A Peek at Ten Peaks: Mountains of the World Quiz

Answer: Al-Safa

Al-Safa is one of two small hills located near Mecca and is an important pilgrimage, or Hajj, site for Muslims. When Prophet Muhammad issued an unsuccessful order for the mountain to come to him, he was forced to travel to it instead and, after arriving at the summit, preached a sermon.

Another legend of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic belief claims God demanded Abraham to leave his wife, Hagar, and infant son alone in the desert as a test of faith. It was between the mountains of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah that they were abandoned.

Answer: Carpathian

Vlad Tepes was born in Transylvania, as was the fictional Count. Transylvania lies at the very heart of the Carpathian Mountains.

Answer: Mount Washington

New Hampshire's Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern US states, is famous for record-breaking extremes in weather. In 1934, a wind gust of 231 mph was recorded. The Mount Washington Observatory is located there and the original observatory building is chained to the ground to prevent it being blown off the mountain!

Answer: Mountains of the Moon

In ancient times, Greek merchants, geographers, and explorers traveled to the mountains in search of the Nile's source. Diogenes reported the source to be in the snow-capped peaks of the Mountains of the Moon, while Burton and Speke argued the source was in the Great Lakes of the Rift Valley, namely Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika.

Answer: Mt. Olympus

Mt. Olympus is a peak in the tallest mountain range in Greece (between Thessaly and Macedonia). It is there that Zeus had his throne. It also supposedly served as home to a number of gods and goddesses, including the Twelve Olympians.

Answer: Alps

The Eiger (ogre) is one of three peaks in a ridge-crest in the Jungfrau-Aletsch area of the Swiss Alps. The other two peaks are the Jungfrau (maiden) and the Monch (monk). The Jungfrau-Aletsch area was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

Answer: Appalachian

The Smokies are part of an International Biosphere Reserve, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a national park. In fact, it is the most-visited national park in the U.S. The Smokies could more properly be called the "Foggies", because it is a layer of fog that often hangs over the area that gives the Smokies their name.

Answer: Catskill

The Catskills lie in the Hudson Valley of New York. The range was originally named "Kaatskil" by the large number of Dutch settlers who made the area their home.

Answer: Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc, or White Mountain, lies on the border of France and Italy. The confectionery delight known as Mont Blanc was a favorite of Lucrezia Borgia. The luxury writing instrument company of Montblanc was founded in Germany in 1906.

Answer: Damavand

There are actually two lists of Seven Summits: the Bass and the Messner. They disagree only on whether Australia's highest summit should be Kosciuszko, on the Australian mainland, or Puncak Jaya, in New Guinea, and therefore part of the Australian continent.