The Geography of Africa Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cameroon

Bioko is only 32 kilometers from Cameroon, and in fact used to be attached to Cameroon before it was cut off by rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age.

Answer: Mali

In past centuries Timbuktu was an important center for trade and for Islamic scholarship. In April of 2012 Islamist rebels captured the town from the Mali government, and it was not retaken until January of 2013, when the Mali government captured the town with the help of French forces.

Answer: Tunisia

The northernmost point is Cape Blanc, with the nearest city being Bizerte, which is located only 140 miles from the European island of Sardinia. Because of its strategic location, France maintained a naval base at Bizerte for seven years after Tunisia became independent in 1956.

Answer: Ethiopia

The northern part of Ethiopia lies close to the Red Sea, but Eritrea and Djibouti block any direct access to it. Similarly, Somalia stands between the southern part of Ethiopia and the Indian Ocean.

Answer: Sudan

Following years of civil war, the people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for independence in a UN-sponsored referendum held in January of 2011. Since then South Sudan has been granted UN membership, and has achieved diplomatic recognition from most countries of the world.

Answer: Kenya

Karen Blixen, whose pen name was Isak Dinesen, moved to British East Africa in 1913 and ran a coffee plantation there until a drought forced her to sell the plantation in 1931. (The movie "Out of Africa" takes liberties with the facts in depicting her as being forced from the land by a fire.) In 1920 British East Africa split into two, with the eastern part called Kenya and the western part Uganda.

Kenya is also the setting for Beryl Markham's memoir, "West with the Night". Although the title refers to the author's famous east-to-west flight across the Atlantic, most of the book recounts her experiences as an Englishwoman growing up in Kenya on her father's farm.

Answer: Switzerland

Switzerland has never had any colonies, either in Africa or elsewhere. Belgium had the Belgian Congo, Germany had German South-West Africa, and Italy had Libya.

Answer: Ivory Coast

Other African countries that are major cocoa exporters are Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. All are located in west Africa.

Answer: Tanzania

The Serengeti is famous for its large wildebeest, zebra, and lion populations. The British took steps starting in 1921 to protect the wildlife population, and the area was formally established as a national park in 1951. Since gaining independence from the British in 1961, the Tanzanian government has, for the most part, continued the tradition of strong environmental protection.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. Both Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti are located in the northern part of Tanzania.

Answer: Senegal

Senegal borders the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, Pointe des Almadies on the Cap Vert Peninsula in Senegal is the westernmost point in continental Africa.