A Year in the Sun Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jaisalmer

The Thar Desert partially forms a natural boundary between the countries of India and Pakistan. Also referred to as the Great Indian Desert, it is the most densely populated desert in the world. Around 85% of the desert is located in India with over half of it covering the state of Rajasthan.

Jaisalmer is located in the state of Rajasthan and the Jaisalmer Fort which overlooks the city has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The buildings of the city are built using the locally available yellow sandstone which gives the city a golden tinge under the sunlight.

Answer: Skeleton Coast

The meeting of the moisture laden wind blowing in from the sea and the dry desert air results in the formation of dense fog along the coast line. This has led to numerous shipwrecks along this stretch. The name Skeleton Coast was coined by John Henry Marsh while describing the wreck of the ship 'Dunedin Star' in a book he authored. Portuguese sailors used to refer to this part of the coast as "The Gates of Hell".

The Namib Desert is regarded as one of the oldest deserts in the world and is largely uninhabited by humans except for small settlements in different pockets.

Answer: Libyan Desert

Desert glass is believed to be formed as a result of lightning or meteor impacts on the silica in the sand. Libyan desert glass is found within the Libyan Desert that covers parts of Libya, Egypt and Sudan. The glass was used for making jewellery by the Ancient Egyptians and a scarab carved out of this material is found within the pectoral of Tutankhamen.

Answer: China

The third largest desert in China, Badain Jaran Desert is located across the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. At a height of 1609 meters above sea level, the Bilutu Peak found here is the tallest sand dune on earth. Another interesting structure found here is the Badain Jaran Temple - a Tibetan-Buddhist temple built on the side of a lake within the desert. Due to its isolated location, the temple escaped destruction during the Cultural Revolution.

Answer: New South Wales

The point is named after Augustus Poeppel who had conducted a survey to pinpoint the exact state borders of these states in the 1880s. As the corner covers three different time zones, New Year's Eve occurs thrice here.

The Simpson Desert covers the states of Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland in central Australia. It is the largest sand dune desert in the world and is also home to the world's longest parallel sand dunes.

The Opera House shown in the picture is a distinctive landmark of Sydney, the capital of New South Wales.

Answer: Nazca Lines

The ancient Nazca Lines consist of a series of shapes ranging in complexity etched in the surface of the desert. While it is popular among tourists to take flights to view them from above, they can also be seen from the top of the hills surrounding them. The geoglyphs include figures of hummingbirds, spiders, fish and lizards among others.

The Sechura Desert is also called the Nazca Desert and is located along the northern Pacific coast of Peru.

Answer: Turkmenistan

The name Karakum translates to Black Sand in the Turkic languages. The Karakum Desert covers almost 70% of the country of the Turkmenistan. The human remains have been found in the Bolshoi Balkan range, a mountain range located in the desert. The desert is also the source of valuable oil and natural gas deposits.

Answer: Ténéré

The Ténéré is part of the larger Sahara desert and covers the northeastern part of Niger and the western part of Chad. L'Arbre du Ténéré, also known as the Tree of Ténéré belonged to the Acacia family and had grown in the area when the desert was not as arid. It was the only tree to be found in the region for over four hundred kilometers and was a landmark for caravans travelling along the route. The dead tree can now be seen in the Niger National Museum in Niamey while the location in the desert where it stood is marked by a simple metal sculpture.

It must take a special ability to aim for and knock down the most isolated tree in the world!

Answer: Dingoes

The Dingo Fence was built in the 1880s to protect the flocks of sheep bred in the southern part of Queensland from the dingoes. It is the longest fence in the world and is also known as the Great Barrier Fence. The Strzelecki Desert, found in central Australia, is the seventh largest desert in the country.

It is named after the Polish explorer Paweł Edmund Strzelecki who was the first non-native to explore the region.

Answer: Turkic

Stan means land; thus Cholistan translates to 'desert land'. The desert is also known as Rohi among the locals. A large fortress called the Derawar Fort is located in this desert. Built by the Rajputs of Jaisalmer (now part of India), the fort stands almost thirty meters tall.

In the mid-18th century, it passed into the hands of the Nawabs of Bahawalpur whose tombs are found within the fort.