The SSQQ Geography Quiz

1.  Warm up question. Which of the following Mediterranean Islands is actually a Country?

a. Balearics
b. Corsica
c. Sicily
d. Malta
e. Crete

2.  Name the only country in the world whose flag has an irregular shape  (i.e. not a square like Switzerland or the common rectangle like the United States flag).  

3.  Now that Panama is completely cut in two by the Panama Canal, some people consider Northern Panama part of North America while South Panama is part of South America. Can you name two other countries that have land on two different continents that are divided by water.
     (Hint #1:  Russia is not one of them.)
     (Hint #2:  Spain doesn't count.) 

4.  Name the area (much larger than Mexico) with the most inaccurate name of any territory in the world.
    (Hint: this is easy. The name was clearly thought up by an overzealous travel agent.)

5.  Everyone knows that Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.
     So what is the second Highest mountain?  What country is it in?

6.  You will never get this one. There is a mainland country of 11,000 sq. miles (about the size of Maryland) whose nation's capital is located on an island out in the ocean. What is its name?

Then as a follow-up, find another capital separated from the mainland out in the middle of a sea. This country is about 17,000 square miles and has a population of about 6 million.  Although the bulk of the country is located on the mainland, its largest city and capital is out on an island. Hint - this is in a sea. 

7.   Everyone knows about the problems on the island known as Ireland, but there are several other islands in the world with almost as many headaches over divided loyalties. The one we are looking has, like Ireland, been legally separated into two halves for political purposes. What is its name?

8.  Where is the longest undefended border in the world located?

9.  Talk about thin!!  This country is the Ally McBeal of the planet. It  is ten times longer in one direction than the other. Name the world's most anorexic country.

10.  Here's an easy one. Give the new world names of Ceylon, Burma, Siam, and Dahomey. Dahomey.

11.  What is Red,  White  , and Blue,  Black,  Yellow , and wet all over?

12.  I am one of the world's largest countries (Top 20), but I was completely landlocked until 1885 when I bought a tiny sliver of coastline about 20 miles wide to provide access to the sea. Who am I?

13.  Hi. My name is ________ and I used to be a pretty good quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. Now in retirement I got a cushy job as one of the world's smallest countries. Where do I live?

14.  I am an enormous land mass bigger than Saudi Arabia, Libya, or Mexico, but no one will let my gymnastics team into the Olympics because I am not a country.  Who am I?  (Hint : Not Antarctica, not Arctic Circle).

15.  My name is Lake Superior, but I am feeling Erie because I am considered only the 2nd largest Lake in the world.  Who's occupying First Base in the Lake Department?

16.  About time, an easy one. I am a Top 20 in population country consisting of 13,000 islands. What's my name?

17.  Over-Population is of course the Earth's most pressing problem. China averages 300 people per square mile, but that feels like living on the Moon compared to India's staggering 672 people per square mile.  Then again, Japan averages 865 people!! Have you seen Tokyo lately??

By comparison, Canada averages about 7 people a square mile and Australia about 6.  The largest country on Earth, Russia, averages about 33 people. One country, however, gets my vote for  hell on earth with the cataclysmic average of 40,000 people per square mile.
Can you name it?

18.  While we are on the subject of population,  based on the United Nations web site, these are the 14 most populated metropolitan areas in the world.   Oops !  I accidentally slipped in the 26th largest metropolitan area in the world. Which is the smallest city on the list??  

(Hint: the 14th Smallest City on the list is Calcutta which is an amazing 5 million people larger than our secret city!!)

01.    Calcutta, India
02.    Istanbul, Turkey
03.    Jakarta, Indonesia
04.    Moscow, Russia
05.    Mexico City, Mexico
06.    New York City, U.S.
07.    Bombay, India
08.    Sao Paulo, Brazil
09.    Seoul, South Korea
10.    Tokyo, Japan
11.    Beijing, China
12.    Los Angeles, U.S.
13.    Cairo, Egypt
14.    Osaka, Japan
15.    Manila, Philippines

19.  Europe has Big Ben, but Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, and South America all have something real Big that Europe doesn't have. What is it ?

20.  Bellaire, Texas, the world-famous home of SSQQ Dance Studio (which sponsors this web site), is a tiny city completely surrounded by the enormous city of Houston. 

It is not uncommon for a city to be surrounded, but can you name the two larger countries that actually have two (or three) smaller separate countries that exist completely within its borders?   (Please note: one of the 4 "contained" countries does share a single border with another country)?  What are the names of the 2 large countries and the 4 smaller countries?  BONUS QUESTION: It is a little known fact that there is also a third country surrounded as well by one of the two large countries above.  Can you name it?

21.   So everybody has heard of the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal. Big deal. Anybody want to guess where the longest River-Canal connection in the world is located?

22.   Which country's Flag is almost completely identical to the State of Texas Flag !?!  The nerve of those rude copycats!!  (Or did we copy theirs? Hmm.)

23.   Here is a toughie:  Russia, the United States, Spain, Angola, and Azerbaijan all have a unique problem in common that none of the other 190 countries are burdened with. What is it?

24.   What do Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia all have in common besides the Zambezi River?

25.   Here's an interesting question I borrowed from Encarta, the Microsoft Encyclopedia:

Can you name the world’s only two doubly-landlocked countries? (Doubly landlocked means that not only are these countries landlocked, but so is every country that borders them.)

26.   What was the first city in the world to boast having a population of over 1 million? 
(Question contributed by Todd Schenk)

27.   In a country named after the NBA's most famous player, its capital was once named after another NBA city. Care to guess?  (Question contributed by Todd Schenk)

28. What state contains the geographic center of the United States of America?  (Question contributed by Todd Schenk)

29.  Here is a tricky one. We know the Panama Canal completely divides its country into two parts separated by water. What famous Monster is partly responsible for completely separating 1/3 of a country from its mainland by rivers, lakes, and canals, thereby putting the rest out to sea? 

30.   How about a geography question about a country that doesn't even exist?  According to Dave Barry, the noted geographer, quite a few countries were founded by a prolific guy named "Stan". This group includes well-known countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan plus several ex-Soviet Union satellite countries such as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Dave's favorite Kyrgyzstan, and a huge ex-USSR country named Kazakhstan. Now for some fun. 

In the 70s, an excellent movie starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine was adapted from a Rudyard Kipling novel. It was about two scallywags who somehow managed to conquer an entire country all by themselves!!  Name the movie and name the fictional country! 

31.  I am one of the 20 largest countries in the world and my citizens regularly are in the top dozen medalist nations at the Summer Olympics, but I have lots of land that no one wants to live in.  Only 10% of my country is inhabited.  People make fun of me and some even call me the "Big Doughnut".  Who am I and why did I get this nickname?

32.  There is a large, well-known country (one of the 20 largest countries in the world) that consists of more than 25 states/provinces/regions/districts/(whatever you want to call them).  Over half the coastline of this large, well-known country is located in one single state/province/region/district/etc.  In other words, one single area that is somewhere between 1% and 10% of this country's political units contains over half its coastline.  Can you name the country and the political unit in question? 

33.  Finally an easy one. Which is the only land mass in the world not claimed by a single country?

34.  What country has more lakes than ALL the other countries on the planet combined?

35.  Name the only city in the world that rests on two continents.

36.  Name the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It was founded a couple thousand years before Rome.

37.  What US State has no natural lakes, only man-made ones?

38.  Can you name the smallest "island" country in the world?  In addition, this island with about 75 inhabitants also has the distinction of being the "least populated" country in the world.

39.  I am huge, but in some ways easily overlooked.  If you look at the map of the world, you can't help but notice me.  I was once part of the European Economic Union, however I am simultaneously so obscure the only way you can reach me by commercial airline is through Copenhagen.  Who am I and why is this?

40.  I am the highest waterfall in the world.  My water drops 15 times further than the famous Niagara Falls in the USA.  What is my name?

41.  What area of the world contains 25% of the world's forests?

42.  Where is the driest place on Earth?

I hope you have enjoyed the SSQQ Geography Quiz.  I  certainly enjoyed making it up!! After you have taken the quiz, email your answers to me at  dance@ssqq.com  I will "grade" your answers and supply you with my answers as well. In addition I will tell you how you did compared to other people who have taken the test in the past.  If you have some geography questions you would like to see added to this list, feel free to contribute!  Send them in and we will have another Geography Test later in the year. Rick Archer