| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The town of Shlisselburg [[SHLEE-sell-burg]] on this lake is home to the Oreshek Fortress. This lake receives water from Lake Saimaa [[SOY-mah]] via the Vuoksi [[voo-OK- see]] River, and from Lake Onega by the River Svir. This lake, which was crossed by the siege-breaking "Road of Life" during World War Two, is separated from the Baltic Sea by the Karelian Isthmus. For the point, name this largest freshwater lake in Europe, which sits next to St. Petersburg in Russia. | Lake Ladoga |
| This river is crossed by the Pont Kennedy in a namesake country's capital city. The Bani River meets this river at its inner delta, also known by the Fula term "Masina," near the cities Segou [[SEH-goo]] and Mopti [[MOHP-tee]]. This river, which also flows through the cities of Timbuktu and Bamako [[BAH-mah-koh]], receives the Benue [[BEN-weh]] river south of Abuja [[ah-BOO-jah]] and empties into the Gulf of Guinea. For the point, name this West African river, the third longest in Africa. | Niger River (pronounced as either [[nee-ZHER]] or [[NAI-jer]], be lenient) |
| This province features the largest building by floor space, the New Century Global Center, which includes a water park, university and IMAX theatre. The Panzhihua prefecture is home to a growing Christian minority in this historical home of the Yi people. This home province of Deng Xiaoping [[SHAO-PING]], whose home in Guang’an is a museum, is centered at the city of Chengdu. For the point, name this landlocked province of China known for both Kung Pao and a namesake style of spicy chicken. | Sichuan (accept Szechuan) |
| One province named for this region is governed from the city of Santa Rosa. The epic Martin Fierro follows a rancher in this region, whose cattle-raising occurs on estancias [[eh- STAHN-syahs]]. The northwestern area of this region is bounded by the Gran Chaco, a portion of the Río de la Plata basin. This region's largest cities are Rio Grande do Sul and Buenos Aires. For the point, name this grassland in northern Argentina known for its gauchos. | Pampas (Accept Dry Pampas) |
| The two main mountain ranges on this island are the Troodos [[troo-OH-dohs]] Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range. Larger cities on this island include Larnaca and Famagusta. England has military bases on this island's sovereign base areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia [[deh-keh-LEE-ah]]. The Green Line covers about two percent of this island and serves as a boundary between the Turkish and Republican sections of this island. For the point, name this island nation with capital at Nicosia. | Republic of Cyprus (accept Kypriakí Dimokratía) |
| A virtual reef can be found along this river at Mallows Bay, which was formed by unused World War One wooden steamships. George Mason III bought Anacostia Island in this river from Native Americans in the 1730s. Pierre L’Enfant [[lahn-FAHN]] rebuilt Fort Washington, the only fort along this river at the time, after the burning of a national capital during the War of 1812. For the point, name this river that empties into the Chesapeake Bay and runs through Washington, D.C. | Potomac River |
| This island's highest point is the active volcano Mount Agung [[ah-GOONG]]. Cockfighting on this island was the subject of the anthropological essay "Deep Play" by Clifford Geertz. This island, whose capital and largest city is Denpasar [[dehn-PAH-sahr]], lies directly east of Java. This island's tourist district of Kuta was the target of a 2002 terrorist attack carried out by Jemaah Islamiyah [[ee-slah-MEE-ah]]. For the point, name this only majority Hindu island in Indonesia. | Bali |
| This desert's community of Sde Boker [[sah-DEH boh-KEHR]] is home to a famous retirement community. This desert's Bedouin population is centered around the city of Rahat. This desert's southern tip includes the town of Eilat [["EYE"-laht]] along the Gulf of Aqaba [[AH-kah-bah]]. The city of Beersheba is considered the capital of , for the point, what roughly triangular desert found within southern Israel? | Negev Desert (accept ha-Negev; accept al-Naqab) |
| A Flamingo monoplane named El Río Caroní was abandoned near this site for over 33 years. This site is known as Kerepakupai Meru [[keh-roo-PAH-koo-pai meh-ROO]], or "waterfall of the deepest place," to local Pemon [[peh-MOHN]] people. This waterfall flows off the top of the Auyán-tepui [[ow-YAHN TEH-pwee]] mesa in Canaima [[cah-NY-mah]] National Park. This waterfall is the primary tributary of the Churún [[choo-ROON]] River. For the point, name this Venezuelan waterfall, the world's tallest. | Angel Falls (accept Kerepakupai Meru before mentioned) |
| One house in this city is noted for its undulating stone façade and twisted iron balconies and is nicknamed the "Stone Quarry." A mosaic salamander known as "el drac" sits at the center of a staircase in this city. This city is home to an incomplete church originally planned to have eighteen spires. This city's Gaudi-designed landmarks include Park Güell [[gwell]], Casa Mila, and Sagrada Família. For the point, name this second largest city in Spain, the capital of Catalonia. | Barcelona (be lenient on pronunciation) |
| A town outside this city named Urakami was a haven for Christians after being banned centuries prior, inspiring the French priest Bernard Petitjean [[peh-tee-ZHOHN]] to build the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. The Glover in this city features a statue of Miuri Tamaki, the first person to play Cio Cio San [[CHO CHO SAHN]] in Madame Butterfly. During Sakoku, the historic district of Dejima in this city was the only one open to Dutch traders. For the point, name this port in Kyushu struck by an atom bomb after Hiroshima. | Nagasaki |
| In April 2021, a man rammed his car into a barricade outside of this building, killing Officer William Evans. During an attack on this building, pipe bombs were recovered from outside the DNC and RNC in an attempt to draw police away. While defending this building's west terrace, Brian Sicknick was attacked with bear spray and later died from a stroke. For the point, name this building that was stormed by during an attempt to stop the election certification on January 6th. | United States Capitol Building |
| The world's largest rare earth metal mine is located at this region's Bayan Obo, west of Baotou [[BOW-toe]]. This is the only region to still widely use a script created by Tata- tonga, which is written vertically. The Yellow River reaches its northernmost point in this region. Efforts to stop the expansion of the Gobi desert into this region are dubbed the "Great Green Wall." For the point, name this autonomous region in northern China, which partially shares its name with another East Asian country. | Inner Mongolia (accept Nei Menggu Zizhiqu; or Nei Mongol; accept Obur Monggol; do not accept or prompt on just "Mongolia") |
| This country's five-walled villages along the M'zab are collectively known as the Pentapolis. This country's east is anchored by the cities of Annaba and Constantine. The center of this country's oil and gas industries are located in its city of Oran [[oh-RAHN]]. Following the independence of South Sudan, this country became the largest by land area in Africa. For the point, name this North African nation. | Algeria (accept People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; accept al-Jumhūriyya al-Jazāʾiriyya ad-Dīmuqrāṭiyya aš-Šaʿbiyya) |
| World War Two-era military exercises by General Patton resulted in undetonated ordinances still being discovery in this desert's Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The lowest town in the U.S., the nearly-abandoned Bombay Beach is in this desert’s Colorado section, which also contains the Coachella Valley. Populated municipalities in this desert include the city of Tucson and Ciudad Obregón [[oh-bray-GOHN]]. For the point, name this desert shared between Arizona and California, which names a north Mexican state. | Sonoran Desert (or Desierto de Sonora) |
| José Prudencio Padilla [[pah-DEE-yah]] successfully defeated Royalist admiral Angel Laborde at a battle in this body of water, now celebrated as a holiday in Zulia. PDVSA funded a multi-million dollar attempt to clear this body of water of duckweed, which had covered eighteen percent of this body. The Tablazo Strait connected this body of water to the Gulf of Venezuela. For the point, name this inlet in South America which shares its name with a large Venezuelan city. | Lake Maracaibo (or Lago de Maracaibo) |
| Rivers in this country include the Rupel and the Dyle [[DILE]], the latter of which hosts the city of Mechelen [[MEH-keh-len]] along its banks. This country's Meuse [[MYOOS]] River basin includes the cities of Charleroi [[shar-leh-WAH]] and Liège [[lee-EHZH]], while its portion of the River Scheldt [[SHELT]] passes through its most populous city, Antwerp. For the point, name this Lowland European country. | Kingdom of Belgium (or Royaume de Belgique; Koninkrijk Belgie; Koenigreich Belgien) |
| This region is home to the ghost town of Rhyolite [[RAI-oh-lite]], which houses a Belgian-installed exhibit of ghostlike statues performing everyday tasks. This region's low point is located at the base of the salt pans near Badwater Basin. During August 2020 and June 2021 heatwaves, this region's Furnace Creek recorded record-high temperatures of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. For the point, name this extremely hot region of California, the lowest point in North America. | Death Valley |
| A city along this river, Kyaukmyaung [[kyok-MYONG]], is known for its massive pottery. The Myitsone Dam was originally planned to be built along this river near the confluence of the Mali and N’mai [[neh-MY]] rivers. George Orwell’s former red brick house is located along the banks of this river. The Mu and Chindwin rivers are tributaries of this river, along which cities like Bhamo [[bah-MOE]] and Mandalay lie. This river discharges near Ale-ywa into the Andaman Sea. For the point, name this chief river of Myanmar. | Irrawaddy River (accept Ayeyarwady River) |
| This non-Mexican island has been home to a dish known as "Taco Rice" after a restaurant named Charlie's Tacos opened here in the 1940s. This island's Motobu [[moh- TOH-boo]] Peninsula houses a large limestone mine. The martial art of karate was developed on this island, the largest of the Ryukyu [[ree-OO-kyoo]] Islands. Known for having many American military bases, for the point, what fifth-largest Japanese island names the southernmost prefecture in Japan? | Okinawa Island (accept Okinawa Prefecture; accept Okinawa-ken; accept Ucina-cin) |
| In the town of Rhododendron [[roh-doh-DEN-drun]] in this range, one passes the man-made Silent Rock mound, which supposedly brings misfortune to those who utter words while passing through the formation. This range, on the eastern side of the Ring of Fire, includes the volcanoes Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. A peak in this range, Mount St. Helens, erupted in 1980, killing over 50 people. For the point, name this range of the Pacific Northwest that includes Mt. Rainier. | Cascades (or Cascade Mountains; or Cascade Range; accept North Cascades) |
| This seventeen square mile region's busiest border crossings are located at Rafah Crossing in the south and Erez [[EH-rez]] Crossing in the north. This region's namesake city is identified as the place where Samson died in the Old Testament. This region contains the Gush Katif, a group of seventeen Israeli settlements. Along with the Sinai Peninsula, this region was seized from Egypt following the Six-Day War. For the point, name this Westernmost area of Palestinian territory. | Gaza Strip (accept Gaza City) |
| A Galician navigator names a strait that separates the Gulf of Carpentaria from this sea. A battle on this sea during the Pacific Theatre of World War Two halted an invasion of Port Moresby, which was at the time controlled by Australia. The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu [[vah-noo-AH-too]] act as a boundary for this sea from the South Pacific Ocean. For the point, name this sea, whose names comes from the fact that it contains the Great Barrier Reef. | Coral Sea (or Mer de Coreil) |
| These events occur along namesake "belts" in which continental cratons [[KRAY- tons]] are deformed and lifted through isostasy [["eye"-SAH-steh-see]]. These events cyclically occur as materials enter a geosyncline [[jee-oh-SIN-kline]], are extruded, and then eroded. The most recent Appalachian example of these events occurred due to the collision of Africa and North America. For the point, name these events which produce geographic structures such as the Rockies and the Himalayas. | Orogeny (accept Orogenesis; accept Mountain formation or equivalents; prompt on answers indicating "collision of tectonic plates") |
| This city was historically bisected by the Khosr [[KOH-zer]] River, which separated the Kuyunjiq [[koo-yoon-JEEK]] and Tell Nebi mounds. This city was surrounded by a series of large stone gates named for gods such as Nergal and Shamash. This city was the site of an Islamic shrine to Jonah which was destroyed by ISIL in 2014. This ruined city lends its name to an Iraqi governorate whose capital is the nearby city of Mosul. For the point, name this ancient city, the capital of the Neo-Assyrian empire. | Nineveh (or Naynawa) |
| This region's highest point is Ras Dashen [[DAH-shen]], which is included in the Simien Mountains. This region's main dome was split into three parts by the opening of the Great Rift Valley. This region, the northwestern portion of which contains the Amhara Region, is sometimes called the "Roof of Africa" due to its high elevation. For the point, name this mountainous region on the Horn of Africa, which shares its name with a country whose capital is Addis Ababa. | Ethiopian Highlands (or Highlands of Ethiopia (prompt on partial answers) |
| This region contains a tableland called the Musashino Terrace. Major waterways within this region include the Tone [[TOH-neh]] and Sumida Rivers. This region shares its name with an administrative division that includes Saitama and Chiba Prefecture. This plain lends its name to a 1923 earthquake which killed over 100,000 people. Covering Yokohama and the rest of Greater Tokyo, for the point, what is this plain in central Honshu, the largest in Japan? | Kanto Plain (accept Kanto Region; prompt on "Japan" or "Honshu" before mentioned) |
| A major port in this country lies on the banks of the Karnaphuli [[kar-nah-FOO-lee]] River and names some well-known "hill tracts." Since 1981, Sheikh Hasina has led this country's Awami [[ah-WAH-mee]] League, and Hasina's father won the 1971 election that led to this country's "Liberation War." This country's resort town of Cox's Bazar hosts Rohingya Muslims in the world's largest refugee camp, while its other cities include Chittagong. For the point, name this South Asian country. | People's Republic of Bangladesh (accept Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh) |
| This city is home to the B of the Bang sculpture, built in commemoration of this city hosting the 2002 Commonwealth Games. This city's former Urbis museum building is the current home of the National Football Museum. This city is home to two Premier League clubs, which play their home games at Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford. For the point, name this former textile hub, a major British city that shares its name with the largest city in New Hampshire. | Manchester |
| This region's town of Falmouth is home to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Barnstable [[BARN-stuh-bul]] County. The Bourne and Sagamore Bridges cross this region’s namesake canal, whose southern end is at Buzzard’s Bay. In this region, which lies to the north of Martha’s Vineyard, the Pilgrims first landed in the modern town of Provincetown, not Plymouth. For the point, name this cape in southeastern Massachusetts named for a fish in the Atlantic Ocean. | Cape Cod (prompt on "Massachusetts") |
| This island's largest inland body of water is Sun Moon Lake, which is drained by the Shuili [[SHWEE-lee]] River. This island's Yushan [[YOO-SHAHN]] Range contains Jade Mountain. In 1542, Portuguese sailors sighted this island and named it Formosa. This island's namesake strait separates it from Fujian [[FOO-JYEN]], a southeastern province of China. For the point, name this East Asian island whose largest city is Taipei. | Taiwan (accept Republic of China; accept ROC) |
| Near Goose Green in this island group, an unused suspension bridge that crosses Bodie Creek was built to assist local sheep herders. King George and Queen Charlotte name bays near these islands. The Christ Church Cathedral, the southernmost Anglican Church, has its front adorned with Blue Whale bones in this island group's city of Stanley. For the point, name this island group that Argentina once tried to reclaim from the U.K. in a 1980s conflict. | Falkland Islands (accept the Falklands; accept Islas Malvinas) |