These Lakes & Rivers are a Big Deal! Quiz

Answer: Wye

The Wye flows for around 150 miles from the Cambrian Mountains to the Severn Estuary near Chepstow. It flows through Builth Wells, Hereford, Tintern, and Monmouth. The river is known for salmon fishing, canoeing, and other water sports. The lower valley is a designated Area of Natural Beauty.

The Wye is threatened by pollution from agricultural runoff of fertilisers and pollution from intensive livestock farming.

Answer: Demerara

The Demerara river flows north for around 215 miles from the Guyanan rainforests, to join the Atlantic. A relatively narrow river, it has a rapid flow of water, which causes a great deal of silt to be churned up and carried. This causes the Demerara to be brown, and the Atlantic waters too, well out to sea. A Dutch colony by the same name on the bank of the Demerara was a centre for sugar production.

The picture of sugars is meant to make you think of Demerara sugar, a type of raw cane sugar.

Answer: Great Salt Lake

Situated in the north of Utah, the Great Salt Lake is a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville, which had an area around that of Michigan. The area of the Great Salt Lake itself varies greatly. At its greatest it is around 3,300 square miles. Three rivers transport water rich in dissolved salts to the lake, which only loses water by evaporation, hence concentrating the salts. "America's Dead Sea" is an important habitat for wildlife, such as Wilson's phalarope.

The picture shows salt flats in Oklahoma.

Answer: Loch Ness

Found in the north east of Scotland, in the Highlands, Loch Ness is long and thin. Its greatest length is 23 miles, its greatest width is around 2 miles, and its surface area is 22 square miles, making it the lake with the second largest surface area in Scotland, behind Loch Lomond.

What makes Loch Ness unusual is its great depth, at a maximum of 745 feet. The mystery of what might live in those depths surely contributed to the legends of a creature unknown to science inhabiting the Loch.

The picture is an artist's impression of "Nessie", the fabled Loch Ness Monster.

Answer: Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria, with a surface area of 23,000 square miles, is the largest tropical lake in the world. It is shared by three countries: Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Its only outflow is the White Nile in Uganda. It was given the name it is commonly known as to westerners by John Speke, the Victorian English explorer.

The picture is of Queen Victoria in her customary mourning outfit after the death of her consort, Prince Albert.

Answer: Lake Superior

Lake Superior holds 10% of the world's surface fresh water. It is shared by Ontario in Canada and the US states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. St. Marys River drains it into Lake Huron.

The picture is an icon of a Greek Orthodox abbess. It was meant to put you in mind of a mother superior.

Answer: Orange River

At over 1,500 miles long, the Orange River is the greatest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, and flows to the Atlantic. It forms part of South Africa's borders with Lesotho and Namibia. The Orange River is very important for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.

It was in alluvial deposits from the river that the discovery of diamonds led to the South African diamond industry. Its lack of large animals means that the Orange River can be enjoyed for various water sports.

Answer: River Onyx

The Onyx River is around 20 miles long, and flows during the summer in Antarctica. Its direction of flow is away from the sea, between two lakes in the Wright Valley. Its flow is highly variable, and it has been travelled along in a boat by New Zealand researchers. The Onyx River has no fish, but supports microscopic life.

The picture is of an onyx carving.

Answer: Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is situated in a rift valley in Siberia, Russia. It holds around 22% of the world's surface fresh water and is 25-30 million years old. Its notably clear waters are home to thousands of endemic species of wildlife, including the Baikal seal. It is a World Heritage Site.

I hope the picture of a bike helped!

Answer: Don

There are examples in the UK, Australia, Canada, and France, but the most notable river known as the Don is Russian. It flows for more than 1,100 miles from Novomoskovsk in central Russia to the Sea of Azov. A 65 mile canal connects the Don with the Volga, allowing large ships to travel from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea.

The picture is a depiction of Don Quixote by Daumier.