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Geography General Knowledge #1

Can you answer these random geography questions?
Includes questions from both physical geography and human geography
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: August 22, 2020
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First submittedMarch 24, 2013
Times taken205,543
Average score55.0%
Rating4.39
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Question
Answer
What is the highest mountain in Japan?
Mount Fuji
What well-known dance form originated in Argentina and Uruguay?
Tango
What island is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic?
Hispaniola
On what peninsula is the city of Cabo San Lucas located?
Baja California
On what island did dodo birds live before they went extinct?
Mauritius
What country's national rugby union team are known as the Springboks?
South Africa
What is the largest desert in Africa?
Sahara
What is the southernmost national capital city?
Wellington
What is the national animal of the United States? (be specific)
Bald Eagle
On what sea would you find the city of Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics?
Black Sea
What is the highest mountain in Africa?
Mount Kilimanjaro
What country is home to the greatest number of Coptic Christians?
Egypt
What is the tallest waterfall in the world?
Angel Falls
What is the name of the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium?
Flanders
By volume of water, what is the largest lake (loch) in Scotland?
Loch Ness
What "line" divides the northern and southern U.S. states?
Mason-Dixon Line
What Italian region has its capital in Florence?
Tuscany
What is Rome's only sister city?
Paris
What country borders only China and Russia?
Mongolia
What major city in India is located about 60 km away from Bangladesh?
Kolkata
+39
Level 67
May 6, 2013
I was getting so furious because the national anthem of the US is definitely the Star-Spangled Banner. I typed it like seven times...then I realized it said "national animal." Womp, womp.
+37
Level 88
Nov 25, 2018
Oh seagull you see by the dawn's early light
+1
Level 49
Jan 2, 2024
What so proudly we squawk...
+3
Level 75
May 6, 2013
Good quiz thanks
+3
Level 40
May 6, 2013
You should accept Angel as the tallest waterfall.
+2
Level ∞
May 7, 2013
Okay
+1
Level 28
Jun 25, 2021
But you still aren't accepting only "angel"!
+7
Level 65
Jun 18, 2013
The Mason-Dixon line does not separate the northern and the southern US states technically. This is a common misunderstanding. It actually only separates Pennsylvania and Maryland from Delaware.
+3
Level 77
Aug 1, 2013
That's very true. There is no name for the line separating the north and south. It's just the 36 30 parallel, or sometimes called the Missouri Compromise Line. The mason dixon line is SIGNIFICANTLY different.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason%E2%80%93Dixon_line

+3
Level 75
Sep 30, 2015
Agree. The Mason-Dixon line was established in colonial times to settle a border dispute before there even was a United States. However, I also agree with Beetboy12 that Maryland was a southern state and the line did serve as a small dividing line between North and South culturally before the Civil War in regards to the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia remained in the Union, but were still slave states.
+3
Level 72
Apr 30, 2014
Maryland's definitely not a Southern state and it is south of the Mason-Dixon line. ctleng is absolutely correct.
+7
Level 37
Aug 5, 2014
Maryland WAS a southern state. Until they chose not to secede and join the Confederacy. There is plenty about Maryland that retains the Southern culture. Lots of old plantations. Lots of slave history in Baltimore. You can still see the house where Francis Scott Key kept slaves. Lots of Confederate flags in Maryland too. More than I see in Mississippi or Florida.
+5
Level 46
Oct 10, 2014
I'm with beetboy. Maryland was very much a "southern" state at Lincoln's inauguration. From "Battle Cry of Freedom," by James McPherson:

Like the lower South, Maryland had voted for Breckinridge in the presidential election. Southern-Rights Democrats controlled the legislature; only the stubborn refusal of unionist Governor Thomas hicks to call legislature into session forestalled action by that body. The tobacco counties of southern Maryland and the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay were secessionist. The grain-growing counties of northern and western Maryland, containing few slaves, were safe for the Union. But the loyalty of Baltimore, with a third of the state's population, was suspect. The mayor's unionism was barely tepid, and the police chief sympathized with the South. Confederate flags appeared on many city homes and buildings during the tense days after Sumter.

He goes on to describe the rioting between travelling Massachusetts troops and Baltimore mobs.

+3
Level 54
Sep 29, 2015
Yeah Mason Dixon really doesn't divide like any other states beside a few. It doesn't continue out west. Nonetheless I got the question, but it really wasn't that great of a clue.
+3
Level 67
Aug 20, 2016
But Delaware, which was a slave state up until the passage of the 13th Amendment, was north of the Mason-Dixon line, so saying that it drew a line between north and south is a little oversimplified.
+2
Level 72
Dec 22, 2016
I think you can look at the North vs. South divide in a number of ways: Historically, Culturally, Politically, Economically, Geographically. Solely focusing on history 150 years ago doesn't really get to the root of that issue. I agree that in the 1860's, Maryland and the other border states were "Southern." But today, Maryland doesn't much resemble the South at all. Its culture, politics, economy, and even geography are much closer to the North than the South.
+2
Level 84
Aug 22, 2020
@Baltimorean: Geographical point - Delaware isn't north of the Mason-Dixon Line, it's east. But it is correct to say that Delaware is on the "other side" of the M-D from Maryland and states to the south.
+3
Level 43
Apr 28, 2020
The Mason-Dixon line has always been the benchmark for the North vs. the South
+3
Level 66
Nov 29, 2020
Regardless of all this technical bickering, an American should have known the answer sought.
+3
Level 48
Apr 22, 2014
Tuscany is the only Italian region I know.
+8
Level 78
Jun 7, 2014
Well that was lucky, wasn't it?
+2
Level 30
Dec 12, 2014
Lucky.. I know lots so I was guessing a lot
+2
Level 58
Sep 29, 2015
Same here ;)
+2
Level 63
Jul 22, 2018
I think Lombardy is another one.
+5
Level 88
Nov 25, 2018
What about the Toe and the Heel?
+4
Level 71
Oct 1, 2014
as an Australian I think I should have been given a point for Californian peninsular for Baja Californian ......... grumble ...... grumble
+5
Level 44
Mar 8, 2018
Baja California is in Mexico, not California the US State.
+2
Level 51
May 11, 2015
who else knows the sooner state from chandler's joke in friends?

"i'd sooner be in any other state..."

+3
Level 55
Sep 29, 2015
I feel quite strongly that Ethiopia should also be accepted, since it is a majority Christian country (much more so than Egypt!) and it is Coptic Christianity which they primarily follow. So although most Copts might be to be found in Egypt, Ethiopia is certainly a correct answer to the question "In which country are you likely to find Copts?"
+4
Level 88
Nov 25, 2018
That's my favorite show. Copts.
+2
Level 58
Oct 2, 2015
I didn't guess the eagle for the national animal as I thought it would be classed at the national BIRD! Frustrating!
+3
Level 75
Nov 29, 2020
The US now has two national animals. You are correct that the bald eagle is our national bird, but the American bison is our national mammal and in my opinion either it should also be listed as an answer, or the clue should be made specific as to whether the answer is the national bird or mammal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_animals#:~:text=National%20animals%20%20%20%20Country%20%20,%20Tauraco%20erythrolophus%20%2032%20more%20rows%20

+2
Level 86
Nov 30, 2020
I made the same recommendation in August. I hope Quizmaster updates it.
+3
Level 60
Oct 3, 2015
Wow lots of really educational comments on here. Thanks, everybody, I learned a lot!
+3
Level 40
Jan 31, 2016
Actually dodo birds used to be a thing in Réunion island as well, therefore you should accept it as an alternate answer for Mauritius.
+3
Level 75
Nov 29, 2020
If I remember right, there was a different land bird on Reunion (and maybe another on Rodrigues too?) that was misrecognized as a dodo. The only evidence of the dodo, I'm pretty sure, is on Mauritius.
+3
Level 75
Nov 29, 2020
I think on both those islands, the incorrectly identified birds were solitaires.
+3
Level 74
Feb 15, 2016
Loch Ness was the only lake I knew in Scotland, and when I was desperate I went "Why not try it?" And I did. I was surprised so I read https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lochs_of_Scotland and I realized that was why Nessie might actually exist.
+6
Level 59
Jun 8, 2017
"so I read https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lochs_of_Scotland and I realized that was why Nessie might actually exist." That doesn't make sense - why does reading the Wiki list of lochs make you think Nessie might actually exist?
+4
Level 85
Jun 30, 2018
idon'tlikeit was saying that because Loch Ness is so big, it helped create the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. It seemed possible that something could be lurking under such a huge volume of water.
+3
Level 75
Apr 22, 2020
Loch Ness is the 4th largest lake in the UK by surface area (7 times smaller than Lough Neagh in N.I.), but it's the largest by volume (more than twice as much water than Neagh). It's a deep'un!
+3
Level 27
May 20, 2020
Loch Ness is a loch not a lake. There is only one lake in Scotland - Lake of Mentieth
+6
Level 88
Aug 23, 2020
@pedro555 Are you aware of the fact that different languages have different names for things? Nitpick less.
+5
Level 68
Sep 28, 2016
Got all but one - I have never heard of the Mason-Dixon line before in my life!
+2
Level 58
Oct 26, 2016
13/20
+2
Level 68
May 27, 2017
Only missed Tuscany.
+2
Level 56
Mar 4, 2018
Salto del ángel, not Angel Falls. Oiriginal names.
+9
Level 62
Jun 30, 2018
With that logic, only names like España, Italia, Россия, etc. should be accepted on the Countries of the World quiz.
+7
Level 46
May 10, 2019
@rubuenaso actually, the original name is "Kerepakupai Vená" (or Meru). It's called Salto Angel (translated : Angel Falls) from Jimmy Angel, the aviator that rediscovered it. Nothing to do with "del ángel", aunque eso quisieras.
+2
Level 79
Jan 18, 2023
original*
+5
Level 22
Jul 7, 2018
Thankyou for the Mason-Dixon line Mark Knopfler
+1
Level 30
Jul 27, 2018
In Flander, they speak Flemish, not Dutch. Please, fix.
+3
Level 66
Dec 15, 2018
wrong flemish is considered a dialect not a language

Look it up

+9
Level 78
Sep 1, 2020
"A language is a dialect with an army and navy"
+2
Level 62
Oct 19, 2020
It's not really a dialect but more a combination of dialects. But yeah, as someone from Flanders, it's just Dutch.
+2
Level 37
Oct 21, 2018
Flemish is a language which developed from Dutch (just as Afrikaans did). Of course, like most derivatives, there are differences depending on what your mother tongue was. Those who initially spoke German will have a different accent and writing style than those for whom French was the language of origin. However, they understand each other when speaking.
+3
Level 71
Dec 4, 2018
So embarrassed. I spent over 1 minute trying to figure out what type of deer was the largest in Africa before realizing it said desert not deer.
+2
Level 55
Jan 13, 2019
I'm glad my state was mentioned
+2
Level 47
Jun 11, 2020
Kindly accept *Flemish region* as the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. You can look it up in case you doubt it.
+2
Level 56
Jul 23, 2020
S A L T O A N G E L

please.

+8
Level ∞
Aug 22, 2020
O K A Y
+1
Level 79
Jan 18, 2023
N O
+2
Level 80
Aug 24, 2020
Isn't Washington DC a sister city of Rome as well as Paris?
+2
Level 75
Nov 29, 2020
According to this site, Rome has thirty sister cities, many of which I tried. http://en.sistercity.info/sister-cities/Rome.html
+2
Level 68
Jan 27, 2022
Well, then that site is wrong.

Solo Parigi è degna di Roma, solo Roma è degna di Parigi.

+2
Level 78
Aug 24, 2020
Dodo birds didnt just "go" extinct, they were hunted to extinction
+4
Level 79
Aug 31, 2020
Introduced rats who ate their eggs were a major factor.
+5
Level 92
Dec 2, 2020
The use of the passive voice is generally accepted when 1) the actor is unknown, 2) the actor is irrelevant to the topic at hand, or 3) the actor is intentionally being kept secret. I think this falls into category 2.
+2
Level 86
Aug 31, 2020
The United States has a national bird (Bald eagle) and as of 2016, a national mammal (American bison). I'd suggest either rephrasing the question, or allowing bison as an answer.
+6
Level 90
Sep 4, 2020
Stupid Flanders.
+4
Level 79
Oct 17, 2020
I went there, it's a beautiful place.
+6
Level 89
Nov 29, 2020
Hi diddly-ho, neighborino!
+2
Level 54
Oct 24, 2020
UGH, I missed Sahara because I accidentally read part of the question below it, and read it as "largest desert in Southwestern Africa." Whoops. Just thought I was spelling 'Kalahari' wrong and gave up.
+2
Level 68
Nov 29, 2020
Only missed Rome's sister city. Didn't bother to try after Athens wasn't accepted. Never heard about this fact before.
+1
Level 67
Apr 25, 2023
I, too, tried Athens first and was surprised that it wasn't the answer, but Paris was a natural second choice.
+2
Level 75
Nov 29, 2020
Surprised more didn't know Flanders due to the poem by Canadian John McRae, "In Flanders Fields" and the WW I association with the poppies growing on soldier's graves there, as well as the US veterans who make and give out Buddy Poppies for Memorial and Veteran's Day.
+3
Level 68
Nov 29, 2020
What defines sister city? Is it by proclamation, or something else?
+4
Level 73
Jul 18, 2021
Two female cities that share the same parents, obviously
+1
Level 43
Nov 27, 2021
Usually by legal agreements.
+2
Level 38
Dec 2, 2020
sister city could be like a joint-in partnership? i have no idea.
+2
Level 59
Dec 3, 2020
I misremembered the 'Mason Dixie line' as the 'Manson Dixie line' *sigh*
+2
Level 64
Feb 19, 2021
I spelled Kilimanjaro wrong :(
+1
Level 16
Jul 27, 2021
Easy
+1
Level 28
Nov 23, 2021
Please accept "La Española" for Hispaniola
+1
Level 67
Jan 26, 2022
When your brain thinks Maginot Line instead of Mason-Dixon Line
+1
Level 29
Feb 8, 2022
I do not like this quiz it is a bad quiz
+1
Level 39
Dec 1, 2022
The bald eagle is the national BIRD of the United States. The national ANIMAL of the United States is the American bison
+2
Level 70
Apr 22, 2023
There's a small mistake, Winter Olympics in Sochi was in 2014, not 2018
+1
Level 67
Apr 22, 2023
Seconding this; the 2018 Winter Olympics were in Pyeongchang
+1
Level ∞
Apr 22, 2023
Fixed