The World’s Geo Quiz tests your knowledge of world geography, and introduces you to fascinating people and places around the globe. Produced by The World’s David Leveille.

 

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Geo Quiz


Coffee Leaf Rust Plant Disease Threatens Central American Crops

Hemileia vastatrix - Coffee Leaf Rust (Photo: Wiki Commons)

A plant fungus called coffee leaf rust is ruining some coffee crops across Central America. In the 19th century, the fungus devastated coffee plantations across Sri Lanka and transformed the island’s agriculture.

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Chinese Dissident Ai Weiwei’s New Musical Protest

A scene from Chinese activist Ai Wei Wei's new music video (Photo: Youtube channel Ai Wei Wei)

Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei’s unusual and outspoken art has surfaced anew on the Internet. His new music video, Dumbass, is a strongly worded song protesting China’s abuse of state power.

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NOAA Surveys US Coastal Waters for Leaking Shipwrecks

Over 20,000 shipwrecks exist in US waters. (Map: NOAA)

There’s a new study out about the risk of ocean pollution caused by shipwrecks. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has come up with a map of the many, many shipwrecks that dot US coastal waters.

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With an Aroma of Rotting Flesh, Indonesian Corpse Flower Blooms in Ohio

The world's largest, rarest, smelliest, and infrequently blooming plant, the Titan Arum (Photo: OSU Botanical Greenhouse)

A flower unlike any other flower is growing at The Ohio State University’s Botanical Greenhouse. After years of cultivation, what may be the worst smelling flower in the world, the amorphophallus titanum, has bloomed.

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The Tribes of Rio’s Ipanema Beach

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Being gay in Brazil has long been something of a paradox. Gay culture is openly celebrated at events like Rio’s Carnival. But being gay can bring taunting and ostracism. There’s one place though where it’s okay to be openly gay: the beach.

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Whatever Happened to all of the Moon Rocks?

Map of Apollo Moon landing sites (Photo: NASA)

Many of the moon rocks brought back to Earth by Apollo space missions and given to foreign countries as gifts are missing. University of Phoenix law professor Joe Gutheinz has been investigating missing moon rock cases for years and tells The World us about his latest investigation involving an eastern Mediterranean island nation.

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Canadian Apple Farmer Uses Helicopter to Save Crops from Frost

A helicopter hovers over Mountain Orchards to create thermal drafts (Photo: Mountain Orchards)

Back around 1800 a Scottish-Canadian farmer is said to have discovered the variety of apple now named after him: McIntosh. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Ontario apple farmer Phil Lyall, who explains why he had to hire a helicopter to try and save his McIntosh apple crop from a late frost this year.

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Ancient Mayan Pyramid Bulldozed, Mostly Reduced to Rubble

In this image released by Jaime Awe, head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, a backhoe claws away at the sloping sides of the Nohmul complex, one of Belize's largest Mayan pyramids (Photo: Jaime Awe NICH Belize)

Archaeologists are up in arms after learning that an ancient Mayan pyramid has been destroyed in the Central America.

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Man Half Swallowed by Hippo Lives to Tell Tale

Hippopotamus mostly submerged (Photo: Wiki Commons)

Our Geo Quiz Monday takes us to a river in southern Africa where Paul Templer was leading a canoe safari back in 1996. He can’t easily forget what happened: He was half swallowed by a hippo and lived to tell the tale.

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Searching for a Female Mangarahara Cichlid

A female Mangarahara cichlid (Photo: The London Zoo)

The London Zoo has two of the last three males left of the Mangarahara cichlid tropical fish species. Now they’re looking for a female in order to avoid the species going into extinction. The species takes its name from the Mangarahara River. For our Geo Quiz: Name the African country where the river is located.

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Euro Protection for a Centuries Old Traditional Scottish Pudding

A traditional delicacy on the isle of Lewis (Photo: Charles Macleod Butchers)

The Scottish Isle of Lewis has been granted official EU food protection for one of its traditional delicacies. The recipe for the local sausage made of cooked pigs blood, oatmeal, and spices has been handed down for hundreds of years. Can you name it?

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Belgian Town Awash with Stolen Cash: What Would You Do?

The Mayor of Zedelgem Patrick Arnou explains what happened (Photo: YouTube)

A gang of robbers was chased through the narrow streets of Zedelgem recently by a motorcycle policeman. The thieves tossed a stolen safe out the car window and it burst open spilling a million euros into the street. What would you do?

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Equality From the Ground Up: Streets in Berlin Must Be Named After Men and Women Equally

Fromet Guggenheim (Photo: Wikipedia)

The Jewish Museum in Berlin wants to rename a street in front of it’s building for an 18th century German-Jewish philosopher. But district officials say no. According to an edict passed in the district, no street can be re-named after a man until there are an equal number of streets named after women. After a yearlong negotiation a compromise has been made. The street will be renamed after the philosopher and his wife. The quiz for today, name the 18th century philosopher and his wife.

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The New Latin American Dutch Queen Máxima

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (Photo: Reuters)

The newly crowned King Willem and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands walked out of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam and were cheered on by crowds that gathered. BBC Mundo’s Ignacio de los Reyes has been gauging reaction in Latin America.

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Ancient Chinese Art in the New World

Celestial Music from Mogao Cave (Photo: Dunhuang Academy)

Our Geo Quiz can be boiled down to one simple question: Where would you find caves carved out of limestone cliffs, and filled with silk banners and colorful 8th century frescoes to attract Buddhist worshipers?

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