Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Sometimes it seems that the earth contains no more secrets. But also in our time, spectacular discoveries are made. At the end of the 20th century, scientist using satellite images, discovered one of the biggest lakes of our planet. It is situated close to the South Pole under four km. of ice. Because the ice acts as a gigantic insulator and keeps the extreme cold of the surface off, the natural heat of the earth is sufficient to keep the water from freezing. Some four km above the lake (at the surface) is a Russian base of the same name, where in 1983 the coldest temperature ever measured on earth was registered (-89 C). What's the name of the lake?
2. There are more than 30 landlocked countries in the world. There are even two countries in the world that are landlocked and of which every bordering country is landlocked too. Which two countries?
3. The capital of Kazakhstan used to be Alma Ata. In 1996 that name changed to Almaty, but already the next year it was decided to move the capital to a small town in the center of the country, Akmola. This move made the president Nazarbayev the laughing stock of the country, because the name Akmola resembles in the local language the word for 'buttocks'. So finally in 1998 the president decided to change the name of the town to 'capital', in the local language of course. What is the name of the Kazakh capital?
4. Ever had a question about Djibouti? Here goes: Djibouti is almost entirely situated in the Afar-triangle. That is an extremely arid and warm part of the Rift Valley. A big part of the country is below sea level. The surface of a lake, only 20 km from the sea, is even the lowest point of Africa. It's 160 meter below sea level. Because the water of the lake evaporates very fast, the water of the lake is ten times saltier than the sea and is the saltiest lake on earth. What's the name of that lake?
5. The inhabitants of this island in the south west of Scotland call it 'Scotland in a nutshell'. And they are right: when you visit this island, you get a taste of all there is in Scotland. The north resembles the Highlands, whereas the south has a much more temperate climate, there are even some palm trees. It contains 14 villages and 4700 inhabitants. The biggest village is Lamlash, the highest point is called Goat Fell. What is the name of the island?
6. This little part of Italy at the lake of Lugano is completely surrounded by Switzerland and is one of th most unique and least known tax paradises of Europe. It has an area of four square kilometers and a population of about 4000. What is the name of the area without property, state or income taxes and with maximum financial privacy?
7. It is possible to stand on American soil and see Russia with the naked eye. The place where those two countries are closest together, are two islands in the Bering Sea, which are about four kilometers apart. Between those two islands is the international date line. The consequence of that is that the smaller, American island was one of the last places on Earth to say goodbye to the 20th century. The Russian island in not inhabited, the American one hosts about 200 people. What are these islands called?
8. The Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, de Sutley and the Beas are 5 rivers in the Indus region. They stream in an area which, in the local language, is called 'land of five streams'. What is the more common name of that area?
9. If you look at lists of the highest mountains in the world, you will sometimes see the name of a mountain appear and sometimes it will not be there. If it is in there, it will be in the fourth place with its altitude of 8516 meter. It will however often not be listed because it is a side peak of Mount Everest. In those cases the Makalu with 8463 meter will be in fourth place. What is the name of that side peak of Mount Everest?
10. We all know that Mount Everest is the highest peak on the world. But mankind has only known that since 1852. Over the centuries many other mountains were erroneously proclaimed the highest point on Earth. In the 17th and 18th century it was generally accepted that a peak in the Andes Mountains was the highest in the world. With an altitude of 6267 meter it is not even in the top 50! But the presumption was not that foolish: because the summit of the mountain is situated very near to the equator, it is actually the point on Earth which is furthest from the Earth's center. What is the name of that mountain which can be found in Ecuador?
Source: Author
StevenDC
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
minch before going online.
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