Geography Terms Trivia Quiz

Answer: isthmus

Isthmus, a Greek word which means "neck", serves as a bridge for two large land areas; North and South America are joined together by the Isthmus of Panama making each accessible via land.

Answer: savanna

A grassland containing scattered trees and bushes is called savanna (or savannah). This is a characteristic of tropical America and much of the tropical Africa. The largest savanna can be found in Australia.

Answer: canyon

Rivers cause erosion that cuts into the earth, making the canyon wider and deeper and often with steep sides. At first, a river can create a pathway, but due to erosion, over a long period of time, it can become deeper and steeper, and a canyon is formed.

Answer: equinoxes

Equinoxes are the days when the sun crosses the equator during its annual motion from north to south (about September 23, the Northern's Hemisphere's autumnal equinox) or from south to north (about March 21, the vernal equinox). At the equinoxes, day and night are of equal length. Equinox came the Latin word "aequi" which means equal, and "nox" which means night.

Answer: monsoon

Etymologically, monsoon came from the Arabic word "mausim" which means season. The monsoon is especially prominent in Southeast Asia, characterized by the rainy summer season from April to September.

Answer: continental shelf

Most continents have underwater plains on the border which descend to deep water; these are called continental shelves. The shelf ranges from a few to hundreds of kilometers in width; in depth, they range from 35 to 250 meters.

Answer: peninsula

Peninsula came from the Latin words "paene" which means "almost", and "insula" which means "island". Thus, a peninsula is almost an island projecting into the sea. It may, but not always, be connected by a narrow strip of land.

Answer: strait

A strait brings convenience, especially to sailors. The Strait of Gibraltar allows ships from the Atlantic Ocean to easily access the Mediterranean Sea.

Answer: delta

Delta is a Greek letter with a triangular shape. The delta at the mouth of the river has a roughly triangular shape, formed by precipitation of the river mud when the river water meets the tidal seawater.

Answer: lagoon

There are two kinds of lagoon, either formed by a sandbank or by reefs. As the sandbank or the reefs build up, a wall will be created, forming a shallow pond separated from the sea.