Up the Lazy River Trivia Quiz

Answer: Helmand

The Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan. It flows for 1,150 km (710 miles) and rises approximately 80 km (50 miles) west of Kabul, in the Hindu Kush mountains and it has no outlet to the sea. The river water is used mainly by farmers for irrigation. The river feeds into Lake Hamun which is on the border between Afghanistan and Iran.

Answer: Tay

As well as being the longest river in Scotland at 188 km (117 miles), the Tay is the seventh longest river in the UK. The Tay flows across the Highlands from the slopes of Ben Lui in western Scotland. After flowing through three lochs, it travels through the centre of Scotland at Strathray, then flows through Perth in the southeast, and then to its mouth at the Firth of Tay. By volume, it is the largest river in the UK, its catchment being about 5,200 sq km (2,000 square miles).

The Tay has a large population of Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussels and Eurasian otters. Anglers come from all over the world to fish for Atlantic salmon. The British record for the largest salmon ever caught by rod weighed 64 lbs, and was caught in the Tay River in 1922. The Tay has many tributaries that are also renowned for salmon fishing.

Answer: Chile

The Rio Loa (Loa River) is the longest river in Chile at 440 km long. It rises on the slopes of the Andes Mountains near the Mino Volcano. On its way to the Pacific Ocean, the Loa flows south for about 150 km. At this stage, the river is quite elevated above sea level and large volumes of water flow into the Loa from the Andes. Once the river reaches Chiu Chiu, it flows west and then curves to the north to Quillagua, where it turns west again. It flows into the Pacific Ocean south of the port of Huanillos.

Many geoglyphs, petroglyphs and pictographs can be found along the length of the Loa, proving that the banks of the river have been habituated for many, many years.

Answer: Gudenå

The Gudenå (sometimes known as the Gudenaen and anglicized "the River Guden") is 176 km long. It rises in Tinnet Krat in the Municipality of Vejle and flows into Randers Fjord, an inlet of the Kattegat Sea. It runs mainly through Jutland and passes thorough several lakes on its northern journey.

It is estimated it came into existence at the end of the Ice Age, about 15,000 years ago, its bed being carved out by raging glacial streams and melting snow and ice.

Answer: Mackenzie

The Mackenzie, at 1,738 km (1,080 miles), is both the largest and longest river system in Canada. It rises in the western end of Great Slave Lake, flowing approximately 300 km (190 miles) in a west-northwest direction. It is then joined by its largest tributary, the Liard River, at Fort Simpson and then flows towards the Arctic. The Mackenzie is joined by the North Nahanni, the Keelie and Great Bear Rivers. It then crosses the Arctic Circle and after passing through Norman Wells in a northerly direction, it merges with the Arctic and Peel Rivers. Its journey ends when it flows into the Beaufort Sea which is part of the Arctic Ocean.

The river ranges from 2 to 5 km (1.2 to 3.1 miles) wide and is 8 to 9 m (26 to 30 ft) deep. The river freezes over in winter. The Mackenzie and several of its tributaries cover portions of five Canadian provinces and territories. In North America, the Mackenzie River system is only exceeded by the Mississippi River system.

Answer: Waikato

The Waikato River, the longest in New Zealand, is in the North Island and is 425 km long. It rises in the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, and after its journey empties into Lake Taupo, which is the largest lake in New Zealand. Lake Taupo drains at its northeastern edge creating the Huka Falls, flowing northwest and emptying into the Tasman Sea at Port Waikato, south of Auckland. It is estimated that the river formed some 17,000 years ago. The name "Waikato" is Maori for "flowing water", and has spiritual meanings for local Maori tribes.

The Waikato is used for hydro-electric power, and has eight dams and nine hydroelectric power stations generating electricity for New Zealand's national grid. They generate about 4,000 gigawatt hours of electricity and supply about 15% of New Zealand's generating capacity.

Answer: Madagascar

The Betsiboka River, surrounded by mangroves, runs for 55 kilometres through central-north Madagascar. A distinguishing feature of the river is its reddish coloured water, that is caused by river sediments. Over the last sixty years, the chopping down of forests for cultivation and pastureland has led to the erosion of northwestern Madagascar. Annual soil losses, the largest recorded anywhere in the world, have risen to a massive total of 250 metric tonnes per hectare (112 tons per acre).

The river originates east of Antananarivo and eventually flows into Bombetoka Bay in the Mozambique Channel.

Answer: Sri Lanka

The Mahaweli River (Great Sandy River), at 335 km (208 miles) is the longest river in Sri Lanka. It begins in the Thotupola mountain range and gathers water from Hortain Plains in Kingaipoththa, running its course and finally emptying into the Bay of Bengal from Trincomale Bay. Because of the many underwater canyons in the bay, it is one of the deepest harbours in the world.

The river is dammed in several places along its route, providing irrigation for approximately 1,000 square km (386 square miles) of dry regions. Through its hydroelectric power stations on six dams, the Mahaweli provides more than 40% of Sri Lanka's electricity.

Answer: Kizilirmak

With a total length of 1,355 kilometres, the Kizilirmak River (wholly within Turkey) flows in a very wandering course from Eastern Aatolia, finally emptying into the Black Sea. Kizilirmak is Turkish for "Red River", and it is also known as the Halys River. The Hittites called it the Marassantiya River during their rule of the area. Its history goes back to at least 1680 BC. In 585 BC it formed the border between Media and Lydia, and in classical antiquity the river was the border between Asia Minor and the rest of Asia.

Rice is grown in the river and it is also home to water buffalo.

Answer: New South Wales and Victoria

With a length of 2,508 kilometres (1,448 miles) the Murray River is the longest in Australia. It forms the majority of the border between the States of New South Wales and Victoria. The Murray River rises in the Australian Alps which contain the highest mountain peaks in Australia. The Alps form part of the Great Dividing Range that runs down the east coast of Australia for approximately 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles). After travelling along the border NSW/Victoria border, the Murray River reaches the state of South Australia and travels for another 500 kilometres (310 miles) before emptying into the Southern Ocean.

The Murray River and its tributaries contain unique flora and fauna, especially the Murray cod which is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world and can grow in well in excess of one metre (3 feet) long.