# Geography Quiz#1



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Close study of a good geographical atlas will show that the following countries share an unusual peculiarity regarding their borders. Can you identify that peculiarity?

USA, Russia, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Angola, India, Croatia


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## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

I tried doing it without looking at a map, and as such, this is my guess, but it could be wrong since I don't know about a few of the countries:

They have exclaves (that aren't islands) - USA has Alaska, Russia has Kaliningrad, Azerbaijan has Nakhchivan, and Angola has Cabinda. I don't know about Belgium, India, or Croatia though.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

Belgium also has an exclave, the city of Baarle-Hertog, which is surrounded by the Netherlands. The Dubrovnik part of Croatia is separated from the rest of Croatia by a small piece of Bosnia. Not sure about India, though.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

India and Bangladesh have exclaves.


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## Baccouri (May 30, 2017)

also crotia :
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Croatia_location_map%2C_Dubrovnik-Neretva_county.svg


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Absolutely correct! Congratulations to all. I think I read recently that India and Bangladesh had begun to take steps to rationalize their border.

Ok, here is *Geography Quiz #2*: Name a common feature shared by these countries--again, a border thang.

Portugal, Canada, South Korea, UK, Brunei, Ireland, Qatar; and there are a few more.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Strange Magic said:


> Absolutely correct! Congratulations to all. I think I read recently that India and Bangladesh had begun to take steps to rationalize their border.
> 
> Ok, here is *Geography Quiz #2*: Name a common feature shared by these countries--again, a border thang.
> 
> Portugal, Canada, South Korea, UK, Brunei, Ireland, Qatar; and there are a few more.


I believe all of these countries border exactly one other country.
Portugal:Spain
Canada:USA
South Korea:North Korea
Brunei:Malaysia
UK:Ireland
Qatar:Saudi Arabia

Also, Dominican Republic:Haiti


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

SuperTonic said:


> I believe all of these countries border exactly one other country.
> Portugal:Spain
> Canada:USA
> South Korea:North Korea
> ...


Well done, SuperTonic! Here's *Geography Quiz #3*: Russia has borders with more countries than any other country. What country is Number Two, and with how many other countries does Number Two have borders?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

If I count correctly, both Russia and China have 14 bordering countries (land borders and recognized countries only).


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> If I count correctly, both Russia and China have 14 bordering countries (land borders and recognized countries only).


I count 13 for Russia: Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea. I recount 15 for China: North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam. We may have to revise all our thinking; please check my work! But now I'll ask for the third country (which was going to be my previous second country).


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Strange Magic said:


> I count 13 for Russia: Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea. I recount 15 for China: North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam. We may have to revise all our thinking; please check my work! But now I'll ask for the third country (which was going to be my previous second country).


You missed Finland for Russia. Sikkim is part of India, so both end up as 14.

You were aiming for France? 10 borders (Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain, Andorra, Brazil, Suriname), not counting the border with the Netherlands at St Martin, because unlike French Guiana that is not part of France proper.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> You missed Finland for Russia. Sikkim is part of India, so both end up as 14.
> 
> You were aiming for France? 10 borders (Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain, Andorra, Brazil, Suriname), not counting the border with the Netherlands at St Martin, because unlike French Guiana that is not part of France proper.


Thanks for the checking: How could I miss Finland?? I'll bet the Russians do! And Sikkim has been absorbed by India; who knew? So we'll go with Russia and China at 14 each.

France, no. For purposes of this quiz, we disregard this "part of Metropolitan France" business, and stick with European France/mainland France. So now back looking for Number Two, now that you've diligently demonstrated two Number Ones .


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

cool thread


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Brazil has 9 (or 10 if you include France, but that's not very consequent given that you don't count the border for France). So has France in your definition.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> Brazil has 9 (or 10 if you include France, but that's not very consequent given that you don't count the border for France). So has France in your definition.


I'll vote 10 for Brazil, counting French Guiana as "non-Brazilian" territory. France: I see Belgium, Lux, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain, Andorra. What am I missing? That makes 8.

There is a country bordering 9 other countries. Another country was tied with 9 but fairly recent events lowered its number of neighbors. But good work, Art Rock--maybe we'll reinvigorate geographical curiosity, especially among woefully ignorant Americans. I went to high school with people who didn't know what continent we lived on.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

You're right about France, your rule kills two borders in one stroke, not one.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

While our experts are still looking for that country with 9 neighbors, herewith *Geography Quiz #4*: everybody knows Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, using a particular criterion. But there are two other mountains that claim to be tallest, each using another, different criterion, so we have 3 tallest mountains, each tallest in its own special way. What are those two other mountains and how are they each the tallest?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Austria is a pretty big hitter for s fairly small country: Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Czech republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland makes 8.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Got it: Democratic Republic of Congo.
Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> Got it: Democratic Republic of Congo.
> Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.


You got it! Sudan was tied but then came the splitting off of South Sudan.


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## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

Strange Magic said:


> While our experts are still looking for that country with 9 neighbors, herewith *Geography Quiz #4*: everybody knows Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, using a particular criterion. But there are two other mountains that claim to be tallest, each using another, different criterion, so we have 3 tallest mountains, each tallest in its own special way. What are those two other mountains and how are they each the tallest?


There's one in Ecuador, I think, that might be the tallest if you take into account total height from top to bottom rather than height above sea level. I think it's called Chimbarazo, but might be mistaken. There might also be one in Hawaii...


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

musicrom said:


> There's one in Ecuador, I think, that might be the tallest if you take into account total height from top to bottom rather than height above sea level. I think it's called Chimbarazo, but might be mistaken. There might also be one in Hawaii...


Good work, musicrom! Chimborazo in the Andes of Ecuador is the tallest mountain if one considers that its summit is farthest from the center of the earth (due to earth's equatorial bulge caused by its rotation). Mauna Kea on the big island of Hawai'i has the greatest height from its base on the sea floor to its summit, exceeding Everest's base-to-summit measurement.


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