of land of equal evelvation, as used on maps called? . contour
35. This map shows the boundaries between countries and often smaller divisions, such as states or counties.
It also often shows capitals and cities. What is this type of map called? political
36. What is the shortest possible distance between any two places on the earth's surface called? Great Circle
37. A ____ projection is a way of representing the rounded earth on a flat surface. map

1. How many planets are in our solar system? . 9

2. What is the largest planet in our solar system? Jupiter
3. In size among the planets of our solar system where does the Earth rank? 5th
4. What two planets in our solar systm do not have moons? Mercury & Venus
5. About how many million miles is the earth from the sun? 93 million
6. Earth is the _____ planet from the sun. (A) 5th (B) 3rd (C) 7th (D) 17th 3rd
7. What are the only planets closer to the sun than the earth? Mercury
8. Geographers divide the earth into seven large landmasses called ____. continents
9. About what percentage of the earth's surface is water? (A) 70 (B) 30 (C) 50 (D) 90 70
10. Oceans, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water make up a part of the earth called the _______.
hydrosphere
11. About what percentage of the earth's surface is land? (A) 70 (B) 30 (C) 50 (D) 10 ? 30
12. Land makes up a part of the earth called the _____. lithosphere
13. The atmosphere of the earth extends about _____ miles above the earth. (A) 500 (B) 750 (C) 1000 (D) 20
_ C -1,000
14. About 78 percent of the earth's atmosphere is made up of what? nitrogen
15. The part of the earth where life is found is called the _____. biosphere
16. The inside of the earth is composed of three layers - the core, the ______ and the crust. mantle
17. Folds are bends in layers of rock. Such bends occur when the moving plates squeeze the earth's surface
until it buckles. Another name for these folds are:______ (A) focus (B) fault (C) frewert (D) diasphere faults
18. Earthquakes occur most frequently where different ____ meet one another. (A) plates (B) oceans (C)
mountains (D) continents plates
19. Geologists call the area of earthquake and volcano activity near the Pacific Ocean the _____________.
Ring of Fire
20. The process that breaks down rocks is called _______. (A) weathering (B) erosion (C) glaciers (D)
environmental ruptures . weathering

21. The wearing away of the earth's surface is called ____. (A) weathering (B) erosion (C) glaciers (D)
environmental ruptures. erosion
22. What are large bodies of ice that move across the earth's surface? . glaciers
23. What are the natural features of the earth's land surfaces called? landforms
24. The diameter of the earth at the Equator is about _____ miles. (A) 8,000 (B) 4,000 (C) 2,000 (D) 1,000
8,000 miles
25. What two continents are entirely in the Western Hemisphere? North America & South America
26. What is the largest continent? Asia
27. What is the smallest continent? Australia
28. What is a narrow piece of land that connects two large landmasses called? isthmus
29. What are bodies of dust and frozen gases outside our atmosphere called? They resemble bright balls with
long tails. comets
30. The average height of the earth's land is about ____ feet above sea level. (A) 8,000 (B) 5,300 (C) 2,800
(D) 500 2,800
31. The lowest point on the earth is the shore of the _____ Sea. Dead
32. The lowest point on the earth is _____ feet below sea level. (A) 12,450 (B) 1,312 (C) 7,879 (D) 25,982
1,312
33. The average depth of the earth's oceans is about _____ feet. (A) 35,800 (B) 12,450 (C) 15,800 (D) 5,800
12,450
34. The deepest part of the ocean is the ____Trench. Mariana
35. The deepest part of the ocean is about _____ feet deep. (A) 35,800 (B) 25,800 (C) 15,800 (D) 5,800
35,800
36. The ____ Mountains serve as a natural boundary between Europe and Asia. Ural
37. What are the four major kinds of landforms on earth? mountains, hills, plateaus & plains
38. A ____ is higher than the surrounding land and has at least one steep side, called a cliff. This sometimes
called a tableland. plateau
39. ____ are flat or gently rolling lands. plains
40. What is a piece of land that extends outward from a continent that is almost surrounded by water is
called? peninsula
41. An _____ is any body of land smaller than a continent that is completely surrounded by water. island
42. What is a group of islands called? archipelago
43. What is a shallow area near the coast of a continent called? continental shelf
44. What are underwater mountains with steep sides that rise above the ocean floor are called? seamounts
45. About 70 percent of the earth's surface is water - almost all of it salt water. This large, continuous body of
salt water is generally divided into ______ oceans. four
46. Name the oceans of earth. Pacific, Atlantic, Indian & Arctic
47. The largest ocean on earth is the ______ Ocean. Pacific
48. Bodies of salt water that are smaller than oceans are called gulfs, bays and _______. seas

49. What percent of the earth's water is found in oceans? 97

50. What is water that lies beneath the earth's surface and supplies wells and springs is called? groundwater
51. What percent of the earth's water supply is fresh water? . three
52. Rivers and lakes contain far less than ___ percent of the earth's water. one
53. What is the regular movement of water from ocean to air to ground to ocean called? water cycle
54. What is the changing of water into vapor or gas is called? evaporation
55. What are elemets from the earth that are not made by people but can be used by them called? natural
resources
56. What are resources that replace themselves naturally or if people can grow or raise continuous supplies
of them called? renewable resources
57. What are resources that can never be replaced called? non-renewable resources
58. What are resources or goods brought into one country from another called? imports
59. What are resources of goods sent from one country to another called? exports

1. The ocean on the eastern end of the Panama Canal is what ocean? Pacific Ocean
2. What is the westernmost point of the United States? Cape Wrangell, Attu Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
3. Is Berlin, Germany further north than parts of Alaska? yes
4. Is Warsaw, Poland further north than parts of Alaska? . yes
5. True or False? Pelee Island (Canada's southernmost point) is further south than 27 states in the United
States. True
6. True or False? Pelee Island (Canada's southernmost point) is further south than parts of Nevada and
California? True
7. What is the southernmost point of the United States? Ka Lae Island, Hawaii
8. In square miles, what is the largest city in the United States? Jacksonville, Florida
10. Why could the continents of North America and South America just as well have been named West
America and East America? North America is not exactly directly north of South America. All of Alaska, 85
percent of Canada, 90 percent of the lower 48 states in the US, all of Mexico, and all of Central America
except Panama lie west of South America.
14. People who live in which of the following countries are "Americans"? (there could be more than one
correct answer.) (A) MEXICO (B) THE UNITED STATES (C) BRAZIL (D) CANADA (E) PERU (F)
PANAMA All are Americans
15. Antarctica makes up what percent of the earth's land area? 10 percent
16. Antarctica is the ______ largest continent. (A) FIRST (B) FOURTH (C) FIFTH (D) SEVENTH (E)
SIXTH 5th
17. The elevation of the South Pole is: (A) 9,200 FEET (B) 1,500 FEET (C) 700 FEET (D) 24,300 FEET
9,200
18. Antarctica contains what percent of the world's ice? (A) 50 (B) 25 (C) 90 (D) 15 (E) 45 90 percent
19. Where was the origin of "ARABIC NUMBERS"? India

20. What is the fastest growing plant in the world? (HINTS: it is not a tree; although woody and treelike in
appearance, it is actually a grass; can grow a foot a day; can reach heights of 100 to 120 feet in three months;
usually grows in tropical regions in thick, grasslike clumps.) bamboo
21. What is the only major sport played in the United States that's orogin is totally from the United States?
basketball
22. If a person were to abice by the words of the popular old western song, "Oh, give me a home, where the
buffalo roam," where would they be living? Africa or Asia. The term buffalo is commonly, but erroneously,
applied to the North American animals that are correctly called Bison.
25. Why is the popular misconception that California will someday break off from the North American
continent and slide into the Pacific Ocean incorrect?
26. How did the Canary Islands get their name? The islands were originally named "insulae cannariae" by
the Romans, meaning "island of dogs" in reference to the numerous wild dogs that inhabited the islands. The
name eventually became "Canary" in the mistaken belief that it originally referred to the small, yellow
songbird.
27. True or False? The center of the earth is molten rock. The inner core of the earth, with a diameter of
about 16 hundred miles, is actually a dense region of solid, magnetic, and probably iron metallic rocklike
material. This solidified core IS surrounded by an outer layer of molten iron about 23 hundred miles thick.
28. Chinese Checkers originated where? England
29. Coffee Beans are found where? Nowhere. Coffee beans are not beans at all. They are actually the seeds
or pits of a red, cherrylike fruit that grows on treelike shrubs.

30. Is outer space cold or hot? Neither, it has no temperature at all.

31. What does a compass needle point to? A compass needle does not point to the geographic North Pole. It
does not usually point to the magnetic North Pole either. In fact, a compass needle does not really point to
anything, but merely aligns itself with the earth's magnetic lines of force at a given time.
32. True or False? The earth is round. False - The earth is an oblate spheriod, which means it is slightly
flattened at the poles and bulges at the equator.
33.How many states are in the United States? Technically, there are only 46 states in the United States. The
remaining 4 are not officially states but are referred to as commonwealths. These are kentucky,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The two words actually have the same meaning. The term
commonwealth was preferred and retained by these 4 when admitted to the Union.
35. Why is the foul line in baseball not a foul line? The foul line is actually in fair territory.
36. A human has seven cervical vertebrae in its neck. How many cervical vertebrae does a giraffe have? 7
37. Who is buried in Grant's Tomb? No one is buried in Grant's Tomb. Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia
Grant are entombed in Grant's Tomb. To bury means to put into the ground.
38. Kalaallit Nunaat is the correct name for what country? Greenland
39. Where did the Harlem Globetrotters originate? Chicago, IL
40. The percent of water in the air in relation to the amount of water the air can hold at a certain temperature
is called? (A) RELATIVE HUMIDITY (B) ABSOLUTE HUMIDITY Relative Humidity
41. The amount of water in a given volume of air is called? (A) RELATIVE HUMIDITY (B) ABSOLUTE
HUMIDITY Absolute Humidity
42. What is an "igloo"? . Igloo is simply the Eskimo term for house. It is applied to any form of dwelling, not
just the icehouse.
43. Where did "India Ink" originate? China

44. Where did the martial art "Karate" originate? India

45. What is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere? . In the Northern Hemisphere, the
longest day of the year is June 21, except in years preceding a leap year, when the longest day is June 22.
46. What is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere? In the Northern Hemisphere, the
shortest day of the year is December 22, except leap years, when it is December 21.
47. Which side of a tree does moss grow on? Moss does not grow on tres. The fuzzy little plant life found on
the side of a tree is actually liverworts or lichens.
49. Is the first day of the new century January 1, 2000? No. Because there is no zero year in the Christian era
calendar, the first century lasted from A.D. 1 to the end of the year 100. The second century began the year of
101. Thus, the first day of the new century will begin on January 1, 2001.
50. What do peanuts, coconuts, pistachios, cashews and almonds have in common? They are all considered
"nuts" but none of them are.