Geography & Landmarks Flashcards
This deck covers continents, countries, landforms, and other key items you should have learned in Geography class! Special thanks to World Atlas and National Geographic for helping Brainscape compile this information (47 cards)
What are the seven continents of the world?
- Asia
- Africa
- North America
- South America
- Antarctica
- Europe
- Australia (sometimes referred to as Oceania)
(largest to smallest)
There’s actually an eighth continent called “Zealandia” which geologists discovered in 2017.
It is now a submerged continent which broke free from Australia millions of years ago.
Located in Nepal, ______ ______ is the tallest landform in the world.
Mount Everest
The mountain is part of the Himalayas and reaches 29,029 feet (8848 m) above sea level.
Named after Sir George Everest, Welsh surveyor and geographer (though he did not survey the mountain). The first ascent of the mountain took place in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
What are the five major oceans of the world?
- Pacific Ocean
- Atlantic Ocean
- Indian Ocean
- Southern (Antarctic) Ocean
- Arctic Ocean
(largest to smallest)
A book of maps is called an _______.
atlas
Before GPS, smartphones, and the internet were a thing, students of geography and vacation goers would spend hours skimming through these books.
What is the largest country by land mass in the world?
Russia
It takes up 6.6 million square miles, about 3.4% of the world’s area.
What is this landmark?
Stonehenge
This ancient monument was constructed sometime between 3000 B.C. and 2000 B.C., and is located in Wiltshire, England.
What city in western Saudi Arabia is known as the birthplace of Muhammad and is of great importance to the Islamic faith?
Mecca
Mecca’s historical significance dates back to the first century B.C. The Kaaba is the most sacred site in Islam, known as the sacred bayt Allah (House of God). It is located in the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca.
What profession specializes in designing and creating maps?
cartography
The _____ Ocean is bordered by Antarctica to the south, Australia to the east, Asia to the north, and Africa to the west.
Indian Ocean
Numerous African and Asian civilizations have existed along the shores of the Indian Ocean, and trade between these regions has taken place since ancient times.
Which ocean is sandwiched between Europe and Africa to the east, and North America and South America to the west?
Atlantic Ocean
What ancient Roman city was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD?
Pompeii
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., Pompeii was overcome with debris and ash and approximately 2,000 citizens were killed.
The townspeople were quickly covered in soot and preserved for 2,000 years in exactly the positions they were left in – leading Pompeii to become one of the most fruitful and famous archeological research sites (not to mention tourism).
Which sea is bordered by Europe, Africa, and Asia?
The Mediterranean
Surrounded by three continents, the Mediterranean has been a great highway for trade since ancient times.
Which continent is bordered by the Ural Mountains to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west?
Europe
Europe’s southern border is the Mediterranean Sea. To the north, the countries of Scandinavia stretch to the Arctic Circle.
Which continent stretches from the Arctic Circle in the north to the Panamanian Isthmus to the south?
North America
It stretches from the Arctic Circle to the Panamanian Isthmus. Most of North America is controlled by three nations: Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
An interesting fact is that Central America and the Caribbean are actually regions within North America.
Which Scottish lake is said to be inhabited by a ficticious creature whose lore dates back to the 1930s?
Loch Ness
The fictitious creature is commonly referred to as the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ or ‘Nessie’. The first written account of the monster can be found in the biography of St. Columba written in 565 AD.
What continent is divided by the Sahara Desert?
Africa
It is divided by the Sahara Desert, a barren wasteland that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
What is this landmark?
Machu Picchu
Located in Peru, this Incan citadel was built in the 15th century, then abandoned roughly 100 years later, likely due to the Spanish Conquest.
The Amazon rainforest and the Andes mountains are two prominent features of which continent?
South America
The Amazon River Basin and the surrounding rainforest comprise some 40% of South America’s land mass, and are almost twice the size of the United States.
The Andes Mountains run down South America’s western side.
Located only 60 miles from Tokyo, what’s the name of Japan’s most famous mountain?
Mount Fuji
This cultural landmark is the highest mountain in Japan and is also classified as an active volcano.
What is the biggest ocean in the world?
The Pacific Ocean
It stretches some 63.78 million square miles from North and South America to Australia and Asia.
What is this landmark found in the capital city of Greece?
The Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis is a collection of ancient buildings that include the Parthenon.
It is dated as early as 5th-century B.C. and is located in Athens, Greece.
What is the largest continent on Earth?
Asia
Asia stretches from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south.
Asia is so large that geographers and historians typically divide it into sub-regions, such as the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.
What’s the tallest mountain in Africa?
Mount Kilimanjaro
The tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro is home to three dormant volcanic cones.
What is the longest river in North America?
Missouri River
It flows into the Mississippi River near St. Louis and is North America’s longest river at more than 2,300 miles long.
The Mississippi River runs 2,202 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.
