US & World Geography 152-193

Geyser

A hot spring that periodically throws jets of water and steam into the air is called a what?

Pangea

According to geologists, the earth originally had only one 'supercontinent' that drifted apart, subsequently splitting into seven continents. What is the name of the supercontinent?

70%

Approximately what percent of the earth's surface is covered by water?

Amazon River (4,000 miles) and Yangtze River (3,964 miles)

What are the second and third longest rivers in the world?

The Atacama (in Chile: it averages only 3 inches per year)

What desert receives the smallest amount of rainfall annually?

A hurricane (or typhoon or tropical cyclone)

What do you call a storm that begins over a warm ocean, has winds of at least 75 miles per hour, and a calm center?

the moon

What heavenly body affects the rise and fall of the tides the most?

an Island

What is an area of sub-continental land surrounded by water?

a diamond

What is the hardest natural substance on earth?

Mount McKinley (aka Denali) in Alaska

What is the highest mountain in North America?

Nile River (4,145 miles)

What is the longest river in the world?

Gravity

What is the major force that causes the tides?

Dike or levee

What is the name for a wall-like barrier built to retain floodwater and prevent overflow of lowlands?

Rain forest

What is the term for a tropical area having a heavy annual rainfall and broad-leafed evergreen trees?

The Indian Ocean

What ocean is west of Australia?

The Caspian Sea

What sea is actually the largest lake in the world?

Antarctica (-128.6 degrees Fahrenheit at Vostok Station in 1983)

Where was the coldest temperature ever recorded on earth?

Death Valley, California

Where would you find the lowest spot on the surface of North America?

Antarctica (a desert is a place with little or no precipitation or rain)

Which continent is also a desert?

The Alps

Which mountain range crosses the borders of Slovenia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein, and reaches it greatest height at Mont Blanc?

The Pacific

Which ocean contains 46% of the Earth's water?

The Amazon River system

Which river system carries more fresh water than any other river system on earth?

Hawaii

Which state in the United States is completely surrounded by ocean?

Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument is in what state?

True (Antarctica is a cold desert)

Deserts can be hot or cold, True or False?

a line of steep rock cliffs

If you were on a trip and you saw a palisade, what would you be looking at?

South America

In what continent would you find the highest active volcano in the world?

The Andes (Volcan Lascar)

In which mountains would you find the highest active volcano in the world?

Atlantic

In which ocean would you find the Falkland Islands?

Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Southern Ocean

Name 3 other oceans besides the Pacific Ocean.

Sahara, Kalahari, Namib

Name one of the three largest African deserts.

Colorado and Wyoming

Name the only two states in the United States that, on a map, have borders made up of four straight lines.

True (black sand is made of volcanic ash)

Sand is sometimes black, True or False?

The Mediterranean Sea

The Nile River empties into which body of water?

Hawaii

The mountain, Waialeale, has the heaviest rainfall of any place in the United States. In what state would you find this soggy mountain?

True

True of False, the tilt of the earth is partially responsible for the seasons of the year.

True (pumice)

True or False, rock can float in water?

True

True or False, the Earth's magnetic field has reversed more than 150 times in the past?

the tide

Twice a day on the shorelines of most oceans and seas, the water slowly rises and covers part of the land and then falls back. What is this movement called?

a meteorite

There is a large crater in Arizona that is nearly 1 mile across and 750 feet deep. What caused the formation of that crater?

London, England

Through which capital city does the Thames River flow?

25,000 miles (exactly 24,901 miles)

To the nearest thousand miles, how far is it around the equator of the Earth?