World Geography Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The Archaean rock system is the oldest, comprising the ancient gneisses and schists that form the crystalline basement of the continents.

Answer: C

The ionosphere is the electrically charged region of the upper atmosphere, encompassing the thermosphere and the exosphere. Solar radiation ionises the thin gas there, which is what makes long-distance radio reflection possible.

Answer: A

Russia is the largest country by area, at about 17 million sq km - nearly twice the size of the next largest and spanning eleven time zones. Vatican City is the smallest.

Answer: A

The Soviet Union comprised 15 union republics, all of which became independent states when it dissolved at the end of 1991.

Answer: A

The tallest sand dunes are in the Sahara, where the star dunes of the Erg Chebbi and the Issaouane Erg rise more than 150 m. The Sahara's size and steady wind regimes allow dunes to build to such heights.

Answer: B

Tropical moist forests hold the greatest biodiversity on earth. Warmth, abundant rainfall and year-round growing conditions support enormous numbers of species - perhaps half of all those on land in about 6% of its area.

Answer: D

The Suez Canal was built under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat and engineer, and opened in 1869.

Answer: A

Groundwater whose flow is not bounded above by an impermeable layer is unconfined. Its upper surface is the water table, free to rise and fall, unlike a confined aquifer held under pressure.

Answer: D

Knowledge of the ocean floor comes from all of these methods: seismic surveying reveals structure beneath the sediment, echo sounders measure depth, and side-scan sonar images the sea-bed surface.

Answer: D

The luminous halo visible around the sun during a total eclipse is the corona, the outermost part of the solar atmosphere. It is far hotter than the surface below it, at over a million degrees.