| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| In 1992, Copa Airlines Flight 201 crashed in this region, which was first crossed overland by a Land Rover dubbed "The Affectionate Cockroach." This region begins from the terminus town of Yaviza all the way to the town of Turbo, and is partially dominated by the Atrato River delta. This area has been notorious for harboring FARC [[fark]] insurgents and drug smugglers. For the point, name this "gap" in the Pan-American Highway which corresponds to the break in the North and South American continents. | Darién Gap (or Tapón del Darién) |
| A blood-drinking creature called the Vrykolatios [[vrih-koh-lah-TEE-ohs]] was said to live on this island. This island is part of a namesake caldera which also contains the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni. It's not Cyprus, but the Minoan eruption of about 3,600 years ago destroyed the ancient settlement of Akrotiri [[ak-roe- TIH-ree]] on this island. For the point, name this southernmost island of the Cyclades [["sigh"-kluh-DEEZ]] group, a popular tourist destination in Greece due to its white-and- blue-domed buildings. | Santorini (accept Thira) |
| Dum aloo is a popular dish in this multi-national region prepared by the Pandits [[PAHN-deets]]. One country claims that the recently-established Union Territory of Ladakh includes a portion of this region known as Aksai Chin. This region, which is often defined as lying between the Pir Panjal and Karakoram [[kah-rah-KOH-rahm]] ranges, is split by the informally designated Line of Control. One part of this region is administered as a part of a joint region with Jammu. For the point, name this disputed territory administered by China, Pakistan, and India. | Kashmir (accept Jammu and Kashmir) |
| The Jakhaveti [[jah-kah-VEH-tee]] Plateau sits within this mountain range and is crossed via the Abul-Samsari range as part of this range's "Lesser" mountains. This range runs through disputed territories such as South Ossetia [[oh-SET-yah]], Abkhazia [[ahb- KAH-zyah]], and Nagorno-Karabakh [[nah-GOR-noh kah-rah-BAHK]]. Europe's highest mountain is located in the western part of this range, which runs between the Black and Caspian Seas. For the point, name this mountain range that defines the boundary between Europe and Asia. | Caucasus Mountains |
| A now-abandoned town along this road paid homage to silent film star William S. Hart with its name of Two Guns. Two of the three surviving Wigwam Motels in the U.S. are along this route in Holbrook, the seat of Navajo County, and in San Bernardino. This route crosses directly through both the Black Mountains and the polychromatic Painted Desert. Many Okies fleeing the “Dust Bowl” of the 1930s used this highway to flee west. For the point, name this historical “route” that ran from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. | US Route 66 |
| “Spirit of Bujabald [[BOO-jah-bald]]” is a mythical figure manifested in a man that lives next to this river’s Bujagali [[boo-jah-GAH-lee]] Falls. This river’s namesake species of perch decimated the population of the nearby Lake Kwania’s [[KWAH-nyahs]] native stock of fish. This tributary, named for the color it gets from a heavy presence of clay, flows through Lake Kyoga [[kai-OH-gah]] and Lake Albert and has its source at Lake Victoria. For the point, name this branch of the longest river in the world that is contrasted with another tributary, the Blue Nile. | White Nile (prompt on partial answer) |
| The Chinijo [[chee-NEE-ho]] archipelago is administered by an island in this territory called Lanzarote [[lan-zah-ROH-teh]]. This territory's Guanche [[GWAHN-cheh]] people include residents of La Gomera who are famed for their whistle speech. Mount Teide [[teh-EE-deh]], the tallest mountain in Spain, is located on this region's largest island, Tenerife [[teh-neh-REE-feh]]. For the point, name this Spanish archipelago off the coast of Morocco, which lends its name to a type of yellow bird. | Canary Islands (accept Islas Canarias; accept The Canaries) |
| After a 2021 failure of this system, deregulation policies allowed providers to charge bills over $10,000. During an interview with Sean Hannity, Governor Greg Abbott claimed that this system's failure proved that "the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal." The freezing of gas lines during a 2021 blizzard caused the failure of, for the point, what power grid, which serves a major U.S. state? | Texas Power Grid failure (accept Texas Interconnection; accept 2021 Texas Power Crisis; accept descriptive answers indicating the failure of the power or electrical system in the state of Texas)) |
| This mountain's glaciers, which are threatened by ash deposits from Tungurahua [[toon-goo-RAH-hwah]], are the source of the Ambato and Chambo Rivers. This mountain is at the end of its country's Volcanic Arc and is most commonly reached from the city of Riobamba. On high visibility days, this inactive volcano can be seen from the coastal city of Guayaquil [[wy-ah-KEEL]]. For the point, name this Ecuadorian mountain, the point farthest from the center of the Earth. | Mount Chimborazo |
| In Dawa County in this historical region, crimson grass grows all over Red Beach in Panjin Shi. This region's northern border was set in the Treaty of Nerchinsk. A World War Two museum dedicated to the Unit 731 under Shiro Ishii [[SHEE-roh ee-SHEE-ee]] can be found in this region’s city of Harbin. The Amur River rises in this region and empties in Russia’s Far East. For the point, name this historical region of Northeastern China which took control of the Mandate of Heaven during the Qing [[CHING]] Dynasty. | Manchuria (accept Manchukuo; accept Mǎnzhōu; accept Liaoyang; accept Nurgan; prompt on "Northeast China" or "Heilongjiang" Province) |
| Camel trains were operated in this region by the Pathan [[pot-HAN]] Tribe from Central Asia. The Arrente [[ah-REN-tay]] People originally inhabited what would become this region’s city of Alice Springs. Denizens of this region, sometimes known as "Top Enders," experienced a bombing of its capital by the Japanese during World War Two. A port in this territory was named by John Clements Wickham when the HMS Beagle sailed into one city's harbor. For the point, name this Australian territory covering much of the Outback, centered at Darwin. | Northern Territory |
| The Avellino [[ah-veh-LEE-noh]] eruption led to the preservation of a settlement in this range named Nola, indicating a mass migration from these mountains in the 21st century B.C. A mysterious Sibyl named for this range supposedly resided in its Mount Vettore [[veh-TOH-reh]] until the Day of Judgement. In this mountain range, Gaius Pontius led the Samnites in a diplomatic victory over the Romans during the Battle of the Caudine [[KAW-deen]] Forks. For the point, name this mountain range which stretches across peninsular Italy. | Apennine Mountains (accept the Apennines) |
| The Temple of the Winged Lions is located at the Sacred Quarter of this site, which also contains the Qasr al-Bint [[KAH-sur al BEENT]]. The Ad Deir [[AHD-DEER]], this site's monastery, is its second-most visited monument after its khazneh [[KAHS-neh]], or Treasury building. This site can be accessed through a narrow gorge called the Siq [[SEEK]]. Built as the capital of the Nabateans [[nah-bah-TEE-ans]] to profit off the incense trade in the region, for the point, what is this historic "rose city" in Jordan? | Petra (accept Al-Batrā) |
| Scotsman Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a travelogue of his time in this region with his fiancée Fanny in The Silverado Squatters. This area is split into two distinct microclimates, Calistoga and the colder Los Carneros, leading to differing agricultural output. Viticulture became increasingly common in this region a decade after the California Gold Rush began. Castello [[cah-STEH-yoh]] di Amorosa is one of several wineries in, for the point, what prominent wine-growing region of North-Central California? | Napa Valley (accept Napa County) |
| This country's department of San Marcos includes the highest point in its region, the volcano Tajumulco [[tah-hoo-MOOL-koh]]. People in this country constructed the 17th- century Fort Castillo [[kah-STEE-yo]] de San Felipe de Lara to protect from roving pirates in its Lake Izabal [[EE-sah-bahl]]. The La Danta temple in this country's settlement of El Mirador is one of the tallest pyramids in the world. Rigoberta Menchu won the Nobel Peace Prize for advocating on behalf of this country's native K’iche’ [[kee-CHEH]], or Mayan, population. For the point, name this Central American nation to the south of Mexico. | Republic of Guatemala (or Republica de Guatemala) |
| On this island, Hamengkubuwono [[hah-meng-koo-boo-WOH-noh]] I funded the construction of the Kauman Great Mosque within the Yogyakarta [[yohg-yah-KAR-tah]] Sultanate. The Betawi and Madurese [[mah-doo-REES]] languages are spoken on this island also home to the world's largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur [[boh-roh-BOO-duhr]]. Surabaya [[soo-rah-BY-ah]] is the most populous city on the east of this island. A sea named for this island separates it from Borneo and Sumatra. The most populous island in the world is, for the point, what Indonesian island? | Java (or Jawa) |
| This country's Cornești [[cor-NESH-tee]] Hills contains its highest point, a hill outside of Bălănești [[bah-lah-NESHT]]. This country's so-called "Northern capital" is located along the Raut at Balti. The Prut River makes up this country's entire western border. This country's territory on the east bank of the Dniester [[NEE-"stir"]] River forms the breakaway state governed from Tiraspol, Transnistria. For the point, name this European country between Romania and Ukraine. | Republic of Moldova (or Republica Moldova) |
| In this region bordering Liguria, an ancient empire’s center of marble production was located in the cities of Luna and Carrara. An archipelago named for this region includes the first site of Napoleon’s exile, Elba, and the island of Montecristo. This region includes multiple buildings named Il Duomo, one in Sienna and another designed by Brunelleschi [[broo-neh-LEH-skee]]. For the point, name this region of Italy with its historical center at Florence. | Tuscany (or Toscana; prompt on "Tuscan Archipelago" |
| This region's Emscher Landscape Park was built over a former sewer. The largest sports venue in this region is Signal Iduna Park. This region's most populous cities are located between the Lippe and a namesake river. This region is home to the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. This metropolitan area's largest cities include Duisburg [[doos-BURG]], Dortmund, and Essen. For the point, name this polycentric industrial German region, located in a namesake valley in the Rhineland. | Ruhr (accept Ruhr valley, district, or region; prompt on "Rhineland" before mentioned; prompt on "Westphalia") |
| This body of water is surrounded by the Barguzin [[bar-GOO-zin]] Range on its northeastern shore. Slyudyanka [[slee-oo-DYAHN-kah]] lies on the southern tip of this body of water, whose largest island is Olkhon Island. This body of water's only outflow is the Angara, the headwater tributary of the Yenisei [[YEH-nih-see]] River. The omul fish is endemic to this body of water, which is home to a namesake sturgeon that is farmed for caviar. For the point, name this deepest lake in the world, located in Siberia. | Lake Baikal (accept Baikal sturgeon) |
| Towns including Busaiteen [[boo-sy-TEEN]] and Hidd [[HEED]] are found on this country's Muharraq [[moo-HAH-rahk]] Island. This country's branch of the Dawasir [[dah- wah-SEER]] tribe was formerly based out of its Hawar Islands. Prior to the monument's destruction during the Arab Spring, this country was home to the Pearl Roundabout. This country, which is ruled by the Al Khalifa family, is connected to the mainland by the King Fahd Causeway. For the point, name this island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. | Kingdom of Bahrain (accept Mamlakat al-Bahrayn) |
| This body of water is not in the British Isles, but the port of Tuktoyaktuk [[tuk-TOY- yahk-tuk]] lies on an arm of this body of water called Liverpool Bay. The Clathrate gun hypothesis emerged after observations of methane emission from seabed permafrost in this body of water. The communities of Alert on Ellesmere Island and Longyearbyen on Svalbard are some of the northernmost on this ocean. For the point, name this smallest ocean in the world, whose ice sheet covers the North Pole. | Arctic Ocean |
| This country's northeast corner is home to the Pendjari [[pend-JAH-ree]] National Park. This is the smaller of two countries to contain the Oueme [[ow-EME]] River. This country's city of Ouidah [[oo-DUH]] is home to the Portuguese-built Fort of St John the Baptist. This country was preceded by the Kingdom of Dahomey [[dah-HOE-me]]. This country's seat of government is Cotonou, though its official capital is Porto-Novo, and it lends its name to a Bight in the Gulf of Guinea. For the point, name this West African country located between Nigeria and Togo. | Republic of Benin (or Republique du Benin) |
| This river's names a critically endangered species of endemic crocodile, a close relative of the American crocodile. This is the principal river of a vast grassland plain known as the Llanos [[YAH-nohss]]. This river's largest tributary is the Caroni River. Major cities along this river include the Ciudad [[syoo-DAHD]] Bolivar and Ciudad Guayana. This river is linked to the Amazon River system by the naturally occurring Casiquiare [[cah-see-kee-AH- reh]] Canal. For the point, name this Venezuelan river. | Orinoco River (or Orinoquia) |
| In this country's capital, many statues from a native artist from this country are displayed at Botero Plaza outside the Uribe [[yoo-REE-beh]] Palace of Culture. This country's economic and population center is based around the Bocas de Ceniza [[seh-NEET- sah]] and the Magdalena River. A population of feral hippos in this country was established by escaped animals from a private zoo near Medellín [[meh-deh-YEEN]]. Major cities in this country include Barranquilla [[bah-rahn-KEE-yah]] and Cartagena [[car-tah-HAY-nah]. For the point, name this South American country. | Republic of Colombia (or Republica de Colombia) |
| Ned Maddrell was the last person to speak this island's native language, which he spoke in the fishing town of Cregneash. The Moddey Dhoo is a mythological black dog that supposedly haunted this island’s Peel Castle. Originally a symbol of the Mycenaean [["my"- seh-NAY-an]] culture, this island’s flag depicts a triple spiral of three white legs with golden spurs on a red background. A cat breed named for this Celtic island has a mutation that naturally gives it a shortened tail. For the point, name this "Isle" in the Irish Sea. | Isle of Man |
| This city's Muslim district of Bo-Kaap was once known as the Malay Quarter and is known for its distinctive, colorful houses. Notable peaks within this city include Lion's Head, Signal Hill, and Devil's Peak. This city, which is overlooked by Table Mountain, sits along the shore of Table Bay. This city includes Robben Island, on which Nelson Mandela was held prisoner. For the point, name this second-largest city in South Africa, which serves as the legislative capital. | Cape Town (or Kaapstad; or iKapa) |
| The first foreigner to win this event, Martin Buser [[BOO-zer]], moved his training base to Big Lake. Participants in this event must take an eight-hour break at the White Mountain checkpoint. This event is held in commemoration of the "Serum Run," a 1925 journey to deliver medicine to solve a Diphtheria crisis in a western town. The final stretch of this race, known as "The Last Dash," traverses the Seward Peninsula. For the point, name this race of mushers and their team of dogs from Anchorage to Nome. | Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race |
| Mass hypoxia occurs in the northern region of this body of water due to excessive nitrate and phosphorus deposits in a basin known as MARB. In this body of water, salt tectonic shifts created an undersea brine lake northwest of the Port of Merida. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in this body of water south of Alabama and Mississippi. For the point, name this gulf named for a Spanish-speaking North American nation. | Gulf of Mexico (or Golfo de México) |
| This river is the recipient[ of billions of cubic meters of water diverted through the South-North Water Transfer Project. This river flows around the Ordos Desert and through the Loess [[LUSS]] Plateau, where it picks up large amounts of sediment before discharging into the Bohai Gulf. This river is the northernmost of the two linked by the Grand Canal built during the Sui [[SWEE]] Dynasty. For the point, name this second-longest river in China. | Yellow River (accept Huang He [[HWAHNG-huh]]) |
| This country's province of Puntarenas [[poon-tah-REH-nahs]] contains the Chira [[CHEE-rah]] Islands at the mouth of the Tempisque [[tem-PEE-skeh]] River. Despite being 300 miles away, this country administers Cocos Island, a popular wildlife preserve and scuba spot. This country's Black population is centered on the Caribbean port of Limon [[lee-MOHN]]. This country's northern border with Nicaragua is formed by the San Juan River. Thirty national parks have made ecotourism a booming industry in, for the point, what Central American country governed from San Jose? | Republic of Costa Rica (or Republica de Costa Rica) |
| This lake's western end is controlled by the Haute-Savoie [["OAT" sah-VWA]] department. Ferries on this lake are operated by CGN from ports such as Vevey [[vuh-vay]] and Évian-les-Bains [[ay-VEE-an less BAN]]. Towns on the shore of this lake include Montreux [[mon-TROE]] and Lausanne [[luh-ZOHN]]. This lake shares its name with a city that was the base for John Calvin and lends its name to a set of Conventions governing humanitarian wartime law. For the point, name this Alpine lake on the border between France and Switzerland. | Lake Geneva (accept Lac Léman) |
| This state's portion of the Terai belt is home to Dudhwa National Park. This state's northern portion along the border of Nepal was formed into the new state of Uttaranchal [[oot-RAHN-chill]] in 2000. This state's name comes from the Hindi for "Northern Province." This state's city of Agra is home to the Taj Mahal and its city of Varanasi is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site. For the point, name this state home to Kanpur and Lucknow, the most populous state in India. | Uttar Pradesh |
| Ship types developed for this body of water include the deadrise and the skipjack. The Hampton Roads Metro sits along the southern end of this body of water. This body of water is crossed by a series of bridges and tunnels anchored by Kent Island. This body of water is the endpoint of the Susquehanna [[SUS-qua-HAH-nuh]] and Delaware Rivers. This body of water separates the Delmarva Peninsula from the mainland. For the point, name this largest estuary in the United States, a bay that borders Virginia and Maryland. | Chesapeake Bay |
| Island groups within this archipelago include the Fox Islands and Rat Islands. This archipelago was known as the Catherine Archipelago prior to 1867. This archipelago, which includes Unimak and Adak Island, was the site of the only World War Two conflict on the west coast of North America. This archipelago's largest settlement is the town of Unalaska. For the point, name this North American Archipelago, which extends westward from southern Alaska. | Aleutian Islands (or Aleut Islands; or Aleutic Islands; or Aleuts) |
| After the fall of this city, Polyxena [[pah-leh-ZEH-nah]] was sacrificed by the Greeks according to Quintus Smyrnaeus [["smear"-NAY-us]]. Frank Calvert performed preliminary surveys of this city on a mound at Hisarlik. Before working on Mycenae [[my-SEE-nay]], the ruins of this city were discovered by Heinrich Schliemann. A collection of artifacts now known as "Priam's Treasure" were taken from this ancient city. For the point, name this ancient city where the Trojan War took place. | Troy (accept Ilium; prompt on "Hisarlik" before mentioned) |
| Charles Talleyrand negotiated a mass land transfer to this colony via the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso. A mass exodus of settlers occurred in the northern reaches of this colony when natives led by Popé [[poh-PEH]] revolted. The world’s first consistent trans- Pacific trade route connected Manila to this colony’s port of Acapulco. For the point, name this colony of an Iberian power which contained much of modern Mexico and Central America. | New Spain (accept Nuevo España) |