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Quiz about African Extremes
Quiz about African Extremes

African Extremes Trivia Quiz


This quiz on the second largest continent isn't meant to be tricky, but educational. That's the long and short of it.

A multiple-choice quiz by sterretjie101. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
301,419
Updated
Sep 06 23
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
8 / 15
Plays
4474
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 109 (11/15), Luckycharm60 (15/15), Guest 217 (13/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. Wetting its feet in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Mediterranean and Red Seas, the African continent has more than its share of coastline. Somalia with the Horn of Africa has the longest coastline at 3035 kilometres. What country has the shortest coastline? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. The highest point on the African continent is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, towering 5892 metres above sea level. Djibouti boasts the lowest point on the continent, with Lake Assal being 156 metres below sea level. Name the interesting country with its lowest point at 1400 metres ABOVE sea level. Who is so high in the clouds? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. Algeria is the largest country in Africa, covering 2,381,741 sq km or 919,595 sq miles. Many small islands surround the continent, but what is the smallest country on the mainland? Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. On the whole, Africa is the hottest continent. Calculated at the yearly average temperature, many countries on the Equator score almost 30 degrees Celsius. However, in 1922 which country set a record (later proven inaccurate) for the highest recorded temperature on Earth? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. For people who love rain, a year in Egypt with only 25mm precipitation must be torture. In the tropical rainforests, the situation cannot be more different. While countries such as DRC, Congo and Gabon do well, one country on the west coast out-rains them all. What country is the recordholder of the annual average? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. Everyone knows that the Nile is Africa's longest river, flowing into the Mediterranean Sea 6,695 km later. Another major river, starting in Angola, never reaches the sea. What river simply dies in the Kalahari desert? Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. The southernmost point of Africa is at Cape Agulhas in South Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet violently. The continent's northernmost point lies in what country? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. There is no question about the Horn of Africa being the easternmost point of the continent. Cape Guardafui forms the apex of the horn. Moving to the west of the continent, the Cape Verde peninsula projects into the Atlantic Ocean. As the westernmost point of Africa, what is the capital city of Senegal? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. As the fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar is known for its incredible fauna and flora diversity. Of the fifty types of lemur apes originally found there, the largest weighed about the same a gorilla (about 100 kg) while the average mouse lemur weighs in at how much? Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. Although world-renowned, the Victoria Waterfall in Zimbabwe is neither Africa's biggest nor highest waterfall. True, it has the world's largest continuous water curtain and is twice as high as Niagara Falls but what African country boasts the two waterfalls with the highest volume of water? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Africa's largest freshwater Lake Victoria, shared by Kenya and Uganda, is only slightly smaller than Ireland. It has a circumference of 3220 kms. Even so, it is not the deepest lake. What is the name of the deepest lake in Africa? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. Large parts of Africa are desert or semi-desert. The continent contains a third of the world's driest areas. The Namib Desert broods in west Namibia, along the Atlantic coast. The coastal strip is known by a rather grisly name. Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Africa is richly blessed with minerals. South Africa and Nigeria contribute to more than half the continent's mineral production in gold and diamonds. Nigeria drills for oil. Tanzania is the only country in the world in which a certain type of gemstone was discovered. What is its name? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. Being the only continent sporting the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, the Prime Meridian (0 degrees longitude) also cuts through Algeria. Name the mountain range closest to the spot where the Tropic of Cancer and Prime Meridian meet. Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. When rounding the south-western extreme of the continent, a flat-topped mountain, called Table Mountain, can be discerned as far as 200 kms out at sea. The formation on its one side is called Devil's Peak - what is the name of the one on the other side? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Nov 17 2024 : Guest 109: 11/15
Nov 06 2024 : Luckycharm60: 15/15
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 217: 13/15
Oct 12 2024 : Guest 81: 8/15

Score Distribution

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Wetting its feet in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Mediterranean and Red Seas, the African continent has more than its share of coastline. Somalia with the Horn of Africa has the longest coastline at 3035 kilometres. What country has the shortest coastline?

Answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The former Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has access to the Atlantic Ocean via a narrow finger of land the creeps out towards the west and only claims 37 kms of sea. Togo has a narrow, elongated shape but nevertheless has a coastline of 56 kms, while Gambia has 80 kms and Benin, neighbour to Togo, claims a respectable 129 kms. All the abovementioned countries share the Atlantic Ocean.

As an island nation, Madagascar has 4828 kms of Indian Ocean shoreline, with South Africa being the only country with both Atlantic and Indian Ocean shorelines.
2. The highest point on the African continent is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, towering 5892 metres above sea level. Djibouti boasts the lowest point on the continent, with Lake Assal being 156 metres below sea level. Name the interesting country with its lowest point at 1400 metres ABOVE sea level. Who is so high in the clouds?

Answer: Lesotho

Lesotho, landlocked within South Africa, is nicknamed the Mountain Kingdom. Not only is it the only independent state in the world situated entirely above 1000 metres, but it is almost entirely above 1800 metres! A common saying is that even the baboons have to have help climbing the heights.
3. Algeria is the largest country in Africa, covering 2,381,741 sq km or 919,595 sq miles. Many small islands surround the continent, but what is the smallest country on the mainland?

Answer: Gambia

Gambia is a country almost completely swallowed up by Senegal. While its meandering coastline makes up all of 80 kms, Gambia's widest point is only 48 kms. In territory it covers about 11 000 kms square.

Off shore, tiny island groups such as the Seychelles, Sao Tome and Principe and the Comoros dot the oceans, but the smallest one-island state is Mauritius at just over 2000 kms square.
4. On the whole, Africa is the hottest continent. Calculated at the yearly average temperature, many countries on the Equator score almost 30 degrees Celsius. However, in 1922 which country set a record (later proven inaccurate) for the highest recorded temperature on Earth?

Answer: Libya

Countries situated in the Sahara Desert are naturally hot, but in September 1922 the town of Al'Azizija in the Libyan Desert became the hottest property on earth at 57.8 degrees Celsius. In 2012, this record was shown to be an inaccurate reading and the hottest recorded temperature is now accepted to have been taken in Death Valley, USA.

While Djibouti on the east coast has a yearly average of 29.4 degrees Celsius, Lesotho only reaches 16 degrees, thanks to its altitude.
5. For people who love rain, a year in Egypt with only 25mm precipitation must be torture. In the tropical rainforests, the situation cannot be more different. While countries such as DRC, Congo and Gabon do well, one country on the west coast out-rains them all. What country is the recordholder of the annual average?

Answer: Liberia

Liberia must not be confused with Libya. Libya faces the Mediterranean Sea while Liberia is on the Atlantic coast. With eleven major rivers, Liberia receives an average of 5000mm per year.

It must be said that while Liberia gets drenched every year, Cape Debundscha in Cameroon once received 9800mm in a single year.
6. Everyone knows that the Nile is Africa's longest river, flowing into the Mediterranean Sea 6,695 km later. Another major river, starting in Angola, never reaches the sea. What river simply dies in the Kalahari desert?

Answer: Okavango

The Okavango River originates in Angola where it is known as Cubango. The river meanders for 1600 km before fanning out into a delta in Botswana, forming the largest inland delta in the world. While evaporation is high, a volume of water still disappears underground and remains unaccounted for. The Okavango delta is known for its beauty and abundant wildlife.

The Lunge-Bungo and Cuanza Rivers originate in Angola while the Zambezi starts in Zambia.
7. The southernmost point of Africa is at Cape Agulhas in South Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet violently. The continent's northernmost point lies in what country?

Answer: Tunisia

Tunisia is neighbour to Algeria and Libya, all bordering the Mediterranean. Some sources cite Ras ben Sakka as the northernmost point, while others argue for Al-Ghiran near Cape Blanc.
8. There is no question about the Horn of Africa being the easternmost point of the continent. Cape Guardafui forms the apex of the horn. Moving to the west of the continent, the Cape Verde peninsula projects into the Atlantic Ocean. As the westernmost point of Africa, what is the capital city of Senegal?

Answer: Dakar

The exact westernmost point is cited as being Pointe des Almadies near the Dakar International Airport. Dakar is a major port.
9. As the fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar is known for its incredible fauna and flora diversity. Of the fifty types of lemur apes originally found there, the largest weighed about the same a gorilla (about 100 kg) while the average mouse lemur weighs in at how much?

Answer: 60 gram

Madagascar, situated in the Indian Ocean off Mozambique, is also a haven for chameleons. In fact, 80% of plant species are exclusive to the island while half of the bird species are found nowhere else on earth.
10. Although world-renowned, the Victoria Waterfall in Zimbabwe is neither Africa's biggest nor highest waterfall. True, it has the world's largest continuous water curtain and is twice as high as Niagara Falls but what African country boasts the two waterfalls with the highest volume of water?

Answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The DRC has the Livingstone and Boyoma Waterfalls. Livingstone is situated in the Congo River while the Boyoma is in the Lualaba River. Africa's highest waterfall is the Tugela in South Africa, falling 948 metres, only 31 metres short of the world-record holding Angel Falls in Venezuela, South America.
11. Africa's largest freshwater Lake Victoria, shared by Kenya and Uganda, is only slightly smaller than Ireland. It has a circumference of 3220 kms. Even so, it is not the deepest lake. What is the name of the deepest lake in Africa?

Answer: Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika lies on the border of Tanzania and the DRC. It has only one river outlet and is the Lukuga River which feeds the Congo River. Its maximum depth is 1436 metres.

Lake Ntomba as well as Upemba is in the DRC. Lake Niangay lies in Mali.
12. Large parts of Africa are desert or semi-desert. The continent contains a third of the world's driest areas. The Namib Desert broods in west Namibia, along the Atlantic coast. The coastal strip is known by a rather grisly name.

Answer: Skeleton Coast

The original inhabitants knew it as The Land God made in Anger, while the Portuguese explorers called it The Gates of Hell. Far from being named for human skeletons, it was the white bones of whales and seals littering the coast that inspired the name.
13. Africa is richly blessed with minerals. South Africa and Nigeria contribute to more than half the continent's mineral production in gold and diamonds. Nigeria drills for oil. Tanzania is the only country in the world in which a certain type of gemstone was discovered. What is its name?

Answer: Tanzanite

Tanzanite, obviously named after the country, was discovered in 1967 near the town of Arusha. The gemstone changes colour from blue to a shade of red as it is turned. It must be added that dark blue tanzanite was discovered in southern Kenya in later years.

While moonstone and peridot also occur in Tanzania, sodalite was discovered in Greenland and does not occur in Africa. Other important minerals found in Africa are silver and platinum.
14. Being the only continent sporting the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, the Prime Meridian (0 degrees longitude) also cuts through Algeria. Name the mountain range closest to the spot where the Tropic of Cancer and Prime Meridian meet.

Answer: Tanezrouft

The Tanezrouft Mountain Range, on the border of Algeria and Mali is the closest to a landmark in the isolated Sahara Desert to mark the crossing of the Tropic of Cancer and the Prime Meridian.

Chech Erg is a flat area of desert to the north-west of Tanezrouft, while Ahaggar and Tassili-n-Ajjer are mountain ranges to the east.
15. When rounding the south-western extreme of the continent, a flat-topped mountain, called Table Mountain, can be discerned as far as 200 kms out at sea. The formation on its one side is called Devil's Peak - what is the name of the one on the other side?

Answer: Lion's Head

Sir Francis Drake called it 'the fairest cape'. Many a mariner wept with relief at sighting land after a long sea journey.

Called Lion's Head by the Dutch, the English preferred to call it Sugar Loaf. According to an old legend the four guardians of the world, four giants, were eventually turned into mountains, of which the southern one is Umlindi Wemingizimu, now Table Mountain.
Source: Author sterretjie101

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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