Naturally Wonderful Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sahara

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. Located in North Africa, it covers 3,600,000 square miles, and is almost as large as the United States. An erg is a desert area that contains more than 48 square miles of wind-blown sand, and where sand covers more than 20% of the surface. While the Sahara contains many ergs, it is mainly a hamada desert.

Answer: Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is literally translated as "Bay of Descending Dragons". Located in northeastern Vietnam, the monolithic islands have thick jungle vegetation. Some of the islands have permanent inhabitants, and they are popular tourist destinations; some of the islands are hollow with enormous caves.

Answer: Mt. Everest

The height of Peak XV was first published in 1856 by the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India as 29,002 feet. Andrew Waugh, the British Survey General of India, suggested in 1865 that the peak be named after Sir George Everest, who was his predecessor. Because Nepal and Tibet had been closed to foreigners, Waugh was unaware that the mountain already had a native name.

Answer: Antarctica

Antarctica is, on the average, the coldest, driest, and windiest continent. Even though approximately 90% of Antarctica is covered by ice, it is technically the largest desert on Earth. Antarctica is even colder than the Arctic because much of the continent is more than two miles above sea level, and because the Arctic Ocean transfers its warmth through the ice.

Answer: Great Barrier Reef

Not only is the Great Barrier Reef the only reef on Earth that can be seen from space, it is also the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. The reef is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Thirty species of whales, porpoises, and dolphins live in the reef with more than 1,500 species of fish.

It is also home to sea turtles, saltwater crocodiles, and birds.

Answer: Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon, located in northern Arizona, was carved by the Colorado River. It is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile. Inhabited by native Americans for thousands of years, it was discovered in 1540 by García López de Cárdenas from Spain.

In 1869 John Wesley Powell led the first expedition down the canyon. He was the first to call it the "Grand Canyon"; previously it had been known as "Big Canyon".

Answer: Iguazu Falls

The Iguazu Falls waterfall system consists of 275 falls along the Iguazu River. The legend is that a god wanted to marry Naipi, a beautiful woman. She, however, wanted to stay with her mortal lover, Taroba. They fled down the river in a canoe, but the god sliced the water in rage, condemning them to fall eternally.

The first European to find the falls was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.

Answer: Amazon River

The Amazon River and its tributaries drain approximately 40% of South America. Containing parts of seven countries, Amazonia is the largest tropical rainforest on Earth. Parts of the system are unexplored, and many of the plants and animals are unknown. In some places, the plants form such a dense roof that sunlight is unable to reach the ground.

Answer: Galapagos Islands

European discovery of the islands occurred in 1535, however, there is some evidence that the islands were visited before that. Patrick Watkins was the first known human resident of the islands. He was an Irish sailor who was marooned on the Island Floreana from 1807-1809. Accounts say he survived by hunting, growing vegetables and trading with whalers before stealing an open boat and navigating to Guayaquil.

The Galapagos Islands are one of the few places in the world without an indigenous human population; wildlife includes the famous tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, and, of course, Darwin's finches.

Answer: Serengeti

The Serengeti is one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. Stretching from northern Tanzania to south-western Kenya, it covers approximately 12,000 square miles. In addition to the large lion population, the plain is also home to buffaloes, zebras, gazelles, and wildebeests. The great wildebeest migration is the largest mass movement of land mammals on Earth.