Geography Quizbowl

Name the flat intermontane area located at an elevation of about 10,000 feet (3,050 m) in the central Andes. (1989)

Altiplano

Mount Erebus is a volcano on which continent? (1990)

Antarctica

What type of landform is commonly associated with orographic precipitation? (1991)

Mountain

Many coastal countries have established so-called EEZs—areas extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) from shore over which countries have sovereign rights for resource exploration. What do the initials EEZ stand for? (1992)

Exclusive Economic Zone

Tagalog is one of the three main native languages of which island country in Asia? (1993)

The Philippines

The Tagus River roughly divides which European country into two agricultural regions? (1994)

Portugal

Pashtu and Dari are the official languages of which mountainous, landlocked country in southwestern Asia? (1995)

Afghanistan

Name the European co-principality whose heads of state are the President of France and the Bishop of Urgel. (1996)

Andorra

Asia's most densely populated country has about three million people and an area of less than 250 square miles (402 km²). Name this country. (1997)

Singapore

More than 80 million people live in the European Union's most populous member country. Name this country. (1998)

Germany

The condition characterized by unusually cold ocean temperature in the equatorial region of the eastern Pacific Ocean is known by what Spanish name? (1999)

La Niña

Name two of the three largest sections of Denmark, which include its mainland peninsula and two largest islands. (2000)

Jutland, Sjaelland and Fyn

Below the equilibrium line of glaciers there is a region of melting, evaporation, and sublimation. Name this zone. (2001)

Zone of ablation

Lop Nur, a marshy depression at the east end of the Tarim Basin, is a nuclear test site for which country? (2002)

China (People's Republic)

Goa, a state in southwestern India, was a possession of which country until 1961? (2003)

Portugal

Peshawar, a city in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, has had strategic importance for centuries because of its location near what historic pass? (2004)

Khyber Pass

Lake Gatún, an artificial lake that constitutes part of the Panama Canal system, was created by damming which river? (2005)

Chagres River

Name the mountains that extend across much of Wales, from the Irish Sea to the Bristol Channel. (2006)

Cambrian Mountains

A city that is divided by a river of the same name was the imperial capital of Vietnam for more than a century. Name this city, which is still an important cultural center. (2007)

Huế

The urban area of Cochabamba has been in the news recently due to protests over the privatization of the municipal water supply and regional autonomy issues. Cochabamba is the third-largest conurbation in what country? (2008)

Bolivia

Timis County shares its name with a tributary of the Danube and is located in the western part of which European country? (2009)

Romania

The largest city in northern Haiti was renamed following Haiti's independence from France. What is the present-day name of this city? (2010)

Cap-Haïtien

Which river carries more barge traffic - the Missouri River or the Suwannee River?

Missouri River

Which state has a higher population density - South Dakota or Rhode Island?

Rhode Island

Which state has a higher average elevation - Wyoming or Massachusetts?

Wyoming

Which state has a larger area of forested land - Montana or Delaware?

Montana

The mouth of which river is farther north - the Yukon River or the Columbia River?

Yukon River

Finnmark, punctuated by fjords and inhabited by reindeer herders, is the northern-most county of what country?

Norway

Roraima, a state with a shoreline on the Rio Negro, is located along the Equator in what country?

Brazil

What is the capital and principal city for the state of Western Australia?

Perth

In the 1960's, Rwanda and Burundi gained their independence from which European country?

Belgium

The Pilcomayo River forms part of the boarder between Paraguay and what country?

Argentina

One can visit the Tiger's Nest Buddhist monastery in which landlocked Asian country known as the "kingdom in the clouds"?

Bhutan

Victoria Falls, located along the Zambezi River, is shared by Zambia and what neighboring country?

Zimbabwe

Name the only overseas department of France in South America.

French Guiana

The taka is the unit of currency for what country that was formerly known as East Pakistan?

Bangladesh

What country in the Americas is second to the United States in meat production?

Brazil

Which of these islands is NOT divided between two or more countries: Borne, Madagascar, New Guinea?

Madagascar

Kudzu, a vine that was promoted in the 1930s to control soil erosion, is now considered a pest in what U.S. region with a warm, wet climate: northeast, southeast, southwest?

Southeast

On July 1, 2007, which special administrative region marked the 10th anniversary of its return to China: Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai?

Hong Kong

Which economic activity plays the largest role in the economy of the Bahamas: manufacturing, oil refining, tourism?

Tourism

Which state has a lower per capita income: Massachusetts, Mississippi, Texas?

Mississippi

An open-air museum east of Interlaken preserves the French, German, and Italian heritage of which mountainous European country: Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland?

Switzerland

Name the large island in the western Indian Ocean that is known for its lemurs and other unusual wildlife.

Madagascar

Which river runs between Arizona and California before entering Mexico: Colorado River, Platte, Rio Grande?

Colorado River

What city is located on the Potomac River and was built in the late 1700s according to the plans laid out by Pierre L'Enfant: New York, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.?

Washington, D.C.

Which city is located in the eastern part of Washington State: Auburn, Olympia, Spokane?

Spokane

The highest and lowest points in North America are in which country?

United States

The Mississippi River is to Minnesota as the Rio Grande is to WHAT: Colorado, Nevada, Texas?

Colorado

Which river carries a greater volume of water: Amazon, Nile, Ob?

Amazon

The Mozambique and Benguela Currents flow along the coast of which continent: Africa, Asia, Australia?

Africa

Which port on the Great Lakes has developed as a major center for rail, plane, and ship traffic: Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland?

Chicago

If you were in Chicago, Illinois, which would you be closest to: Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn?

Tropic of Cancer

Independence, a starting point for expeditions along the Oregon Trail, is a town in which state: Oregon, Missouri, South Carolina?

Missouri

What is the term for a marketplace in Middle Eastern and North African cities where a variety of goods is sold: Bazaar or Suq, Mosque, Salam?

Bazaar or Suq

Mont-Saint-Michel, an abbey off the Normandy coast, is in an inlet for the Gulf of Saint-Malo. This gulf is an extension of what larger body of water: English Channel, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea?

English Channel

Baikal, Titicaca, and Victoria are all examples of what kind of physical feature: desert, lake, mountain range?

Lake

Which river forms the southeastern boundary of Illinois: James River, Missouri River, Ohio River?

Ohio River

Poi is a food commonly associated with people native to which state: Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico?

Hawaii

Which state is home to Silicon Valley: California, Montana, New Jersey?

California

Mohandas Gandhi effectively enforced a doctrine of nonviolent protest to help gain independence for which country: Argentina, India, Saudi Arabia?

India

The Dardanelles and Bosporus are examples of what kind of physical feature: canyons, hills, straits?

Straits

Which state was home to more textile mills during the Industrial Revolution: Maine, Massachusetts, Montana?

Massachusetts

Which city had a lighthouse that was known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Alexandria, Carthage, Naples?

Alexandria

Which national park is on an island in a lake: Isle Royale, Petrified Forest, Sleeping Bear Dunes?

Isle Royale

Which one of the contiguous United States has the northernmost point: Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin?

Minnesota

Dresden, a city that has been rebuilt since World War II, is situated on what river: Darling River, Elbe River, Thames River?

Elbe River

Name the two large islands separated by the Strait of Bonifacio: Corsica and Sardinia, Corfu and Cephalonia,

South Island and North Island?

Corsica and Sardinia

What city is the judicial capital of South Africa: Capetown, Freetown, Bloemfontein ?

Bloemfontein

Roosevelt Island is surrounded by an Antarctic ice sheet that shares its name with what nearby sea: Baltic Sea, Weddell Sea, Ross Sea ?

Ross Sea

Agulhas and Kuroshio are both names of what kind of physical feature?

Ocean Current

Name two of the largest sections of Denmark, which include its mainland peninsula and two largest islands: Silkeborg, Viborg, Fyn

Jutland, Sjaelland, Fyn

Bjorn, Borg, Fyn

Jutland, Sjaelland, Fyn

Which state has a longer border with Canada—Montana or New York? (Round 1 Sample)

Montana

The Gila (HEE luh) River flows west from New Mexico across which other state—Wyoming or Arizona? (Round 1 Sample)

Arizona

The Savannah River forms most of the boundary between South Carolina and which other state—Tennessee or Georgia? (Round 1 Sample)

Georgia

Albany and New York City are major ports on which river—the Hudson or the Potomac? (Round 1 Sample)

Hudson

People watching the sunset in Key West, Florida, are looking across which body of water—the Chesapeake Bay or the Gulf of Mexico? (Round 1 Sample)

Gulf of Mexico

Discovery of silver near Carson City helped the city develop as the capital of which present-day state—Illinois or Nevada? (Round 1 Sample)

Nevada

Most of the wheat in the United States is grown in which region—the Great Plains or the Colorado Plateau? (Round 1 Sample)

Great Plains

Rotterdam is a major port located near what sea: Baltic Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea?

North Sea

Which country's population is not predominantly Muslim: Canada, Iran, Kuwait?

Canada

The ruins of the town of Isabela, one of the first Spanish settlements in the New World, are located in which Caribbean country: Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica?

Dominican Republic

The ports of Anchorage, Vancouver, and Acapulco are along which coast of North America: south, west, east?

West

Hindus who live in the most populous Muslim country revere Mount Agung and believe it is the center of the universe. This volcano is in what island country: Indonesia, Japan, Phillippines?

Indonesia

Berbers and what other Muslim people make up most of the population in Algeria, Libya, and Morocco: Arabs, Fulani, Tuareg?

Arabs

Some of the world's thickest deposits of a mineral-rich dust usually transported by wind are in China. What is the term for this silt-like material: loess, moraine, peat?

Loess

Which city has a greater earthquake risk: Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City?

Los Angeles

Which river generally flows westward before joining the Mississippi River: Arkansas River, Delaware River, Ohio River?

Ohio

During the era of the Vietnam War, which major river did most refugees from the war cross to reach safety in Thailand: Huang (Yellow), Irrawaddy, Mekong?

Mekong

Ethiopia is dependent on the seaports of which country to handle much of its foreign commerce: Djibouti, Kuwait, Nigeria?

Djibouti

Name the body of water that separates the Korean Peninsula from mainland China.

Yellow Sea

The Vinson Massif is the highest peak on which continent?

Antarctica

Cactus and yucca are to the desert as WHAT are to tropical forests: oak & maple, redwood & sequoia, teak & mahogany?

Teak & Mahogany

Which state does not have a coastline: Delaware, New Hampshire, New Mexico?

New Mexico

The ruling group of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was known by what name: aristocracy, plebiscite, politburo?

Politburo

Cape Cod, known for its beautiful shoreline, is located in which state?

Massachusetts

The island of Socotra, off the Horn of Africa, belongs to which country: South Africa, Tunisia, Yemen?

Yemen

The southernmost island country in the Caribbean Sea has an ethnic mix of primarily East Indians and Africans. Name this country: Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago.

Trinidad & Tobago

South Africa's chief seaport is on Natal Bay, an inlet of the Indian Ocean. Name this port city: Cape Town, Durban, Rio de Janeiro.

Durban

Lake Powell, a reservoir on the Colorado River, is shared by Arizona and which state: Colorado, Utah, Oregon?

Utah