10 Question Geography Quiz: The Land Down Under | Geography

Answer: January

Australia celebrates Australia Day on January 26. On January 26, 1788, the first British settlers arrived in Australia. This became known as Australia Day. Every year in January, one person is chosen to be Australian of the Year.

Answer: No

There are several dormant volcanoes found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. The most active volcano, Big Ben, is located on Heard Island, an island owned by Australia in the Indian Ocean.

Answer: Ayers

Ayers Rock measures 1.5 miles long and 1100 feet high. Ayers Rock is found in the middle of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Ayers Rock was named for Sir Henry Ayers. Uluru is the Aboriginal name for the rock. What is seen topside is just the beginning of Ayers Rock; the majority of the rock is hidden underground.

The reddish color given off by Ayers Rock is due to the iron oxidation on the rock's surface.

Answer: True

Australia is positioned below the equator on the southern side of the world. It has the distinction of being both country and continent, and is the sixth largest country in the world. It was also given the name "the land down under" by European explorers who were looking for a land "below" Asia. Australia covers 2,988,902 square miles.

Answer: Due to the vegetation in the city

Canberra is known as the bush capital of Australia because of the city's vegetation growth. When deciding on a capital city for Australia, Australian politicians wanted a capital that was more than one hundred miles from Sydney and within the state of New South Wales. Canberra became the ultimate choice from the potential capital cities for Australia. Canberra is the home of Australia's three branches of government.

Answer: Schooling is done by computers and satellites

At the Alice Springs School of the Air, classes are held with teachers and students via satellites and computers. Because there are many children that live on stations too far away from any schools, the Alice Springs School of the Air conducts their classes by computer. Any homework that children are given is e-mailed to the teacher after completion.

Answer: Great Britain

In 1770, James Cook of the British Navy claimed Australia in the name of the United Kingdom. Australia remained the property of the UK until 1901. Three out of ten people that reside in Australia were born in another country.

Answer: Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef can be found on the coast of Queensland running along the western end of the Coral Sea. The Reef's deepest point has been measured at five hundred feet. Thousands of species of fish swim in the Great Barrier Reef. The coral located on the reef is made up of tiny animals called polyps.

When the polyps die, they leave behind the hardened shell which gives the Great Barrier Reef the beautiful colors. The Reef is the only living thing that can be seen from space.

Answer: Indian and Pacific Oceans

Australia rests in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its nearest neighbor to the southeast is New Zealand while Indonesia and New Guinea lie to its north. Australia is 7,000 miles from the United States and is a fourteen hour plane trip to the United States.

Answer: Mount Disappointment

In 1824, British explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell climbed the rough terrain of a mountain to get a look Port Philip Bay. When the reached the mountain top, Hume and Howell discovered the view of Port Philip Bay was obstructed from the many trees on the mountain. Thus, Hume and Howell named the mountain Disappointment. Different types of trees grow on Mount Disappointment from mountain ash to candlebark.