| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This country is home to the Ascension Cathedral, which is made of wood without nails. This country is home to the elliptical shaped Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is leased to Russia. In 2019, this country changed its capital’s name to Nur-Sultan. This country contains the northern Aral Sea and is the world’s largest landlocked nation. For ten points, name this central Asian country home to Almaty and Astana. | Kazakhstan |
| The northern portion of this country is home to a forest of namesake pineyard trees The Turks and Caicos Islands lie to the southeast of this country. This country is home to the Exuma district as well as Andros Island and Great Inagua. This country’s most populous island is New Providence. For ten points, name this archipelago country governed from Nassau, which lies east of Florida and north of Cuba. | The Bahamas |
| This country is home to two large ergs named Grand Erg Occidental and Grand Erg Oriental. This country is home to the Ahaggar Mountains, which are home to this country’s highest point of Mt. Tahat. This country’s cities of Constantine and Oran both lie along the Mediteranean. For ten points, name this country sandwiched between Tunisia and Morocco, the largest in Africa. | Algeria |
| This island is home to the Koules Fortress, which was built built by the Venetians while they ruled this island as the Kingdom of Candia. Sir Arthur Evans identified one site on this island with the labyrinth that held the minotaur. The city of Knossos was home to the Minoan civilization on this island. Heraklion is the largest city on, for ten points, what largest Greek island? | Crete |
| This city is home to the Victoria & Albert Waterfront, which sits on Table Bay Harbor. Robben Island sits off the coast of this city and is where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner. Table Mountain forms the backdrop of this city. This city serves as one of its country’s capitals, along with Bloemfountein and Pretoria. For ten points, name this second largest South African city after Johannesburg. | Cape Town |
| The southern end of the Tihamah coastal plains lie in this country, which is also home to the eastern edge of the Bab-el-Mandeb. This country controls the islands of Hanish and Socotra. The city of Ataq serves as the de facto capital of this country due to this country’s Houthi rebels. Aden is the main port in this country whose largest city is Sana’a. For ten points, name this country on the southern end of the Arabian peninsula. | Yemen |
| The northern portion of this body of water is home to Jugo [you-go] and Bora winds, which can drive the creation of sea ice. Cities on this body of water include Dubrovnik and Neum. This body of water is linked to the Ionian Sea by the Strait of Otranto. This body of water’s northern tip contains Venice. For ten points, name this arm of the Mediterranean, a sea that lies between Italy and Croatia. | Adriatic Sea (prompt on Mediterranean Sea before mentioned) |
| In December of 2019, Judge David Briones ruled that a structure being built at this location had illegally acquired funds. Reciprocating saws have been used to cut holes in one structure at this location by drug smugglers. During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump promised to build a fortification along this location. For ten points, name this location where Donald Trump wants to build a wall. | U.S.-Mexico border (accept U.S. southern border; accept Mexico northern border) |
| This city’s Old Woman’s Island and Colaba Island are both linked to the mainland by the Colaba causeway. This city was built on the islands of Salsette and Trombay, which were part of the Seven Islands of this city. This city is the largest in the Maharashtra State and is the center of the Bollywood film industry. Bombay was the former name of, for ten points, what largest city in India? | Mumbai (accept Bombay before mentioned) |
| This state is home to the Wasatch range, which includes the cities of West Valley and Ogden. This state is also home to the Sundance Resort in its city of Provo. This state was formerly known as the Deseret Territory and was settled by followers of Brigham Young. For ten points, what U.S. state is home to the headquarters of the Mormon Church and has its capital at Salt Lake City. | Utah |
| According to legend, these entities were created after two deities circled a pillar and stirred the ocean with a sacred spear. That legend states that the first of these entities to be created was Awaji. The largest of these entities is home to cities such as Kobe and Osaka. Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu are some of the largest of, for ten points, what entities that make up a country with capital Tokyo? | Islands of Japan (accept Japanese Islands; prompt on islands; prompt on Kami before Awaji is read) |
| This country owns the islands of Alejandro Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe, which are part of the Juan Fernandez Islands. This country also owns an island inhabited by the Rapa Nui, who built the Moai on Easter Island. This country is home to the driest place on Earth, the Atacama desert. This country shares Patagonia with its eastern neighbor, Argentina. For ten points, name this country with capital Santiago. | Chile |
| This country is linked to its southern neighbor by the Gotthard Base Tunnel. This country’s four official languages include Romansch and Italian. This country is home to Lake Lucerne, which names on of this country’s subdivisions, called cantons. Lake Geneva is located in this country, as is Lake Zurich. Bern is the capital of, for ten points, what Alpine country that sits between Italy, France, and Germany? | Switzerland |
| The Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan is home to the largest indoor example of these objects. The Big O in Tokyo is the largest centerless one of these objects. The tallest one of these objects in Europe is located along the Thames River and is sponsored by Coca Cola. The London Eye is an example of, for ten points, what carnival rides that move in a vertical circle? | Ferris wheel (accept observation wheel) |
| This lake is home to Ukerewe Island, which is home to a large albino community. This lake’s Winham Gulf is home to Rusinga Island. This lake was formerly home to many cichlid species before perch were introduced. This lakes major outflows include the White Nile. This lake is shared by Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. For ten points, name this largest lake in Africa, named for a British queen. | Lake Victoria |
| This state utilizes the Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams to generate power from the Columbia River. The Hoh Rain forest is located in a park in this state that also contains the Quillayute River which flows into the Pacific Ocean near La Push. The active volcanoes of Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens are located in this state. For ten points, name this Pacific Northwest state north of Oregon that contains Seattle. | Washington |
| This island is home to the U.S. owned Thule Air Force Base. This island is home to the city of Sismut, which was known as Holsteinsborg under colonial rule. This island is separated from Baffin by the Davis Strait. This island’s capital city is Nuuk. Most of the surface of this island is covered in ice. For ten points, name this largest island on Earth, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. | Greenland (accept Kalaallit Nunaat) |
| This non-Rome city is home to a set of Seven Hills, each of which contains an imperial mosque. This city is the largest in the Marmara Region and was built on the Sarayburnu. This city sits on the Golden Horn as well as both sides of the Bosporus, putting this city in both Asia and Europe. For ten points, name this largest city in Turkey, which has previously been known as Constantinople and Byzantium. | Istanbul |
| This mountain range is home to the Tiwanaku site, which contains the Gate of the Sun. This mountain range is home to most modern day Quechua speakers. The subduction of the Nazca plate forms this mountain range. This mountain range is also home to the city of Cusco, which served as the capital of the Incan empire. For ten points, name this mountain range which runs along the western coast of South America. | Andes Mountains (or Andean Mountains) |
| This country is home to the city of Dunedin, which is the capital of the Otago Region. With New Caledonia, this country forms a similarly named submerged continent. This country’s Canterbury Plains are home to the city of Christchurch. The Cook Strait separates this country’s North and South Islands. For ten points, name this Oceanic home country of the Maori, home to Auckland and Wellington. | New Zealand |
| This city is home to a park which was originally founded as a hunting ground for the Elector of Brandenburg. In addition to the Tiergarten, this city is home to the Potsdamer Platz, a major square located south of this city’s Brandenburg Gate. This city is home to a capital building called the Reichstag. This city was cut in half by a namesake wall during the Cold War. For ten points, name this capital city of Germany. | Berlin |
| In Australia, much of this resource’s production is based out of the Latrobe Valley. Haerwusu, Inner Mongolia is home to China’s largest open pit mine for this resource. In the U.S. this resource is mainly produced in the Appalachians in its namesake “country” in Kentucky and West Virginia. Anthracite and lignite are types of, for ten points, what solid fossil fuel made from decomposed plants? | coal (do NOT accept or prompt on “charcoal”) |
| This river is linked to the Hooghly River by the Feeder Canal, which supplies this river’s Farakka Barrage. This river’s confluence with the Brahmaputra and Meghna forms a mangrove swamp called the Sundarbans. The city of Varanasi lies along this river, where many pilgrims ritually bathe in the waters. For ten points, name this river that drains into the Bay of Bengal, the holiest river in India. | Ganges |
| One of these locations near Bligh Island, Alaska was the location of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Varieties of these locations include the ribbon, patch, and platform types. Atols are islands that form on these locations. These locations are formed from the carbonate exoskeletons of certain polyps. For ten points, name these living geographic features, the largest of which is the Australia Great Barrier example. | coral reefs (prompt on partial answers) |
| The Ordos Plateau forms a rectangular bend in this river, which also flows through the Loess Plateau. This river empties into the Bohai Gulf and flows past cities such as Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. This river’s frequent floods gave it the nickname “China’s Sorrow.” During the Sui Dynasty, this river was linked by the Grand Canal to the Yangtze. For ten points, name this colorfully name Chinese river. | Yellow River (or Huang He) |
| The resort town of El Gouna is located on this body of water. Two countries dispute ownership of Halayib, a town located along this body of water’s shores. This body of water contains the Gulf of Aqaba, which separates the Sinai Peninsula from the mainland. This sea is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. For ten points, name this colorfully named sea that separated Arabia from Africa. | Red Sea |
| This country’s deepest lake, Lake Atitlan, is located in its Sierra Madre mountain range. The Rio Dulce drains this country’s Lake Izbal into the Caribbean. This country’s rainforests contains the ruins of Tikal. This country is also home to the largest number of ethnic Mayans. For ten points, name this central American country south of Mexico and Belize and north of Honduras. | Guatemala |
| This city’s metro area is home to the La Defense business district, which contains the La Grande Arche. This city’s road of Champs-Elysees is home to the Arc de Triomphe, which commemorates the Battle of Austerlitz. This city sits on the Seine river, along which is the Notre Dame cathedral. The Bastille is located in, for ten points, what capital and largest city of France? | Paris |
| This state contains the artificial Venetian Islands which help bridge the Biscayne Bay. The southern end of this state is home to a coral cay archipelago that includes the Dry Tortugas and Key West. In this state, the Kissimmee River flows into Lake Okeechobee which is partially located in Palm Beach country. For ten points, name this state, located just 90 miles north of Cuba, home to cities like Orlando and Miami. | Florida |
| In Japan, this holiday is often celebrated with Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets. The only places in China that officially observe this holiday are Macau and Hong Kong. In Alpine Europe, this holiday involves a visit from the demon Krampus. In the U.K., this holiday involves visits from a man known as Father, this holiday. For ten points, name this winter holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. | Christmas (or X-mas) Tiebreaker |
| This river’s main distributary is the Akhtuba River, whose basin is a center of watermelon production. This river’s largest tributary runs through cities such as Kaluga and Ryazan. In addition to the Oka, this river is fed by the Kama River. This river originates in the Valdai Hills and flows past Astrakhan on its way to the Caspian Sea. For ten points, name this Russian river, the longest in Europe. | Volga |