Geography trivia is a fun and engaging way to test your knowledge of the world around you, from towering mountains to bustling cities and hidden corners of the earth. It’s a perfect way to brush up on your knowledge, challenge yourself, and even impress your friends!
Whether you’re a seasoned map explorer or a budding globetrotter, Geography Trivia offers a fun and engaging way to test your knowledge of our planet. Beyond a simple quiz, it’s a journey that sparks curiosity, ignites learning, and broadens your horizons.
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What is Geography Trivia?
Geography Trivia is a delightful blend of fun facts, intriguing questions, and challenging riddles, all revolving around the world we inhabit. From majestic mountains to sprawling deserts, and bustling cities to remote islands, Geography Trivia covers every corner of our planet, inviting you to delve deeper into its wonders.
What are the Benefits of Geography Trivia Questions
Geography Trivia isn’t just about bragging rights! Engaging in this intellectual adventure offers a plethora of benefits:
Enhances Knowledge: Trivia questions push you to recall and refine your understanding of geographical concepts, facts, and figures. Each answer unlocks new information, adding to your mental map of the world.
Boosts Memory: The act of recalling geographical trivia strengthens your memory muscles, improving your overall cognitive abilities and retention of information.
Sparks Curiosity: Intriguing questions ignite a sense of wonder, encouraging you to delve deeper into unfamiliar regions, cultures, and landscapes.
Sharpen Critical Thinking: Analyzing clues, drawing connections, and eliminating possibilities hone your critical thinking skills, making you a more adept problem-solver in all aspects of life.
Provides Entertainment: Geography Trivia is undeniably fun! It’s a fantastic way to spend time with friends and family, fostering friendly competition and shared laughter.
Related Post: 250+ Best SpongeBob Trivia Questions and Answers (Easiest to Hardest)
Do Geography Trivia Questions Show Your Knowledge of Geography?
While answering trivia questions can certainly showcase your knowledge of specific facts and figures, true geographical understanding goes beyond memorization. It’s about comprehending the interconnectedness of places, the impact of physical geography on human societies, and the cultural and historical context of different regions.
While geography trivia can be a great indicator of your knowledge, it’s not the sole measure of your geographical expertise. True geographical understanding goes beyond memorizing facts and requires:
- Curiosity: A genuine interest in the world and its diverse landscapes and cultures.
- Critical thinking: The ability to analyze information, interpret data, and draw connections.
- Open-mindedness: A willingness to learn new things and challenge existing assumptions.
True geographical expertise lies in the ability to apply your knowledge to real-world situations, analyze geographical patterns, and draw connections between different features and aspects of our planet.
So, while geography trivia can be a fun way to test your knowledge, remember it’s just one step in your journey to becoming a true geographer.
Geography trivia can be a stepping stone towards this deeper understanding, but it’s important to remember that it’s just one aspect of geographical knowledge.
Best Geography Trivia Questions and Answers
Easy Geography Trivia Questions and Answers
- Which transcontinental country (Europe and Asia) spans 11 time zones?
Answer: Russia
- The Alpine region of Europe includes Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, France, Germany, Monaco, Slovenia and what neutral country?
Answer: Switzerland
- Lódz, Wroclaw, and Poznan are the third, fourth, and fifth most populous cities (respectively) in what European nation?
Answer: Poland
- Used in ancient times by the poet Tibullus, “The Eternal City” is a nickname given to what European capital?
Answer: Rome
- Complete the official motto of The Bahamas: “Forward, Upward, ________, Together.” (Hint: It’s also the name of a 2020 animated Disney film featuring two elf brothers embarking on a mystical journey in a van named Guinevere.)
Answer: Onward
- Located on the south of Honshu and the northern shore of Osaka Bay, what K-word Japanese city gave its name to a type of beef and a famous Los Angeles Laker?
Answer: Kobe, Japan
- Home to the sand goanna, crest-tailed mulgara, and the southern marsupial mole, the Great Victorian Desert is located in what massive country?
Answer: Australia
- What stately river runs through the Grand Canyon?
Answer: Colorado River
- Mostly found shifting around under its water, what ocean is the namesake of Earth’s largest tectonic plate?
Answer: Pacific Ocean
- Established on November 11, 1926 and stretching 2,448 miles across the United States, what famous highway is also known as the Will Rogers Memorial Highway?
Answer: Route 66
Medium Geography Trivia Questions and Answers
- D.C. is considered a “planned city” which makes some sense considering the avenues radiating out from rectangles that make up the core of the city. The architect and city planner was commissioned in 1791 by President Washington and was a man from what country?
Answer: France
- Of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations, there are four which has “Guinea” within their name: Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Papua New Guinea and what Central African country whose citizens are known as Equatoguineans?
Answer: Equatorial Guinea
- Translating to “O Fir Tree” in English, the classic Christmas carol “O Tannenbaum” originated in what country in 1824?
Answer: Germany
- Lake Como and Lake Garda are both located in which Southern European country?
Answer: Italy
- Notable for its striking rounded arches designed by architect Toyo Ito, the Tama Art University Library can be found in what world capital city?
Answer: Tokyo
- Comprised of 300 Members of Parliament with four-year term limits, the Parliament of the Hellenes is the official legislative body of what European country?
Answer: Greece
- Niue is a self-governing coral island in free association with what larger country? This larger country is to the east of Australia.
Answer: New Zealand
- The Principality of Monaco is bordered to the north, east, and west, by what other European country?
Answer: France
- Meaning “under the linden trees,” Unter den Linden is a boulevard that runs from the City Palace to the Brandenburg Gate in what world capital city?
Answer: Berlin
- The isthmus of which country connects Costa Rica and Colombia, and therefore, links North America to South America?
Answer: Panama
Tough Geography Trivia Questions and Answers
Electric, Dooley, and Copperopolis are three communities in Montana that share what haunted condition?
Answer: Ghost towns
Which African country sits between Niger and Sudan, under Libya, above Cameroon and the Central African Republic, and shares a name with an actor with three names:______ Michael Murray.
Answer: Chad
If you head directly south from San Diego, what border town resort will be the first city you hit in Mexico?
Answer: Tijuana
Which term with Greek and Italian roots describes a collection or chain of islands, such as the Bahamas, the Maldives, and the Galápagos?
Answer: Archipelago
Derived from Greek meaning “whole earth”, what is the name by which the supercontinent which incorporated almost all of the land masses on earth is known?
Answer: Pangea
Boxing made its official debut at the 1904 Summer Olympics, which was held in what U.S. city that is home to the “Gateway To The West”?
Answer: St. Louis
The Hassan II Mosque, the second largest mosque in Africa with the world’s second largest minaret, is located in what cinematic city in Morocco?
Answer: Casablanca, Morocco
Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, formerly served as the executive office and official residence of the president of South Korea. Earlier this year, the complex was transitioned into a public park. What city is home to The Blue House?
Answer: Seoul
What capital of Western Australia is over 1,300 miles from Adelaide, its nearest sizeable neighbor, making it one of the most isolated major cities in the world?
Answer: Perth
Lake of the Ozarks is a body of water in this state, which is nicknamed “The Show Me State.”
Answer: Missouri
“This Wall Is A Designated Graffiti Area” reads part of the graffiti in the rear of London’s Cargo Club, unofficially designated by what anonymous, irrepressible street artist?
Answer: Banksy
The smallest of Africa’s waterfowl species, the African pygmy goose is native to what country that also has many lemur species?
Answer: Madagascar
“Gate of Heavenly Peace” is the Chinese translation of what famous square in Beijing?
Answer: Tiananmen Square
Tegucigalpa is the capital city of what Central American country, which borders Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua?
Answer: Honduras
More commonly known as Louwala-Clough to the Klickitat Native American tribe, what stratovolcano erupted on May 18, 1980 and caused over $1.1 billion in damage in Washington according to the International Trade Commission?
Answer: Mount St. Helens
Which island (a British territory off the east coast of North America, also of triangle fame) doesn’t actually have its own natural source of fresh water and instead relies on rainwater collection?
Answer: Bermuda
As defined by the U.S. census, the Midwest region includes two subdivisions. One of these includes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and what other state?
Answer: Michigan
Technically a part of the much larger Appalachian Mountains, the Catskill Mountains are (unsurprisingly) located in and around the borders of the Catskill Park/Forest Preserve. In what US state will you find the Catskills?
Answer: New York
Even though its temperature rarely gets above zero, which continent is home to the largest desert on Earth?
Answer: Antarctica
The largest county in Texas by population, Harris, contains what major Texas city?
Answer: Houston
Going by land area, which state in America is the smallest? (Hint: It covers about 1,214 square miles)
Answer: Rhode Island
Born Solána Imani Rowe, what famous singer shares her three-letter stage name with the official IATA airport code of Angola’s Soyo Airport?
Answer: SZA
Costa Rica is bordered by two countries: Nicaragua and what Central American country whose largest cities include San Miguelito and Las Cumbres?
Answer: Panama
According to World Population Review, Minnesota’s most-populous city is the 46th biggest in the United States. Minnesota’s next most-populous is what 64th biggest city?
Answer: St. Paul
Baffin, Victoria, and Ellesmere, three of the ten largest islands in the world, can all be found in what country?
Answer: Canada
What geographic mountain range name comes from Sanskrit words meaning “abode of snow?”
Answer: Himalaya
A former Malaysian state was expelled in 1965 and is now often considered the only modern country to date to gain independence unwillingly. What is this sovereign city-state nation?
Answer: Singapore
In what country would you find the capital city of Caracas? Officially, the name of the city is Santiago de León de Caracas.
Answer: Venezuela
Israel and which other country border the Dead Sea? This country’s name comes from the river which defines most of its north-western border.
Answer: Jordan
Hard Geography Trivia Questions and Answers
What major world capital sits on the site of an ancient body of water named Lake Texcoco, which was almost entirely drained in by Spanish colonists the 17th century?
Answer: Mexico City
Technically speaking, Norway’s coastline is about 18,000 miles long, but only 1,600 miles if you omit what crinkly inlets?
Answer: Fjords
.EE is the official national domain name used by what Northern European country whose capital and largest city is Tallinn?
Answer: Estonia
Washington DC modifies its street addresses by adding a suffix denoting the fact that the city divides itself into what term referring to four regions?
Answer: Quadrants
What international confectionery manufacturer and chocolate retailer was founded in 1981 in Durango, Colorado, and is named for a large mountain range in that region?
Answer: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Which country that starts with K is not only the largest landlocked country in the world but also a transcontinental because part of it is in Eastern Europe and part is in Central Asia?
Answer: Kazakhstan
.de is the top level country code domain of which country?
Answer: Germany
If you wanted to travel through three adjacent U.S. states that all started with the same letter, you would have to travel through which three states?
Answer: Indiana Illinois Iowa
“Let me serenade the streets of L.A / From Oakland to Sac-town, the Bay Area and back down.” That’s some questionable geography from the lyrics of what classic 2Pac hit?
Answer: California Love
If you get on the Maid of the Mist boat tour at Observation Tower, you are in which US State Park to look at its namesake natural spectacle?
Answer: Niagara Falls State Park
What eight-letter “M” island country is located entirely in the Indian Ocean, has Malé as the capital city, contains 26 atolls, and has Dhivehi as the official and most common language?
Answer: Maldives
One of Montana’s most visited tourist attractions was also deemed “the most beautiful drive in America” a CBS correspondent. What is the name of this section of U.S. Route 212 between Red Lodge and Cooke City?
Answer: Beartooth Highway
Founded in 1901 and named for a French novelist, what Oklahoma city in Choctaw County is known for being the winter quarters for many circus companies and performers? The city’s cemetery features Showmen’s Rest where many circus and rodeo performers are laid to rest.
Answer: Hugo
Once home to the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire and now a museum, Topkapi Palace is located in which Anatolian city?
Answer: Istanbul
The “Decade Volcanoes” are a group of 16 volcanoes considered by vulcanologists to be the world’s most dangerous because of their proximity to human settlements. What volcano near the Italian city of Naples, which has erupted many times since 79 CE, is among these?
Answer: Vesuvius
Which continent is the only one that doesn’t have a major mountain range (its highest point is about 7,309 feet above sea level)?
Answer: Australia
The namesake of a Paul McCartney oratorio and home to The Reds F.C., what British city was removed from the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 2021 due to concerns surrounding planned developments in this city?
Answer: Liverpool
What Pacific Northwest inlet of the Pacific Ocean is technically part of the Salish Sea and is considered an estuary?
Answer: Puget Sound
What “V” coastal Italian city is located roughly due east of Padua?
Answer: Venice, Italy
The Kowloon peninsula constitutes the mainland portion of which territory of China?
Answer: Hong Kong
The Attila Line has divided what Mediterranean island nation into Greek and Turkish controlled regions since 1974?
Answer: Cyprus
What historical two-word city on Israel’s Mediterranean coast is home to Bauhaus buildings from the 1930s, as well as the Eretz Israel Museum and its excavations from 12 Century B.C. ruins?
Answer: Tel Aviv
What bird, that is also the patron animal of the Greek god Zeus, is depicted as a double-headed creature on the official national flag of Albania?
Answer: Eagle
Described by Muammar Gaddafi as “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Great Man-Made River delivers 6.5 million cubic metres of water daily to Tripoli, Benghazi, and other cities in what northern African country?
Answer: Libya
What Canadian province’s southern border lies adjacent to both Idaho and Montana?
Answer: British Columbia
Located at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an administrative division of which country?
Answer: India
Mallorca and Menorca are the two largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands. The third biggest is what island known for its nightlife?
Answer: Ibiza
First designed by Antoni Gaudí and set to be finished around 2026, what is the name of the Barcelonian building that has been under slow construction since 1882?
Answer: Sagrada Família
The Kingdom of Bahrain, an island country in Western Asia, is an archipelago located on what gulf?
Answer: Persian Gulf
The town of Pepin, Wisconsin is home to a museum honoring what author of the Little House books, most famously “Little House on the Prairie”?
Answer: Laura Ingalls Wilder
What Oklahoma city in Payne County is considered the Pipeline Crossroads of the World due to its status as a price settlement point for the New York Mercantile Exchange?
Answer: Cushing
Best Geography Trivia Questions and Answers for Experts
According to an urban legend, what type of animal caused the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by knocking over a lantern?
Answer: Cow
El Prat airport is located in which city on the Mediterranean Sea, which held the 1992 Summer Olympics?
Answer: Barcelona
In what European capital city would you find the landmark known as the Spanish Steps?
Answer: Rome
The paper currency in Botswana is named “pula” which translates to what natural phenomenon? This is a reference to the value of this phenomenon as much of the country is within the Kalahari Desert.
Answer: Rain
What Asian country changed its capital in 1868 to its current capital city? Both the pre- and post- 1868 capitals are anagrams of one another. In case you’ve forgotten over the years, anagrams are words that contain all the same letters but in a different order. And we’re looking for the country, not the cities.
Answer: Japan (Kyoto and Tokyo)
What current African country was formerly known as the Gold Coast when it was a British colony?
Answer: Ghana
What is the name of the island that Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the FIRST time he was exiled?
Answer: Elba
What city was the the second largest in Northern Ireland by population throughout the first decade of the 21st century?
Answer: Derry
What pair of famous expeditioners are the namesake of a state park of limestone caverns in Montana?
Answer: Lewis and Clark
What third-largest city in Iowa is located along the Mississippi River and includes the Great Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, a facility that host the Great Mississippi Valley Fair as well as numerous concerts, flea markets, car shows, and more?
Answer: Davenport
Marrakech in Morocco is known as the ‘red city’ for the many buildings and features adorned with that color. What picturesque city in northwest Morocco has the title of the ‘blue city?’
Answer: Chefchaouen
Also the area code in Fayetteville, North Carolina, what three-digit number covers Geography and Travel in the Dewey Decimal System?
Answer: 910
What “N” island to the north of New Zealand, which self-governs while in free association with New Zealand, has its capital at Alofi?
Answer: Niue
Named the Dannebrog, what European country has been waving its red and white official flag and the world’s oldest national flag since 1625?
Answer: Denmark
What South Pacific island country is also a beverage brand founded in 1996 under the name Natural Waters of Viti Ltd.?
Answer: Fiji
In “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade”, Jones discovers the Holy Grail inside Al-Khazneh, the famous 1st century sandstone temple and current trendy tourist attraction located in what city in Jordan?
Answer: Petra
The official national flags of Georgia, Bahrain, Monaco, Singapore and Turkey all share what two colors?
Answer: Red and white
What country – whose national flag is comprised of the Union Jack, a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star and five stars representing the Southern Cross constellation – was previously named New Holland by Dutch explorers in the early 17th century?
Answer: Australia
What “Z” river, the fourth-longest in Africa, originates in Zambia and flows east through Zimbabwe and Mozambique before emptying into the Indian Ocean?
Answer: Zambezi
What “M” River, the sixth longest in Asia, originates in the Tibetan Plateau of China and reaches the sea in Vietnam?
Answer: Mekong River
Busan, formerly called Pusan, is the second most populous city in which Asian country? War resulted in Busan temporarily becoming this country’s capital city in the 1950s.
Answer: South Korea
Khartoum, a metropolitan city on the confluence of the White Nile, is the capital city of what African nation on continent’s east coast?
Answer: Sudan
What “U” river is a tributary of the Congo River that forms part of the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo?
Answer: Ubangi
The name of the capital city of which country in West Africa was added to this country’s name in the 1970s to avoid confusion with another county in West Africa with a similar name?
Answer: Guinea-Bissau
A sort of “geographical dictionary” that pairs well with an atlas, which resource would you turn to if you want a country’s map, stats, definitions of key terms, and descriptions of its physical attributes all in one place?
Answer: Gazetteer
The depth of the ocean (or perhaps a very big lake) is measured using ____. The term is also the study of the floor of a body of water (though it sounds more like it’s the study of your tub).
Answer: Bathymetry
Which mountain in Ecuador is not as tall as Mt. Everest but is actually closer to the Moon thanks to the boost it gets from the bulging shape of the Earth at the equator?
Answer: Mount Chimborazo
Challenging Geography Trivia Questions
Which of the current seven continents on Earth is believed to be the oldest in terms of how long humans have lived there (somewhere in the ballpark of 5 million years)?
Answer: Africa
While it probably makes you think of sky-high activities like space launches and theme park rides, which southern state is actually the flattest?
Answer: Florida
Seattle is one of two major U.S. cities located on an isthmus, a narrow piece of land between two bodies of water. What state capital, which boasts a free weekly newspaper called the Isthmus, is the other?
Answer: Madison, Wisconsin
What Russian city of 300,000 people, which lies only 67 kilometers from the country’s border with Norway, is by far the largest city in the world that lies above the Arctic Circle?
Answer: Murmansk
Argentina’s Valley of the Moon, Canada’s Dinosaur Provincial Park, and New Zealand’s Putangirua Pinnacles are some examples of what geographical feature marked by the erosion of soft, clay-rich soils into colorful cliffs and ravines? The best known example is probably a U.S. National Park.
Answer: Badlands
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is located in what appropriately-named sea, which lies between Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, and which gives its name to a WWII-era naval battle?
Answer: Coral Sea
In what nation can you find the Coober Pedy, an opal mining town where summers are so hot, most of the town is built underground?
Answer: Australia
Resembling an inverted triangle or a flower with a stem on maps, the Nile River Delta is located just north of which African capital city?
Answer: Cairo
The city Hot Springs in New Mexico was renamed in 1950 after a radio show originally hosted by Ralph Edwards. By what name is this city now known?
Answer: Truth or Consequences
Towering Sugarloaf Mountain and its neighbor,Morro da Urca loom over what city of 7 million people?
Answer: Rio de Janeiro
Which islands in the Caribbean have “Lesser” or “Greater” before their names and along with the Lucayan Archipelago, make up the West Indies?
Answer: Antilles
New York City and Oklahoma City are the most populous cities in their respective states. Indianapolis is the most populous in Indiana. There is one other state whose most populous city contains the name of the state? What state is it?
Answer: Virginia
What vase-shaped lake in Venezuela, the largest in South America, is thought to be one of the oldest lakes on earth?
Answer: Lake Maracaibo
Formerly an exclave on South Africa, Walvis Bay is currently the second largest city of which African country?
Answer: Namibia
Despite its name, what West Virginia river and namesake of a new U.S. national park is one of the oldest in the world?
Answer: New River
Named after a Polish-Lithuanian freedom fighter in 1840, Mount Kosciuszko is the highest peak in which country?
Answer: Australia
Designed by starchitect Renzo Piano, The Shard is a 72-story skyscraper known for its needle-like shape, in what world capital city?
Answer: London
Rome’s Cloaca Maxima was an early example of what infrastructure project that makes cities a whole lot more livable?
Answer: Sewer system
There are only three countries that are landlocked by just one country. Two are in Italy—Vatican City and San Marino. The third is Lesotho, which is in which country?
Answer: South Africa
What Asian country – whose national flag features a blue 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra wheel in its center – is the world’s largest producer of milk?
Answer: India
The highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca straddles the Andean border of Peru and what country Chile laughs at because it’s landlocked?
Answer: Bolivia
The African country with the most total miles of coastline is what nation with the capital city Antananarivo?
Answer: Madgascar
2004’s Annan Plan tried and failed to resolve the contentious Greek-Turkish divide of what Mediterranean island?
Answer: Cyprus
Although Yamoussoukro was designated the official administrative capital in 1983, Abidjan remains the “economic capital” and the largest city of what West African nation?
Answer: Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Russia has a 231 mile long border with “A” nation, whose capital is Baku?
Answer: Azerbaijan
Known as a chadaree in Afghanistan, a veil that conceals the entire face and body is more commonly known as what religious garment that is traditionally worn by Muslim women?
Answer: Burka
Devils Tower is a geographic landmark of what state, which has a bison on its flag?
Answer: Wyoming
In 2022, what country announced that the name of its new capital, planned for the region of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, would be named “Nusantara?” The new city will be much more centrally located than its current capital, the largest city in Southeast Asia.
Answer: Indonesia
What African nation with a two-word “green” name is a group of islands off the western coast of Senegal with a population of around half a million people?
Answer: Cape Verde
There was a nickname for the city of Phoenix that references its frequent solar beams that was first introduced in the 1930s as an advertising slogan to boost tourism. What is this nickname?
Answer: Valley of the Sun
Although the vast majority of the Amazon River is located in Brazil, the headwaters of the waterway are found in what other South American country?
Answer: Peru
The world’s largest hemispherical building, the Avicii Arena, previously called the Ericsson Globe, is located in which European capital city?
Answer: Stockholm
Tegucigalpa is the largest city and capital of which Central American country that’s bordered by Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador?
Answer: Honduras
I-90, the longest interstate highway in the United States, has its termini in Boston and what west coast city (which is NOT its state’s capital)?
Answer: Seattle
In 1497, John Cabot discovered territory in what modern country, claiming it on behalf of the British Empire? He mistakenly believed it to be in Asia.
Answer: Canada
Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, and Palawan are, in order, the five largest islands that make up what nation of over 7,000 islands?
Answer: The Philippines
Difficult Geography Trivia
With a population under 40,000, the largest city in Northwest Georgia isn’t all that large, but the name of the city itself is very well-known because it shares its name with a European capital. What is this city?
Answer: Rome
Fittingly, what is the name of the 190-feet-deep, 6-mile-long body of water in Cameron, Montana created by a seismic event?
Answer: Earthquake Lake
What U.S. national park, located in the northwest corner of Montana, has the nickname “Crown of the Continent?”
Answer: Glacier National Park
New Zealand is, unsurprisingly, named after another physical location. Zeeland is the least populous province in what European country?
Answer: Netherlands
Famagusta is the second-largest city of a de facto state only recognized by Turkiye. What Mediterranean island nation are we talking about?
Answer: Cyprus
Which Indian city on banks of Yamuna River in state of Uttar Pradesh is the location of the Taj Mahal?
Answer: Agra
Urban _____ is the rapid spread of a city’s businesses and housing into nearby land—usually with little to no planning.
Answer: Sprawl
By some accounts, Mt. Everest isn’t actually the tallest mountain in the world. What dormant volcano in the Pacific is actually 33,000 ft. tall–4,000 ft. above Everest–although about half of that is underwater?
Answer: Mauna Kea
Sam Walton was born not in Arkansas, but in nearby Oklahoma in 1918. The town where he was born has a regal-and-maritime sounding name. What is that name?
Answer: Kingfisher
Which Minnesotan lake is considered the main source for the Mississippi River?
Answer: Lake Itasca
“Ten Million Puffins Can’t Be Wrong,” is the verdict on souvenirs from the Westman Islands, an archipelago off the coast of what Atlantic island country?
Answer: Iceland
The official languages of the United Nations are comprised of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and what sixth language?
Answer: Russian
The third-largest city in India is also the capital of the state of Karnataka. What is this city in south India? As a hint, the city shares the same first four letters with the 8th most populous country in the world.
Answer: Bangalore
What tiny, independent principality located between France and Spain has its own name in its capital city, ______ la Vella? The principality is known as a “tax-haven” with duty-free shopping.
Answer: Andorra
Of the countries that are a part of NAFTA, which one has the capital city with the smallest population?
Answer: United States
The city of Aachen, known for Aachener Printen (a type of gingerbread) and for being the location of the coronation of 31 Holy Roman Emperors, is situated in the west of which country?
Answer: Germany
Only one of the seven countries that borders India has a population with less than one million people. This country famously measures “gross national happiness” and has Thimphu as its capital city. What is this country?
Answer: Bhutan
A specific war in U.S. history is largely credited as cutting off the supply of British goods and thus stimulating American industry in Pittsburgh. Only a few years later, the city was producing large amounts of iron, brass, tin, and glass. What is this war with inadvertent benefits for Pittsburgh’s manufacturing?
Answer: War of 1812
What river, located entirely within China, is the longest river in Asia and the longest river in the world to flow entirely within one country?
Answer: Yangtze
An Algonquin or Ojibwe word meaning “where the river narrows” became the name of what province where the Saint Lawrence does actually narrow?
Answer: Québec
What Asian country is the only one in the world whose national flag is not a quadrilateral?
Answer: Nepal
If you had tickets to Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 11, 1997, you would witness Michael Jordan’s iconic “flu game” in what city?
Answer: Salt Lake City
What Caribbean country changed its name from Saint-Domingue following its independence from Napoleon Bonaparte and his French forces in 1903?
Answer: Haiti
With its capitals in what is now northern Sudan, what ancient Nubian kingdom shares its name with a variety of Cannabis indica?
Answer: Kush
What Texas city contains a replica of the Eiffel Tower, less than one tenth the scale of the original?
Answer: Paris
The second-smallest Australian state by area, the capital of the Seychelles and the capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia share what name?
Answer: Victoria
The location of the Aleutian Islands makes which state both the most eastern and most western state?
Answer: Alaska
According to ______’s first law of geography, “everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant.” (Hint: He was an American-Swiss geographer and mapmaker who was a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara)
Answer: Tobler
To honor a man who became more famous as the namesake for a popular food, Captain Cook gave what name to the islands now known as Hawaii?
Answer: Sandwich islands
A large sculpture known as The Fist in Detroit’s Hart Plaza honors what boxer, nicknamed The Brown Bomber, who defeated German boxer Max Schmeling in a highly-publicized fight in 1938?
Answer: Joe Louis
Machu Picchu was never plundered by the Spanish because the conquistadors never found this ancient site from the height of the Inca Empire. The lack of discovery was especially unlikely because the site is only 50 miles from what Inca capital city?
Answer: Cusco
There is only one U.S. state with four syllables in its name that borders zero other states with exactly four syllables. What is this state?
Answer: Indiana
Parts of England’s River Thames are known alternatively by what name that is also the name of an ancient Egyptian goddess?
Answer: Isis
What controversial structure, built along China’s Yangtze River, became the world’s largest power station in 2012 and is also the world’s largest concrete structure?
Answer: Three Gorges Dam
Derived from a Spanish word meaning “round up”, what sport was declared the official national sport of Chile by the Consejo Nacional de Deportes and Chilean Olympic Committee in 1962?
Answer: Rodeo
Prior to 2016, what capital city in the Americas was technically referred to as a “District Federal” in its native language?
Answer: Mexico City
Which city is the largest in Pakistan and also the capital of Sindh?
Answer: Karachi
Which national capital city is geographically closest to India’s New Delhi?
Answer: Islamabad
Measuring 300 square miles (or nearly a third of Rhode Island), what Western Asian country is home to the King Fahd International Airport: the largest airport in the world by area?
Answer: Saudi Arabia
Home of the United Nations’s International Court of Justice, what city is the royal and administrative capital of the Netherlands?
Answer: The Hague
The autonomous region of Cantabria in northern Spain has what port city as its capital? The city is home to Spain’s largest bank.
Answer: Santander
What is the “T” name that was the more common name for what is now known as Singapore back in the 14th century? The land was a trading port that was influenced by both the Majapahit Empire and Siamese kingdoms at the time.
Answer: Temasek
“Hand of the Desert” is a giant sculpture of a hand reaching out of the sand, standing more than 35 feet tall in the Chilean portion of what desert?
Answer: Atacama
Formerly named Lod Airport, Israel’s main international airport was renamed in 1973 in honor of what leader who became Israel’s first prime minister in 1955?
Answer: David Ben-Gurion
Once beloved of crossword puzzlemakers, what four-letter river of Tuscany flows under Florence’s famous Ponte Vecchio bridge?
Answer: Arno
What is the only country in South America whose official language is Dutch?
Answer: Suriname
Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in the Caucasus Range, is the highest mountain in Europe and in what European nation? The nation is also home to Mount Narodnaya and Lake Baikal.
Answer: Russia
The Waikato River is the longest river of which island nation of the Southern hemisphere?
Answer: New Zealand
Given that its pyramids are so famous, you might assume that Egypt is home to the majority of them. However, with over 200 of them, which African country actually has the most pyramids?
Answer: Sudan
The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 was an act of Congress that repealed the individual charters for the cities of Washington what other city? It also established a new territorial government for the whole District of Columbia.
Answer: Georgetown
Unlike most U.S. states, Alaska is not divided into counties. Instead, it is divided into 16 regions which are known as what?
Answer: Boroughs
Admitted to the U.S. on February 14, 1912, The Valentine State is a nickname of what state where you could take a date to the abandoned Lisa Frank factory?
Answer: Arizona
Greenland is popularly-known as one of Denmarks autonomous territories because of its prominence on maps and globes. What is the other autonomous territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark? This other territory is approximately as populous but less than 1/1000th as large geographically.
Answer: Faroe Islands
Along with Spanish, Guaraní is the official language of which landlocked South American country?
Answer: Paraguay
Plovdiv is the second largest city and cultural capital of which country bordered by the Black Sea?
Answer: Bulgaria
What city, planned and built throughout the 1980s, became the capital of Nigeria in 1991, replacing the longtime capital of Lagos?
Answer: Abuja
Podgorica is the largest and capital city of which Balkan country whose name translates into English as “Black Mountain?”
Answer: Montenegro
Mount Teide, the highest point in Spain, is a volcano on which one of the Canary Islands, the most visited island in the archipelago?
Answer: Tenerife
Lake Tana in Ethiopia is the source of what colorfully-named river that runs for approximately 1,450 km through Ethiopia and Sudan?
Answer: Blue Nile
One of South Africa’s three capital cities is in the northern part of Gauteng province, straddles the Apies River, and contains the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountains. What city is this?
Answer: Pretoria
Named the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century by the U.S. Geological Survey, the sulfuric acidic ash emitted from the 1991 eruption of what volcano in the Philippines caused $700 million in damage and caused global temperatures to drop by more than 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit?
Answer: Mount Pinatubo
Physical geography—which includes many subdisciplines like climatology, glaciology, and oceanography—is technically known by which “-ography” term?
Answer: Physiography
Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, what Mexican state sounds like it might contain Australian mammals but is actually named for a lawyer who fought for Mexican independence?
Answer: Quintana Roo
What two-word African county and former French protectorate has official capital at Yamoussoukro, and financial capital with government offices at Abidjan?
Answer: Ivory Coast
The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan is served by an airport named after what U.S. President?
Answer: Gerald Ford
No, not Berlin: in 2021, Costa Rica hosted the sixth ministerial meeting of a socioeconomic summit named for what B-word city that served as the capital of West Germany?
Answer: Bonn
In which gulf off Africa will you find Null Island which, at 0 degrees lat/long, is the meeting place of the prime meridian and the equator?
Answer: Guinea
The highest volcano outside of South America also doubles as its home continent’s highest mountain. In what country is this 19,000-foot peak found?
Answer: Tanzania
As per the terms of the 1850 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to halt colonization efforts in what region?
Answer: Central America
What lake, which is actually three connected bodies of water, is situated where Germany, Switzerland, and Austria meet, and is fed by the Rhine River? (You may give its German name or English name.)
Answer: Lake Constance
The Bishop of Urgell and the president of which European country share title of Prince of Andorra?
Answer: France
A group of ancient line drawings representing figures and animals, some up to 2,500 years old and nearly 4,000 feet across, can be found in the desert of Peru. What’s the name of these “lines,” now a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Answer: Nazca lines
The Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston was one of the turning points of the American Revolutionary War. Today, you can visit the monument as well as climb the 221-foot granite obelisk which honors the fallen soldiers. Within 20 steps, how many steps does it take to climb to the top?
Answer: 294 (274 – 314 accepted)
What “T” capital city of Albania, whose name comes from an old Greek word meaning “dairy”, is home to Skanderbeg Square?
Answer: Tirana
How many U.S. state capitals lie west of Los Angeles?
Answer: Six
Which city in southeast France is nicknamed the “Pearl of the French Alps?”
Answer: Annecy
In terms of elevation, which country in South Africa has the highest lowest point of any country in the world (4,593 ft)?
Answer: Lesotho
The ancient Romans named the region surrounding the Rhine delta “Batavia”. What modern-day country occupies a similar area as Batavia?
Answer: The Netherlands
A geographic riddle: What’s the name of the tiny island that sits in a crater lake…on Volcano Island in Lake Taal…which is, itself, on the island of Luzon?
Answer: Vulcan Point
At nearly 10,000 square miles, what island is the largest in the Mediterranean Sea?
Answer: Sicily
An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir. Qatar and which other independent state are emirates? This independent state’s capital shares its name with the state.
Answer: Kuwait
Which lake in Africa is the world’s second largest freshwater lake by volume, the world’s second deepest freshwater lake and the world’s longest freshwater lake?
Answer: Lake Tanganyika
Related Post: 250+ Best Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers (Easiest to Hardest)
Conclusion
So, embark on your geographical adventure with a spirit of exploration and a thirst for knowledge! Embrace the challenge of Geography Trivia, revel in the discoveries it brings, and let it shape your understanding of our amazing world, one fascinating question at a time.
References
- watercoolertrivia.com/trivia-questions/geography-trivia-questions
- parade.com/1246355/marynliles/geography-trivia/
- cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/a44094564/geography-quiz-questions/
