| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This metropolitan area has two art museums, one named Kemper and the other Nerman. This metropolitan area contains Cass, Platte, Clay, and Jackson counties, and its MLS team is headquartered in one state but plays in another state at Sporting Park. Politics in this area’s largest city were historically dominated by the Pendergast machine, which gave Harry Truman his start in politics. For the point, name this metropolitan area containing two cities with the same name, located at the point where the Missouri River is met by the Kansas River. | Kansas City |
| The Treaty of Utrecht ceded the land around this body of water from Great Britain to France. Fur trading posts around this body of water included Cape Dorset and Southampton Island, and its drainage basin was historically called Rupert’s Land. A company named after this bay operates a chain of department stores to this day. The sailor for whom this bay is named was subject to a mutiny on his ship, the Discovery, and was never seen again after being cast adrift. For the point, name this large bay north of Ontario which is named for an English explorer. | Hudson Bay |
| This national park sits on top of an underground evaporite salt bed formed when the Paradox Basin was flooded and evaporated over 300 million years ago. The Elk Mountain Mission was the first settlement attempt around this national park, home to landforms such as Devil’s Garden, Courthouse Towers, and Balanced Rock. In 2002, the Olympic torch passed under an iconic feature of this national park. For the point, name this national park in Utah, home to many naturally curved sandstone landforms. | Arches National Park |
| Disruptions to theEnriquillo-Plantain Gardensystemwereresponsible forthis event,which decimated UN facilities at the Christopher hotel. According to Pat Robertson, a ceremony at Bois Caiman led to this event. The cities of Petit-Goave and Jacmel were heavily damaged by this event. This event’s epicenter occurred near the town of Leogane, located around 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince. For the point, name this seismic event that decimated the island of Hispaniola in 2010. | Haitian Earthquake |
| A partially collapsed iron bridge on this island is called the Devil’s Iron Bridge and spans the Nandu River. Phoenix Island is an artificial resort next to this island being constructed in Sanya Bay. This island has very few natural lakes, but it is the location of the Songtao Reservoir. This island is the largest of China’s special economic zones, and it is separated by the Qiongzhou Strait from the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong. For the point, name this island, the southernmost province of China, whose capital is at Haikou. | Hainan |
| In 2011, this building was successfully climbed by Alain Robert who was arrested in two prior attempts. Built on a former racetrack, this building constructed by Cesar Pelli plan includes an eight pointed star cross-section design based on an Islamic design, the Rub el Hizb. The Suria Shopping Mall sits at the base of this former tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004 and has has a bridge on the 41st floor connecting its twin towers. For the point, what is this skyscraper located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? | Petronas Towers [or Petronas Twin Towers or Menara Berkembar Petronas] |
| The Lake Tianchi monster is allegedly said to reside in this country’s Heaven Lake which is shared with its border with its northern neighbor. Another folk story from this country represents lovers torn apart by their evil landlord and is retold at this country’s Arirang Festival. Previously, three kingdoms that were part of this Asian country fought for control of the Han River system which is comprised of its Bongocheon, Tumen and Yalu Rivers. For the point, what is this country with capital at Pyongyang? | North Korea [or Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; prompt on Choson] |
| In this city, Gran Cafa de la Parroquia is famous for its “echero.” This city also contains the the Malecon boardwalk and the famous fort of San Juan de Ulua, nicknamed “Four Times Heroic.” Its Museo Historical Naval largely focuses on the U.S. attacks in 1847 and 1914. While searching for gold, Hernan Cortes founded this city. For the point, name this port city of Southern Mexico, site of Mexico’s oldest and largest port and home to a major battle during the Mexican-American War. | Heroica Veracruz |
| Songs called vyasnyankas introduce this country’s Spring Festival. The Sozh River flows through this country’s second-largest city of Gomel. A statue of a crying boy that commemorates the Soviet war in Afghanistan is found at the Isle of Tears in this country. This nation shares Bialowieza forest, the last primeval forest in Europe, with its northern neighbor, Poland. For the point, what is this European country with capital at Minsk? | Republic of Belarus |
| This river’s delta is home to the growers of the exclusive Tocantins chocolate. The Mututi island lies in its mouth, as does the island of Marajo, the largest fluvial island in the world. The pororoca, a tall tidal bore, passes by that island as it flows up this river. The Casiquiare, the world’s largest bifurcation, connects this river to the Rio Negro in Venezuela. The Guiana and Brazil highlands border, for the point, what longest river in South America? | Amazon River (or Rio Amazonas) |
| The nearby island of Dia was supposedly formed when a giant lizard attacked this island. One incident on this island was a singing contest, whose losers had their feathers plucked and thrown into the sea, creating the nearby islands of Lefkai. At this island’s city of Gortys, an incident between a bull and Europa led to the birth of a king associated with this island. A charging bull fresco can be found in a palace on this island where a mythical labyrinth was located. For the point, what is this island off the coast of Greece, once allegedly ruled by King Minos? | Crete [or Kriti] |
| Fort Saint Sebastian, built by this country, is a major tourist attraction in one of this country’s former colonies. Huambo, a city one named for this country’s capital, was the headquarters of a rebel group against this country. Gilberto Freye argued that this country was the best of the European colonial powers, in part because it had the oldest colonies. FRELIMO and RENAMO fought a civil war in one of this country’s former colonies. For the point, name this European country that colonized Mozambique and Angola from its capital at Lisbon. | Portugal |
| Palafito houses are common on island owned by this country. The city of San Alfonso del Mar in this country has the world’s largest outdoor swimming pool. This is the only country in the world other than Afghanistan where lapis lazuli is mined, and this country’s first nitrate railroad linked mines to the port city of Iquique. This country is the world’s largest producer of copper, most of which comes from Chuquicamata and is shipped via the port city of Antofagasta. For the point, name this South American country, home to the Atacama Desert, that has its capital at Santiago? | Republic of Chile |
| In 1971, this region’s General Council of Calvados signed a charter to become a twinned county with the English county of Devon. A historic battle in the largest of the Cinque Ports is depicted in an artwork named for this city. This region is home to the shortest seabound river in France, the Veules. The cities of Rouen and Le Havre are located in this region. As part of Operation Overlord, this region’s coast was divided into sectors including Omaha Beach. For the point, name this department of northern France that lends its name to Allied D-Day invasions. | Normandy |
| Several of these features, including one named after Sarah Guier, were built on the Bayou Macon. In addition to those features at Poverty Point, the Lamar People built a spiral one of these features near Ocmulgee. A long one of these features is shaped like a serpent with an egg at its open mouth. That example of these features is located near several ones of these built by the Adena people, known as a culture of these-builders. For the point, what are these hill-like constructions made by Native Americans, found in places like Etowah, Georgia and Cahokia? | Mounds |
| A 6.66 kilogram gold nugget nicknamed The Devil’s Ear was found in this region. Diamonds were mined in this region’s Mir mine, while its Kuzbass mine produced coal. Its Yamal peninsula consisting of permafrost holds abundant natural gas reserves. Mining in this region’s city of Norilsk is so lucrative that the soil is said to contain precious metal ores and is thus closed to citizens and Belarusians. For the point, what is this natural-resource rich region of Eastern Russia? | Siberia |
| The Shantar Islands sit on the western shore of this body of water. One nation adjacent to this sea plans to develop its rare rhenium deposits on Kudriavy Volcano. A nuclear-powered lighthouse overlooks this sea at Mys Aniva. An island located to the south of this body of water is linked to the rest of its country by the Seikan Tunnel. The Ainu people are indigenous to an island located on this sea. The disputed Kuril Islands lie in this sea. For the point, what is this sea home that lies between Japan and Russia? | Sea of Okhotsk [or Okhotskoye More] |
| This country was lost by the Allies after Mount Natib was infiltrated. The Palawan atrocity in this country led to the death of 150 American prisoners of war. Douglas MacArthur was forced to flee from this country to Australia after its fall to the Japanese. The Bataan Death Match took place in this country, which was recaptured by the Allies after their victory at the Battle of Luzon. For the point, what country formerly owned by the United States was the site of the Battle of Manila? | The Philippines |
| In 1922, a jokulhlaup [yo-kyul-h’lawp] from this mountain’s Zigzag glacier caused a brief panic that this mountain was going to erupt. This mountain’s largest glacier is Eliot, though its most popular is Parker, which lies partly within the Timberline Lodge ski area. This peak is called Wy’east, one of a trio of lovers, by the Multnomah tribe. This peak overlooks the Willamette Valley as the most prominent peak of the Cascades Range. For the point, name this prominent feature behind the skyline of Portland, the tallest mountain in Oregon. | Mount Hood |
| Ruiru-11 is an alternative strain of this plant used to lower production costs. Originally, the Galla people ground the fruit of this plant and mixed it with animal fat for sustenance. The Haya tribe boiled and steamed this plant with herbs to make a stimulant. Ugandan farmers grow the Robusta version, as it is cheaper and less labor intensive than its Arabica counterparts. First discovered in Ethiopia, these originally green seeds are roasted to bring out their flavor. For the point, what is this bean that is produced to make a caffeinated drink? | Coffee beans |
| A national park in this region is home to the bird-watching haven of Santa Cruz de Cana. Piragua canoes are the optimal way to travel in this region, which is nicknamed El Tap´on, or “the plug.” One attempt to build the colony of Caledonia in this region was abandoned in 1700, devastating the Scottish economy.TheFARCstrongholdofYavizaliesontheedgeofthisregion,wherethePan-AmericanHighway stops. For the point, name this difficult to traverse patch of jungle in Panama. | Dari´en Gap |
| This type of geological feature is called ‘calanchi’ in the Basilicata Region in Italy. Prominent examples of these feature are the Putangirua Pinnacles in New Zealand, which appeared in the 2001-2003 The Lord of the Rings films, and the hoodoos in Southern Utah. These features are attractions in Toadstool Park in Nebraska and in Big Pig Dig in South Dakota, where Black-Footed Ferrets were reintroduced. For the point, name these rock formations characterized by heavily eroded soil that lend their name to a National Park in South Dakota. | Badlands |
| The world’s longest sight line can be found near this country’s Vatna Glacier. A distinctive natural amphitheatre in this country is located at Thingvellir National Park. This nation, which gets 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, experienced a large ash cloud in 2010 that disrupted air travel across Europe. This nation owns the island of Surtsey, created due to a volcanic eruption. For the point, what is this nation with capital at Reykjavik? | Republic of Iceland |
| This mountain range is home to the Luristan newt, also called the Kaiser’s spotted newt, which is falling victim to the international pet trade. The Baktiari people’s Lion Tombstones appear in this mountain range whose Shanidar Caves have given new insights into Neanderthal life. Qash Mastan in the Dena sub-range is the highest point of this mountain range home to the ruins of Susa. The Kurds find this mountain range sacred. For the point, name this largest Iranian mountain range. | Zagros Mountains |
| The Lisbon earthquake is memorialized by one of these on Rua Augusta and features a statue of the Marquis de Pombal. The Cinquatenaire one of these things in Jubelpark was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of independence, but wasn’t completed until the 75th anniversary. One of these named for Constantine commemorates the Battle of Milvian Bridge, and one of these in Paris had Charles Godefroy fly his biplane through it in 1919. For the point, name these curved structures, one of which in Paris commemorates military triumph. | Arches (accept memorial arches or, after “Cinquatenaire” is read, triumphal arches) |
| The town of Nelson in this state is home to the historic Techatticup Mine, where a gold rush took place in 1861. The town of Nixon in this state is on the Pyramid Lake reservation, which is inhabited by the Paiute people. This state’s town of Gerlach sits on the edge of the Black Rock Desert, which hosts the Burning Man festival. The border town of Primm in this state is featured in a 2010 video game, and other border towns like West Wendover and South Lake Tahoe are havens for out-of-state gamblers. For the point, name this state home to a namesake Sierra mountain range. | Nevada |
| Kampong Ayer is a village in this country where 10 percent of its national population live in houses on stilts. The town of Muara stems from the Malay word for estuary and is this country’s only deep water port. The Limbang District of Sarawak completely surrounds this country’s Temburong District. The world’s largest palace, Istana Nurul, is located in this country, which also dedicated a monument named Mercu Dirgahayu to celebrate the 60th birthday of this oil-rich country’s sultan. For the point, name this country on the island of Borneo, with capital at Bandar Seri Begawan. | Brunei |
| Alexi Grishin of Belarus and Anastazia Kuzmina of Slovakia won the first Winter Olympic medals in this city. UFC 115 was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship held in Canada not hosted by Montreal which was held here in newly renamed Rogers Arena. Abby Wambach announced her retirement following a championship in this city which hosted the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final at BC Place. Some Olympic competitions held at nearby Whistler Olympic Park and Sliding Centre. For the point, name this Canadian city who hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. | Vancouver |
| Atthisstadium,JoeLouisdefeatedGermanMaxSchmelingin1938tobecometheworldheavyweight champion. Alan Amaeche of the Baltimore Colts scored a game-winning touchdown in the first NFL sudden-death overtime game, the “Greatest Game Ever Played.” Knute Rockne gave the “Win one for the Gipper” speech in this stadium, which was formerly the site of Monument Park until it was closed after the 2008 season. For the point, name this “House That Ruth Built,” the home of a namesake baseball team based in New York. | Yankee Stadium |
| This country’s Spiti Valley has a desert biome and home to Key Monastery and Gaddi sheep. Kalo Dungar, a hill in this country, overlooks the Great Rann of Kutch which is world’s largest salt desert. During the summer Pashmina wool is made from a breed of goat found in the Ladakh desert of this country. Some of this country’s largest desert exists in neighboring Pakistan while most of this country’s largest desert is in Rajasthan. For the point, name this country that has its Thar desert in its Gujurat and Punjab regions? | India [or Bharat Ganarajya] |
| This people’s language is written using 38 consonants in the Tifinagh script. Queen Dihya led this people against an Arab invasion. The Ahwash dance is performed by this group in the Tashelhit dialect. The al-Qaubail mountains are home to this ethnic group’s Kabyle branch. This ethnic group is the largest in the Maghreb, and the Tuareg are one branch of this group. For the point, name this North African ethnic group common in Algeria and Morocco. | Berbers [or Amazighen; prompt on “Tuareg” or “Kabyles” before mentioned; also prompt on other Berber sub-branches] |
| This is the largest international dark sky park, and invasive species in this park include the deciduous saltcedar and the evergreen athel. This park’s last active mine, Billie mine, closed in 2005, and it is adjacent to the abandoned mining town of Rhyolite. This park’s Racetrack Playa is home to “sailing stones” that often mysteriously move long distances. This park’s Badwater Basin, which is filled with salt flats, is the lowest point in North America. For the point, name this national park in California known for its extreme heat. | Death Valley National Park |
| The Bluff Point Stoneworks was built on one of these features. Fracking near these features harvests from the Utica and Marcellus Shales. An annual GlassFest in the region dominated by these features is sponsored by the city of Corning’s Museum of Glass. The largest of these features was home to the Formula One Grand Prix of the United States in Watkins Glen until 2012; that feature is Seneca Lake. For the point, name these long, narrow lakes in western New York, named for their resemblance to a human hand. | Finger Lakes |
| Two of these places named Coutoure and Pingaluit on the Ungava Peninsula are the last to freeze in the winter. Though not a man-caused phenomenon, shatter cones can be found in the Sudbury Basin, the largest of these things in Canada. Luis Alvarez discovered one of these features that was formed in an event that also created the K-T boundary; that one is on the Yucatan Peninsula. For the point, Chicxulub is example of what sort of landform formed when an extraterrestrial body hits Earth? | impact craters |
| This body of water is the destination of runoff from Agbobloshie, one of the biggest landfills for ‘e-waste’, via the Odaw River Golden Triangle in this body of water. Akosombo Dam lies on one of the main rivers that empty into this body of water; that river is the Volta. Fort St. Anthony and Elmina were two slave forts on this body of water.Malabo is a city on this body of water into which the Niger River flows, as is Lagos. For the point, name this gulf off the coast of west Africa. | Gulf of Guinea [accept Guinea after “gulf”] |
| Hurricane Irene made landfall in this region at Cape Lookout, home to one of the only lighthouses that operates during the day. In this region, the town of Buxton is located in Dare County and is home to Bodie Island Light, and another lighthouse in this region was moved half a mile inland to avoid the Atlantic encroaching on Cape Hatteras. For the point, name this region of thin barrier islands that make up the easternmost portion of North Carolina’s Atlantic seashore. | Outer Banks (prompt on North Carolina or “the Atlantic seaboard”) |