Longitude 90 East Quiz | Lines of Latitude and Longitude

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The bottom bit of the 90 E line runs across Antarctica, to the South Pole. It bisects Kaiser Wilhelm II Land, a thin slice of the continent that is claimed by which country?

Answer: Australia

It is part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, an external territory. Australia has claims to over 40% of the Antarctic continent.

Kaiser Wilhelm II Land was first explored by the German geologist, Erich von Drygalski, in 1902, and named after the German leader. Despite the name, Germany has not made any claims to any Antarctic territory.

2. The capital of Bangladesh is just to the east of 90 E meridian. What is it called?

Answer: Dhaka

Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan prior to 1971. It is located to the east of India, which almost surrounds it, and has a small border with Myanmar. The mighty Brahmaputra River bisects the country, before merging with the Ganges, both combining to flow into the Bay of Bengal.

Dakar is the capital of Senegal, in western Africa. Dili is the capital of the relatively new country of East Timor, and the capital of Qatar is Doha.

3. The 90E line runs through the region of Tibet, which was annexed by the People's Republic of China in 1951. It was home to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists, but what is the name of his traditional residence?

Answer: Potala Palace

The palace in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa has not been occupied by the Dalai Lama since 1959, with the incumbent living in exile, in India. The castle is huge, covering about 140,000 square metres, and up to 13 stories in places.

The position of Dalai Lama dates back to the 14th century, when Gendun Drup was appointed to the position at the age of two.

Tibet is one of the highest regions on the planet, with its southern border being the mighty Himalayas.

The Istana Nurul Iman is the home of the Sultan of Brunei, and Palazzo Pitti is in Florence, Italy. Drottningholm Palace is in Stockholm, and is the residence of the King and Queen of Sweden.

4. Our meridian runs through the Russian region of Krasnoyarsk. Which of these terms is used to describe an administrative region in Russia?

Answer: Krai

A krai, or kray, can also be called an oblast. All these terms roughly translate into English as 'territory'. There are nine krais in Russia, with the biggest being Krasnoyarsk Krai, which is one of the largest areas of Siberia.

5. Just a few kilometres off the 90 East line is Thimphu. It is a capital city, but of which country?

Answer: Bhutan

Bhutan is squeezed between India and China, in the Himalayas. It is only a smallish country, a bit smaller than Switzerland, or about half the size of the Australian state of Tasmania. It has a population of less than a million people, according to the 2022 census.

In 2010, Bhutan was the first country to ban tobacco, but hopefully not the last!

6. The Ninety East Ridge gets its name from its location, as it parallels the 90th meridian. It is about 5,000 kilometres long, but where is it?

Answer: Indian Ocean

The Ninety East Ridge divides the Indian Ocean into East and West. It runs due south from the Bay of Bengal, near the northern tip of Sumatra, to its lower terminus, roughly at the same level as Perth, Western Australia. The Ridge rises approximately 2,000 metres above the surrounding Indian Ocean seafloor, and is about the same distance below the surface.

7. What is the name of the sea, part of the Arctic Ocean, that lies between the Barents Sea to the west, and the Laptev Sea to the east?

Answer: Kara Sea

The Novaya Zemlya archipelago separate the Kara and Barents Seas to the north of Siberia. Some of the largest rivers in Russia flow into the sea, including the Yenisey, Ob, Pyasina, and Kara. The sea is ice-bound for much of the year.

The Labrador Sea separates southern Greenland from eastern Canada, and the Sea of Okhotsk is in the Pacific, between the north of Japan and eastern Siberia.

The Coral Sea is a long way from the frozen north- it is off the northeast coast of Australia, and is home to the Great Barrier Reef.

8. 'Land of the Eternal Blue Sky' takes its name from the fact that this country, crossed by 90E longitude, has more than 250 sunny days a year. What country is it?

Answer: Mongolia

Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country on earth, with just over three million people in an area of 1.5 million square kilometres, almost the same size as Alaska or Queensland in Australia. It is home to the Gobi Desert, which it shares with northern China. It is classified as a cold desert, with the average temperature around zero Celsius.

The three wrong answers are all to the west of the 90E line of longitude.

9. The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica, and is generally found below the 60th parallel. It is divided into several smaller seas, but which one is on the 90th East meridian?

Answer: Davis Sea

The Davis Sea was named after John King Davis, an English/Australian Antarctic explorer. King sailed with legends like Ernest Shackleton and Douglas Mawson. Davis Station is also named after him. The Weddell, Ross and Amundsen Seas are all part of the Southern Ocean (sometimes known as the Antarctic Ocean), but are on the opposite side of the continent.

10. In India, 90 E is in the far east of the country, and it crosses two Indian states. Which two?

Answer: Meghalaya and Assam

Rajahstan and Gujarat are both in the far western part of India, and Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the southernmost mainland states. Jammu & Kashmir (ownership of which is disputed with Pakistan and China), and Himochal Pradesh are the two states at the northern end of the country.

Source: Author ozzz2002

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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Longitude 90 East Trivia Quiz

The 90th East meridian crosses central Asia and the Indian Ocean. Come and see what other places are on the imaginary line.

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