January 2023 Africa Trivia Quiz

Happy New Year! January 2023’s continental quiz is a continuation of the Africa GeoQuiz in December of last year. After testing your African trivia prowess, you can further test your geographic knowledge (↗) with other geography quizzes from GeoFact of the Day. The answers are listed below; enjoy and good luck!

1)      Fill in the blank: _________ from desert land in present-day MALI was once so highly prized that an ounce of this resource carried the same value as an ounce of gold!
A — sand
B — salt
C — pepper

2)      True or false: the Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti grassland region, and Mount Kilimanjaro are all notable landscape features of northern UGANDA.

3)      The naming (etymology) of BURKINA FASO translates in English to “land of the honest men” as well as “land of the _________.”
A — liars
B — incorruptible
C — brazen

4)      Fill in the blank: tucked in the northeast corner of EQUATORIAL GUINEA, Ebebiyín is a “corner city” of about 36,000 residents near _________ as well as GABON.
A — CAMEROON
B — DJIBOUTI
C — LESOTHO
D — MADAGASCAR

5)      MAURITIUS is one of the first countries around the globe to convert a relatively unconventional material to generate electricity. Steam turbines powered by this crop produce up to one fifth (1/5) of the island’s electricity during the annual harvest season! Which crop is especially used in Mauritius for energy needs?
A — broccoli
B — sugarcane
C — plantains
D — guava, mangoes, and papaya

6)      True or false: Lake Togo gave the country of TOGO its name. Togo is derived from the Ewe word togodo, meaning “behind the lake.”

7)      One provincial name in SOUTH AFRICA translates from the Sotho language into English as the “place of gold.” Which is the correct province?
A — Gauteng
B — Kwazulu-Natal
C — Western Cape



















ANSWERS

Question 1:
B . . . . . salt

Question 2:
False . . . . . northern Tanzania

Question 3:
B . . . . . incorruptible

Question 4:
A . . . . . Cameroon

Question 5:
B . . . . . sugarcane

Question 6:
True

Question 7:
A . . . . . Gauteng

Tanzania's Union Day

Tanzanians all across the Republic of TANZANIA celebrated Union Day on April 26th. Last December 9th, they celebrated their country's almost 60 years of sovereignty on Independence Day. During the first Independence Day in 1961 and for several years later, present-day Tanzania was known as Tanganyika.

Tanzania is Known for...

●    Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro
●    Dhow sailboats
●    Its wildlife
●    Karibu (Welcome)
●    Red-garbed Maasai warriors
●    Safaris
●    Serengeti (extends into a small portion of Kenya)
●    Zanzibar’s carved doorways

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Tanzania Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org) and MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of TANZANIA: bananas, beauty products, beverages, Brazil nuts, cashews, cassava, cement, cigarettes, clothing and textiles, cloves, coal, coconuts, coffee, corn (maize), cotton, diamonds and other gemstones, engines, essential oil, fertilizer (especially pyrethrum), footwear, furniture, gently used clothing, glass bottles, gold, iron ore, natural gas, nickel, pesticides, phosphates, plaster items, plastic housewares, refined petroleum (small amounts), salt, seafood, sisal, soap, soda ash, tea, textile fibers, tin, tobacco, wheat, and wood products. According to February 2017 statistics from the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports include India (top importer), China, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, Comoros, Vietnam, Zambia, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Burundi, Italy, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Malawi, Australia, Russia, and Mozambique.

Tanzania Languages

According to Ethnologue, people in the United Republic of TANZANIA communicate with a total of 175 "living languages" throughout the country. As of 2017, there are no official national languages — there would be too many choices to choose from! Tanzanian languages are mostly derived from African, Indic (Indian/South Asian), and European influences. Most languages correspond with its namesake ethnic group or tribe. With over 100,000 communicators each, major languages include Asu (500,000 writers/speakers), Bena (670,000), English (4,000,000), Fipa (195,000), Gogo (1,930,000), Gujarati (250,000), Hangaza (200,000), Haya (1,740,000), Hehe (1,080,000), Iraqu (a.k.a. Mbulu; 462,000), Jita (205,000), Kagulu (241,000), Kerewe (Ekikerebe or Urukerebe; 100,000), Kikwaya (Kwaya; 115,000), Kuria (Kurya; 430,000), Langi (410,000), Luguru (692,000), Luo (140,000), Masai (613,000), Machame (300,000), Makhuwa-Meetto (Chimakua, Emakhua, and Makhuwa; 518,000), Makonde (1,320,000), Mambwe-Lungu (295,000), Matengo (150,000)...

...Mochi (Chaga and Moshi; 597,000), Mwera (469,000), Ndali (150,000), Ndendeule (110,000), Ngindo (220,000), Ngoni (170,000), Ngulu (132,000), Nilamba (613,000), Nyakyusa-Ngonde (1,080,000), Nyambo (400,000), Nyamwezi (1,320,000), Nyaturu (801,000), Nyiha (246,000), Omani Arabic (195,000), Pogolo (185,000), Rufiji (200,000), Safwa (158,000), Shambala (664,000), Shubi (153,000), Suba-Simbiti (113,000), Sukuma (7,300,000), Sumbwa (191,000), Swahili (47,000,000), Tanzanian Sign Language (278,000), Vunjo (300,000), Yao (566,000), Zanaki (100,000), Zigula (355,000), and Zinza (138,000). The Aasáx, Akie, Gweno, Ngasa, Segeju, and Zaramo languages are considered dying and near-extinct because of low native-speaker populations. At least three languages are considered extinct with no native communicators: Kw'adza and Mosiro.

Tanzania Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for TANZANIA in East Africa lists 1 extinct species (Pangani Haplo cichlid fish, possibly still living), 1 extinct-in-the-wild species (Kihansi Spray Toad), 165 critically endangered species, and 373 endangered species. Critically endangered species in Tanzania include the Amani Forest Frog, Karomo cichlid fish, Morogoro Pretty Grasshopper, Kipunji monkey, Nguru Spiny Pygmy Chameleon, Nike’s Squeaker Frog, Overlooked Squeaker Frog, Rondo Dwarf Galago, Singidia Tilapia fish, Tiny Squeaker Frog, Turquoise Dwarf Gecko (some have a vibrant color!), Uluguru Bush Shrike bird, and Zanzibar Giant Forest Grasshopper. Endangered species include the Amani Sunbird, Giant East Usambara Blade-Horned Chameleon, Jagos Monkey Grasshopper, Keith's Striped Frog, Kihaule's Mouse Shrew, Lake Magadi Tilapia, Lake Salmon, Loveridge's Sunbird, Magombera Single-horned Chameleon, Minute Tree Toad, Sokoke Pipit bird, Sokoke Scops Owl, Spiny-Sided Chameleon, Tanganyika Lates fish, Tanzanian Coast Grasshopper, Tanzania Screeching Frog, Tanzanian Woolly Bat, Udzungwa Forest Partridge, Uluguru Limbless Skink, Uluguru Slender Grasshopper, Usambara Spotted Worm Snake, Uvinza Grasshopper, Victoria Stonebasher, and Zanzibar Red Colobus.

Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

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.

Countries with Z in their Names

There are sixteen countries with Z in their names. Two countries start with the letter Z: Zambia and Zimbabwe. Other countries with the letter Z in their names are Azerbaijan, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique, New Zealand, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. Zaire was a former Z country, but that became the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Changes in Capital Cities Over the Years

Over the years, a few nations have changed their capitals. For example, PALAU changed its capital from Koror to Melekeok in 2006, while MYANMAR (Burma) changed its capital from Rangoon (Yangon) to Naypyidaw (Nay Pyi Taw). Other countries that changed their capitals include NIGERIA (Lagos » Abuja), TANZANIA (Dar es Salaam » Dodoma), YEMEN {Aden (capital of South Yemen) + Sana'a (capital of North Yemen) » Sanaa (capital of united Yemen)}, among many others. New countries obviously have formed, also; KOSOVO formed in 2008, while there is expected to be a new country on July 9, 2011. This new country, SOUTH SUDAN (the capital being Juba), is expected to formally become independent from SUDAN (Update: it did become independent in July 2011).

Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, shares borders with Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Not only that, but Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world and the largest lake near the Equator, between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. It is the second largest freshwater lake in the world (Lake Superior is the only larger freshwater lake). Also neat about Lake Victoria is the fact that there are around 3000 islands in it! This lake is named after Queen Victoria.

Tanzania

Map Credit: © Maps of the World (mapsofworld.com)
Click on map to enlarge it in a lightbox window.

A prominent destination for adventures including safaris, the United Republic of TANZANIA (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania) is a country situated in Eastern Africa and west of the Indian Ocean. There are 7 bordering countries: Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. It also borders Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Nyasa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located across from Lake Tanganyika. Worthwhile environmental destinations in Tanzania include the aforementioned lakes, Zanzibar and Pemba islands in the east, Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti plain, and Olduvai Gorge. The current capital is Dodoma, and the former capital was located at Dar es Salaam. The currency is the Tanzanian Shilling, and its ISO 4217 currency code is TZS.

Nile River

The Nile River is sometimes known as the longest river in the world — contending with the Amazon River for the longest river designation. The Nile River stretches for more than 4,100 miles and almost 6,600 miles long! The Nile and its major tributaries — the Blue Nile (east) and White Nile (south) — runs through 11 countries in Africa: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The northern and main portion of the Nile is found in Egypt and Sudan. The Blue Nile predominantly flows through Ethiopia and Sudan. The White Nile is especially wide in South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.