One of life’s mysteries is how we came to live where we do. Or did. I was born in Bellaire, Ohio. How did my father, born in Russia, and my mother, born in Austria, end up in a small Ohio River town?
Or what drew people from Glarus, Switzerland, to establish New Glarus, Wis.?
Disparate migratory twists such as these won’t be a mystery to tens of thousands of students who are fanning out in their communities across the U.S., interviewing, photographing and, in general, learning where their neighbors came from.
Youngsters are pursuing this research as part of the National Geographic Society’s Geography Action!, a year-long awareness program designed to educate and excite kids, and hopefully their parents, about our country’s cultural, historic and natural treasures. This years theme, “Migration: The Human Journey,” encourages kids to explore and honor their diverse heritage.
Part of this program, launched in 1987 to promote geography literacy in schools, is Geography Awareness Week, this year Nov. 13-19. To celebrate National Geographic’s efforts, we’re offering this 2005 Geography Challenge. This is not a pass-fail test. There are no prizes. If you learn one new thing, think of yourself as a winner.
Walk into any school or venture through any community, and you’re in the midst of the American melting pot–whites, blacks and Hispanics from myriad countries, not to mention Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indians. In 2003, for example, the top 10 countries of origin for immigrants to the U.S. were Mexico, India, Philippines, China, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Colombia, Guatemala and Russia.
Through the ages, people have been on the move. The great migrations out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago brought humans to Asia and Europe, Australia and the Americas. From the 17th to 19th Centuries, slave traders brought 10 to 15 million Africans into the Western Hemisphere. Between 1860 and 1920, more than 30 million people migrated from Europe to the U.S., cited as the largest migration of human beings ever seen.
And now comes a scientific twist. Spencer Wells, 34, a geneticist and National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence, was named project leader of the Genographic Project, a five-year endeavor backed by the Geographic, IBM and the Waitt Family Foundation. The project is to do a genetic study of human migration through DNA testing.
“The goal.” Wells said, “is to take DNA samples from people all over the world in an effort to find out how we’re related to each other. If we spring from a common source, where was that? And if the evidence is very clear that we all come out of Africa, how did we get to where we live today? And how did we generate the patterns of diversity we see around the world. It’s really trying to explain the human spirit today.”
Wells said there are 10 regional centers around the world staffed by genetic investigators to do the testing. The public also can participate in the genographic project. Check out www5.nationalgeographic.com/genographic.
And now a hint on our “After the Disaster” photo quiz that’s also a connection to this year’s theme: The catastrophe that hit one of these cities triggered a migration of as many as 500,000 people, the largest movement of people in the United States since the Great Migration of African-Americans from the South early in the 20th Century.
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After the disaster
Name these cities, pictured as they appear today, that were destroyed in natural or man-made catastrophes:
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2.
3.
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9.
10.
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NOW THAT YOU’VE TESTED your geography knowledge on Page 1, it’s time to launch into the bulk of our 16th annual Geography Challenge. If you’re new to this challenge, we want to emphasize we didn’t go out of our way to make this difficult. Many questions were adapted from this year’s National Geography Bee, sponsored by the National Geographic Society and directed at 4th through 8th graders. Other elements came from the Travel section staff; from Bonny Jain, an Illinoisan who placed 4th in this year’s bee; from Tom Skilling, WGN-TV meteorologist; and from Chicago geography buff Howard Gardner. Before you start beating yourself up, remember this is a challenge, not a pass-fail exam. If you get stumped, look for answers in an almanac, an atlas or on the Internet. Every participant is a winner.
— Alfred Borcover.
Olympic warm-up
Name these cities that have hosted or will host the Winter Olympic Games:
1. ———-
2. ———-
3. ———-
4. ———-
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Focus on physical geography
1. What word is used to describe the side of a mountain that faces the prevailing winds?
2. What do you call a high-speed west-to-east wind current that flows in narrow corridors within upper-air westerlies?
3. What word describes a large, natural accumulation of ice that spreads outward on the land or moves slowly down a slope or valley?
4. What is the term used for the native grasslands that cover the Great Plains of the central U.S.?
5. What do you call the time of year when all latitudes have 12 hours of daylight and darkness, and the sun is directly overhead at the equator?
6. What Norwegian word is used for a narrow, steep-sided inlet of the sea that was carved by a glacier?
7. What’s the term used for the artificial watering of farmland?
8. What do you call the movement of people across a specified boundary for the purpose of establishing a new place of residence?
9. What term is used for a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses?
10. What do you call latitude 23 degrees 30 minutes south, the farthest southerly excursion of the sun when it is directly overhead?
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African capitals
The continent is divided into 47 nations, plus another six offshore. The challenge here is to match 10 capitals to their countries:
1. Nairobi
2. Abuja (this item as published has been corrected in this text)
3. Lusaka
4. Mogadishu
5. Accra
6. Tripoli
7. Windhoek
8. Harare
9. Conakry
10. Rabat
A. Zimbabwe
B. Libya
C. Nigeria
D. Guinea
E. Morocco
F. Namibia
G. Somalia
I. Zambia
J. Ghana
K. Kenya
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Multiple choice
1. The Java Sea is surrounded by numerous islands that are part of what country?
A. Malaysia. B. Indonesia. C. Micronesia. D. Philippines.
2. What country on the Gulf of Honduras was formerly known as British Honduras?
A. Guatemala. B. Costa Rica. C. Belize. D. Nicaragua.
3. In which Canadian province is French most widely spoken?
A. Quebec. B. Nova Scotia. C. Alberta. D. New Brunswick.
4. Which country does not border the Mediterranean Sea?
A. Italy. B. Greece. C. Tunisia. D. Austria.
5. Which state is known as the Keystone State because of its central position among the original 13 colonies?
A. New York. B. Pennsylvania. C. New Jersey. D. Delaware.
6. To explore St. Augustine, the oldest permanent existing European settlement in the U.S., you would travel to which state?
A. New Mexico. B. Georgia. C. Florida. D. South Carolina.
7. To see Chimney Rock, an important landmark for pioneers traveling on the Oregon Trail, you would have to visit which state?
A. Nebraska. B. Idaho. C. Oregon. D. Wyoming.
8. Which continent is the world’s largest producer of gold?
A. North America. B. Australia. C. Africa. D. Asia.
9. To relax in a thermal spa near Lake Balaton and to visit ceramics factories outside Budapest, you would travel to what country?
A. Czech Republic. B. Bulgaria. C. Romania. D. Hungary.
10. The Guadalquivir River flows through Andalusia, a farming region in what country?
A. Spain. B. Portugal. C. San Marino. D. France.
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The Great Migration
1. When did the bulk of the Great Migration of African-Americans from the South to the North take place?
A. 1865-1885. B. 1950-1985. C. 1910-1930. D. 1940-1950.
2. What events triggered the Great Migration?
A. World War I. B. Boll weevils. C. Great Flood of 1927. D. All of the above.
3. During the migration to the North, how many people actually left the South?
A. 10,000. B. more than 1 million. C. 250,000. D. 750,000.
4. What industry paid travel expenses for blacks to move North?
A. Meat packing. B. Railroads. C. Steel. D. Trucking.
5. Because of the Great Migration, Chicago’s black population grew by how much between 1920 and 1930?
A. 120,000. B. 75,000. C. 500,000. D. 90,000.
6. Which section of New York became home for the majority of blacks who came during the Great Migration?
A. Bronx. B. Brooklyn. C. Staten Island. D. Harlem.
7. Between 1910 and 1930, which northern city drew more that 100,000 blacks from the South to work in its auto and other industrial plants?
A. Cleveland. B. Pittsburgh, C. Detroit. D. Minneapolis.
8. During the Great Migration, which western state drew tens of thousands of blacks from the South?
A. Colorado. B. Nevada. C. Arizona. D. California.
9. Which northern city became the favored destination by blacks during the Great Migration?
A. New York. B. Detroit. C. Chicago. D. Washington.
10. In 1910, almost 50 years after the Civil War, what percentage of all blacks in the U.S. lived in the South?
A. 89 percent. B. 66 percent. C. 75 percent. D. 80 percent.
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The real things
Name the country or language behind these famous labels:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Animal travels
Match the animal with its migration route:
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6.
7.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
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Midwest roots
Name the ethnic groups whose emigrants made these communities special:
1. Hancock, Mich.
2. Westby, Wis.
3. Spillville, Iowa
4. Mineral Point, Wis.
5. Rockford, Ill.
6. St. Donatus, Iowa
7. Kaskaskia, Ill.
8. Oldenburg, Ind.
9. Vevay, Ind.
10. Dearborn, Mich.
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Kids corner
These questions were written by Bonny Jain, 12, an 8th grader at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Moline, Ill. Jain placed fourth in this year’s National Geography Bee. His interest in geography began in kindergarten, he said. “I received a dictionary which had a chart of flags. That got me interested in far-flung places. I started reading books about countries and looking at maps. I was curious about cultures around the world. The various types of music, foods, religions and languages of people around the world intrigued me.” His parents encouraged him, quizzed him and provided him useful resources, he said–and so did Kelly Mulcahy, his geography teacher.
1. Acadia National Park, famous for its rugged shores, lies on the coast of what state? A. Connecticut. B. Maine. C. Washington. D. Oregon.
2. Myrtle Beach is a major tourist destination in what Atlantic state? A. Florida. B. Georgia. C. South Carolina. D. North Carolina.
3. What Texas city on the Rio Grande lies across from the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez? A. San Antonio. B. El Paso. C. Corpus Christi. D. Laredo.
4. What plateau covers much of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas? A. Ouachita Plateau. B. Appalachian Plateau. C. Branson Plateau. D. Ozark Plateau.
5. What continent receives the least average annual precipitation? A. Australia. B. Africa. C. Antarctica. D. Europe.
6. Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade are all major cities on which European river? A. Rhine River. B. Volga River. C. Danube River. D. Seine River.
7. Turin, site of the 2006 Winter Olympics, lies in the Piedmont region of what country? A. Italy. B. Austria. C. Switzerland. D. Germany.
8. Algeria, Niger, and Chad were all former colonies of which country? A. United Kingdom. B. France. C. Germany. D. Italy.
9. The island nation of Singapore seceded from what larger neighbor in 1965? A. Indonesia. B. Malaysia. C. Thailand. D. Brunei.
10. Jeddah is a major port in Saudi Arabia on what sea that forms the southwest coast of Saudi Arabia? A. Red Sea. B. Arabian Sea. C. Mediterranean Sea. D. Black Sea.
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Weather front
Everyone talks about the weather, but Tom Skilling does it with exceptional intelligence. He reports on the weather in depth on WGN-TV and in the Chicago Tribune. As WGN-TV’s chief meteorologist since 1978, Skilling’s weather reports have gained him admiration from viewers around the country on Superstation WGN and from fellow meteorologists.
1. What’s the average annual number of Atlantic-basin tropical storms, hurricanes and “intense” hurricanes during the June through November hurricane seasons from 1950-2004?
A. 18. B. 13. C. 25. D. 21
2. What’s the lowest single barometric pressure reading recorded on Earth (it occurred during a typhoon–a storm identical to a hurricane, but in the western and central Pacific Ocean)?
A. 26.84″. B. 27.41″. C. 27.35″. D. 25.69″.
3. Which of these hurricanes failed to produce a lower barometric pressure reading than Hurricane Katrina’s 26.64″?
A. The Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. B. Hurricane Gilbert, 1988. C. Hurricane Andrew, 1992. D. Hurricane Allen, 1980.
4. What’s Chicago’s lowest official barometric pressure?
A. 29.12″. B. 27.92″. C. 29.00″. D. 28.70″
5. What’s the average annual number of U.S. tornadoes in the last three years (2002-2004)?
A. 775. B. 976. C. 1,378. D. 1,500
6. In what months does Chicago record the shortest and longest hours of daylight of the year?
A. January/July. B. December/June. C. February/August. D. November/May
7. What’s the average date of the first snow flurries and first inch or more of snow in Chicago?
A. Oct. 17/Nov. 26. B. Oct. 29/Dec. 2. C. Nov. 5/Dec. 10. D. Nov. 10/Dec. 4.
8. What are the hottest and coldest readings in degrees Fahrenheit recorded here since official observations began in 1871?
A. 112/-29. B. 108/-26. C. 105/-27. D. 103/-26.
9. When meteorologists say a northbound hurricane is “losing its tropical characteristics,” what do they mean?
A. Winds and rains are diminishing. B. Winds have tapped cooler air and are pulling it into the storm. C. The comparatively calm eye is growing larger. D. The hurricane’s huge waves have decreased dramatically.
10. What are Chicago’s warmest and coldest months on average?
June/December. B. August/February. C. July/January. D. August/January.
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Strange shapes
Name these states/provinces/countries to which we’ve given a twist. A clue: All have been featured in the last year in Travel.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Global views
1. To visit the ruins of Petra, you would have to travel to what country?
2. If you were able to compare the bustling Ho Chi Minh City to the rural paddy farms of the Mekong River Delta, you would be in what country?
3. The Masai Mara Nature Reserve is in which African nation?
4. According to the 2000 census, nearly 30 percent of foreign-born residents of the U.S. are from what country?
5. What mineral resource is Chile’s main export?
6. Which island nation in the Indian Ocean produces almost 10 percent of the world’s tea?
7. What country lies between Nicaragua and Panama?
8. The ruins of Persepolis, an ancient ceremonial capital of Persia, are located in which present-day country?
9. In 1801, an Act of Union created the United Kingdom by joining Great Britain and which other island?
10. Bangalore is a center of high-technology industries in which Asian country?
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Geography Challenge XVI answers
Here are the answers to our 16th annual Geography Challenge. There’s no official scoring; you win by playing. (Added information in parentheses is not part of the required answer.)
After the disaster
1. London (fire; 1666). 2. New Orleans (hurricane; 2005–producing the largest movement of people in U.S. since the Great Migration). 3. Hiroshima, Japan (World War II atomic bomb; 1945). 4. Dresden, Germany (World War II firebombing; 1945). 5. Pompeii, Italy (eruption of Mt. Vesuvius; A.D. 79). 6. San Francisco (earthquake; 1906). 7. Galveston, Texas (hurricane; 1900). 8. Lisbon (earthquake/tsunami; 1755). 9. Chicago (fire; 1871). 10. Johnstown, Pa. (flood; 1889).
Olympic warm-up
1. Vancouver (2010). 2. Nagano, Japan (1998). 3. Innsbruck, Austria (1964, 1976). 4. Turin, Italy (2006).
Focus on physical geography
1. Windward. 2. Jet stream. 3. Glacier. 4. Prairie. 5. Equinoxes (vernal equinox in spring, autumnal equinox in fall). 6. Fiord (sometimes spelled fjord). 7. Irrigation. 8. Migration. 9. Isthmus. 10. Tropic of Capricorn (the Earth’s axis varies over time, so the exact latitude varies slightly from 23 degrees 30 minutes).
African capitals
1. J. 2. C. 3. H. 4. G. 5. I. 6. B. 7. F. 8. A. 9. D. 10. E.
Multiple choice
1. B. 2. C. 3. A. 4. D. 5. B. 6. C. 7. A. 8. C. 9. D. 10. A.
Animal travels
1. B (New England/Greenland/Arctic to Antarctica). 2. D (South America to San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and other locations). 3. G (LaRue Road, Shawnee National Forest, Ill.). 4. A (East Africa). 5. E (Mexico to Alaska). 6. F (U.S. to Mexico). 7. H (Wisconsin to Florida).
The Great Migration
1. C. 2. D. 3. B. 4. B. 5. A. 6. D. 7. C. 8. D. 9. C. 10. A.
The real things
1. China. 2. Israel. 3. Thailand. 4. Japan. 5. Malaysia. 6. Arabic. 7. Korea. 8. Bulgaria.
Midwest roots
1. Finns. 2. Norwegians. 3. Czechs/Slovaks. 4. Cornish. 5. Swedes. 6. Luxembourgers. 7. French. 8. Germans. 9. Swiss. 10. Arabs.
Kids corner
1. B. 2. C. 3. B. 4. D. 5. C. 6. C. 7. A. 8. B. 9. B. 10. A.
Weather front
1. A (10 named tropical storms, 6 hurricanes and 2 “intense” hurricanes). 2. D (Typhoon Kip, 520 miles northwest of Guam; Oct. 12, 1979). 3. C (Andrew was a fierce Category 5 storm at the time of landfall in South Florida, but the lowest recorded pressure during its life cycle was 27.23″–far from the 1935 Florida Keys storm’s 26.35″, Gilbert’s 26.14″ in 1988 in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and Allen’s 26.35″ reading off Texas in 1980). 4. D (March 12, 1923 ). 5. C (according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center). 6. B. 7. B (earliest flurries: Sept. 25, in 1928 and 1942; earliest inch or more: Oct. 19, 1989). 8. C (July 24, 1934/Jan. 20, 1985). 9. B. 10. C (73.3/22.0 degrees).
Strange shapes
1. Ontario. 2. Ukraine. 3. Arizona. 4. New Zealand. 5. Peru. 6. Israel. 7. Thailand. 8. Iceland.
Global views
1. Jordan. 2. Vietnam. 3. Kenya. 4. Mexico. 5. Copper. 6. Sri Lanka. 7. Costa Rica. 8. Iran. 9. Ireland. 10. India.
