Geography by Country: Cote d'Ivoire Quiz

Answer: Abidjan

While Yamoussoukro is the official capital, Abidjan is the de facto capital and still houses many government buildings and embassies. It is located along the coast and is the country's main port along the Gulf of Guinea. One of the unique features of Abidjan is the 7400 acre Banco National Park, a forested park that is nearly surrounded by the northern suburbs of Abidjan.

Answer: Cestos and Cavalla

The Cestos, or Cess, flows along the northern part of the border and then across central Liberia before entering the Atlantic Ocean. The Cavalla, or Cavally, flows from southeastern Guinea through western Cote d'Ivoire and then along the border with Liberia.

The Niger, Volta, and Orange are major African rivers, of which only the Black branch of the Volta runs through Cote d'Ivoire at all. The Nzi and Nzo are real rivers in Cote d'Ivoire, but neither is on the Liberia border. There is no Liberia River.

Answer: 320 miles

The coast of Cote d'Ivoire is on the western part of the Gulf of Guinea. The name Cote d'Ivoire, which means Ivory Coast in English, came from European traders. Names for sections of the African coast included "Gold Coast," "Slave Coast," and "Grain Coast," all of which were based on goods traded at each location.

Answer: 6 degrees north, 6 degrees west

The intersection of 6 degrees north and 6 degrees west is in southern Cote d'Ivoire near the city of Gagnoa. All of the other points are in the Atlantic Ocean. 0 degrees north/south, 0 degrees east/west (the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian) is in the Gulf of Guinea south of Ghana. 11 degrees south, 11 degrees east is just off the coast of Angola.

Answer: Mount Nimba

Mount Nimba (5748 ft.), which is located in the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Preserve, is the highest point in a mountain range at the borders of Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Liberia. It is sometimes referred to as Mount Richard-Molard, and the whole range is called the Nimba Range. Cheaha Mountain (2405 ft.), Taum Sauk Mountain (1772 ft.), and Borah Peak (12,662 ft.) are the highest points in Alabama, Missouri, and Idaho, respectively.

Answer: New Mexico and Montana

The land area of Cote d'Ivoire is 122,782 square miles, which places it as the 28th largest country in Africa. The land areas of each of the eight listed states are the following:

New York- 47,126 sq. mi.
North Carolina- 48,617 sq. mi.
Minnesota- 79,626 sq. mi.
Kansas- 81,758 sq. mi.
New Mexico- 121,298 sq. mi.
Montana- 145,545 sq. mi.
Texas- 261,231 sq. mi.
Alaska- 570,640 sq. mi.

Answer: UNESCO World Heritage Site

All except for Grand-Bassam were designated World Heritage Sites in the early 1980s. The Historic Town of Grand-Bassam, which was the original capital of colonial Cote d'Ivoire, was designated in 2012. Mount Nimba and Comoe are both considered "in danger." I have never encountered any of the four on any list of Seven Wonders of the World, and the other two designations do not exist.

Answer: Accra

Accra is 264 miles from Abidjan. Abidjan to Monrovia is 471 miles, Abidjan to Conakry is 719 miles, and Abidjan to Sao Tome is 819 miles. Yamoussoukro is only 110 miles away from Abidjan.

Answer: Rock of Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar has nothing to do with Cote d'Ivoire, except that it is directly north of Yamoussoukro. The Berlin Wall, Colosseum, and Mont Blanc are all east of north from Yamoussoukro and further than 2072 miles away.

Answer: Lake Kossou

Lake Kossou was formed from a dam on the Bandama River. For size comparison, Lake Kossou is 618 square miles, or about 1/3 the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Lake Volta is in Ghana, Lake Victoria is in eastern Africa, and Lake Yama does not exist.