The Amazing Race 32, Episode 11 Recap

The Amazing Race’s penultimate eleventh episode of Season 32 aired on Wednesday, December 9th and was set in the capital city of Manila, located on Luzon island in the PHILIPPINES. Filmed about a year or so before the coronavirus’ worldwide wrath, this episode featured a sprint and an exploration of the city through multiple clues but also lacked a Detour and Roadblock.

● Episode 11 info on CBS — In the first city sprint, the final four teams race through Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

● Once arriving in Manila, teams rode a colorful jeepney to Rizal Park and met Phil Keoghan there.

● Phil informed the four remaining teams that, instead of typical Amazing Race events such as Detours and Roadblocks, they will compete in a City Sprint. Outside a large mall near the Manila Bay in Bay City, Philippines, team members had to trot in high heels for 500 meters (0.31 miles)! At first, the guys understandably struggled to walk while wearing the unfamiliar footwear, but they eventually figured out how to do it with poise!

● After searching for and finding the Binondo Arch of Goodwill in Manila’s Chinatown, teams looked for a clue in the mouth of a colorfully costumed lion dancing in the pedestrian walkways. This clue told teams to arrive by foot to the Central Post Office for another clue.

● “Hay Day”: in a plaza outside the Central Post Office, teams found a kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) and searched the area for necessary ingredients to mix up a bucketful of horse food. Dried grass and the bucket’s mixture were fed to a team’s respective horse, and a clue to Mehan Garden was subsequently given to the team.

● For this episode’s last task, teams arrived at Mehan Garden where a band produced some melodies and rockin’ good tunes for the residents of Manila. The band continuously played four musical compositions featured in previous Amazing Race episodes. A bunch of cases for guitars and other instruments were strewn about, and each case displayed a country’s flag. Teams were tasked to find cases with four flags corresponding to the songs’ national origin; teams organized these cases in chronological order based on when the songs were played in Season 32.

While most of the flags represented countries the teams visited — including Colombia, France, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago — I also spotted an “extra” flag of a country that teams did not step foot in: Mozambique. If you noticed any other flags in this episode, please feel free to comment below! In any case (pun intended), these are the correct flags on the instrument cases in earlier to later order: Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Paraguay, and France. Maddison and Riley completed this task first, so they quickly proceeded to the nearby Pit Stop.

● Pit Stop: Lapu Lapu Monument (Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom) — Rizal Park, Ermita District in Manila

● Season 32’s finale (episode 12) will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. A glimpse of the millionaire-making Pit Stop reveals that teams will end their Amazing Race journeys at the New Orleans Saints’ home turf: Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

  Season 32, Episode 11 Pit Stop Results

  The 1st through 4th place results are the same as episode 10.

  1st — Maddison and Riley
       1st place prize — no prize given in this episode

  2nd — James and Will

  3rd — Chee and Hung

  4th — DeAngelo and Gary
       Eliminated from the competition? Yes

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 1 Recap

Season 32 of The Amazing Race on CBS premiered on Wednesday, October 14th — starting out in Los Angeles just like in previous seasons. The next place on the show’s itinerary was a Caribbean country that aims to please in the beach department: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO!

● Teams went to the town of Saint Augustine on Trinidad island, where they rolled empty oil drums quite a distance. Trinidad and Tobago is a producer, refiner, and exporter of various petroleum products while also pursuing clean, renewable energy options such as solar power.

● Teams then visited Swallow’s Beach on Tobago island, where they attempted to match their specific example of a painted fish decoration with another one having the same design and four-digit code — out of dozens of possibilities floating in shallow water.

● Roadblock: Tobago’s Pigeon Point set the scene for a musical task. Teams played a segment of “Day-O” on a steelpan, which is the national musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. They had to replicate the song’s musical notes and (tried to) match the rhythm.

● Pit Stop: Buccoo sports arena: home to goat racing! Team members sprinted with their assigned goat on a leash to reach the large rectangular Pit Stop mat.

● Episode 2 will begin in Bogotá, the national capital of COLOMBIA.

  Season 32, Episode 1 Pit Stop Results

  1st — Chee Lee and Hung Nguyen (married parents)
       1st place prize — nothing, unfortunately!

  2nd — Michelle and Victoria “Vic” Newland (sisters)

  3rd — Maddison and Riley McKibbin (brothers)

  4th — James Wallington and Will Jardell (dating)

  5th — Frank and Jerry Eaves (father and son)

  6th — Alana Folsom and Leo Brown (dating)

  7th — Aparna and Eswar Dhinakaran (siblings)

  8th — Haley and Kaylynn Williams (sisters)

  9th — Kellie Wells-Brinkley and LaVonne Idlette (former Olympic hurdlers)

  10th — DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge (former NFL stars)

  11th — Cody Worthington and Nathan Buell (best friends)
       Eliminated from the competition? Yes

Independence Day Recently Celebrated in Colombia

People all across COLOMBIA celebrated their country's Independence Day yesterday on Monday, July 20th. This holiday commemorates 210th anniversary of the declaration of independence from Spain in July 1810. Happy belated Independence Day!

Colombia Exports

The following items are major exports of COLOMBIA: bananas, chemicals, clothing and textiles, coal, cocoa beans, coffee, copper, corn (maize), cut flowers, emeralds and other gemstones, footwear, gold, natural gas, nickel, petroleum, processed food, seafood (particularly shrimp), and sugarcane. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the United States (top importer), Panama, the Netherlands, Spain, Ecuador, China, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Chile, Venezuela, South Korea, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Switzerland.

Colombia Quiz

GeoFact of the Day Country Quiz

See if you can answer these questions pertaining to COLOMBIA without the help of literary resources and the Internet. Answers are provided at the end...good luck!

1)      Which small island has a population density of over 100,000 people per sq. km?
A — Santa Cruz Islet
B — Tintipán
C — Múcura
D — Tierra Bomba

2)      Colombia produces about 60% of the world's supply of which gemstones?
A — ametrines
B — emeralds
C — sapphires
D — topaz

3)      Colombia is known for having the world's highest number of endemic species and also for housing a relatively high percentage of the world's species. What percent of the world's animal and plant species can be found in Colombia?
A — 7%
B — 10%
C — 22%

4)      Los Katíos national park, Cartagena's fortresses and port, and San Agustín archaeological park are three of Colombia's eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Which of the following is not a UNESCO place in Colombia?
A — Santa Cruz de Mompox historic center
B — Qhapaq Ñan (Andean Road System)
C — Coffee Cultural Landscape
D — Fray Bentos industrial landscape

5)      True or false: Medellín boasts a gondola lift system as a form of transportation, connecting the rapidly developing impoverished areas with the downtown.
A — True
B — False

ANSWERS
Question 1:
A . . . . . Santa Cruz Islet

Question 2:
B . . . . . emeralds

Question 3:
B . . . . . 10%

Question 4:
D . . . . . Fray Bentos industrial landscape — located in URUGUAY, not Colombia

Question 5:
A . . . . . True

So, how did you do? Thanks for taking this quiz!

Background image: National Geographic Mapmaker Interactive map of Colombia

Colombia Map and Post Updates

Above is my new map of COLOMBIA, which is now featured on a comprehensively updated Colombia post (« Colombia Post Link »). As always, thank you so much for visiting the GeoFact of the Day Blog today!

What in the World? Country #10

I have over 45 million residents living on top of me! Spanish is my official language, while most of my people are Roman Catholic (90% of religious adherents). I declared my independence from Spain in July of 1810 and received it nine years later. The chief crops that are grown on top of me are bananas, cocoa beans (all kinds of chocolate are delicious!), corn, cut flowers, rice, and assorted vegetables. My UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the colonial city of Cartagena, San Agustín Archaeological Park (featuring more than 400 stone sculptures), Santa Cruz de Mompox, and Tierradentro National Archaeological Park. Besides the capital, cities include Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Ibagué, Manizales, Medellín, and Pereira. Three Andes mountain ranges run through me. Finally, I'm the only South American country to have a coastline with both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean! What country am I? The answer is written below...











Scroll down further...











...and further :) ...











Answer: COLOMBIA

Rivers Near South American Capitals

Capital cities in all varieties of countries are often located next to or close to rivers and streams. Rivers facilitate trade, convenient transportation, beautification of cities, and recreation activities for residents and tourists. Almost every capital in South America straddles a major river. At the very least, every capital in the continent has rivers, streams, and canals flowing near or within them. In the text below, every country's name has a convenient link to their posts; these links open in new tabs or windows.

Buenos Aires, the capital of ARGENTINA
     ― Río de la Plata and Riachuelo (Río de la Matanza)

La Paz, one of the capitals of BOLIVIA
     ― Río Choqueyapu and Río Seco

Sucre, the other capital of Bolivia
     ― Río Cachimayu

Brasília, the capital of BRAZIL
     ― Ribeirão Taguatinga (stream) and Río São Bartolomeu

Santiago, the capital of CHILE
     ― Canal San Carlos (manmade canal), Río Maipo, and Río Mapocho

Bogotá, the capital of COLOMBIA
     ― Río Bogotá and Río Tunjuelo

Quito, the capital of ECUADOR
     ― Río San Pedro

Cayenne, the capital of FRENCH GUIANA (overseas territory)
     ― Canal LeBlond (manmade canal) and Rivière des Cascades

Georgetown, the capital of GUYANA
     ― Demerara River and east of Essequibo River

Asunción, the capital of PARAGUAY
     ― Arroyo Leandro Sosa (stream) and Río Paraguay

Lima, the capital of PERU
     ― Río Lurín, Río Rímac, and south of Río Chillón

Paramaribo, the capital of SURINAME
     ― Suriname River (Surinamerivier in Dutch)

Montevideo, the capital of URUGUAY
     ― Arroyo Miguelete and Arroyo Pantanoso (streams north and northwest of Montevideo)

Carácas, the capital of VENEZUELA
     ― Quebrada Caroata (stream) and Río Guaire

Colombia Extinct and Endangered Species

As of March 22nd, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for COLOMBIA in northern South America lists six extinct species and four extinct-in-the-wild species since the beginning of IUCN recordkeeping, 123 critically endangered species, and 248 endangered species. The six unfortunately extinct species are the Caribbean Monk Seal, Colombian Grebe bird, three flowering plant species formerly endemic in Colombia (Casearia quinduensis, Licania caldasiana, and Pradosia mutisii), and Rhizosomichthys totae catfish. Lake Tota in northern Colombia (Boyacá department) was the catfish species' habitat, and the Colombian Grebe swam in Lake Tota and lived near it. Some critically endangered species in Colombia include the Atlantic Goliath Grouper, Blue-bearded Helmetcrest hummingbird, Elegant Stubfoot Toad, Elkhorn Coral, Hawksbill Turtle, Lemur Leaf Frog, Red-crested Tree Rat, Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird, Varigated Spider Monkey, and Waved (Galapagos) Albatross bird.

Colombia post (link opens in new tab/window)

Top Ten New Species Discovered

On May 22nd, the SUNY-ESF Institute for Species Exploration announced ten recently discovered species that topped its list, ranging from a one-celled organism to a much larger tree species (SUNY stands for State University of New York and ESF stands for Environmental Science and Forestry). The Olinguito mammal (in the raccoon family) lives in the Andes mountains of Colombia and Ecuador. Kaweesak's Dragon Tree was discovered in Loei and Lop Buri provinces in Thailand. Named after the Antarctic Geological Drilling Program (ANDRILL), the ice-dwelling Andrill Anemone were discovered under a glacier on Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf. Aptly named for its appearance, tiny Skeleton Shrimp were found in a cave on Santa Catalina island in California, USA.

The Orange Penicillium fungus was discovered in Tunisia soil, while scientists found a type of one-celled Amoeboid Protist in underwater caves in the Mediterranean Sea, specifically off the coast of Spain. Northeastern Australia is a habitat for the rare Leaf-Tailed Gecko. Clean Room Microbes have an interesting discovery story. They were discovered in spacecraft assembly clean rooms, where most microscopic organisms cannot survive, in the USA (Florida) and French Guiana. Another interesting small organism is the Tinkerbell Fairyfly, a parasitic wasp discovered in Costa Rica. Finally, eyeless Domed Land Snails certainly have a ghostly appearance with their translucent shells. They were found in western Croatia's Lukina Jama-Trojama caves.

2 Highest Mountains in Colombia

The highest points in COLOMBIA are Pico Cristobal Colon and Pico Simon Bolivar; they are both the same height, at or around 18,947 feet.

Colombia

Officially known as the Republic of Colombia in English and República de Colombia in Spanish, COLOMBIA is a Spanish-speaking country situated in the northern part of South America. Colombia is mostly north of the Equator. For a general idea of where the Equator line is located, Arica and Leticia cities (see map) are south of the Equator and therefore in the South Hemisphere. Colombia's bordering countries are Brazil to the southeast, Ecuador to the southwest, Panama to the northwest, Peru to the south, and Venezuela to the east. Aquatically speaking, Colombia borders the Caribbean Sea on its northern coast and the North Pacific Ocean on its western coast. Colombia is also located near Panama's Gulf of Panama (Golfo de Panamá). The currency is the Colombian Peso, and its ISO 4217 currency code is COP. Colombians celebrate their Independence Day on July 20th and have done so for over 200 years, since 1810.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  From a 2015 estimate, the total population of Colombia is approximately 49 million and growing. Colombia's population growth from the 1970s to today is almost perfectly linear when plotted on a graph. With over 7.6 million residents, Colombia's capital and most-populated city is Bogotá. Cali and Medellín cities have over 2 million residents, while Barranquilla is home to about 1.15 million people. Other major cities include Armenia, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Florencia, Ibagué, Manizales, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Popayán, Quibdó, Ríohacha, San Juan de Pasto (Pasto), Soacha, Soledad, Tunja, Turbo, Uribía, Valledupar, Villavicencio, and Zipaquirá.

Spanish is Colombia's official and most-spoken language. Almost 90 languages are spoken in Colombia, most of which correspond to particular native tribes. These languages include Achagua, Awa-Cuaiquer, Barí, Camsá, Emberá (several dialects), Guahibo, Malayo, Nhengatu, Páez, Sáliba, Totoro, Tucano, Tunebo (several dialects), Wayuu, and Yukpa. Catalan and Vlax Romani are a couple of minor immigrant languages found in Colombia. As of 2015, the literacy rate is 94%. Christianity — especially Roman Catholicism — is the religion that most Colombians believe in, followed by Spiritism, ethnic indigenous religions, and Bahá'í.

● ● ● ● ●  Land and Water Features  ● ● ● ● ●  Jutting northward into the Caribbean Sea is Península de la Guajira (Guajira Peninsula), separated from Venezuela's Península de la Paraguaná by the Golfo de Venezuela (Gulf of Venezuela). Known for its orange-colored sand dunes, Macuira National Park is located on this peninsula. At the tip of Guajira Peninsula is mainland South America's northernmost point, Punta (Point) Gallinas. While the Amazon Rainforest is famously known for being in Brazil, this biodiverse world wonder also stretches into eastern Colombia and provides a home for over 3,000 species as well as native Amerindians.

Some of the country's longest rivers (ríos) — including Ajaju, Caquetá, and Putumayo — are located within Colombia's Amazon Rainforest and eventually flow to the Amazon River. Arauca, Guainía, Guaviare, Meta, and other rivers eventually flow to the Orinoco river — which travels along the eastern Colombia-Venezuela border before reaching into northern Venezuela. Meanwhile, northern Colombia's Magdalena river flows northward past large marshes (cienagas) before reaching the Caribbean Sea. With a geographic surface area greater than 55 square kilometers and about 21 sq. miles, Laguna de Tota (Lake Tota) is Colombia's largest lake and is located northeast of Bogotá and south of Bucaramanga.

Volcanoes (volcáns in Spanish) straddle the Andes mountain range, which is the case in other South American countries such as Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Mostly located in southwestern and western Colombia, volcanoes include Azufral, Bravo, Cerro Negro de Mayasquer, Chiles, Galeras, Huila, Machín, Ruiz, and Tolima. According to the Volcano Discovery website, Ruiz volcano (Nevado del Ruiz) is erupting with mild to moderate ash emissions as of June 28th, 2016. Ruiz's last eruption in 1985 tragically resulted in the deaths of more than 20,000 people. Located near Pasto in southwestern Colombia, the frequently active Galeras volcano last erupted in 2006, 2008, and 2010 and is the first-known active volcano to deposit gold near its crater. Nine people (scientists and tourists) unfortunately perished in a 1993 eruption of Galeras.

Subdivided into the Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera Oriental (east) mountain ranges, the Andes run across southwestern and western Colombia and northeastward toward Venezuela — stopping at the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy highlands near Bucaramanga. Colombia's highest point is Pico Cristóbal Colón, a mountain towering about 18,950 feet and 5,775 meters in total elevation. This peak is found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and national park, located between Santa Marta and Valledupar near the Caribbean Sea.

This post was completely updated — including a new map — on July 25th, 2016.

Amazon River

Located in northern South America in the countries of BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, and PERU, the Amazon River is the 2nd longest river in the world after the Nile River. It is at least 4,000 miles long, and the water volume of the river accounts for 1/5 of the world river flow!