| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The website Taqadoumy was blocked in this country and its owner was detained for crimes against Islam after a female commenter argued for sexual freedom. Police in this country fired on protesters in Maghama who demanded equal voting rights for non-Arabs. As a result of the conflict in Western Sahara, many Sahrawis have fled to Algeria and this country. This country officially abolished slavery in 1981, but it still has the world’s highest proportion of slaves per capita. For the point, name this West African country whose capital is Nouakchott. | Mauritania |
| SLON was one of these institutions on the port city of Kem. The only surviving one of these places, Perm 36, is now a UNESCO museum. The “Road of Bones” was built over mass graves of people who lived in these places. Inhabitants of these places were called zeks, as described in Nikolai Getman’s paintings and in the novel A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, written by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. For the point, name these detention workcamps that held Soviet dissidents. | gulags (prompt on Soviet forced labor camps or similar descriptions) |
| One organization based in this Mexican state was led by the Arellano F´elix brothers until 2006, when the Sinaloa Cartel expanded into this state. The busiest land border crossing in the world, San Ysidro, lies north of this state. In 2015, an underwater drug canal was built from the American city of Calexico to this state’s capital, Mexicali. The Tijuana cartel operates in, for the point, what Mexican state located, as its name suggests, under California? | Baja California (do not accept or prompt California) |
| The Colonia Tovar in this country was founded by German immigrants. Cada and Exito were combined to form Bicentenario, this country’s major supermarket chain, which has recently experienced massive shortages due to the collapse of this country’s economy. Gas costs about six cents per gallon in this country, whose government owns Citgo, thanks to the massive oil reserves in its Orinoco Belt. For the point, name this South American country with its capital at Caracas. | Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela |
| Alison Hargreaves died after being literally blown off this mountain. Several falling seracs helped cause eleven climbers’ deaths in a 2008 incident that was this mountain’s deadliest. Events after an attempt to climb this mountain are the subject of Greg Mortenson’s controversial book Three Cups of Tea. Baltistan is another “eight thousander” near this mountain which is the second deadliest of those mountains after Annapurna I. For the point, name this second tallest mountain in the world which is located on the border between Pakistan and China. | K2 [or Chhogori or Mount Godwin-Austen] |
| Although this country has never been a British colony, its national anthem, Oben am Jungen Rhein, is sung to the tune of God Save the Queen. The cities of Schaan and Triesenberg in this country distribute bread to children on the feast of Corpus Christi. This country was created so that its namesake family would have a seat in the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, and its current monarch, Hans Adam II, is worth about 3.5 billion dollars. For the point, name this tiny mountain principality whose capital is Vaduz. | Liechtenstein |
| Two resort towns located in this mountain range, Bakuriani and Borjomi, put in a joint bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. In 2008, the Battle of Kodori Valley was fought between two neighboring countries over a disputed region located within the ‘Greater’ part of this range. That region, Abkhazia, along with South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh, are all located in this mountain range. For the point, name this mountain range, which spans from the Caspian to the Black Sea, and contains the highest peak in Europe, Mount Elbrus. | Caucasus Mountains |
| Miguel de Cervantes wrote two plays set in this city where he was held captive for five years at the time when Spain fought its corsairs. Rossini wrote an opera about an Italian girl in this city, while a more recent artistic depiction of this city is found in a namesake film about a Battle here in which the Harkis and Pieds Noirs fought. The Palace of the Deys in the Casbah district of this city is not far from where Abdelaziz Bouteflika has governed since 1999. For the point, name this largest city by population in the largest country by land area in Africa, and the capital city of Algeria. | Algiers |
| 300,000 people died, including many of this country’s Jews, in a flood designed to end a siege conducted by the peasant leader of the Shun. Sixty-two dams burst in the aftermath of a flood of the Ru River in this country caused by the biggest dam failure in history. Over a million died in 1931 when nine different cyclones struck this country, leading this country’s “sorrow” to breach its banks. For the point, name this country where a Grand Canal built by the Sui was threatened by the flooding Yellow River. | People’s Republic of China [or Zhonghua] |
| With 12 lanes total, this city’s Monumental Axis is home to sites such as its Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom and the tallest TV tower in the country. Its Supreme Federal Court, Presidential Office and National Congress overlook the Three Powers Square located in this city. Marcel Gautherot captured this city in a book detailing its construction using photographs which was developed by Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. For the point, what is this planned city which replaced Rio de Janerio as capital of Brazil? | Brasilia |
| It’s not Michigan, but the town of Hell in this region gets its name from a jagged field of limestone. This territory’s capital used to be Bodden Town while its legislative assembly met in Pedro’s Castle. Its Seven Mile Beach is great for snorkeling and scuba divers here can dive to Devil’s Grotto and Eden’s Rock. This group of 3 islands has the highest standard of living in the region, due to its lucrative financial industry, though foreign governments have criticized it for it being a tax shelter. For the point, what is this infamous Caribbean archipelago which has not signed any double tax treaties with foreign nations, a British territory? | Cayman Islands |
| Small, rocky hills located in this region are known as Kopjes. Previously this area was known as the Maasailand but human settlement was decimated with the spread of the Tsetse fly. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is established in the southern portion of this ecological region and hosts the annual Great Migration where wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. For the point, what is this ecosystem that spans Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya? | Serengeti |
| 24 floors of this building are occupied by a company whose artistic director is Anna Wintour. This building did not retain the “Greatest Bar on Earth,” which was located in a predecessor building. The height of this building is a deliberate reference to the Declaration of Independence, and it became the tallest building in its city in April 2012, surpassing the Empire State Building. For the point, name this tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, built at the same location as the original towers that were destroyed in the September 11 attacks. | One World Trade Center (accept Freedom Tower) |
| A major arm of this country’s Rural Development Program used microloans as a way of investing in its Sylhet District. The Khulna Water Supply project is being supported in part by the Asian Development Bank. This country’s Muhammad Yunus won a Nobel Prize for founding a bank that specializes in microloans to impoverished women. That organization, is known as the Grameen Bank, supports social endeavors in this country that gained its independence from Pakistan. For the point, what is this South Asian country with capital at Dhaka? | People’s Republic of Bangladesh |
| This country’s town of Montezuma or “Montefuma” on the Nicoyan Peninsula has been described as a paradise for aging hippies. Tourists can enjoy the Tabacon Hot Springs, heated by the Arenal volcano, in this country, where residents of the Finca Bellavista Treehouse Community get around on ziplines. Birders and Resplendent Quetzals alike flock to its Monteverde Cloud Forest, while medical tourists take advantage of its standard of living, often described as the Switzerland of Central America. For the point, name this country where tourists and residents enjoy the Pura Vida at its beaches and capital of San Jose. | Republic of Costa Rica |
| In this war, a series of battles called the Dezembrada ended with a decisive engagement at Lomas Valentinas. These battles came after one army in this war crossed the Pikysyry River to avoid the fortifications at Angustora. This war began when one side launched a campaign to attack the province of Mato Grosso. The losing side in this war named a town after American president Rutherford B. Hayes due to his intervention in a boundary dispute between that nation and Argentina. For the point, name this war, fought between Paraguay and a namesake alliance composed of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. | War of the Triple Alliance [or Paraguayan War or Great War or Guerra Grande or Guerra del Paraguay] |
| Luxury swan yachts are produced at Jakobstad, which sits on this body of water. The largest snow fort is the world, Kemi Snowcastle, is constructed annually on this body of water. Due to inflows from rivers including the Oulu, Kemi, and Torne, this body of water has extremely low salinity and ice coverage five months of the year. The Aland Islands lie at the entrance of this body of water. For the point, what is this body of water between Sweden and Finland? | Gulf of Bothnia [Or Pohjanlahti] |
| This country’s salt industry is centered at a lagoon, the Garabogazkol. This country’s largest island is located in a nearby body of water that lies east of the Caucus Mountains. That long island is the Ogurja Ada and is located in the Caspian Sea. Its Karakum desert is home to the Davaza natural gas crater which also goes by The Door to Hell. This country shares the Kopet Dag Range with its neighbor Iran. For the point, name this landlocked Central Asian country, with capital at Ashgabat. | Turkmenistan |
| This state’s Mount Kaputar contains the Sawn Rocks, a rock formation that resembles organ pipes. Lord Howe Island, a whaling station, is located in this state, which also includes the Three Sisters, a set of three spires in the Blue Mountains. This state’s Snowy Mountains include Mount Kosciuszko, the tallest in Australia, and Jorn Utzon was the architect who designed its world-famous opera house. For the point, name this most populous Australian state whose largest city is Sydney. | New South Wales |
| Thisislandcontains95%ofitscountry’speatlands,anditsMitrepeninsulacontainsthesouthernmost concentration of mires on the planet. The extremely isolated Evangelistas lighthouse guides ships passing this island safely through the “Furious Fifties” winds. Melting ice caps may be responsible for red tides in the Beagle Channel near this island, whose city of Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. For the point, name this region at the southern tip of South America, whose name means “land of fire” in Spanish. | Tierra del Fuego |
| This river’s farthest point of navigation, Bhamo, is near Wanmaw, a former state of the Shan people. Theravada Buddhism’s popularity is due in part to an 11th century state centered on this river’s valley which was unified by Anawrahta. The Pagan Empire was centered on this river home to a dolphin species prevalent in the Mekong River. For 10 points, name this river that flows past Mandalay into the Bay of Bengal after passing through most of Myanmar. | Irrawaddy River |
| The Norris Dam was one of the first dams on this river, which flows through the town of Muscle Shoals, and the area between this river and the Cumberland is called the Land Between the Lakes. A site near this river was the spot where Albert Sidney Johnston died at the Battle of Shiloh. The city of Chattanooga is located on this river, for whose valley a namesake authority was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt. This river flows into the Ohio just before it meets the Mississippi. For the point, what river flows through Knoxville, the capital of its namesake state? | Tennessee River |
| One end of this gulf is home to Francesco Crispi Lighthouse on Cape Guardafui. Alternatively known as the Gulf of Berbera for a major port along it, this gulf at its southern end is home to the pirate haven of Bosaso. In October 2000, the USS Cole was bombed while in the harbor of the city that names this gulf. The Bab-el-Mandeb connects this gulf to the Red Sea, and it is a conduit for Persian Gulf oil. For 10 points, name this gulf in the Arabian Sea between Somalia and Yemen. | Gulf of Aden |
| Former Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd started a project on this river that eventually became the Gariep Dam. The Eureka diamond was found near Hopetown on this river, leading to a diamond rush. This river does not pass through any major cities, but is still used for agricultural purposes with irrigation. In Lesotho where this river forms, it is known as the Senqu. For the point, name this longest South African river that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. | Orange River [or Oranje River or Groote River; accept Senqu River or Gariep before mention] |
| A group of hills in this park called the Tepees were formed from clay erosion. Agate House, which was inhabited a thousand years ago, can be found on the grounds of this park. Mesa Redondo is the oldest member of the Chinle Formation in this park, where fossils of Placerias hesternus, a giant herbivore, have been found near the St. John’s fossil site. It’s not Grand Canyon National Park, but this park contains part of the Painted Desert. For the point, name this national park in Arizona known for its fossilized logs. | Petrified Forest National Park |
| This city is home to the “Sailor’s Statue” at its Sackville Landing, which honors military service in the Atlantic. “J. Dawson’s” grave in this city was visited by many after a 1997 James Cameron film because it is in this city’s Fairview Cemetery, the largest resting place of RMS Titanic victims. The collision of the Imo and Mont Blanc, ammunition ships in this city’s harbor, during World War I caused the largest pre-nuclear explosion in the world. For the point, name this port city that is the capital of Nova Scotia. | Halifax Regional Municipality |
| About half the members of a California government agency that combats this phenomenon are prisoners. A Monday Night Football game in 2003 was moved from San Diego to Arizona because of an instance of this event. In California, people looking to sell homes that are in a high-hazard zone for this event must disclose that fact to potential buyers, and this event is a common result of Santa Ana winds. For the point, name this devastating phenomenon that, according to Smokey Bear, only you can prevent. | wildfire |
| Friedrich Nietzsche sought inspiration in this region’s hilltop town of E`ze. This region’s town of Cap d’Ail is located a short train ride away from Ventimiglia, where migrants were recently prohibited from going farther west. Frejus [fray-ZHOOS] is an ancient Roman city in this region where Picasso painted La Joie de Vivre in Antibes. Resort cities in this region include Beaulieu-sur-Mer, and one containing the Hotel Negresco along the Promenade des Anglais. For the point, name this region where the Cannes film festival takes place each year, not far from the larger city of Nice. | French Riviera [or Cote d’Azur or PACA or Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur or just Provence] |
| Visitors to this lake can see the Chazy Formation, the oldest reef system in North America. The Shrine of St. Anne on this lake’s Isle La Motte holds a large gold-leafed statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. During the Revolutionary War, ships were built at the town of Skenesborough on this lake, where the Battle of Plattsburgh was fought during the War of 1812. Crown Point and Ticonderoga are two forts near this lake, which is reportedly home to a monster named Champ. For the point, name this lake on the border of Vermont and New York that is named after a French explorer. | Lake Champlain |
| Many tourists to this body of water kayak with killer whales near the San Juan Islands. The Norwegian town of Poulsbo is located at Liberty Bay on the Kitsap Peninsula by this body of water, whose first lighthouse stoof at Point No Point. The Turner Joy, which was involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident, is today a museum ship on this body of water near Bremerton. This gulf is an inlet of the Salish Sea, and it is adjacent to Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and the cities of Olympia and Tacoma. For the point, Seattle is located beside what sound in Washington? | Puget Sound |
| This state’s Rice Cave, which was discovered while searching for lead ore, is now called Crystal Lake Cave and is located in Dubuque. The 2015 version of RAGBRAI, a large bicycle race across this state, had stops in Storm Lake and Davenport. Flannery O’Connor and John Irving both attended a Writers’ Workshop named for this state, and Grant Wood’s American Gothic depicts the town of Eldon in this state, which also contains Sioux City and Cedar Rapids. For the point, what is this “Hawkeye State” with its capital at Des Moines? | Iowa |
| Many died in the early days of this event trying to pass through the White Horse Rapids. George Brackett’s Wagon Road was built to reach this event. Dyea and Skagway were two towns at the heads of Chilkoot and White Passes, which people climbed to reach this event. Jack London was a participant in this event which began after Skookum Jim made a discovery in Bonanza Creek. For the point, name this event which occurred after a precious metal was discovered in the late 1890s in western Canada. | Yukon Gold Rush [or Klondike Gold Rush] |
| This location is home to a mural by Pierre Bellocq that is updated every year as well as a grandstand with twin spires. This venue was built by the grandson of William Clark of Lewis-and-Clark fame, having been inspired by events at Epsom and Surrey. Two weeks after this location hosts over 100,000 people in May, the Preakness is held at Pimlico. For the point, name this racetrack located in Louisville, the annual venue of the Kentucky Derby. | Churchill Downs |
| A mining company on this island controversially used prisoners of war for forced labor. Prisoners of war were also used for live dissections at a medical school on this islands. Those war crimes occurred on this island which was home to the Sasebo Naval District. The Kanmon Tunnel was attacked during Operation Olympic which would capture this island’s link to neighboring Honshu. For the point, name this southernmost of Japan’s four island, whose city of Nagasaki experienced an atomic bomb attack during World War II. | Kyushu |
| In the 1990s, The Sun sold unusually few copies in this city, whose main newspaper is the Echo. The Taylor report investigated conditions in this city following a stampede at a soccer game that killed 96 people. Natives of this city are referred to as “Scouse,” a term that also refers to the local dialect. The most successful soccer team in this city plays at Anfield and split from Everton in 1892. For the point, name this English city on the banks of the River Mersey, the hometown of The Beatles. | Liverpool |
| A notoriously deadly example of these locations at Dahab is supposedly cursed by a girl who committed suicide there to escape an arranged marriage. The deepest of these locations is named “Dean’s” after a landowning family and is off the coast of Clarence Town in the Bahamas. The best known example of these locations is located near the center of Lighthouse Reef and is a popular diving spot. For the point, name these submerged vertical caves, a “Great” example of which is found off the coast of Belize. | Blue holes |