Geography in Songs Trivia Quiz

Answer: It is below the equator

On a standard globe, the northern hemisphere is on top and the southern hemisphere is at the bottom. The equator divides the northern hemisphere from the southern hemisphere. Therefore, because Australia is completely below the equator, it is known as "down under" (i.e. under the equator).

Answer: Rio de Janeiro

Ipanema Beach became widely known by the song "Girl from Ipanema". One interesting fact about Ipanema's beach is that there is an area called "the gay beach" which is well-known for being a gay-friendly area, with the rainbow flag flying in the air.

Another attraction is the Corcovada Mountain on top of which is the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. This statue is one of the seven man-made wonders of the world. The mountain is in central Rio and is located in the Tijuca Forest. Of all the cities in the southern hemisphere, Rio de Janeiro is the most visited.

Answer: Giza

This great pyramid is one of three pyramids contained within the Giza necropolis. It was built more than 4,650 years ago. It is estimated that the pyramid contains 2.3 million blocks of limestone, each weighing two and a half tons and the blocks which form the base of the pyramid weighed up to 15 tons.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Answer: Paris

The Eiffel Tower was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. A number of schemes were considered and the best idea came from an engineer who was well known as an expert in wrought iron; his name was Gustav Eiffel. The aim was to construct the world's tallest building.

After the concrete foundations were laid, upon these the wrought-iron structure began to rise. The components were lifted by cranes, and they were so accurately manufactured that even when the tower rose 164 feet above ground the holes in the prefabricated parts matched exactly.

This was important because wrought-iron cannot be welded, it must be joined together with rivets.

Answer: Qin Shi Huangdi

The construction of the Great Wall of China started in the reign of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. Built in sections over a period of approximately 2,000 years, it stretches over a total area of 6,700 kilometers. The Wall is more than seven meters high and five meters wide. Materials used include earth, stone, timber, tiles and bricks.

The Great Wall is not a single wall in itself but is made up of a number of interconnecting walls. The construction of the Wall was the result of the labour of over a million people who comprised of prisoners, peasants and soldiers.

Answer: Colorado

According to geographic evidence, the Colorado River established its course through the canyon millions of years ago. The average width of the river is 300 feet, the depth is 100 feet, the length is 1,400 miles and it flows at an average speed of four miles per hour.

Some of the canyon's rocks date back four billion years. Within the walls of the canyon stand imposing peaks, ravines and canyons. Mule-pack trips and river rafting are popular ways of viewing and experiencing the beauty of the vast canyon.

It is one of earth's few natural landmarks visible from space.

Answer: Lake Baikal

Russia has vast reserves of natural resources, from timber(about one-fifth of all the world's forests) to a remarkable supply of gold, diamonds, iron ore and copper. Its long rivers are used to generate over ten percent of the world's hydroelectric power.

The mighty rivers include the Volga, Europe's longest river. The ballets "Sleeping Beauty" and "Swan Lake" were written to music by Tchaikovsky, the first of many great Russian composers. Pavlova, Nijinski and Nureyev are some of Russia's greatest dancers. During the 19th century Russian writing became world-famous. Authors include Solzhenitsyn, Tolstoy, Pasternak and Dostoevsky. On 12th April 1961 the Russian Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space.

Answer: Trevi

It was Pope Clement XII who commissioned Nicola Salvi to create a large fountain at the Trevi Square in Rome. The construction of this fountain took 30 years to complete and is a magnificent example of Baroque art. The Trevi fountain was featured in the 1954 movie - "Three Coins In The Fountain".

The theme song for the film won the Academy Award for best original song that year. The coins that are thrown into the fountain each day are collected at night and used to subsidise a supermarket for Rome's poor population.

Answer: Ross Ice Shelf

The Ross Ice Shelf was named after Captain James Clark Ross who first saw it in 1841. The surface area of its ice covers around 520,000 sq.km. - almost the size of France. Because of its flatness the shelf has been the starting point and base camp for many expeditions within Antarctica.

It is the only land on earth that is not owned by a country. Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica and this ice also represents seventy percent of the fresh water in the world. Antarctica is essentially a desert; the average yearly rainfall is 5cms.

Although covered with ice, Antarctica is the driest place on the planet with absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert. If Antarctica's ice shelves melted, the world's oceans would rise by approximately 60 meters.

Answer: Five most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt on foot

The term "Big Five" was used by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult and dangerous animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The buffalo is considered the most dangerous of the Big Five, causing the most hunter deaths. The elephant is difficult to hunt because it is able to hide in the tall grass and is more likely to charge than other species.

The leopard is one of the most difficult of the Big Five to hunt due to its nocturnal nature, natural camouflage and its predisposition to flee when faced with danger.

The lion is considered the best of the Big Five. They are ambush hunters, and they do not generally avoid confrontation, but will usually face the challenge; they are unpredictable and may charge when annoyed or confronted by danger.

These factors make lion-hunting a challenge to hunters. The rhinoceros may refer to the black rhino or white rhino. Among Big Five hunters, the black rhino is preferred. South African Rand banknotes feature different Big Five animals on each denomination - R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200.