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1) True or false: according to 2018 data from UNESCO's Institute for Statistics, LESOTHO's youth literacy rate is 95.2%.
There is a town named Bratsberg near the center of ____________________.
A — NORWAY
B — GERMANY
C — LATVIA
3) Which of the following is not a city in Lebanon?
A — Beirut
B — Tyre
C — Riyadh
D — Tripoli
4) Being home to an interesting red-and-white 1800s lighthouse (↗) and having a namesake current, Cape Agulhas is located southeast of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA. The southernmost point of Africa, this cape is known as a separation point between the Atlantic Ocean and __________ Ocean.
ANSWERS
Question 1:
True
Question 2:
A . . . . . Norway
Question 3:
C . . . . . Riyadh which is in Saudi Arabia (↗); Tripoli (D) is a city in Lebanon and also in Libya (↗)
Question 4:
Indian
First of all, I want to express my thoughts and well wishes for everyone in JAMAICA 🇯🇲, HAITI 🇭🇹, CUBA 🇨🇺, and other places in the Caribbean dealing with Hurricane Melissa and its destructive aftermath.
In the sixth episode of The Amazing Race Season 38 (U.S. Edition), teams drove a manual stick-shift vehicle northwest from Dubrovnik, CROATIA 🇭🇷 (HRVATSKA) to the town of Trsteno. Here, they visited the Trsteno Arboretum featuring trees that are over 500 years old. 🌳 Teams found a clue near the arboretum’s Neptune statue then drove further northwest along the Adriatic Sea coastline to the partially walled town of Ston. They encountered the “Bag It Up” versus “Pull It Up” Detour challenge. In “Bag It Up”, teams filled ten bags of local raw salt — each bag weighing slightly over 20 pounds each. In “Pull It Up”, teams visited a major oyster harvesting area known as Mali Ston Bay. They rowed a boat to find buoys with oysters attached; the teams then gave those oysters to a local restaurant known as Bota Sare. 🦪
Overview map of Trsteno — a town northwest of Dubrovnik and known for its arboretum
Remaining in the town of Ston, teams visited Park Komarda for the “Who Knows Their Way Around Croatia?” Roadblock. 🚧 With the navigational help of a 3D relief map of Ston, a member of each team visited several locations throughout the town to find and remember Croatian (Hrvatskan) facts. These facts involve multiple topics: letters not featured in the Croatian alphabet (Q, W, X, and Y), one of the several mottoes of Croatia (“As long as there is heart, there is Croatia”), highest mountain in Croatia at 6,007 feet* (Dinara), famous poet in Croatia (Ivan Gundulić), original length of the Walls of Ston (22,965 feet*), the date when Parliament proclaimed independence from Yugoslavia (June 25th, 1991), first king of Croatia (King Tomislav) 👑, and Croatia’s coastline length (3,625 miles*). Amazing Race contestants arrived back at the map and were tested with three questions asked by a Croatian. Contestants who did not answer the questions correctly had to answer a different set of questions for their next attempt, so some of them went back to the locations to memorize all facts.
Overview map of Ston — the second town featured in this episode
Prapratno Cove was the Pit Stop for this episode. 🏁 Eric and Tucker arrived in first place and both won another trip — this time to various locations in EGYPT 🇪🇬 including Cairo, Alexandria, and the famous pyramids. Tucker excitedly mentioned that Egypt was always on his bucket list, so it is awesome that he can check that one off! ☑ Kristine and Rubina were the eighth and last team to arrive, so they were eliminated from The Amazing Race.
* 6,007 feet equals 1,831 meters, 22,965 feet equals 7,000 meters, and 3,625 miles equals 5,834 kilometers.
In this fourth episode of The Amazing Race Season 38 (U.S. Edition), teams left Prague and boarded one of two train routes that either went through eastern AUSTRIA 🇦🇹 or western SLOVAKIA 🇸🇰 in order to reach Budapest, the national capital of HUNGARY 🇭🇺. Teams arrived at the Széchenyi Thermal Baths to search for a king chess piece. Teams then gave it to locals who were swimming and playing chess on a floating platform in a large pool. After completing this task first, Eric and Tucker encountered a Fast Forward. They decided to complete the Fast Forward and both solved a Rubik’s Cube in less than 7½ seconds after much practice. Kudos to them because I don’t remember if I ever solved a Rubik’s Cube — or maybe I completed it in several days! Due to the Fast Forward, they quickly surpassed the competition and arrived at the Pit Stop: Várkert Bazár (Castle Garden Bazaar), a neo-Renaissance style promenade near the Royal Palace and Danube riverfront in Buda. The historic site was closed in the 1980s and sat neglected until a beautiful restoration in 2014.
For arriving in first place at this Pit Stop, Eric and Tucker won a trip to BOLIVIA 🇧🇴 including stops at the city of La Paz, the largest salt flat in the world (↗) (Uyuni, also known as Tunupa), and Charquini Mountain. Meanwhile, teams carefully steered a carriage with two horses along a figure eight course in less than 45 seconds. Next, teams arrived at the House of Houdini to unlock a chained wooden container — reminiscent of Harry Houdini’s escapist stunts but without the danger. Finally, teams chose either the “Juggling Act” or “Balancing Act” Detour task. For Juggling Act, teams juggled five rings and had to keep them dangling in midair for ten seconds. For Balancing Act, teams practiced and performed a folk dancing routine. One team member balanced a bottle on his or her head, while the other teammate maneuvered a large stick. Kat had trouble completing her routine but nevertheless persisted even though she was the last performer at the Detour. Therefore, Alex and Kat arrived last at the Pit Stop and ended their Amazing Race journey.
The next episode was on Wednesday, October 22nd at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS. The episode 5 recap will be posted in several days.
1) Which answer choice is not a traditional name and meaning of Mount Everest?
A — Pittiputhisetrimadayinokki (“towering pillar of the cosmos”)
B — Sagarmatha (“head of the Earth touching heaven”)
C — Chomolungma (“goddess mother of the world”)
2) True or false: Minted in the year 1999, a gold commemorative coin issued by TÜRKIYE displays a denomination of 60,000,000 Lira.
3) Which gemstone is oftentimes the top export of the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC?
A — topaz
B — diamond
C — emerald
D — sapphire
ANSWERS
Question 1:
A . . . . . Pittiputhisetrimadayinokki (“towering pillar of the cosmos”)
Sidenote: The technically correct pronunciation of Mount Everest should be “eve-rest” instead of “ever-est,” based on how George Everest’s surname was pronounced. Therefore, the first syllable would rhyme with “sleeve” rather than “never.”
Question 2:
True
Question 3:
B . . . . . diamond
1) The Congo Pedicle is a foot-like panhandle region in the southeastern corner of the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO and situated near ZAMBIA. The pedicle area features a national park known as Demalisques de Leshwe, possibly named after the genus (damaliscus) of which animal?
A — sloth
B — aardvark
C — antelope
D — penguin
2) True or false: There is an island named Komodo in INDONESIA.
3) The third highest mountain the world is Kangchenjunga, a Himalayan peak standing over 8,500 meters and 28,000 feet tall. Kangchenjunga is situated on the border between INDIA and what mountainous country flying a double pennant shaped flag?
A — ARGENTINA
B — BANGLADESH
C — SWITZERLAND
D — NEPAL
ANSWERS
Question 1:
C . . . . . antelope
Question 2:
True . . . . . it is home to the world-renown Komodo dragon!
Question 3:
D . . . . . Nepal
1) Fill in the blank: along the mighty Zambezi River, _________ of ZAMBIA and ZIMBABWE is the world’s largest artificial lake by volume as of the year 2023.
A — Lake Baikal
B — Lake Kariba
C — Lake Tanganyika
2) True or false: The community of Nahwa in the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES is completely surrounded by Madhā in OMAN. Also, the doughnut-shaped territory of Madhā is surrounded by additional land of the United Arab Emirates.
3) Fill in the blank: standing at over 8,281 feet (2,524 meters) in elevation, the highest mountain of SRI LANKA is _________.
A — Dealul Balanesti
B — Pidurutalagala
C — Hombori Tondo
ANSWERS
Question 1:
B . . . . . Lake Kariba
Question 2:
True . . . . . Nahwa is rare phenomenon known as a counter-exclave — in which an exclave (Nahwa) is surrounded by another exclave (Madhā). Nahwa is the “egg yolk” to Madhā’s “egg white”!
Question 3:
B . . . . . Pidurutalagala
December’s GeoFact of the Day Blog quiz centers on the mighty and wonderful continent of Africa. After testing your African trivia prowess, you can further test your geographic knowledge (↗) with other geography quizzes from GeoFact of the Day. The answers to this quiz are listed below; enjoy and good luck!
1) Fill in the blank: the Tsodilo Hills in northwestern Botswana are nicknamed the “_________ of the Desert” for having more than 4,500 ancient rock paintings in the area!
A — Louvre
B — Lascaux
C — Paint Palette
2) True or false: the “official car” of the SEYCHELLES is the mini-moke, a Tonka Truck-style Jeep powered by the engine of a Mini brand car.
3) Fill in the blank: at the civilization’s societal peak, the kingdom of Meroe in present-day ___________ geographically stretched all the way to LEBANON and SYRIA.
A — BENIN
B — SUDAN
C — TANZANIA
4) In 2002, Swaziland’s parliament voted against a government request to buy a $50 million USD luxury jet for which of the following kings (two of the names below are fictional)?
A — King Mbabane XII
B — King Mswati III
C — King Mhlambanyatsinhlangano
5) During its heyday, the renowned university at Timbuktu gave approximately 25,000 scholars of all ages opportunities to study and learn. Where is Timbuktu?
A — MALI
B — LIBYA
C — EGYPT
D — MAURITANIA
6) Which of the following is not a typical ingredient in a slow-cooked stew known as calulu, the national dish of SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE?
A — eggplants
B — prawns and smoked fish
C — turnips
D — spices
7) The DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DR Congo) is Africa’s second largest country, containing a geographic area that is 36,330 square kilometers lower than ALGERIA’s area. DR Congo is also 80 times larger than neighboring BURUNDI and which other relatively small country?
A — CAMEROON
B — CHAD
C — NAMIBIA
D — RWANDA
ANSWERS
Question 1:
A . . . . . Louvre, named after the famous Paris art museum established in 1793
Question 2:
True
Question 3:
B . . . . . Sudan
Question 4:
B . . . . . King Mswati III
Question 5:
A . . . . . Mali
Question 6:
C . . . . . turnips
Question 7:
D . . . . . Rwanda
“Gently Down the Stream” Episode Description: Teams continue racing through Corsica, France, where each team member must try a piece of casu martzu.
Episode Airdate: Wednesday, February 9th, 2022 on CBS
On this episode of the The Amazing Race, teams remained on the island of Corsica — located southeast of mainland FRANCE but geographically closer to ITALY and Italy’s Sardinia island. After teams slept overnight in tents near the banks of the Tavignano river…
● They left Cardiccia and drove T-Roc convertibles south to the Tour de Fautea watchtower overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The previous episode and this episode both involve a dairy-related challenge. As the episode description indicates, every remaining contender in this season had to partake in eating casu martzu — let’s just say this cheese is not the most appetizing option available in the world! Lala, Lulu, and others were understandably gagging while trying to chow down the casu martzu. After entirely eating the mortifying morsel, teams encountered a…
● Detour, choice between “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Gently Down the Stream”: teams choosing the Row, Row option sailed in a transparent kayak and sought to unhook and gather ten fish decoys from the water. Teams then exchanged the fish for a clue. After catching eight of ten fish, Dusty and Ryan capsized when the kayak sunk and filled with water; they recovered the kayak and their fish and subsequently found the other two. The second Detour option includes the same style of colorful fish decoys, which are likely made of metal or plastic (or something else). Teams choosing the Gently Down the Stream option boarded an Aquavision tour boat, which resembles a submarine since passengers can look underwater at the landscape and aquatic life surrounding them. Teams memorized which fish decoys they saw in chronological order then chose the pictorial card containing the correct order of fish. Teams noted some of the fish by their resemblance to national flags: France (vertical blue/white/red stripes), Jamaica (green/gold/black), and Japan (white fish with red spot).
● After completing the fishy Detour, teams visited the marina (port de plaisance) in Bonifacio. Bonifacio is a community of more than 3,000 residents in the southernmost area of Corsica, although several places such as the Pertusato Lighthouse and the islands of Cavello, Lavezzu, and Piana (not to be confused with a Piana island off the northwest coast of Sardinia) are more southerly and southeasterly. In Bonifacio, teams encountered this episode’s…
● Roadblock (“Who’s Feeling Knotted Up?”): alongside the harbor on a wide sidewalk, one member on each team fixed the large gaping hole in a fishing net with the help of string and a knotting technique. Completing this Roadblock yielded a clue directing teams to spot the man dressed as emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and he would then lead teams to the apex of the chalky and picturesque…
● Pit Stop: Bonifacio Cliffs — 200 feet above the Mediterranean Sea
Season 33, Episode 7 Results
1st — Kim and Penn [same as previous episode]
1st place prize — vacation to TURKEY
2nd — Cayla and Raquel [same as previous episode]
3rd — Dusty and Ryan [same as previous episode]
4th — Lala and Lulu
5th — Arun and Natalia
Eliminated from the competition? No; non-elimination leg
Episode Info and Summary: Racers travel by private jet to Corsica, France, where they go canyoneering through the beautiful landscape of national rockslides, waterfalls, and rivers.
Episode Airdate: Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022 on CBS
On this episode of the The Amazing Race, teams flew about 400 kilometers (250 miles) southward from Lugano, SWITZERLAND to an island sparkling with stretches of sandy coastline and 200 beaches: Corsica in southeastern FRANCE. Once the contenders arrived in Corsica…
● They visited the Pont d’Altiani (Altiani Bridge), a 14th century bridge built in the Genovese architectural style inspired by the Italian city of Genoa. Speaking of Genoa, teams flew past the city and the rest of northwest ITALY in their journey from Switzerland to Corsica. Outside the city of Corte (Corti) in Corsica, teams encountered a…
● Detour, choice between “Say Cheese” or “Mule, Please”: teams choosing the Say Cheese option cooked up three baskets worth of fromage (cheese) by heating/curdling goat milk then delivering the finished product to a storage cellar. Dusty and Ryan had difficulty with this cheese challenge since the milk was not heating and curdling in a timely manner. They likely realized that “patience is a virtue” and decided to wait out the hours-long task to successful completion. Teams choosing the Mule, Please option strapped a harness with several milk transport cans onto their mule. The relatively cooperative mules then helped deliver the milk along a rugged trail to a fromagerie.
● After completing the cheesy Detour, teams visited Altipiani, an ecotourism agency at the Verghellu Canyon. Altipiani almost translates from Italian to English as “highlands” or plateaus.” Altipiani was the location of this episode’s…
● Roadblock (“Who Wants to Make a Splash?”): at Altipiani, one member on each team had to hike and travel via Tyrolean traverse (“slow zip-lining”) to a waterfall, find a waterproof clue, slide down what is basically a natural waterslide, and hike back to his or her teammate. During this Roadblock, several teams — including Dusty and Ryan who had difficulties with the cheesemaking Detour — surpassed Akbar who participated in this Roadblock. Sheri took a breather after completing several consecutive Roadblocks in previous episodes. Worried when other teams’ teammates arrived before Akbar, she yelled out “Booby, let’s go!” with a sense of urgency to a faraway Akbar who was practically miles away.
● The clue discovered at the Roadblock instructed teams to head to the 88.5-kilometer (55-mile) Tavignano river. Teams were tasked to inflate a plastic kayak and paddle up a portion of the river to the…
● Pit Stop: Cardiccia Dam
Season 33, Episode 6 Results
1st — Kim and Penn
1st place prize — $5,000 each
2nd — Cayla and Raquel
3rd — Dusty and Ryan
4th — Arun and Natalia
5th — Lala and Lulu
6th — Akbar and Sheri
Eliminated from the competition
Zzyzx is the last word listed in a dictionary! Just kidding — it definitely will not appear in any dictionary, but it is a whimsical “word” nonetheless! Previously known as Soda Springs and sitting at an elevation of approximately 933 feet, Zzyzx is the name of a sparsely populated unincorporated community found in the Mohave Desert. It is located in central San Bernardino County off the Zzyzx Road exit along Interstate 15. Zzyzx is pronounced as zye zix; zye sounds like the xy in xylophone, while zix rhymes with the number six. This barely existing community is home to the Desert Studies Center, Soda Dry Lake salt flat, Lake Tuendae, and abandoned structures of the former Zzyzx Springs health spa and resort. Managed by California State University, the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx is a place compiling research about climate, biology, archaeology, etc. in desert environments. The facility’s website is fullerton.edu/dsc (↗).
Founded by Curtis Howe Springer in 1944, the Zzyzx Springs health spa and resort was a two-story building with 60 rooms inside; this locale included a pool shaped like a cross and a boiler-heated “natural hot spring bath.” The town of Soda Springs was renamed to Zzyzx in the 1940s by Curtis, who joked that zzyzx is the last word listed in a dictionary! According to Jeopardy! game show winner and Maphead author Ken Jennings, Mr. Springer chose the name as an onomatopoeia that “sounded like sleep,” encouraging visitors to relax and unwind. Curtis’ capitalist explanation: the attention-grabbing name is a promotional gimmick to attract visitors to the area!
Mr. Springer proposed an artificial lake known as Lake Tuendae — which currently provides a home for an endangered fish species, the Mohave tui chub (Siphateles bicolor mohavensis). His resort’s short-lived success allowed Zzyzx to have other amenities, including a chapel, “Zyport” airstrip landing, radio broadcasting studio (Curtis was a Los Angeles radio deejay), and a street named Boulevard of Dreams lined with various homes including Curtis’ palace. Curtis claimed to offer miracle cures based on the area’s mineral water — at least providing oasis-like refreshments to patrons visiting the parched desert.
The resort was forced to close in the early 1970s by the federal government. Although Curtis owned a claim for mining rights, he did not properly acquire the federal land onto which the resort was built! Despite this legal quandary, the United States Board on Geographic Names met in June 1984 and officially approved Zzyzx for the town and Zzyzx Spring for a local stream. Both features are listed under Docket List 285 along with the Dumont Dunes landform in San Bernardino County. Because of this decision, Zzyzx lives on; Curtis’ legacy is still found “on the map” and on an Interstate exit sign!
This Season Finale episode is suitably named “This One is for One Million Dollars” as a direct quote from contestant Christie Woods, whose fellow team member is Colin Guinn. The three other teams competing in this episode are Nicole Franzel with Victor Arroyo, Korey Kuhl with Tyler Oakley, and Jamal Zadran with Leo Temory. Sorted by chronological order, here were the challenges and happenings encountered by the four remaining teams during the competition’s 11th leg in this June 26th, 2019 episode of The Amazing Race, UNITED STATES series:
● Departures: Since teammates Christie & Colin arrived to the Bovenwijde Lake island Pit Stop first in episode 10, they were allowed to begin this leg of the race before other teams at 10:13 PM Central European Time (CET) at night. In chronological order, the following teams were able to depart after Christie & Colin: Korey & Tyler at 11:35 PM, Jamal & Leo after midnight at 1:20 AM, and Nicole & Victor at 1:55 AM.
● After flying to London, teams visited the Gatwick Aviation Museum and then found out the location for helicopter rides. Once in a helicopter, teams took a scenic journey over the prominent English Channel chalk cliffs known as the Seven Sisters and flew to Dover Castle.
● Roadblock: Upon arriving at Dover Castle, one member of each Amazing Race team — Christie, Korey, Leo, and Victor — deciphered an alphanumeric code by listening to a Neville Chamberlain speech and detecting the fourth, fifteenth, and thirtieth (4th, 15th, and 30th) words he spoke. The letters from these words are then decrypted into specific numbers, and these numbers correspond to three-letter groupings. Teams had to rearrange these final letters to form a sentence: “The Dunkirk evacuation has begun. We will never surrender.” This wartime message was then printed on a typewriter, and teams handed the message over to a military official outside the Dover Castle.
● Teams flew back to London via helicopter and walked (or ran) to the Masthouse Terrace Pier, located on the Isle of Dogs in the Thames river.
● Teams sailed on the Thames in a speedboat to Savoy Pier then found their way to the Piccadilly Circus, a road junction and public space in the borough/city of Westminster. A “queen” clad in gold attire gave the teams their clue to arrive at the Detour.
● Detour, choice between “Know” and “Row”: Jamal & Leo, Korey & Tyler, and Nicole & Victor chose the Know Detour. They took a taxi and, according to the taxi driver’s instructions, memorized fifteen streets and seven landmarks. They found the Master of carriage drivers along Kensington Road and had to correctly recite these locations to him. Christie & Colin chose the Row Detour, in which they rowed a double scull boat for 200 meters. They had to complete this exercise within one minute to receive a clue.
● Pit Stop: Teams visited the Camden Market in search for the Pit Stop, but they had to recreate a window display using items they bought from market stores. When their displays are determined to be accurately copied, teams were able to check in to the nearby Pit Stop. Engaged (and soon to be married) couple Nicole & Victor were eliminated from The Amazing Race competition due to arriving last at the Pit Stop.
● Interesting trivia notes: Jamal & Leo were celebrated for becoming The Amazing Race’s first team ever to achieve a final four placement and complete the penultimate race leg three times; this is their third season of competition. Both men also passed Rachel Reilly-Villegas’ record of playing the most legs (episodes) of The Amazing Race. After Brendon & Rachel and Cody & Jessica from previous seasons, Nicole & Victor became the third CBS Big Brother team to reach the season-finale episode.
Season 31, Episode 11, Leg #11/12
First, Second, Third, and Last Places at the Pit Stop
1st — Jamal Zadran and Leo Temory
1st place prize — nothing, unfortunately
2nd — Korey Kuhl and Tyler Oakley
3rd — Christie Woods and Colin Guinn
Last (4th) — Nicole Franzel and Victor Arroyo
Eliminated from the competition? Yes
About 80 kilometers northeast of Riyadh, the Ad Dahnā’ (Dahana) desert forms a boomerang in northeastern SAUDI ARABIA. According to the interactive map hosted on the GeoNames website (↗), over ninety (90) rippling dunes in the Ad Dahnā’ desert have names. Some of these dunes include Adh Dhaylīyah, Al Hidb al Qur’, Dughayyimat al Humrānī, ‘Irq ‘Anz, ‘Irq ash Shāwīyah, ‘Irq Sirū, ‘Irq Widd, Jadhmā’ Jahām, Jadhmā’ Mahraqah, Jaww Hijlān, Qira‘at ‘Imir, Umm al ‘Izām, ‘Urayq al Khalf, ‘Urūq al Jadhm, Zibārat Julayyil, Zibārat Munīfah, Zibārat Nājī, Zibārat Şaffāqah, and Zibāyir ar Ruwaykib. Searching for "Ad Dahna" images on your favorite search engine brings up typical desert-photo subjects: camels, lizards, and of course lots of orange-tinted sand!
Formerly located off the west coast of Gozo (Ghawdex) island in MALTA, the Azure Window was a limestone arch prominently featured in the Game of Thrones fantasy drama TV series, The Count of Monte Cristo movie, and Clash of the Titans film. Also natively known as Tieqa tad-Dwejra, the arch collapsed due to a combination of wind and wave erosion — with a possible culprit of chemical erosion from pollution-related particles — on Wednesday, March 8th, 2017. Whether or not they previously had the chance to visit Azure Window, some Maltese citizens are quite saddened to know of the loss of a cherished landmark. A video, photographs, and more details can be found on this Times of Malta webpage (↗).
The park’s towering landmark is Golem Korab – the highest mountain in Albania and Macedonia. By the way, the exact height of this mountain is disputed by 10 meters. Online Macedonian info sources note that Korab’s height is 2754 meters (9035 feet), although the pointy peak is also said to be 2764 meters. Regardless, Korab is arguably one of the most awesome features of the republic and therefore a fitting centerpiece for Macedonia’s coat of arms! Other towering peaks along the Macedonia-Albania border include Krchin or Krčin (2343 m), Plocha (2233 m), and Velivar (2373 m). Krchin and Velivar are the tallest peaks on Deshat (Dešat) mountain, essentially guarding over yellow wildflowers in the photo below. Another spectacular sight to see is Mavrovo Lake, a 13.7-km² area destination for enjoying blissful views. In summary, a trip to Macedonia would not be complete without exploring Mavrovo National Park!
Featuring a generally hilly terrain and large stands of forests, the small Republic of SAN MARINO is completely surrounded by Italy. While Italy is known for its plethora of world-renown tourist attractions, San Marino also attracts visitors to its historic sites and recreational areas. Hikers and mountain bikers might decide to trek up the Apennines (Appennini) mountain range as well as San Marino's highest peak, located in south-central San Marino. Monte Titano (Mount Titan) stands at about 740 meters and 2,425 feet in elevation near the capital city, San Marino (colloquially known as Città).
Between the towns of Aquaviva and San Marino in northwestern San Marino, San Marino Adventures amusement park features 26 trails, rock climbing, and obstacle courses through the local forest. This tourist attraction dubs itself as, "Il parco avventura più grande della riviera adríatica," or "The biggest adventure park on the Adriatic coast."
There is some controversy when it comes to documenting the highest point of LUXEMBOURG, a tiny monarchy in Western Europe. What cannot be disputed is the fact that the two commonly accepted highest points are located about 1.05 kilometers and 0.6 miles down the road from each other, separated by the town of Knauf near Op d'Burrigplatz Road. Located to the west of the other high point (east of Huldange town), the hill of Buurgplatz (Burrigplatz) has traditionally been known as Luxembourg's highest point. It stands at 559 meters and 1834 feet in elevation and boasts two features: a peaked cylindrical tower and a boastful sign claiming Buurgplatz as the highest point! Meanwhile, Kneiff hill stands only one more meter (about 1837 feet) taller than Buurgplatz. Both hilly points are located in Northern Luxembourg near the Belgium border.
More Information about Luxembourg »
Known as Cerro Venamo in the Spanish language, Mount Venamo stands 1,890 meters and 6,201 feet in elevation on the border between GUYANA and VENEZUELA. Also named Waukauyengtipu (“mountain of the butterfly’s place”) by Arekuma Amerindians, Mt. Venamo is located in the Pakaraima mountain range, in western Guyana’s Cuyuni-Mazaruni region (formerly Mazaruni Potaro), and in eastern Venezuela’s Bolívar state. The headwaters of the Venamo (Wenamu) River flow northward along the Guyana-Venezuela border for about 120 kilometers — until it reaches the Cuyuni River, which then flows to the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, the snowless mountain can be nearly accessible on Venezuela National Highway 10 and is found in Venezuela’s Parque Nacional Canaima (Canaima National Park).
View Larger Map (↗) — View Bird's Eye (↗)
Famously known as the Cradle of Mankind, the Olduvai Gorge in northern TANZANIA's Arusha Region is a steep ravine with an west-east length of over 14 kilometers or about 9 miles. The Olduvai Gorge and Ngorongoro Crater serve as brilliant landscape gems within the rural Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in the year 1979. The Olduvai Gorge is a hotbed for fossil discoveries, especially those regarding humans' ancient history (paleoanthropology). Ngorongoro Crater is located northwest of the gorge, while the eastern part of Lake Eyasi is south of it.
Serving as the highest point in the East African country DJIBOUTI, Mousa Ali (Mousâ'alli) is a stratovolcano standing 2,021 meters and 6,131 feet tall. It is specifically located along a three-nation border point, connecting Djibouti's northern border with ETHIOPIA's northeastern border and ERITREA's southeastern border. Mousa Ali is fortunately dormant and has not erupted for thousands of years. Even better, the volcano is in a low-populated area away from major settlements. Communities located multiple kilometers and miles away from the relatively safe volcano include Dorra in Djibouti, Vann (over 20 miles away) in Eritrea, and Bure and Manda in Ethiopia.
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