Question 1 of 20Mountain rangesEasy
Mountains, deserts and volcanoes quiz
Climb the world's highest peaks, cross its emptiest sands and peer into some famously explosive craters. Twenty questions on mountains, deserts, volcanoes and glaciers, with a fact to take away from every answer.
A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Mighty Geography Quiz Book.
Question 2 of 20VolcanoesEasy
Which volcano in Washington State erupted catastrophically on 18 May 1980?
Question 3 of 20DesertsMedium
Defining a desert by how little precipitation it receives, which is the largest desert on Earth?
Question 4 of 20VolcanoesEasy
Mount Etna, one of Europe's tallest active volcanoes, is on which island?
Question 5 of 20Highest peaksMedium
K2, the world's second-highest mountain, is in which mountain range?
Question 6 of 20VolcanoesHard
The 1816 'Year Without a Summer' in Europe and North America followed the 1815 eruption of which volcano?
Question 7 of 20VolcanoesMedium
Which Hawaiian volcano is the largest active volcano on Earth?
Question 8 of 20VolcanoesEasy
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, which grounded flights across Europe, happened in which country?
Question 9 of 20Mountain rangesMedium
Which mountain range separates the Sahara from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of north-west Africa?
Question 10 of 20Highest peaksHard
Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain on any island in the world, stands on which island?
Question 11 of 20Highest peaksMedium
Measured above sea level, what is the highest mountain in South America?
Question 12 of 20GlaciersEasy
What name is given to a long, narrow, steep-sided sea inlet carved by a glacier, like those along Norway's coast?
Question 13 of 20VolcanoesHard
Which volcano's 1883 eruption produced what is thought to be the loudest sound ever recorded?
Question 14 of 20Highest peaksMedium
Mount Elbrus, usually counted as Europe's highest mountain, is the highest peak of which range?
Question 15 of 20DesertsMedium
The Namib, often called the world's oldest desert, runs along the coast of which ocean?
Question 16 of 20Highest peaksEasy
North America's highest mountain, known as Denali or Mount McKinley, is in which US state?
Question 17 of 20Highest peaksHard
After Kilimanjaro, which is Africa's second-highest mountain?
Question 18 of 20VolcanoesMedium
Mount Pinatubo, whose 1991 eruption was one of the largest of the 20th century, is in which country?
Question 19 of 20DesertsMedium
The Rub' al Khali, the largest area of continuous sand in the world, is better known in English by what name?
Question 20 of 20GlaciersHard
Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier, famous for its towering ice wall, lies in which region?
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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- Which mountain range forms the border between France and Spain? PyreneesThe tiny landlocked country of Andorra sits high in the eastern part of the range, between the two nations.
- Which volcano in Washington State erupted catastrophically on 18 May 1980? Mount St HelensThe eruption and the huge landslide that triggered it lowered the mountain's summit by about 400 m (1,300 ft).
- Defining a desert by how little precipitation it receives, which is the largest desert on Earth? AntarcticaAt about 14 million km², it is roughly half as big again as the Sahara, the largest hot desert.
- Mount Etna, one of Europe's tallest active volcanoes, is on which island? SicilyAlmost constantly active, it is one of the busiest volcanoes in the world and was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2013.
- K2, the world's second-highest mountain, is in which mountain range? KarakoramStraddling the Pakistan–China border, it was first climbed in 1954 by Italians Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni.
- The 1816 'Year Without a Summer' in Europe and North America followed the 1815 eruption of which volcano? TamboraOn the island of Sumbawa, it was the most powerful eruption in recorded history and cut the mountain's height by about a third.
- Which Hawaiian volcano is the largest active volcano on Earth? Mauna LoaIts Hawaiian name means 'Long Mountain'. In 2022 it erupted for the first time since 1984.
- The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, which grounded flights across Europe, happened in which country? IcelandAbout 20 countries closed their airspace, affecting roughly 10 million travelers, the worst air-travel disruption since the Second World War.
- Which mountain range separates the Sahara from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of north-west Africa? Atlas MountainsIts highest peak, Toubkal in Morocco, reaches 4,167 m (13,671 ft).
- Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain on any island in the world, stands on which island? New GuineaAbout 4,884 m tall, it was first climbed in 1962 by a team that included Heinrich Harrer, author of Seven Years in Tibet.
- Measured above sea level, what is the highest mountain in South America? AconcaguaIt is the highest mountain anywhere outside Asia. Although built from volcanic rock, it is no longer an active volcano.
- What name is given to a long, narrow, steep-sided sea inlet carved by a glacier, like those along Norway's coast? FjordNorway's Sognefjord, its longest and deepest, runs about 205 km inland and plunges to 1,308 m below sea level.
- Which volcano's 1883 eruption produced what is thought to be the loudest sound ever recorded? KrakatoaThe blast was heard about 4,800 km away on Rodrigues, an island near Mauritius.
- Mount Elbrus, usually counted as Europe's highest mountain, is the highest peak of which range? CaucasusIt is a dormant volcano with two summits; the western one, at 5,642 m, is about 21 m higher than the eastern.
- The Namib, often called the world's oldest desert, runs along the coast of which ocean? AtlanticSome dunes near Sossusvlei exceed 300 m, and certain beetles survive by collecting droplets from the coastal fog on their backs.
- North America's highest mountain, known as Denali or Mount McKinley, is in which US state? AlaskaIt rises about 5,500 m (18,000 ft) from its base, a bigger base-to-summit rise than Everest's.
- After Kilimanjaro, which is Africa's second-highest mountain? Mount KenyaThe country takes its name from this extinct volcano, whose highest peak, Batian, reaches 5,199 m.
- Mount Pinatubo, whose 1991 eruption was one of the largest of the 20th century, is in which country? PhilippinesIt pumped about 20 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere, cooling global temperatures by around 0.5 °C from 1991 to 1993.
- The Rub' al Khali, the largest area of continuous sand in the world, is better known in English by what name? The Empty QuarterExplorer Wilfred Thesiger crossed it twice between 1946 and 1948 and described his journeys in the book Arabian Sands.
- Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier, famous for its towering ice wall, lies in which region? PatagoniaFrom time to time the glacier blocks an arm of Lago Argentino; the trapped water rises by up to 30 m before bursting through the ice.
