| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This country's New Georgia Islands contain the uninhabited rock known as Kennedy Island, where U.S. president John F. Kennedy was stranded during World War Two. This country's island of Choiseul [[shwah-SUHL]] was briefly occupied by Japanese forces. This country's island of Guadalcanal was the site of a major World War Two campaign. For the point, name this Melanesian nation with capital Honiara, which is named for a wealthy Biblical king. | The Solomon Islands (prompt on "Solomon"; prompt on "The Solomons") |
| This river contains Kunta Kinteh Island, which was a former hub of the trans- Atlantic slave trade. This river, which rises in the Fouta Djallon [[FOO-tah jah-LOHN]] highlands, includes the city of Juffure [[joo-FOO-reh]] along its banks. This river discharges into the Atlantic at the city of Banjul. For the point, name this West African river which shares its name with a small country surrounded on three sides by Senegal. | Gambia River |
| This desert acts as a testing site for the NASA-funded Earth-Mars Cave Detection Program. The European Southern Observatory operates three major facilities in this desert, including Paranal [[pah-rah-NAHL]] Observatory, due to this desert's high elevation and historic lack of rainfall. Located between the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal Range, this desert formed due to a rare two-sided rain shadow. For the point, name this desert in northern Chile, the driest in the world. | Atacama Desert |
| This city contains Chimelong Paradise, which is its country's largest amusement park. This city is home to the only completed opera house designed by Zaha Hadid. This Pearl River Delta city was once known as the "City of Rams." The capital of Guangdong Province, for the point, what is this city in southern mainland China which was formerly known in the west as Canton? | Guangzhou |
| This island's Englishman River is an important salmon habitat. The Strait of Georgia separates this island from the mainland, including the city that shares this island's name, while the Strait of Juan de Fuca separates this island from Washington State. This island's warm-summer Mediterranean climate supports numerous vineyards and is considered the mildest in Canada. For the point, name this large island off the Canadian west coast which hosts British Columbia's capital of Victoria. | Vancouver Island |
| The Gates of Alexander were legendarily built in this range. This range's southern portion is home to the disputed territories of Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia. The Armenian Highlands lie south of this mountain range, whose highest point is Mt. Elbrus. For the point, name this mountain range that runs between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, which, along with the Urals, separates Europe from Asia. | Caucasus (or Caucasia) |
| This territory's most popular scuba tourist center is Stingray City. This territory's West Bay District is home to a notable turtle farm and conservation area, and this territory was originally named Las Tortugas in reference to its many turtles. This territory's capital of George Town lies near a tourist attraction named Seven Mile Beach. For the point, name this British Caribbean territory which is named for a small alligatorid. | Cayman Islands (accept Caymans) |
| One of these places is home to the Married Couple Rocks which are tied together by a sacred rope. The most sacred example of these places is rebuilt every twenty years and is dedicated to a sun goddess. In 927, the Engi-shiki listed nearly 3000 of these places and their kami. Entrances to these places are often marked by torii gates and shimenawa rice straw ropes. For the point, name these places of worship used by an indigenous Japanese religion. | Shinto shrines (prompt on either "Shinto" or "shrine" or more specific examples; accept jinja) |
| This lake's inhabited islands include Likoma and Chizumulu Island. This lake's primary inflow is the Ruhuhu River, and its primary outflow is the Shire River. This lake is the southernmost in the East African Rift System and is known in Tanzania as Lake Nyasa. For the point, name this African lake which shares its name with a country whose capital is Lilongwe. | Lake Malawi (accept Lake Nyasa or Lago Niassa before mentioned) |
| This river originates in the Gada Qu [[CHOO]] headwaters of Tibet. The Myitsone [[MYITS-hohng]] Dam was originally planned to be built along this river near the confluence of the Mali and N'mai rivers. The Mu [[MOO]] and Chindwin rivers are tributaries of this other river. Major cities along this river include Bhamo and Mandalay. This river discharges nto the Andaman Sea. For the point, name this chief river of Myanmar. | Irrawaddy River (or Ayeyarwady River) |
| At 7,146 feet, Djebel Refaâ [[JEB-ul ref-AH]] is the highest peak in this mountain range's Aurès [[ahr-EHS]] subrange. The Sebou [[seh-BOO]] River separates this mountain range from the Rif region, historically occupied by Spain. Various unique plant and animal species are native to this mountain range, including the Barbary stag and the Algerian oak. For the point, name this North African mountain range which forms the northwestern boundary of the Sahara Desert. | Atlas Mountains |
| This island's highest point is Monte Cinto, which is also the source of the Polo River. Major cities located on this island include Calvi and Bastia. This island is governed from its largest city of Ajaccio [[EYE-uh-choh]]. This island is divided into the departments of Haute- Corse and Corse-du-Sud. For the point, name this French Mediterranean island, on the Ligurian Sea, 56 miles from Tuscany. | Territorial Collectivity of Corsica (or Corse) |
| This country's Muang Khoun ruins were largely destroyed by American bombing campaigns in the late 1960s. This country's Plain of Jars on the Xiangkhoang [[SHAHNG- KWAHNG]] Plateau contains many unexploded bombs from what the U.S. refers to as the "Secret War." More than two million bombs were dropped in this country from 1964 to 1973 in an attempt to deny use of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. For the point, name this landlocked Southeast Asian nation. | Laos (or Lao People's Democratic Republic) |
| The largest "platform" example of these structures is named Monks and is located in southwestern Illinois. One of these structures in southern Ohio is believed to have been built by either the Adena or the Fort Ancient culture and is shaped like a snake eating an egg. Over 100 of these structures built by the Mississippian Culture exist at Cahokia. For the point, name these artificial hills created by many Native American groups. | mounds (prompt on "hills" or similar answers) |
| The Sierra de Juárez mountains divide this state between east and west. The Colorado River, which demarks this state's eastern land boundary, drains into a body of water sometimes called the Sea of Cortés, which separates most of this estado from the mainland. This state's largest city, Tijuana, lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. For the point, name this state in western Mexico bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and a similarly named gulf to the east. | Free and Sovereign State of Baja California |
| This city's oldest building is St. Margaret's Chapel, and a portion of this city's namesake castle was originally constructed during the reign of King David I. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British Monarch in this city. Located in the region of Lothian, this city lies on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and is the second- largest in its country after Glasgow. For the point, name this capital city of Scotland. | Edinburgh |
| With its northern neighbor, this country disputes the Kafia Kingi and Abyei Regions. With a southeastern neighbor, this country disputes the Ilemi Triangle. This country is the world's youngest internationally-recognized state, having become independent in 2011. For the point, name this African country which split from a similarly named country governed from Khartoum and whose own capital is located at Juba. | Republic of South Sudan |
| The town of Puerto Triunfo is located in this country's Department of Antioquia [[ahn-tee-OAK-ee-uh]] and is home to a large number of invasive hippos which were once part of a drug lord's private zoo. The Aburrá Valley region of this country, formed by the Medellín River, is among the most populous in the Andes Mountains. For the point, name this South American country governed from Bogotá. | Republic of Colombia |
| This body of water drains into a larger body by the Bolivar Roads and the San Luis Pass. This body of water is an estuary formed by the confluence of the Trinity and San Jacinto [[jah-SIN-toh]] Rivers. This body of water was connected to the Buffalo Bayou by the dredging of a major Texas ship canal. For the point, name this arm of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, whose namesake city was the site of the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history in 1900. | Galveston Bay (prompt on "Galveston") |
| This island's most active volcano is Mt. Merapi, and this island's western portion includes the Parahyangan highlands. This island is linked to the island of Madura by a bridge at the port of Surabaya. This island's Buddhist religious sites include Borobudur and Prambanan. This island is separated from Sumatra by the Sunda Strait. For the point, name this most-populous island on Earth, an Indonesian island which contains Jakarta. | Java |
| The oldest still-operating example of these facilities is the Bakken in Copenhagen which opened in 1583. Another of these facilities opened in 1766 in Vienna featuring hunting and coffee houses and is today known as Wurstelprater [[VUHR-stehl-PRAH-teh]]. Prior to World War Two, the largest collection of these facilities in the U.S. was at Coney Island. For the point, name these tourist attractions, many of which are operated in the U.S. by Six Flags. | theme parks (accept amusement parks; prompt on descriptive answers) |
| A government-in-exile that claims legitimate rule of this region resides in the Algerian city of Tindouf. The Polisario Front seeks the independence of this region, whose largest city and de facto capital is Laâyoune [[lah-YOON]]. Spain decolonized this region in 1975 at the request of the UN General Assembly. For the point, name this disputed region directly south of Morocco, approximately 20% of which is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. | Western Sahara |
| This country's overseas empire once included Gwadar and Zanzibar. This country includes the exclave of Madha, which itself contains Nahwa, an enclave of the United Arab Emirates. This country is the only one in the world where Ibadi Islam is the majority religion. For the point, name this Middle Eastern country located on the southeast corner of the Arabian peninsula, whose capital is Muscat. | Sultanate of Oman |
| An Ivy League university in this city is home to the renowned Wharton Business School. In 1682, Lenape [[LEN-ah-pay]] chief Tammany signed the Treaty of Shackamaxon, allowing William Penn to found this city along the Delaware and Schuylkill [[SKOO-kull]] rivers. This city's Independence Hall hosted the signing of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. For the point, name this largest city in Pennsylvania whose nickname is the "City of Brotherly Love." | Philadelphia |
| The largest confirmed example of these structures is the Vredefort in South Africa. In 2016, it was proposed that the remnants of these structures had become Lake Albanel and Lake Mistassini. These structures can be distinguished from similarly appearing calderas by the presence of shatter cones. One of these features near the Yucatan is named Chicxulub [[CHIK-shoo-loob]]. For the point, name these geological features formed from meteor impacts. | craters |
| This body of water's westernmost arm is known as the Bohai Sea. Arms of this body of water separate the Liaodong [[LOU-DONG]] and Shandong peninsulas from the mainland. Both the Huang He [[HWAHNG HUH]] and Yalu Rivers discharge into this body of water, and the sediments they carry give this body of water its most common English name. For the point, name this colorfully named sea that separates Korea from China. | Yellow Sea (or Hwang Hai) |
| These areas were at the center of the 2018 case Gill v. Whitford in which the Supreme Court rejected the efficiency gap. One of these areas in Chicago is derisively called the "earmuffs" due to its bizarre shape. The largest of these areas in terms of population is Montana-at-large. The borders of these areas can be manipulated through partisan gerrymandering. For the point, name these tracts of land which are each represented by one member of the House of Representatives. | Congressional districts |
| In 1899, Halford Mackinder claimed to be the first person ever to climb this mountain. The Kikuyu people refer to this mountain as Kirinyaga, meaning "the one with the ostrich," while the Maasai people believe their ancestors came down from this mountain at the beginning of time. This mountain is the main water catchment area for the Tana River, the largest river in this mountain's namesake country. For the point, name this second-tallest mountain in Africa. | Mount Kenya |
| In 1964 in this city, John and Dominique de Menil commissioned Mark Rothko to create a meditative chapel containing a number of Rothko's paintings. This city's downtown area is bordered by the neighborhoods of EaDo [[EE-doh]], Sawyer Heights, and Rice Military. Nicknamed "Bayou City," this city is home to Rice University and the NASA Mission Control Center. For the point, name this fourth-most populous U.S. city, located in southeastern Texas. | Houston |
| This city's neighborhood of Pláka is locally known as "The Neighborhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to many archaeological sites. This city is home to Syntagma Square, where soldiers demanded King Otto grant their country its first constitution. This city's ancient Acropolis hosts the Parthenon, a citadel dedicated to this city's namesake goddess. For the point, name this ancient city-state and modern capital of Greece, the so- called birthplace of democracy. | Athens |
| This state's city of Appleton anchors the Fox River Valley and contains Lawrence University. Major cities in this state's northwest include Eau Claire and La Crosse. This state's suburban cities of Racine and Kenosha sit along Lake Michigan. This state is home to the smallest metro area to host a major league sports team, Green Bay. For the point, name this state which is home to Milwaukee and whose capital city is Madison. | Wisconsin |