Geo Quiz

Hot and dry

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For today’s Geo Quiz we’re looking a parched part of the world. Where the skies have finally opened up.

This country in the southern hemisphere has always been a hot, dry place. But lately it’s been even worse than usual. Much of it is in the grip of a 10-year drought… that’s left farms and cities alike seriously thirsty.

The last few months, though, have started to bring some relief. Heavy rains have drenched towns where children have grown up never seeing as much as a puddle. And that’s got farmers hoping… that what they’ve come to call “the big dry” may finally be over.

We’ll have the answer to the Geo Quiz and hear about the rejuvenating power of rain…


Geo Answer:
We’re off to the world’s driest continent to find the answer to today’s Geo Quiz. Something’s happening in parts of Australia that hasn’t happened there for years.

It’s raining. A lot. So, Australia is the answer to our quiz. Big downpours have drenched parts of the country recently. In some places, that’s caused damaging floods.

But farmers in the state of New South Wales say the rains there are the best they’ve had in more than a decade. And as Phil Mercer reports, many hope it’s a sign that Australia’s long drought is becoming less severe. Listen:

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Discussion

One comment for “Hot and dry”

  • http://www.nwslackline.org Adam Burtle

    I was listening to the GeoQuiz on my local station (KUOW in Seattle) just now, and wanted to comment that, in fact, Antarctica is the driest continent, not Australia. Some may make the case that being inhabited is a prerequisite for this quiz, but I can assure you that there are people who are on the continent of Antarctica year-round; a friend of mine is one of them.