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Geography
World Capitals: Can You Name Them All?
Ten capitals that trip up even confident travellers, from Canberra to Abuja.
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What is the capital of Australia?
Deserts, Ice and Other Extremes
The record-holders are rarely where people expect, and the reasons are usually more interesting than the records.
About this topic
Extremes on Earth are produced by a small number of mechanisms repeating: mountains that block moisture, cold air that cannot hold water, distance from any ocean, and altitude. Once those are understood, the surprising entries stop being surprising — Antarctica is the largest desert on the planet because a desert is defined by precipitation rather than heat. These questions cover the places that hold the records and the geography that produces them, including several where the popular answer is wrong.
Questions & answers
Deserts, Ice and Other Extremes: all 10 questions and answers
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
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1What is the largest desert on Earth?
- A The Arabian Desert
- B Antarctica Correct
- C The Sahara
- D The Gobi
Answer: B. Antarctica
Why: A desert is defined by how little precipitation it receives, not by temperature. Antarctica qualifies comfortably and is roughly twice the size of the Sahara.
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2Which desert contains places where rainfall has not been reliably recorded for decades?
- A The Atacama Correct
- B The Kalahari
- C The Mojave
- D The Thar
Answer: A. The Atacama
Why: It lies between the Andes and a cold coastal current, so moisture is blocked from both directions. Its skies also make it a prime site for observatories.
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3The point in the ocean furthest from any land is known as what?
- A The Sargasso Point
- B The Abyssal Centre
- C Cape Remote
- D Point Nemo Correct
Answer: D. Point Nemo
Why: It sits in the South Pacific, roughly 2,700 km from the nearest land. The closest humans are often those aboard the space station passing overhead.
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4Which continent has no permanent rivers?
- A Africa
- B South America
- C Antarctica Correct
- D Australia
Answer: C. Antarctica
Why: Water there is locked as ice. Australia has permanent rivers, though many of its inland watercourses run only intermittently.
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5A rain shadow is caused by what?
- A The curvature of the Earth
- B Mountains forcing air upward, so it loses moisture before crossing Correct
- C Ocean currents cooling the coast
- D Forests absorbing rainfall
Answer: B. Mountains forcing air upward, so it loses moisture before crossing
Why: Air cools and drops its rain climbing the windward side, then descends dry. It explains deserts sitting immediately behind mountain ranges worldwide.
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6The lowest exposed land surface on Earth is the shore of what?
- A The Dead Sea Correct
- B Death Valley
- C The Caspian Sea
- D Lake Assal
Answer: A. The Dead Sea
Why: It sits over 400 metres below sea level and continues to drop as water is diverted from the Jordan River.
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7Which country contains the largest area of tropical rainforest?
- A Indonesia
- B The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- C Peru
- D Brazil Correct
Answer: D. Brazil
Why: The Amazon basin extends into several countries, but the greatest share lies in Brazil. The Congo basin is the second largest.
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8Permafrost is best defined as what?
- A Permanently snow-covered ground
- B Ice more than a metre thick
- C Ground that stays frozen for at least two consecutive years Correct
- D Ground that never sees sunlight
Answer: C. Ground that stays frozen for at least two consecutive years
Why: It underlies large parts of Siberia, Alaska and northern Canada, and thawing releases greenhouse gases stored in it.
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9Which lake holds the greatest volume of fresh water?
- A The Caspian Sea
- B Lake Baikal Correct
- C Lake Superior
- D Lake Victoria
Answer: B. Lake Baikal
Why: It is the deepest lake in the world and holds roughly a fifth of the planet's unfrozen surface fresh water. The Caspian is salty.
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10The treeline exists because of what?
- A Conditions above it are too harsh for trees to grow Correct
- B A legal protection boundary
- C Soil running out at a fixed altitude
- D Wind speed alone
Answer: A. Conditions above it are too harsh for trees to grow
Why: Cold, short growing seasons and wind exposure are the main limits, so the treeline sits lower nearer the poles and higher near the equator.
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