North, South, East and West Quiz | Geography

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these Asian capitals is furthest north: Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Pyongyang (North Korea), Beijing (China) or Tokyo (Japan)?

Answer: Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar is by far the northernmost of these capitals, lying near the 48th parallel. Beijing is next at 40� north, with both Pyongyang and Tokyo even further south (Tokyo lies near the 35th parallel.)

2. Go west, young man. That's the famous expression. Discounting territories and colonies, in which of these European countries could you reach the furthest west: Ireland, Portugal, Spain or Iceland?

Answer: Iceland

The westernmost points of Europe can be found on the island of Iceland. On the west of the island are a series of fjords, with one point of land (Bjargtangar) extending as far as 24� west longitude. The westernmost points of Ireland, Portugal and Spain are all very close to the 10th meridian west (with Ireland being the furthest west of the three.)

3. Let's go south. Which of these islands extends furthest south: Madagascar, South Island (New Zealand), Tasmania or Tierra del Fuego?

Answer: Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego, owned jointly by Chile and Argentina, just crosses the 55th parallel south. It is the southernmost large island in the world. South Island, New Zealand, is number two on this list of southern islands, it extends to about 47� south latitude. Tasmania doesn't quite reach the 45th parallel, while Madagascar just extends beyond the 25th parallel south.

4. This might be a challenge if you're not from the land down under. Which Aussie state extends the furthest east (with smaller islands excluded): Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, or Tasmania?

Answer: New South Wales

Good onya if you got that one right, mate...and if you missed it, no worries! This is a tough one, in actuality. The easternmost point of Australia is called Cape Byron, at 153� longitude east. Named after a British vice-admiral, Cape Byron is a great place for whale watching and for lighthouse enthusiasts (or so I hear!)

5. North again, I say. Which of these countries extends the furthest north: Egypt, Mexico, Iran, or Cuba?

Answer: Iran

This one was a bit tougher, I know! Iran is the northernmost of the bunch, nearly reaching the 40th parallel north. Neither Mexico nor Egypt extend very far above 30� north, while Cuba is languishing down at around the 24th parallel (right about at the Tropic of Cancer.) Believe it or not, Iran is far enough north, and has enough tall mountains, that skiing has become a popular activity (they even have an Olympic ski team!)

6. We're in the United States now, and need to find the state that is furthest west among these: Utah, Wyoming, Montana, or Arizona. Which of these is westernmost?

Answer: Montana

Quite a toughie, I will admit. Surprisingly, Montana is the only one of the four states that extends past the 115th meridian, with Utah and Arizona pretty close behind. Wyoming, the epitome of the west in many minds, doesn't quite reach 112� west. Incidentally, the westernmost U.S. state is Alaska (and its the easternmost too!)

7. Heading south, once again. We always think of Scandinavian countries as being so far north, but which of them, of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, or Norway (excluding territories and colonies), extends the furthest south?

Answer: Denmark

Denmark is the only Scandinavian country that borders mainland Europe on the south, so naturally it should be the first choice. It's southernmost point is just below the 55th parallel. Sweden makes this a surprisingly close race, however, as it extends to just above 55� north at its southernmost extent. Finland has the northernmost southernmost point among the Scandinavian countries (what a fun sentence!) Finland extends just beyond the 60th parallel north at its southern edge, while Norway's southernmost point is at 58� north. Phew!

8. Back to the east, and this time the true 'Far East'. Which of these east and southeast Asian countries extends furthest to the east: China, South Korea, Indonesia or The Philippines?

Answer: Indonesia

One perhaps wouldn't think about Indonesia, but indeed it is one of the Asian countries that extends furthest east, all the way past the 140th meridian! The only Asian countries that extend further east are Russia and Japan. The other choices, listed in order of their easternmost points: China, South Korea and The Philippines.

9. The final two questions of this quiz will be slightly different. First, just counting its mainland, which country extends the furthest east to west?

Answer: Russia

Russia's westernmost point is near Kaliningrad, extending just beyond the 20th meridian east. It's easternmost point is approximately at the 170th parallel west, nearly occupying 180� of territory! An argument could be made for the United States if one counts islands, as there are Aleutian islands on both sides of the International Dateline. But I didn't want to get that tricky!

10. Second, just counting its mainland, which country extends the furthest north to south?

Answer: Brazil

Surprisingly, it's Brazil! Brazil's northernmost point is just above the 5th parallel north, and its southernmost point is close to the 34th parallel south, extending nearly 40� from north to south! Chile extends from about the 17th parallel south to the 54th parallel south. Russia and Canada are both not far behind, surprisingly. Russia reaches about 77� north (Taymyr Peninsula) and about 41� north (in Dagestan), while Canada extends about 72� north (Boothia Peninsula) and 42� south (at Point Pelee.) If islands are taken into account, both Canada and Russia extend beyond 40� from north to south. I hope you enjoyed this quiz, and if so, please give my other geography quizzes a try...you might have fun with them as well...thanks!

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor minch before going online.
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North, South, East and West Trivia Quiz

The game is very simple. I will select four geographical entities and you must decide which one is further north, south, east or west. Please note: The International Dateline is the defining line for east and west.

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