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"Second Best" Geography Edition #1

Can you name the things that place #2 in these geographical categories?
Answer must correspond to the yellow box
Quiz by islabonita
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Last updated: November 19, 2023
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First submittedFebruary 2, 2020
Times taken38,400
Average score70.0%
Rating4.55
3:00
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Category
First
Second
Largest continent by area (seven continent model)
Asia
Africa
Largest U.S. state by area
Alaska
Texas
Most populous country
India
China
Largest ocean
Pacific
Atlantic
Largest freshwater lake by surface area
Lake Superior
Lake Victoria
Highest mountain
Mount Everest
K2
Most populous city in Spain
Madrid
Barcelona
Country with the most territory in Europe
Russia
Ukraine
Largest country in Africa by area
Algeria
D. R. Congo
Largest country in North America by area
Canada
United States
Largest country in South America by area
Brazil
Argentina
Oldest European university in continuous operation
University of Bologna
Oxford University
Largest island by area
Greenland
New Guinea
Most densely-populated country
Monaco
Singapore
Smallest country by area
Vatican City
Monaco
Most populous river basin
Ganges / Brahmaputra
Yangtze
Country that gets the most international tourists
France
Spain
City with the most skyscrapers over 150 meters
Hong Kong
New York City
Language with the most native speakers
Mandarin
Spanish
Country in the Western Hemisphere with the
highest % of people in extreme poverty
Venezuela
Haiti
+9
Level 72
Feb 19, 2020
I got everything but the second biggest island. I must say I'm surprised. I thought it's Madagascar.
+5
Level 77
Feb 20, 2020
Madagascar's fourth.
+12
Level 29
Feb 21, 2020
I thought it was Borneo
+6
Level 76
Mar 12, 2020
1: Greenland. 2: New Guinea. 3: Borneo. 4: Madagascar
+11
Level 22
Mar 12, 2020
What about Australia
+9
Level 56
Mar 12, 2020
What about Cyprus
+19
Level 45
Mar 12, 2020
Cyprus? What about Nauru?
+8
Level 68
Apr 2, 2020
Forget Nauru. What about Sealand?
+8
Level 59
Apr 9, 2020
What about Ryan Island(an Island in Siskiwit Lake, which is on Isle Royale, which is In lake Superior, which is in North America)
+3
Level 70
Jul 21, 2020
My bet was on Baffin island, but apparently it's 5th
+5
Level 52
Jan 3, 2021
Relox, like many, you need these two words:

"Darn Mercator!"

+1
Level 73
Jul 28, 2021
@wiifly also briefly thought to host a rock in a tidal pool, which would've been an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island in a lake.
+19
Level 72
Feb 19, 2020
Could do with an extra 30 seconds
+27
Level 66
Feb 19, 2020
Not enough time, I didnt even get around to reading the last couple of questions. Only enough time if all your first guesses are correct without having to think about them and without a single spelling mistake.
+4
Level 82
Feb 19, 2020
I thought the time was alright. I had about a minute left.
+15
Level 73
Feb 20, 2020
please add a caveheat saying Australia is not considered as an island...
+14
Level 82
Feb 20, 2020
People like to debate this but 1) there are very few encyclopaedias, geography textbooks etc that count it as an island, 2) you are GIVEN Greenland as #1
+10
Level 49
Feb 20, 2020
it is an island though - look at a map its completely surrounded by water! by definition its an island - it just is!
+22
Level 44
Feb 20, 2020
@ureds why isn't Eurasia #1 - look at a map its completely surrounded by water! by definition its an island - it just is!
+3
Level 32
Mar 12, 2020
Can anybody explain this? What are the criteria this?

- it is fully surrounded with water.

- unlike Eurasia, it is part of a continent.

- actually unlike New Guinea, it's part of one country (and not even the entire country due to Tasmania)

+2
Level 50
Mar 12, 2020
Due to Australia's largely accepted status as a continent, it generally is considered to be too large to be an island like the Americas and Eurasia. It's an island, but it's not an island, if you catch my drift.
+5
Level 51
Mar 12, 2020
Well the difference is Eurasia as well as the Americas are filled with numerous countries while Australia is just one country. I totally agree that is an island by definition, I don't understand how anyone can argue against that.

Saying it is "too big to be an island" is pure BS to be honest. There is no set size that determines what is and isn't an island.

+2
Level 60
Mar 13, 2020
@Quasicrystal So what is the limit at which an island becomes a continent?
+1
Level 59
Apr 9, 2020
@Quasicrystal your... continental drift?

bah-dum chhhh

+1
Level 71
Jun 3, 2021
@akbadry: So if, say the US would conquer all of North America, would North American cease to be a continent?
+3
Level 60
Aug 6, 2021
How about this for an argument? Every other continent consist of the main landmass and adjacent islands. For example mainland Europe and British Isles, mainland Asia and Japan, Phillipines, etc.

Now, is it more logical to say that Oceania consist of the mainland (Australia) and adjacent islands (NZ, Tasmania, New Guinea, etc.)? Or is it more logical to say that the "continent" of Oceania only consist of islands without any continental mainland?

I'm not saying which one is correct, but I would really like to hear your reasoning, if you think the latter.

+6
Level 79
Mar 12, 2020
'caveheat' 😁
+1
Level 52
Jan 3, 2021
Those Australian caves are too darn cold!
+3
Level 90
Feb 20, 2020
With a 3 minute clock, I had 30 seconds left with one misspelling, five incorrect initial guesses and one question that I needed more than 2 guesses and I am the epitome of the average typist. 3 seems fair to me. BTW really liked the quiz. Hard to believe that Haiti isn't the worst in some economic statistic in the Western Hemisphere considering the disparity between it and the other country 25-30 years ago.
+2
Level 43
Feb 21, 2020
that's fine, happened with me also. Can you please check my quiz, i will check yours.
+4
Level 76
Feb 21, 2020
Minor detail: it's the 'University of Oxford', not 'Oxford University'.
+3
Level 73
Feb 21, 2020
How is Australia not an island!!!
+2
Level 84
Feb 21, 2020
In the same way that Eurasia is not an island.
+1
Level 60
Mar 12, 2020
eurasia is connected to africa....so if there was some word for the three of them, then it would be an island
+1
Level 50
Mar 12, 2020
There is, it's Afro-Eurasia. It is an island technically, but since it's a continental landmass it isn't officially an island. Besides, Suez Canal!
+3
Level 50
Feb 21, 2020
Would’ve gotten 100 but for once needed more time
+3
Level 79
Mar 3, 2020
9 seconds to spare. Just enough time, but wouldn't have hurt to have bit more.
+6
Level 79
Mar 12, 2020
I would recommend increasing the time by 30 seconds.
+1
Level 60
Mar 12, 2020
I made with with 1 minute left, good quiz!
+1
Level 64
Mar 12, 2020
spent 30 seconds typing west african countries for the last question :)
+1
Level 21
Mar 12, 2020
I'm so angry at myself, I typed only "papua new guinea" and gave up
+2
Level 70
Mar 12, 2020
Generally seemed pretty easy. I think I would've had a harder time guessing some of the #1's actually. I would never have guessed University of Bologna, and I would've probably guessed Venezuela after Haiti, El Salvador, and a few other Central American countries.
+1
Level 56
Jan 20, 2021
Yes, I'm amazed at Venezuela. Has that changed a lot in recent years, I wonder?
+1
Level 75
Mar 12, 2020
caspian sea? #1 lake?
+1
Level 45
Mar 12, 2020
The Caspian is not freshwater. The question specifies salinity. Thanks!
+3
Level 90
Mar 12, 2020
I used to argue with teachers that Australia was in island, because of it being completely surrounded by water, as was North+South America an island, and also Africa+Eurasia...but I was wrong to do that. I am now aware that the surface of the earth is 1 single land mass and none of it is *surrounded* by water... part of it is *covered* in water and part of it is not.
+1
Level 75
Mar 13, 2020
Also try #2!
+1
Level 75
May 19, 2020
We should have asked, but do you mind that we made #2? Do you want us to avoid making others in the series?
+1
Level 45
May 19, 2020
I don't mind at all!
+1
Level 75
May 20, 2020
Okay thanks
+1
Level 45
Mar 20, 2020
Put New York instead of New York City...

come on... :(

+1
Level ∞
Mar 20, 2020
You must have spelled it wrong because New York is definitely accepted.
+1
Level 68
Dec 16, 2021
lol
+1
Level 44
Feb 12, 2021
rather surprised Bangladesh is not taken for the most densely populated country. you would think it would come before Monaco....
+1
Level 26
Sep 6, 2021
not really, monaco is so tiny
+1
Level 76
Jul 12, 2023
Urban areas are, by definition, more densely populated than suburban or rural areas, and city-states like Monaco and Singapore are almost entirely urban areas. In order for Bangladesh to have the same population density of Monaco, it would have to have a population of nearly 3 billion people.
+1
Level 64
Jun 26, 2021
Of course Australia's not an island. And I'm in the running to be a transgender atheist pope
+1
Level 26
Sep 6, 2021
same bro im running to be a bisexual athiest pope :)
+1
Level 66
Jul 4, 2021
40 seconds left
+1
Level 26
Sep 6, 2021
ok but im confused about how the percentage of correct answers aren;t in question order
+1
Level 76
Jul 12, 2023
Why would they be? Just because a question is asked earlier doesn't mean more people are likely to get it right.
+1
Level 61
May 15, 2022
Liberia is entirely within the western hemisphere and has way more people living in extreme poverty than Venezuela
+1
Level ∞
May 15, 2022
Venezuela has more people living in extreme poverty than Liberia has people.
+1
Level 57
Jun 19, 2022
The question about skyscrapers is out of date now. The answer should be Shenzhen, source: https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/cities
+1
Level 65
Sep 17, 2022
if you gonna say greenland is the biggest island why dont we just include Antarctica, indonesia, Australia, and other things that arent real islands
+1
Level 76
Jul 12, 2023
Interesting, I've heard people argue that Australia is and island, but I've never heard someone argue that Greenland isn't.
+1
Level 50
Mar 12, 2023
#3 is bound to change pretty soon. China will be overtaken by a mystery country by 2030, the UN is predicting.
+1
Level 39
Apr 16, 2023
what

https://www.thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTMzNDIwNTU.Nzk5MDA3MQ*ODg3MzcwMQ(MzI4Njc4NDI~!PG*OTM0NDcwMA.MjUzMDQyMDc)NA~!AU*MTE4NTYzMDk.MjYyMTkwMTc)NQ~!GL*Nzk2MzQ3Mw.NzczMzU2Nw)Ng

+1
Level 56
Jun 5, 2023
India has overtaken China in population, so #3 should be the other way around now.

Source: https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population-dashboard

+1
Level ∞
Jun 5, 2023
It will happen in October. This source likely doesn't include Hong Kong as part of China.
+1
Level 46
Feb 28, 2024
I would like 15 seconds more