Geography for grades 9–10: questions with answers

The Geography questions for grades 9–10 from the game, with the correct answers and an explanation for each.

  1. Which is the deepest lake in the world?

    • Lake Superior
    • Caspian Sea
    • Lake Tanganyika
    • Lake Baikal

    Correct answer: Lake Baikal — Baikal in Siberia is over 1,600 m deep and holds about a fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh surface water.

  2. Which is the driest non-polar desert in the world?

    • Sahara
    • Atacama
    • Namib
    • Gobi

    Correct answer: Atacama — The Atacama in northern Chile has weather stations that have never recorded rain; its clear skies host major observatories.

  3. Which is the largest country in Africa by area?

    • Algeria
    • DR Congo
    • Sudan
    • Libya

    Correct answer: Algeria — Algeria became Africa's largest country in 2011, when Sudan split and South Sudan became independent.

  4. Which is the highest mountain in South America?

    • Chimborazo
    • Huascarán
    • Illimani
    • Aconcagua

    Correct answer: Aconcagua — Aconcagua in Argentina is 6,961 m — the highest peak in the world outside Asia.

  5. Which is the most populous country in Africa?

    • Egypt
    • Nigeria
    • Ethiopia
    • DR Congo

    Correct answer: Nigeria — Nigeria has over 200 million people, with Ethiopia and Egypt next; Lagos is one of the largest cities on the continent.

  6. Lake Titicaca lies on the border of which two countries?

    • Ecuador and Colombia
    • Bolivia and Chile
    • Peru and Bolivia
    • Chile and Argentina

    Correct answer: Peru and Bolivia — Titicaca, at about 3,800 m, is the highest large lake in the world that carries regular shipping.

  7. Which country has the longest coastline in the world?

    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Russia
    • Canada

    Correct answer: Canada — Canada's coastline runs over 200,000 km, thanks largely to its thousands of Arctic islands.

  8. What is the capital of Uganda?

    • Dar es Salaam
    • Kampala
    • Nairobi
    • Kigali

    Correct answer: Kampala — Kampala lies near the northern shore of Lake Victoria; the name is said to come from "hill of the impala".

  9. Through which country does the Mekong River reach the sea?

    • Vietnam
    • Cambodia
    • Laos
    • Thailand

    Correct answer: Vietnam — The Mekong rises in Tibet and ends in a vast delta in southern Vietnam, the country's rice bowl.

  10. Which is the second-largest island in the world?

    • Borneo
    • Sumatra
    • Madagascar
    • New Guinea

    Correct answer: New Guinea — New Guinea is divided between Indonesia in the west and Papua New Guinea in the east.

  11. Which strait between Malaysia and Sumatra is one of the busiest shipping lanes?

    • Bab-el-Mandeb
    • Strait of Malacca
    • Sunda Strait
    • Strait of Hormuz

    Correct answer: Strait of Malacca — The strait links the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea and carries a large share of the world's seaborne trade.

  12. The Strait of Hormuz is the entrance to which body of water?

    • Arabian Sea
    • Red Sea
    • Persian Gulf
    • Gulf of Aden

    Correct answer: Persian Gulf — A large share of the world's oil exports passes through Hormuz, which is only about 39 km wide at its narrowest.

  13. Which is the longest river in Asia?

    • Yangtze
    • Yellow River
    • Ganges
    • Mekong

    Correct answer: Yangtze — The Yangtze is about 6,300 km long and flows entirely within China, reaching the sea near Shanghai.

  14. What is the capital of Ethiopia?

    • Mogadishu
    • Addis Ababa
    • Khartoum
    • Asmara

    Correct answer: Addis Ababa — Addis Ababa, at about 2,350 m, is one of the highest capitals in the world and hosts the headquarters of the African Union.

  15. Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, is in which country?

    • Venezuela
    • Colombia
    • Brazil
    • Guyana

    Correct answer: Venezuela — Angel Falls drops about 979 m from a table-top mountain; it is named after the American aviator Jimmie Angel.

  16. Mount Fuji stands on which Japanese island?

    • Hokkaido
    • Shikoku
    • Honshu
    • Kyushu

    Correct answer: Honshu — Honshu is Japan's largest island and holds Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto; Fuji, 3,776 m, last erupted in 1707.

  17. Victoria Falls lies on which river?

    • Niger
    • Limpopo
    • Congo
    • Zambezi

    Correct answer: Zambezi — The falls, on the Zambia–Zimbabwe border, are about 1.7 km wide; locals call them Mosi-oa-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders".

  18. Which is the second-highest mountain in the world?

    • K2
    • Kangchenjunga
    • Makalu
    • Lhotse

    Correct answer: K2 — K2 is 8,611 m high, in the Karakoram on the Pakistan–China border, and is considered far harder to climb than Everest.

  19. Which is the deepest place in the world's oceans?

    • Tonga Trench
    • Puerto Rico Trench
    • Mariana Trench
    • Java Trench

    Correct answer: Mariana Trench — Its deepest point, the Challenger Deep, lies about 11 km down — deeper than Everest is high.

  20. What is the capital of Nepal?

    • Dhaka
    • Lhasa
    • Kathmandu
    • Thimphu

    Correct answer: Kathmandu — Kathmandu lies in a valley at about 1,400 m; eight of the world's ten highest peaks are in Nepal or on its borders.

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