2013 Minnesota RPCV Holiday Party ‘GEOGRAPHY’ QUIZ
Welcome RPCVs, family and friends to the 22nd Annual MNRPCV geography quiz.
This long standing tradition began in 1992 and has become highly competitive and
brain-stretching with a Peace Corps twist. For all the newbies at this party, this is not
truly geographic in nature, since it includes interesting facts and trivia about our
countries of service. The goal is to make the quiz fun and mentally stimulating.
The winning team will be determined by the highest point value, which is not based on
the completion of the entire quiz. Bonus points will count if there is a tie for first place.
Good luck. GO TO IT!!!
Note: Questions are either fill in the blank or matching with a total of 100 points.
Many of the questions are related to current and former Peace Corps countries.
The quiz will take about 45 minutes.
Section I: Deserts, Lakes, Mountains, and
Landlocked Countries (35 points)
1. The following deserts cross international borders. Name the countries (9 points).
a)
b)
c)
d)
The Thar desert is located in Pakistan and India (2 points)
The Kyzyl Kum desert is located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan (2 points)
The Gobi desert is located in Mongolia and China (2 points)
The Kalahari desert covers much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and
South Africa (3 points)
2. The following deserts do not cross national borders. Name the countries. (5 points)
a) The Bledowska desert is located in Poland (1 point)
b) The Owami desert is located in Nigeria (1 point)
c) The Nubian desert is located in Sudan (1 point)
d) The Stranja Sahara desert is located in Bulgaria (1point)
e) The Oleshky Sands desert is located in Ukraine (1 point)
3. There are several small Peace Corps Countries which are less than 200 square
miles in land area. Match the countries to their square miles. (6 points)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Tuvalu
Marshall Islands
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Barbados
Antigua and Barbados
9 square miles
70 square miles
104 square miles
150 square miles
166 square miles
171 square miles
2013 Minnesota RPCV Holiday Party ‘GEOGRAPHY’ QUIZ
4. Uzbekistan is surrounded by five landlocked countries. Name these five countries.
(5 points)
a. Afghanistan
d. Tajikistan
b. Kazakhstan
e. Turkmenistan
c. Kyrgyzstan
5. There are many major lakes in the world. List the lakes below from largest to
smallest. (5 points)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Name
Victoria
Lake Michigan
Baikal
Chad
Balkhash
Location
Tanzania-Uganda
United States
Russia
Chad-Niger-Nigeria
Kazakhstan
Sq Mile
26,828
22,400
12,162
9,946
7,115
6. List these mountains from highest elevation to lowest elevation. (5 points)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Name
Broad Peak
Nanda Devi
Aconcagua
Mount Damavand
Mount Giluwe
Location
Pakistan-China
India
Argentina
Iran
Papua New Guinea
Elevator
8,047
7,816
6,962
5,610
4,368
Section II: Country Facts – Mergers, Splits, and Capitals
(45 points)
1. Match the old and new name for each country. (5 points)
Old Name
a) Basutoland
b) Burma
c) Ceylon
d) Rhodesia
e) Siam
New Name
Lesotho
Myanmar
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Thailand
2013 Minnesota RPCV Holiday Party ‘GEOGRAPHY’ QUIZ
2. Fifteen new countries emerged in 1991 as a result of the collapse of The Soviet
Union. List each country. (15 points)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Estonia
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)
Lithuania
Moldova
Russia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
3. The Yugoslavian civil war resulted in five new nations. Name the new nations. ( 5 points)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Bosnia
Croatia
Macedonia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovenia
4. Match each country to its capital. (20 points)
Country
Capital
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)
Kabul
Dhaka
Belmopan
Tallinn
Addis Ababa
Palikir
Suva
Jakarta
Maseru
Lilongwe
Chisinau
Managua
Mogadishu
Ankara
Ashgabat
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Belize
Estonia
Ethiopia
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Indonesia
Lesotho
Malawi
Moldova
Nicaragua
Somalia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
2013 Minnesota RPCV Holiday Party ‘GEOGRAPHY’ QUIZ
Section III: Significant historical events (10 points)
The following is a list of events which have had an impact on Peace Corps Volunteers
over the years. Match the event with the year (10 points).
1. When was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?
2. When did Neal Armstrong walk on the moon?
3. When did President Nixon visit China?
4. When did President Nixon resign from office?
5. When did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan?
6. When was John Lennon assassinated?
7. When did the Space Shuttle Challenger explode?
8. When did the World Wide Web (WWW) become public?
9. When did Al Gore “take credit” for the internet?
10. When did Michael Jackson die?
1968
1969
1972
1974
1979
1980
1986
1993
1999
2009
Section IV: Notable Returned Peace Corps Volunteers:
(3 points)
During the last fifty-two years of Peace Corps there have been many distinguished
RPCVs. The following is a list of some of the notable RPCV. Match each to their role.
(3 points)
Name
Notable role
1. Jim Doyle, Tunisia 1967-69
2. Ronald Tschette, India 1966-68
3. Paul Tsongas, Ethiopia 1962-64
Former Governor of WI
Past Director of Peace Corps
Former Senator from MA
Section V: Peace Corps Regions
(7 points)
The world of Peace Corps is divided into seven geographical regions. Some have a
higher percentage of volunteers than others (two of them share the same percentage).
Match each region to its percentage. (7 points)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Country
Percentage of volunteers
Africa
Latin America
Eastern Europe/Central Asia
Asia
The Caribbean
North Africa/Middle East
Pacific Islands
43%
21%
15%
10%
4%
4%
3%
2013 Minnesota RPCV Holiday Party ‘GEOGRAPHY’ QUIZ
Section VI: Bonus questions (5 points)
1. Which country has the world's highest active volcano? (1 point)
a. Chile
2. Which Southeast Asian country was never colonized by a European country? (1
point)
a. Thailand
3. Which two countries border Panama? (2 points)
a. Costa Rica and Colombia
4. What is the total number of countries served by Peace Corps Volunteers? (1 point)
a. 139