Geography in Black Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mauritius

Mauritius, or more correctly the Republic of Mauritius, is an island in the Indian Ocean about 2000 km off the south east African coast.

It is probably best known for being the only home of the now extinct Dodo.

In 1994 Mauritius proclaimed the Black River Gorges National Park. It is the largest park on the island taking up approximately 3.5 percent of the total land area. It encompasses terrain from marshy heathland to mountainous and low lying forests. It is managed by the National Park and Conservation Service.

Of the nearly 700 species of plant on Mauritius, over 300 can be found in the park. The park was set up to protect the last of the native forests and also the indigenous flora and fauna of the island which includes the Mauritius kestrel and the pink pigeon.

Answer: New Scotland Yard

The Black Museum, later renamed the Crime Museum of Scotland Yard, is housed at New Scotland Yard, headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service.

The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a journalist from The Observer newspaper who had been refused a visit to the museum. The museum is not open to the public.

It is a collection of criminal memorabilia, dating back to the late 1800s. It started as a collection of prisoners' property which had been confiscated under the Prisoners' Property Act of 1869.

The museum contains such exhibits as hangman's nooses and death masks of executed criminals, a letter from Jack the Ripper, the cooking pot used by serial killer Dennis Nilsen to cook the flesh of his victims, a hollowed out kitchen door used to conceal the printing plates used by counterfeiter Charles Black, the fingerprints from the first case ever solved using them, and the fake De Beers diamond used in the Millenium Dome Heist.

The museum is a resource for the police and is used for the study and detection of criminal behaviour. An officer from any of the countries' police forces can view the museum by appointment.

A major exhibition of artefacts from the museum was held at the Museum of London in 2015-2016.

Answer: South

The Black Hills are a mountain range that extends from western South Dakota into Wyoming. The name describes the dark appearance of the hills from a distance when covered in trees.

Prior to gold being discovered there in 1874, the government had signed a treaty with the Native Americans exempting the Black Hills from white settlement forever. After the discovery of gold the government took back the land.

The city of Deadwood was settled around the time of the gold rush. This town was known for its lawlessness. Drinking, gambling, opium, and prostitutes were readily available. Deadwood was the city where Wild Bill Hickok was murdered, and Calamity Jane is also buried in the local cemetery.

Another point of interest in the Black Hills is the Mount Rushmore National Memorial; part of the Black hills in Keystone, South Dakota. Carved into Mount Rushmore are four, sixty feet high sculpted heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Answer: Romania

Brasov is in south eastern Transylvania, Romania.

The Black Church is the main Gothic style monument in Romania. It was built by the German community of Brasov. The actual commencement date is unknown, but it was probably in the late 14th century. It wasn't completed until the 15th century, around 1476.

The church was partially destroyed in 1689 by a fire set by invading Habsburg forces, afterwards it became known as the Black Church.

The church services were originally Roman Catholic, but these were replaced with Lutheran ones during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century.

The church houses a six-ton bell, the biggest in Romania, and a 4000 pipe organ built in 1839.

Answer: Belarus

The Black Sea is actually bordered by six countries; Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.

Excluding the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea has an area of just over 430,000 square kilometres, a maximum depth of just over 2000 meters and a volume of just over 540,000 cubic kilometres.

The Black Sea is supplied by major rivers such as the Danube, Dnieper, Rioni
and the Dniester. It drains into the Mediterranean Sea and eventually the Atlantic Ocean, via the Aegean Sea and various straits.

The Black Sea has a meromictic basin, this means the layers of water do not intermix. The movement of water between the upper and lower layers of the water is actually the least found anywhere in the world. This creates a considerable temperature difference between layers and leaves the lower water level depleted of oxygen, or anoxic. Thus organic matter, such as boat hulls, found at lower levels are well preserved.

Answer: A dam

The Hoover Dam, which was originally called the Boulder Dam, was built at Black Canyon. It is named after US President Herbert Hoover.

Construction began in 1931 and it was completed in 1936. The dam was built to control flooding, provide irrigation water and produce hydroelectric power. The generators of the dam provide power for both public and private use in Nevada, Arizona and California.

Lake Mead was formed by the Hoover Dam and is the largest reservoir in the United States by volume when full.

The western wall of Black Canyon is in the El Dorado Mountains, and the eastern wall is in the Black Mountains of Arizona. Black Canyon's name comes from the black volcanic rocks that are found throughout the area.

Answer: Antarctica

In 1901 the British National Antarctic Expedition set off to explore the Antarctic region. The expedition, generally known as the Discovery Expedition due to the ship being called HMS Discovery, was led by Robert Falcon Scott. Black Island was named by this expedition because it lacked snow, unlike White Island to the east.

The northernmost point of the island is called Cape Hodgson, named after Thomas Hodgson, a biologist on the Discovery Expedition.

The highest point on the island is Mount Aurora.

Answer: Hot springs

The Black Forest is a mountainous region in Germany bordering on France and Switzerland. It is approximately 160 km long and 60km wide and it stretches from Pforzheim in the north to Waldshut in the south. To the west it descends to the Rhine valley and to the east, it descends to the upper Neckar and Danube valleys.

The northern Black Forest reaches its highest point of 1166 meters at Hornisgrinde. The main tourist attractions in the north are the spa facilities of towns like Baden-Baden, and the picturesque valleys and forests.

The central Black Forest region reaches its highest point of 1241 meters at Kandel situated between the beautiful Simonswald, Elz, and Glotter valleys. The area most popular with tourists is the 150 kilometre long Black Forest Railway and Triberg with its famous waterfalls.

The southern Black Forests highest peak is the Feldberg at 1,493 meters. It is popular for hiking and it is also Germany's oldest ski area.

Answer: Japan

Matsumoto or Crow castle is in the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan. Its Black Castle name comes from the black exterior colour of the building.

In the early 1500s a fort was built on the site which was originally called Fukashi Castle. By 1550 it was taken over by another clan that made further renovations to the castle, finishing in the early 1590s, making it look much as it does today.

Over the next 280 years, during the feudal system in Japan the castle had different rulers. When the Meiji Restoration occurred, abolishing the shogunate, the castle was sold for redevelopment. Local residents mounted a campaign to save the building and it was acquired by the city government.

It has had major renovations through the years, but the original keep and the inner walls survive.

Answer: New Zealand

Ruakuri Cave is on the North Island of New Zealand and it is the longest underground cave in Waitomo area. The name Ruakuri means "den of dogs" and it came about because a pack of wild dogs made their home in the cave entrance approximately three hundred years ago.

The guided tours through this cave show rare limestone formations and stalactites created over millions of years. There are fossils and glowworms, which appear as stars in the darkness. There are also underground rivers and waterfalls which are used for black water rafting.