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Quiz about Extreme Australian Geography
Quiz about Extreme Australian Geography

Extreme Australian Geography Trivia Quiz


The highest, the hottest, the longest, the closest. What do you know about the most extreme geographical aspects of Australia? (Note: Antarctic holdings not considered.)

A multiple-choice quiz by eyhung. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
eyhung
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
376,932
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
374
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 90 (4/10), Guest 87 (6/10), Guest 47 (3/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Of all the continents, Australia has the lowest high point. What is the name of this highest point on the Australian mainland? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The largest lake in Australia was discovered by European explorers in 1840, seven years before a famous Charlotte Bronte novel was published. What is its name? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria, what river is often considered to be the longest in Australia? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Australia is a very dry continent, with several deserts. What is the largest desert in the continent? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Australia may be the "Southern Continent", but on which of these land features, next to the Gulf of Carpentaria, lies its northernmost (mainland) point? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Australia is an island, but it still has "neighbors" in the sense that their overseas territories are adjacent. Which neighbor's land is the closest to Australian land? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In 1996, a world record for the fastest gust of wind recorded by an anemometer occurred in which large, sparsely populated Australian state? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In 1960, a location in which mostly arid Australian state recorded a temperature of 50.7 Celsius (123.3 Fahrenheit), the hottest temperature recorded up to that point? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which northern state contains two towns that compete for the title of "wettest" town in Australia? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. After Tasmania, what is the largest island in Australian territory? (Despite the name, it's not known for its whaling.) Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Of all the continents, Australia has the lowest high point. What is the name of this highest point on the Australian mainland?

Answer: Mount Kosciuszko

One of the so-called "Seven Summits" (a term from mountaineering to indicate the feat of scaling the highest points of each continent), Mount Kosciuszko at 2228 m (7310 ft) is by far the shortest and easiest to scale. One can simply park close to the summit and hike a smooth 5-mile path to the top. Many mountaineers have proposed replacing Mount Kosciuszko on the Seven Summits list with Puncak Jaya, the highest point in Oceania, which is a very difficult mountain to climb.

The "mountain" was named because of its similarity to Kosciuszko Mound in Poland. That feature was in turn named after a Polish war hero, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who led American troops in the American Revolution and also fought against Russia in the Polish-Russian Wars.

Of the wrong answers, Mt. Townsend is the second-highest mountain on the Australian mainland; Mawson Peak is the highest mountain when Australian island holdings are included; and Dome Argus is the highest point when Antarctic claims are included.
2. The largest lake in Australia was discovered by European explorers in 1840, seven years before a famous Charlotte Bronte novel was published. What is its name?

Answer: Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre is Australia's largest lake (when flooded). Situated in the deserts of South Australia, it was named not after the Bronte novel "Jane Eyre", but the explorer Edward John Eyre, who first discovered it. In addition to being the largest lake, it also contains the lowest point on the Australian mainland (approximately 15 meters below sea level), when empty.
3. Forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria, what river is often considered to be the longest in Australia?

Answer: Murray River

The Murray River is 2508 km (1558 mi) long and contains much less water than rivers of similar length on other continents. However, a large percentage of the Australian population settles in areas within the system created by the main river and its tributaries.

There is some controversy as to whether the Darling River is longer. If all tributaries are counted, then the Darling River can be said to be approximately 2700-2800 km long. Many lists, however, do not include these tributaries, and only the Murray River forms the border between New South Wales and Victoria.
4. Australia is a very dry continent, with several deserts. What is the largest desert in the continent?

Answer: Great Victoria Desert

The Great Victoria Desert is 348,750 sq km (134,650 sq mi) which makes it the 6th largest desert in the world (if Antarctica is included). Named after the Queen of the United Kingdom by the first person to cross it, Ernest Giles, the Great Victoria Desert has very few people living in it, mostly Aborigines.

The arid land, not good for agriculture, has been used for nuclear bomb testing.
5. Australia may be the "Southern Continent", but on which of these land features, next to the Gulf of Carpentaria, lies its northernmost (mainland) point?

Answer: Cape York

Cape York was named after the Duke of York who was the second son of King George III. It lies at the northernmost end of the Cape York Peninsula, which is surrounded by the Gulf of Carpentaria to the west, Torres Strait to the north, and the Coral Sea to the east. Even though the cape is about half the size of the state of Victoria and not a desert, it is severely underpopulated -- only 18,000 people (0.1%) of the population, mostly Aborigines, live there. It is one of the largest wilderness areas left on Earth.

The wrong answers are the extreme points in the three other directions. Wilsons Promontory is the southernmost point on the Australian mainland, Steep Point is the westernmost, and Cape Byron is the easternmost.
6. Australia is an island, but it still has "neighbors" in the sense that their overseas territories are adjacent. Which neighbor's land is the closest to Australian land?

Answer: Papua New Guinea

Even though one thinks of Australia as a remote and distant continent, Papua New Guinea is only 5 km or so away from an Australian island. Papua New Guinea lies beyond the Torres Strait across from Cape York. The country, which occupies the eastern half of New Guinea, was an Australian territory for 70 years before being granted independence in 1975.
7. In 1996, a world record for the fastest gust of wind recorded by an anemometer occurred in which large, sparsely populated Australian state?

Answer: Western Australia

Western Australia is the largest Australian state. It is mostly desolate, with few geographical features to block heavy ocean winds. The capital of Western Australia, Perth, is renowned for its windiness.

Tropical Cyclone Olivia hit Barrow Island of Western Australia in 1996 and a 253 mph gust of wind was recorded by an anemometer, breaking the long-held world record of 231 mph set on Mount Washington in the United States. The new world record didn't even become official until 2010, as apparently the recorders didn't publicize it enough. Only a belated review of meteorological data discovered the record-breaking gust of wind.
8. In 1960, a location in which mostly arid Australian state recorded a temperature of 50.7 Celsius (123.3 Fahrenheit), the hottest temperature recorded up to that point?

Answer: South Australia

The searing temperature was recorded in Oodnadatta, South Australia, near the Simpson Desert. A sign in Oodnadatta claims that it is "the driest town, in the driest state of the driest continent".
9. Which northern state contains two towns that compete for the title of "wettest" town in Australia?

Answer: Queensland

Babinda and Tully are the two Queensland towns, and they annually compete for the Golden Gumboot, a trophy given to the wettest town in Australia. Babinda has an average annual rainfall of 4297.4mm (over 13 feet). This may not seem like much compared to other wet spots on the earth (a place in India averages over 10000 mm a year) but it's pretty wet for Australia!
10. After Tasmania, what is the largest island in Australian territory? (Despite the name, it's not known for its whaling.)

Answer: Melville Island

Melville Island was not named after the American writer of "Moby Dick" but Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville. It lies off the northern coast of Australia. Together with Bathurst Island and nine uninhabited islands, it forms the Tiwi Islands which contain around 2500 Aboriginals known as the Tiwi.

Kangaroo Island is the 3rd-largest Australian island, while Uluru is the name for a famous rock formation/island mountain in the middle of Australia.
Source: Author eyhung

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
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