Looking Down From Space Trivia Quiz

Answer: Africa

That island is actually Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa. The fourth-largest island in the world, this nation is in the Indian Ocean. The capital, Antananarivo, is smack-dab in the middle of the country. Because Madagascar has had millions upon millions of years without being attached to other continents (it used to be connected to Asia), it's fostered a very diverse series of ecosystems and cavalcades of plants and animals you can't find anywhere else.

Answer: Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains pass through British Columbia and Alberta and stretch down into Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Between them lies the Great Divide, also known as the Continental Divide to many, which separates the drainage basins of North America.

These meet at Triple Divide Peak in Montana-- it's the crossing point of the Great Divide and the Laurentian Divide which heads east through Canada and the northern states of the USA. These mountains were created by tectonic forces pushing from west to east over the Canadian Shield.

Answer: Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is actually home to a number of capitals. If you happen to be sailing around this area you can stop at Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Riga, and Tallinn. Although all of these cities are on the coast, their countries share the shore with Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Germany.

In fact, both St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad are on the Baltic Sea. A brackish sea, the waters are so far north that a great amount (nearly half) is covered in ice during the winter months. Because of how salty the sea is on the bottom, there are very few distinct, native species living there.

Answer: China

For years, people claimed that the Great Wall of China was so long that one could see it from orbit. Well...with technology, this may be true. With the naked eye, not so much. While the Great Wall of China stretches over twenty-one thousand kilometers through China, it has about as much a chance of being seen from space as the Berlin Wall or Hadrian's Wall.

In other words, no chance. China, the most populated country in the world, contains so many different types of regions and cities that it's hard to generalize. From beautiful mountain ranges to bustling metropolises, China (and its outlying regions including Hong Kong and Macau) is a unique nation.

Answer: Great Victoria Desert

Australia's largest desert, the Great Victoria sprawls along the south-central reaches of the continent while the Great Sandy is to the northwest. This landscape is quite harsh-- it's hot and near-empty. Most Australians keep to the big cities on either side.

The desert, as well as the westernmost two thirds of the continent, are part of the country's Western Plateau region while the eastern side of Australia consists of highlands and mountains. On the plateau, there is typically very little rain.

Answer: Galapagos Islands

Known for the evolutionary (and revolutionary) studies performed by Charles Darwin hundreds of years ago, the Galapagos Islands can be found off the Ecuadorian coast at the edge of western South America. Despite its spot near the Equator, the Galapagos face unusual cool temperatures thanks in part to existing weather fronts caused by the adjacent continent. Nevertheless it's home to several unique animal species including the Galapagos tortoise which can live more than one hundred fifty years. The Galapagos Islands also contain a number of active volcanoes.

Answer: The United States

The image is actually that of Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard, all of which are on the Atlantic Coast in Massachusetts. A major tourist destination in New England, it's a beautiful locale characterized by beaches, painted lighthouses, and American hospitality.

At the tip of the cape is Provincetown, one of the first landing spots of the Mayflower, and along the coast you can find Plymouth, known for Plymouth Rock. Cape Cod is known to have been created by glaciers. The region is known for fresh seafood (as is Gloucester, further up the coast in the north end of the state) and whaling.

Answer: Mediterranean Sea

The river out the window happens to be the Nile. Cutting up through Egypt, the delta can be seen beginning from Cairo(-ish) and spreading outward as the waters enter the Mediterranean Sea to the north. The city of Alexandria, on the sea coast and the river's exit point, is the highest-populated in the region. An important agricultural ground for Egyptians, the delta is successful as an economic spot in Egypt because of dams in the region being used to divert water and prevent flooding.

It's also a major tourist destination; the Nile has played host to a number of historical moments and continues to be the home of historical artifacts.

Answer: Iceland

Vatnajökull National Park can be found in Southeast Iceland and is home not only to Iceland's largest glacier, but Europe's largest glacier. A country of natural power and unparalleled beauty, Iceland is also home to waterfalls, volcanoes, and black sand beaches (though you wouldn't want to swim in them; instead, swim in the hot springs!).

The capital city, Reykjavik, rests in the southwest. Iceland is in the North Atlantic between Greenland and the rest of Europe. The closest country to the east is Norway-- as such it's grouped together as a part of Scandinavia by some.

Answer: North America

What you've just seen is Baja California which, although it's attached to Southern California, is a part of Mexico. It stretches from Tijuana on the U.S.-Mexican border (at San Diego) and heads down to the tip at Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur. Noted for its warm climate, the southern edge of the region is known for tourism while the expanses in between are deserts and mountains.

It's par for the course-- across the Gulf of California is more desert. The Gulf splitting Baja California from Mexico makes Baja one of the largest peninsulas in the world.