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Geo Quiz


September 24, 2008 | permalink |


Think Central Asia for today's Geo Quiz.

We're looking for a country that's had a bit of bad PR lately.

BoratBorat

That's thanks to a certain British comedian who likes to impersonate a bumbling journalist from there.

But the Central Asian country we want you to name is no laughing matter.

Certainly not in the world of professional cycling.

Lance ArmstrongLance Armstrong

In fact, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has just announced he's coming out of retirement to join a top cycling team from this country.

Name this pro-bike nation.

Think it through, and we'll be back with the answers after a spin of the wheel.





Geo Quiz archive



September 23, 2008 | permalink |


For our Geo Quiz today, we have two questions for you.

We're wondering if the number of immigrants coming to the United Sates is going up or going down?

And, once you weigh in on that, where do most immigrants to the US come from: Asia, Latin America, Europe or Africa?

The US Census Bureau has just come out with some new numbers to help solve this quiz.

The government's been compiling data on the country's estimated 38 million immigrants.

We'll ask a demographer to sort out the numbers and give us the answer, when we come back in a minute.





Geo Quiz archive



September 22, 2008 | permalink |


Today's Geo Quiz begins in Germany's Black Forest. The river we want you to name picks up speed in Germany and flows east for 1771 miles, making it the second longest river in Europe, just behind the Volga River. The river flows through 10 countries before it empties into the Black Sea. Along the way it passes through several Central and Eastern European capitals. Budapest, for example, straddles this river.

The city's many bridges offer a panoramic view. You can hear more about a plan Budapest has to rid those bridges of graffiti...so you won't be distracted while you're enjoying the view of the river.

The name of that river is a click away, just up around the bend.






Geo Quiz archive



September 19, 2008 | permalink |


Our Geo Quiz today takes us to Scotland. We're looking for an island. It's the largest of the Inner Hebrides, off Scotland's west coast.

Cullins Mountains: www.flickr.com/photos/buho22Cullins Mountains: www.flickr.com/photos/buho22

This island is famous for its scenery, including the Cuillin hills. And its biggest town is Portree.

Portree: www.flickr.com/photos/vtveenPortree: www.flickr.com/photos/vtveen

Here's one more clue:

Scotland's first all-Gaelic television channel is being launched tonight with a live broadcast from this island.

Fairy Glen, Uig: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_barkerFairy Glen, Uig: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_barker

Scottish Gaelic, spelled G-A-E-L-I-C -- is not to be confused with Irish Gaelic -- although the two are linguistic cousins.

There are only sixty thousand speakers of Gaelic in Scotland.

But many more of Scotland's five million residents have ancestors who spoke the language.

"There are many, many people who are interested in our culture, who will also be interested in the sport that they'll be broadcasting, who will also be interested in the documentaries, who are interested in the language and their own background in general, so it's also opening a door to folk as well as providing a service for the fluent speakers. It's for everyone."

That's Mary Ann Kennedy. She's hosting the first show on BBC Alba -- the new all-Gaelic channel.

Again, the channel kicks off tonight from the Scottish island we want you to name

homepage photo: http://flickr.com/photos/martinlatter/9777533/





Geo Quiz archive



September 18, 2008 | permalink |


For today's Geo Quiz -- we're looking for an Arab emirate. This sandy desert peninsula looks out on the Persian Gulf.

It's an oil rich nation and it's the one that launched Al Jazeera. About a third of its one million residents practice a conservative form of Islam -- like the country's neighbor, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia forbids any house of worship that isn't a mosque.

But the country we're after has shown a more moderate approach. Its emir granted the Catholic Church land in the desert outside the capital, Doha to build a church.

It's the first church to open here since the arrival of Islam more than a thousand years ago.

We'll pay a visit to the Islamic nation's new Christian house of worship, but first try and name this country at the edge of the Persian Gulf.





Geo Quiz archive



September 17, 2008 | permalink |


Today's Geo Quiz lies at the bottom of a sea. Just about everyone's heard the story of the sinking of the Titanic.

That happened in the North Atlantic in 1912. Well, today we're looking for the final resting place of Titanic's sister ship.

It was the Britannic -- a famous World War One hospital ship. She sank near Greece, after striking a German mine in 1916.

BritannicBritannic

The question is, what sea did the ship sink into?

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant offers up some clues.

“This wreck lies off the southeastern tip of the Greek province of Attica which is the part of the country which contains Athens; it's very close to an island called Kea in about 400 feet of water.”

So which sea surrounds the Greek island of Kea?

We'll chart those waters in just a minute...





Geo Quiz archive



September 16, 2008 | permalink |


A Mexican seaport is the focus of our Geo Quiz today. It's on the Gulf of Mexico. And it was founded by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez nearly 500 years ago.

Hernán CortésHernán Cortés

This became Spain's main port in the New World. Silver and other treasures from Spanish colonies were collected here and loaded onto galleons for the trip back to Europe.

Pirates repeatedly attacked and pillaged. The port again came under siege during the Mexican-American War. It was the scene of the first major amphibious assault by US military forces.

Today, the city's half-a-million residents are known as Jarochos. And the local traditional music is called "son jarocho."

La Bamba is an example of the genre. So -- which port city on the Gulf of Mexico are we talking about?

SPANISH:
Para bailar La Bamba Para bailar La Bamba, Se necesita una poca de gracia, Una poca de gracia, pa' mí, pa' ti y Arriba, arriba.. y arriba, arriba Por ti seré por ti seré por ti seré.

Yo no soy marinero Yo no soy marinero Soy capitán soy capitán soy capitán Ba Ba Bamba Ba Ba Bamba Ba Ba Bamba

ENGLISH:
In order to dance La Bamba, In order to dance La Bamba, you need a little grace A little grace for me, for you and up up, and up up For you I'll be, For you I'll be, For you I'll be

I am not a sailor, I am not a sailor I am a captain, I am a captain Ba Ba Bamba Ba Ba Bamba Ba Ba Bamba





Geo Quiz archive



September 15, 2008 | permalink |


Head for northern India for today's Geo Quiz. We're looking for a city that has the distinction of being the capital of TWO Indian states. They are Punjab and Haryana.

The city is their dual capital, but technically it's not part of either state. Instead, it's one of India's "union territories."

Delhi is another. The city we're after is nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. And many of its single residents are turning to the Web to find a partner.

“While initially this has been frowned upon meeting someone on the Internet "my god is it secure?" but over the long term in fact the use of technology will increase security and safety to a level that would be far superior than in the real world.”

Indian weddingIndian wedding

We'll tell you more about an Indian match-making website in a few minutes. First -- you've got to name the city that is capital of both Punjab and Haryana states.





Geo Quiz archive



September 12, 2008 | permalink |


Blue agave is the key ingredient in today's Geo Quiz.

Blue agave is a type of fleshy plant found in Mexico. It's also the key ingredient for making tequila, and about 95 percent of all tequila comes from one particular state in western Mexico.

That's the place we want you to name.

This state's got what it takes to make blue agave plants flourish. We're just not sure if it's the volcanic soil, or the cool Pacific breezes, or maybe the local mariachi music.

The Aztec's grew blue agave, and tequila's been mass produced in this state for hundreds of years.

Today, there are more than 100 Mexican distilleries and hundreds of brands of tequila.

There are blancos, oros, reposados, and anejos. We'll sort them all out with a tequila connoisseur in just over a minute.

First try and name the Mexican state where most tequila comes from.





Geo Quiz archive



September 11, 2008 | permalink |


Tshiluba is your first clue for today's Geo Quiz.

Tshiluba is an African language. It's spoken by more than six million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Democratic Republic of CongoDemocratic Republic of Congo

Trace your finger on a map along the equator and you can't miss the DRC.

It straddles the equator. We're going to zoom in on one of the country's 26 provinces. It borders Angola. Tshiluba is spoken in this province.

The language has a word that some linguists say is one of the most difficult in the world to translate:

"ilunga"

An ilunga is "someone who's ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, who may tolerate it a second time, but never a third time." In other words, "Three strikes and you're out."

Now you get to take as many swings as you need to answer this quiz. We're looking for the name of the Congolese province where Tshiluba is widely spoken.

Got it yet?





Geo Quiz archive


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