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The Rio de la Plata Trivia Quiz

The Rio de la Plata is an important waterway in South America. How much do you know about it?

A multiple-choice quiz by CraniumMaximus. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
CraniumMaximus

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
346,796

Updated
Mar 15 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
246

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Many important cities lie on the Rio de la Plata. Which of these cities does NOT lie on the Rio de la Plata? Hint

Colonia del Sacramento

Buenos Aires

Punta Arenas

Montevideo

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Question 2 of 10

2. Obviously, the Rio de la Plata is a Spanish name. What does it mean? Hint

The River of Plates

The River of the Plateau

The River of Plants

The River of Silver

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which of these rivers is the largest contributor to the water flow of the Rio de la Plata? Hint

Parana

Iguazu

Uruguay

Paraguay

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Question 4 of 10

4. Is the Rio de la Plata considered a gulf or a river? Hint

Gulf

Neither

River

Both

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Question 5 of 10

5. The Rio de la Plata was the site of one of the first battles of World War II. What is the name of the German capital ship that was hit by Royal Navy forces? Hint

Exeter

Admiral Graf Spee

Ajax

Achilles

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Question 6 of 10

6. Does the Rio de La Plata have its own type of dolphin? Hint

No dolphins but whales reside there

It used to but it's now extinct

Yes

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Question 7 of 10

7. Time for a little physical geography - Which of these terms does NOT apply to the water fronts of the Rio de la Plata? Hint

Thermocline

Halocline

Pynocline

Salt Wedge

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which of these countries is part of the drainage basin of the Rio de la Plata? Hint

Bolivia

Chile

Guyana

Peru

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Question 9 of 10

9. The Paraguay river flows through a major wetland area. What is this wetland area? Hint

Pantanal

Paraguay

Paranaiba

Paramaribo

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Question 10 of 10

10. Let's finish the quiz with a question about Juan Diaz de Solis, the first European to see the Rio de la Plata. What happened to him shortly after his incredible discovery? Hint

He drowned in the Rio de la Plata

He was killed by Charruas

He killed by a venomous animal

He was killed by the Guarani

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Many important cities lie on the Rio de la Plata. Which of these cities does NOT lie on the Rio de la Plata?

Answer: Punta Arenas

Buenos Aires and Montevideo are capitals of Argentina and Uruguay respectively. Buenos Aires lies further in toward the mouth of the Parana River, while Montevideo lies more on the outer edge. Colonia del Sacramento is a lesser-known city in Uruguay.

2. Obviously, the Rio de la Plata is a Spanish name. What does it mean?

Answer: The River of Silver

Plata means 'silver' in Spanish, so the Rio de la Plata means "The River of Silver". Plates is platos (note the 'o'), plants is planta or plante, and plateau is meseta.

3. Which of these rivers is the largest contributor to the water flow of the Rio de la Plata?

Answer: Parana

The Uruguay River joins with the Parana at the mouth of the Parana. The Iguazu River is a tributary of the Parana, and the Paraguay River joins with the Parana before meeting with the Uruguay River.

4. Is the Rio de la Plata considered a gulf or a river?

Answer: Both

Some geographers consider it a river. To those who do it is one of the widest rivers in the world, at well over 200 km at its mouth in the Atlantic. Other geographers consider it an estuary, due to its brackish content.

5. The Rio de la Plata was the site of one of the first battles of World War II. What is the name of the German capital ship that was hit by Royal Navy forces?

Answer: Admiral Graf Spee

The Admiral Graf Spee was pursued into the Rio de la Plata by the other three, the HMS Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles. After being damaged, it put into port at Montevideo, but was forced to leave by local officials due to political pressures. Rather than let the ship be placed into enemy hands, the captain chose to scuttle the ship.

6. Does the Rio de La Plata have its own type of dolphin?

Answer: Yes

The Rio de la Plata is home to the La Plata Dolphin. These dolphins are very rare. The Rio de la Plata is also home to many species of fish, turtles and other marine life forms.

7. Time for a little physical geography - Which of these terms does NOT apply to the water fronts of the Rio de la Plata?

Answer: Thermocline

A halocline is a front between salty and fresh water. These form on the bottom and the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. The haloclines of the Rio de la Plata are also pynoclines, which are fronts of different density (in this case caused by the saltiness differences).

A salt wedge is a type of estuary in which the water is divided into fresh and salty zones. The Rio de la Plata is an example of this. A thermocline is a boundary between two masses of different temperature - this does not happen in the Rio de la Plata.

8. Which of these countries is part of the drainage basin of the Rio de la Plata?

Answer: Bolivia

The Pilcomayo and Bermejo rivers drain southern Bolivia and are tributaries of the Paraguay River, which is in turn a tributary of the Parana.

9. The Paraguay river flows through a major wetland area. What is this wetland area?

Answer: Pantanal

The Pantanal is one of the world's largest and most important wetland areas. The Paranaiba is a tributary of the Parana. Paraguay is a landlocked South American country, and Paramaribo is the capital of Suriname, another South American country.

10. Let's finish the quiz with a question about Juan Diaz de Solis, the first European to see the Rio de la Plata. What happened to him shortly after his incredible discovery?

Answer: He was killed by Charruas

The Charrua and Guarani are natives of southern South America. The Charrua live in the area of the Rio de la Plata, and the Guarani live in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay as well as Argentina. The Charrua attacked the expedition and killed him shortly after he discovered the Rio de la Plata.

Source: Author CraniumMaximus

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