The World Cried - The Tsunami of 2004 Online Quiz | History

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On what date did the 2004 tsunami strike?

Answer: December 26th

The quake was around 7am local time on 26th December (0000 UT or GMT). The waves hit the various places affected between one and eight hours later.

2. The 2004 tsunami was one single wave and all the damage was done in less than a minute.

Answer: False

The first wave was the worst, but in some areas a second wave was nearly as devastating. There were reports of up to six waves (in Thailand, for example).

3. The region of Banda and its capital Banda Aceh was one of the worst-hit areas by the 2004 tsunami. In what country is Banda Aceh?

Answer: Indonesia

It is on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Areas all around Banda province were badly affected, but the city of Banda Aceh has left lasting images of widespread destruction.

4. Which of the following groups includes NO areas affected by the 2004 tsunami?

Answer: Australia and The Philippines

Affected areas included Thailand's west coast and islands, the northern part of Sumatra in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands, Myanmar, Bangladesh, the eastern coast of India, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Seychelles and the African countries of Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. Despite being closer to the epicentre than Africa, Australia and the Philippines were spared.

5. The greatest estimated height of the 2004 tsunami when it hit shore is still a matter of debate, and has been estimated to have been anything from 10 to 25 metres at Aceh (probably the lower estimates are more accurate). However, the wave was much smaller when it was at sea. What was the approximate height of the wave at sea?

Answer: Less than 1 metre

A satellite image from two hours after the earthquake was interpreted, and the wave height was estimated at approximately 60 centimetres. Tsunamis rarely measure more than a metre at sea, but heighten as the water shallows when the leading edge hits the beach and slows down while the water further back continues to move at speed and catch up.
(Information: www.earthobservatory.gov.au)

6. There has been much talk of warning signs and the failure of authorities to notify of the impending disaster of the 2004 tsunami. However, there is a warning sign that was available in some places, but tragically many people failed to notice it. What was it?

Answer: The sea receded a long way down the beach

10-year-old English schoolgirl Tilly Smith saved the lives of over 100 people on a Pukhet beach as a result of a school assignment. She saw the water retreat and recognised the sign, and she and her parents sounded the alarm. The beach quickly cleared and no-one is believed to have perished at Maikhao Beach. Shortly before the tsunami struck, one can usually hear a roar (rather than slurping). No flags were raised.

7. The behaviour of animals can provide another warning sign, but which of these animals were reported to have saved lives in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka by racing away from the shore before the 2004 tsunami hit?

Answer: Elephants

Elephants trumpeted and ran for higher ground, taking with them their mahouts (drivers) and tourists who were having a ride. There was even one report (true or not) of elephants using their trunks to lift eight tourists on to their back before retreating.

It is generally believed that most animals have a sixth sense warning them of danger, but elephants are the only animals whose warning seems to have been noticed this time. Tragically, it is believed that in a Sri Lankan wildlife park all the wild animals retreated (as few animal deaths occurred) but it seems that no humans noticed the warning, as the human death toll in the park was high.

8. People in the affected countries worked together to rebuild. The rest of the world did a marvelous job of pulling together to give the affected countries monetary aid and practical assistance. Sadly, in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, aid workers were put at risk. What threat/s (unrelated to the 2004 tsunami) was there?

Answer: Local fighting and unrest

While cholera and dysentry remained threats, I have heard of no outbreak of scarlet fever, and though there may be some tensions between governments and some aid workers, I am not aware of any government that asked for the removal of aid workers. The Indonesian government restricted the movement of aid workers for their own safety as threats from seperatist rebels surfaced.

In Sri Lanka, fighting between religious groups and tensions between Tamil Tigers and the government created unrest. Indonesia experienced some significant aftershocks (Sri Lanka did not) but they were not reported to be a problem except in terms of emotional and psychological stress for people just recovering from a massive trauma.

9. The earthquake that caused the 2004 tsunami was the world's largest in 40 years. What did it measure on the Richter scale?

Answer: 9,0

It was the most powerful earthquake since the 1964 quake in Prince William sound in Alaska, and the fourth-largest since measuring began in 1899. The three strongest quakes were 9.5 in Chile in 1960, 9.2 in Prince William Sound (1964) and 9.1 on Andreanof Island (1957), also in Alaska.

Another of 9.0 was recorded in Kamchatka in 1952. All of these earthquakes produced tsunamis. (information from www.cnn.com)

10. This 2004 earthquake and subsequent tsunami were caused by the collision of two continental plates off the western coast of Sumatra. Which two plates were they?

Answer: Indian and Burma

The Burma plate is actually a microplate at the junction of two larger plates. The Indian and Burma plates are sliding horizontally at a few centimetres a year, and the Burma plate is over-riding the Indian plate. While earthquakes are common, tsunamis are not nearly as frequent in the Indian Ocean as they are in the Pacific.(Information from clublet.com/c/c/why?page=WhyNoTsunamiWarning)

Source: Author carolinebee999

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The World Cried - The Tsunami of 2004 Quiz

The world was horrified to hear the news, and the horror intensified with each news bulletin. The tsunami of 2004 brought grief but also showed that the human race can work together. Ten questions about the disaster that made the world cry.

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