Locations in Landlocked Africa Quiz

The King's African Rifles (KAR) were set up in a number of British colonies in 1902. Most of the rank and file members of this division, known as Askaris, were drawn from the local populations, with the British Army supplying the officers. They were established to provide internal security, but they were called upon to step outside of their boundaries during the two World Wars. The KAR, in Malawi, was disbanded upon the country's independence in 1964.

The memorial in Zomba, which was Malawi's former capital city, is quite an imposing red brick structure that commemorates the soldiers who lost their lives while serving the KAR around the globe. This monument pays homage to 125 members who died. Beyond the monument is a cemetery with 51 burials, one of which is unidentified.

This question was the last post for Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 in this quiz.

The Ha Kome Caves are a cluster of five igloo-like dwellings built of mud under a cliff overhang, many of which dot the landscape of Lesotho. The dwellings in Ha Kome, located about 60 km away from the capital of Maseru, were built in the early 1800s by the Basia people, who were fleeing political conflict, drought and famine. Their descendants (fourth generation) still live there today. A few rock paintings that are still visible indicate that the area may have been inhabited by the ancient San Bushmen. There are tall trees that shelter the entrance to the Ha Kome Caves. These are believed to have been planted by the Basia people when they built their homes as protection from lightning. The Ha Kome Caves are classified as a National Heritage Site and they are a tourist attraction in Lesotho.

This question suffered vertigo after being hung in a quiz by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing. There it dwelt.

Located in the largest city in Niger, Agadez, and dominating the city skyline the first Islamic shrine on the site is thought to date to between 1501-1516. It was during the time of the conquest by the great trading dynasty of the Songhai Empire. Made of clay with restorations undertaken in the in 19th century, at 27m (88ft) the minaret is thought to be the tallest adobe structure in the world. Part of the 'Historic Centre of Agadez', it was classified as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2013.

This question was built into the quiz by the ancient VegemiteKid of the Phoenix Rising clan.

Sibebe Rock is a large granite dome situated 10 km (6 mi) from Eswatini's capital of Mbabane. It is a monolith that is second only to Australia's Uluru in size and it is the largest exposed granite pluton, which is an igneous intrusion, in the world. The three-billion-year-old rock rises 350 m (1150 ft) above the adjacent river valley and is sometimes called "Bald Rock". Its sheer rock face is a draw among climbing enthusiasts and there is an annual fund-raising hike, the Sibebe Survivor, that was begun in 2004 by the Rotary Club of Mbabane-Mbuluzi.

This question was formed not quite three billion years ago by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Possibly the most recognised landmark in the Central African Republic, the Boali falls are situated about 85 kilometres, a little under 53 miles, from Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic. The falls are 50 metres high (164 feet) and 250 metres wide (820 feet). To give you some context for this, it is virtually the same height as the Niagara Falls but only one third of its width.

The country struggles with water during the dry season and the falls are but a mere trickle, however, during the rainy season, the amount of water that flows through it from the M'Bari River is phenomenal. The country has taken advantage of this power and erected two hydro-electric schemes here, one before the falls and one after. This has proven to be a two-edged sword for the government. On the one hand it provides the capital with its electricity but, in a country that is so unstable, it provides a strategic target for any military organization wishing to start a coup.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who struggled with inspiration until he decided to go with the flow.

There are a number of myths about this site that lies twelve kilometres (seven and a half miles) south of Burundi's capital Bujumbura. One is that this is where Stanley uttered those now famous words "Dr. Livingstone, I presume". The other is that the pair spent two nights here recuperating. The first was debunked by Stanley himself in his 1872 book "How I Found Livingstone" and the second was ruled out by both men in their journals, which indicate that that particular meeting took place in Tanzania. At the monument, in Mugere, the pair met with a local chieftain. Time has blurred the history and the myth was born.

The monument was erected in the 1950s by Belgian colonialists. It is a vertical stone that overlooks the wonderful Lake Tanganyika and it is engraved with the words "Livingstone-Stanley, 25-11-1871". The myth aside, this stone stands as an important reminder of the work of the two explorers, their impact on Burundi and the way they managed to open up the whole of central Africa to the Europeans.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who is still stunned that Stanley managed to get in to see Dr. Livingstone without an appointment.

Reportedly, the Bahai faith installs one Bahai Temple on each continent. In Africa, Uganda was chosen to be the spiritual heart of the faith on the continent, mainly because the Mother Temple is nearby in Kampala.

The Bahai Faith was introduced into Uganda in 1951 and the construction of the temple began in 1958. It was completed in three years later. The temple is located on Kikay Hill, some four miles (6.4 kilometres) from Kampala. Nestled high on this hill there, it dominates the skyline as nothing around it has a similar elevation for three miles in any direction. The temple is 124 feet (almost 38 metres) and sits on 124 acres of beautifully tended gardens.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who sees his own body as a Greek temple... in ruins.

The Ouagadougou Cathedral is also known as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Ouagadougou. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The cathedral was built in 1930 by a French missionary named Joanny Thevenoud. The cathedral is the largest in the country and it is built from red mud bricks. The architecture is in the Romanesque Basilica style and it has two towers on either side of its triple-arch entrance. The central feature of the cathedral is a statue carved of stone dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Ave Maria.

Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing attempted to construct this question - and nailed it.

Cecil Rhodes, who colonised Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia), wanted to build a railway to reach from Cape Town to Cairo. To do this, the Zambezi had to be bridged. Only one site was suitable for the brief he gave to the engineers: "build the bridge across the Zambezi where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls".

This brief was met with the construction of a deck arch bridge at Victoria Falls - there was little or no scope for it to be situated anywhere else than the appointed site. The span needed to be 513 feet (156m) and it was to be 420 ft or 128 metres above ground level. The whole project took 14 months with construction starting in 1904 and the opening in September 1905.

As the bridge traverses the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, there are border checkpoints at either end. The bridge was originally known as the Great Zambesi or Zambezi Bridge. Later in 1958 it became the Victoria Falls Bridge. It was the first bridge to cross the Zambesi between the two countries and when it celebrated its centenary in 2005, there were only two other bridges that crossed the Zambesi between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Rhodes' vision to build a railway to reach from Cape Town to Cairo was ultimately unfulfilled.

One day Phoenix Rising's 1nn1 hopes to visit this crossing as it has both bridge and waterfalls in the same vista.

In the 12th century in the mountains 600km east of Addis Ababa, King Lalibela had a vision of creating a new Jerusalem after Muslim conquests had caused Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land to cease. He created 11 churches hewn from huge monolithic rocks. The largest, Biete Medhani Alem, had five aisles and is the biggest monolithic church in the world. As well as the churches extensive drainage ditches had to be dug to drain water as the churches were dug down into the rock.

The site has been a place for pilgrimage for Coptic Christians since they were built.

The drainage ditches filled up with earth due to seismic activity causing damage to the churches. Whilst the churches continue to be restored, there is no proclamation in place to protect the site, no buffer zone is in place and the expansion of the adjacent settlement is encroaching.

This question was carved out of the quiz by Phoenix Rising chiseller 1nn1.

Aloba Arch in Chad is found in the Ennedi Plateau of the Sahara Desert and is a huge natural arch measuring around 400 feet high (estimates range from 394 to 403 feet) by 250 feet wide. It is the 8th longest known natural arch in the world and the longest outside of China and Colorado Plateau in the Southwestern US. But it is one of the highest in the world, measuring around 150 feet higher than the famous Rainbow Bridge in Utah. The top half was formed as a buttress type arch while the bottom was formed by the erosion of a stream passing through.

This question was measured and remeasured before being entered into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

The Mountain Nile (aka Baḥr al-Jabal), is a section of the Nile River between the city of Nimule near the Uganda border and Malakal in South Sudan. Located 6.5km (4m) the Fula Rapids, sometimes also called Fula Falls, Nimule Falls or the Nimule Rapids, flow northwards. Where an island in the middle of the river, the is a drop of 6m (20ft) and at the north end of the island the water rushes through a 90m (300ft)-log gorge, creating exciting rapids. Such is the force of the water the South Sudanese government is investigating the creation of a hydropower and transmission line on the site.

This question was rushed into the quiz by VegemiteKid, the Phoenix Rising member who prefers a nice spa bath to the rapids.

Situated in the Central Business District of Gaborone, this monument has been estimated as the most visited destination by tourists in the country. Dikgosi means "chief" and this statue pays homage to the three Chiefs, Khama III, Sebele I and Bathoen, who were integral to Botswana achieving independence. The trio travel to Great Britain to negotiate their separation from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and this was approved by Queen Victoria. This meant that Botswana (then Batswana) came under the direct rule of Great Britain's monarch. The country achieved full independence in 1960.

The monument, which stands at eighteen feet in height, was inaugurated in September 2005.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who was also a leader... in selling security systems door-to-door. If no one was home, he'd leave a brochure on the kitchen table.

The Volcanoes National Park is located in the north-western part of Rwanda. You might think that the five volcanoes located in this aptly-named park are all there is to see in the park, but you'd be wrong. One of the most popular activities for tourists is to see the awe-inspiring mountain gorillas. Daily tours with trained guides provide close encounters with these beauties in their natural habitat.

The volcanoes themselves are 5 of the 8 that make up part of the Albertine Rift, in turn part of the East African Rift. Mount Karisimbi is the fifth tallest mountain in Africa 14,787 feet (4,507 m). It's possible to trek to the top - but be prepared for it to take a couple of days.

Mount Bisoke is a dormant stratovolcano. A walk to the top is rewarded with views of a crater lake, while an alternate trail leads to Lake Ngezi which sits between Mount Bisoke and Mount Gahinga. Mount Muhabura will afford views of the whole volcanic chain and two other crater lakes, Burera and Ruhondo.

Head to the foothills of Mount Sabyinyo to see the stunning golden monkeys (Cercopithecus Mitis Kandt) or go a bit higher to see the blue monkey or diademed monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) munching on bamboo, fruits, insects, leaves, and flowers.

The question combusted during its insertion into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.

This tomb is a massive complex that is situated in Gao, the largest city on the eastern end of Mali. Not only is it made up of the necropolis, the 17-metre (56-foot) pyramidal burial site also includes a square and, on either side, two flat-roofed mosques. Built in 1495 under the guidance of the powerful (and very wealthy) Songhai Empire, the tomb is a great example of how the country adapted to Islam. Architecturally, it is one of the best preserved examples of the Sudano-Sahelian style and it remains intact after all these years. The biggest issue is the erosion of the pyramid by the occasional violent winter storms; however, the structure is re-plastered every year as a means toward preserving it.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 whose wish is to pass away peacefully in his sleep, just like his grandfather, and not screaming like all his passengers.

Tom Zwigelaar, a Swiss miner looking for lead and zinc in 1921, stumbled across an almost complete skull, which was named Homo rhodesiensis after its location. It is popularly called the 'Broken Hill Man', but has been classified more recently as Homo heidelbergensis. The monument is located on grounds of the Civic Centre in Kabwe, Zambia; the skull is held at Natural History Museum in London but negotiations to repatriate it are underway. The skull has been dated to between 300,000 ± 25,000 years, placing it in the later Middle Pleistocene era.

VegemiteKid from Phoenix Rising dug around for this question and is off to do some serious handwashing.