Geography Game

rhombus · **Reply #2920 on:** January 22, 2014, 02:25:14 PM

Alberta is one of Canada's three prairie provinces, and is the one with the highest population. It has one of the strongest overall economies in Canada, being dependent upon natural gas, oil, and other petrochemical industries. It is also one of the most conservative provinces within Canada, with conservative governments having been elected for most of the previous 80 years.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2921 on:** January 24, 2014, 08:42:31 PM

Augusta - Capital of Maine. It was settled in 1754 as Fort Western and incorporated in 1797 as Harrington, which was changed to Augusta a few months later. It became the state capital in 1827, seven years after Maine became a state. With a population just under 20,000 it is the third smallest state capital in the U.S., after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota.

rhombus · **Reply #2922 on:** January 26, 2014, 06:48:16 PM

Alderney is the most northern of the Channel Islands. It is a small island of roughly 3 square miles in area. It only has a population of 1903 people as of the most recent population estimate. During World War II the entire population of the island was evacuated, but many people who decided to evacuate by their own means ended up trapped on Guernsey during the German occupation of the Channel Islands.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2923 on:** February 06, 2014, 09:56:48 PM

Yekaterinburg - Formerly known as Sverdlovsk in Soviet times, it is the fourth largest city in Russia. It is located on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains, which divide Europe and Asia. It is also in this city where the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family were killed by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918.

rhombus · **Reply #2924 on:** February 08, 2014, 06:51:35 PM

Greater Caucasus is the most prominent mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains. It stretches across a wide area from Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea. The watershed of this range is generally consider the boundary between Eastern Europe and Asia.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2925 on:** February 11, 2014, 10:45:32 PM

Sochi - Site of the currently ongoing Winter Olympic games. It is already likely to be the warmest Winter Games on record, with the latest heatwave reaching up to 60F. The most likely reason for such warm weather is due to its location on the eastern shore of the Black Sea.

rhombus · **Reply #2926 on:** February 12, 2014, 10:52:28 PM

Incheon (or Inchon) is a city located in South Korea. It is famous for the site of the Battle of Inchon during the Korean War, which resulted in a decisive victory for UN forces. It has since led Korea's economic development as a major port city and as the site of South Korea's first Free Economic Zone, which gives businesses special incentives in order to encourage investment.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2927 on:** February 19, 2014, 09:12:50 PM

Nepal - A small country located along the Himalayas between India and China. Most famous for having the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. This country is also unique for having the only non-rectangular national flag in the world, as well as a time zone of UTC +5:45, one of only two time zones in the world with a 45-minute increment from UTC (the other being the Chatham Islands east of New Zealand).

rhombus · **Reply #2928 on:** February 23, 2014, 11:37:57 PM

Lesotho is a small landlocked that is surrounded entirely by South Africa. It is one of the few constitutional monarchies in Africa, with Swaziland being less a constitutional monarchy, but a more absolutist one. It is currently afflicted with one of the worst AIDS epidemics in the world, with nearly one third of its population having the HIV virus. Due to this problem, and numerous other difficulties, there is a movement called the People's Charter Movement that seeks the annexation of the country by South Africa.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2929 on:** February 26, 2014, 08:40:45 PM

Orlando - The fifth largest city in Florida, and also a very popular tourist destination. Its most famous tourist destination, Walt Disney World, first opened in 1971. The resort was built in this city because of its inland location, which helps to minimize damage from hurricanes.

rhombus · **Reply #2930 on:** February 27, 2014, 09:40:12 PM

Okinawa Prefecture includes hundreds of islands in the Ryukyu Island chain. The principal inhabitated islands are those of the Okinawa Island group, with the Miyako Islands and Yaeyama Islands being less populated. The islands were the site of the Battle of Okinawa during World War 2, in which over 12,000 allied troops and 111,000 Japanese troops died. During that battle and its immediate aftermath, over a quarter of the population of the islands died. From the end of the war the islands were under American administration, but they were returned to Japanese administration in 1972. To this day, over 18% of the main island is occupied by American military bases.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2931 on:** March 12, 2014, 07:45:18 PM

Arecibo - A municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, about 50 miles west of the capital city of San Juan. It is the site of the Arecibo Observatory, which was built in 1963 and has the world's largest radio telescope.

rhombus · **Reply #2932 on:** March 12, 2014, 08:51:55 PM

Olney is a small town in Richard County, Illinois. It has two minor claims to fame. For one, it was just south of the population center of the United States as of the 1950 census. Secondly, it is known for its population of white squirrels. Two separate residents (William Stroup and Jasper C. Banks) acquired albino squirrels and raised them in captivity in 1902. After a change in state legislation in 1910, the confinement of wildlife was prohibited and the squirrels were released. In the intervening years a variety of town ordinances have been passed in order to protect the squirrels. Among other things the albino squirrels have the right-of-way on all public streets and there is a $750 fine for running one over.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2933 on:** March 15, 2014, 08:52:51 PM

Yellowknife - Capital and largest city of Northwest Territories, Canada. It was first settled after the discovery of gold in the area in the mid 1930s, though it didn't become the capital city until 1967. The local mining industry shifted focus after the discovery of diamonds just north of the city in 1991. Yellowknife is so remote that it wasn't until November 2012 that a permanent continuous road was built connecting the city to the rest of Canada.

rhombus · **Reply #2934 on:** March 16, 2014, 10:08:35 PM

El Paso is a city is western Texas that stands on the opposite side of the Rio Grande from Ju·rez, Chihuahua, Mexico. It is a major repository of military and governmental agencies. Among other agencies, it contains William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Biggs Army Airfield, and Fort Bliss. It also is a major cultural center in the southwestern United States, containing the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Abraham Chavez Theatre, Plaza Theatre, the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, and many other artistic and cultural events.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2935 on:** March 18, 2014, 08:55:17 PM

Oregon - Nicknamed the Beaver State, it is the 9th largest and 27th most populous state in the United States. It became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859. Its most densely populated area is the Willamette River Valley in the western part of the state, which includes the cities of Eugene, the state capital Salem, and the state's largest city Portland.

rhombus · **Reply #2936 on:** March 20, 2014, 12:16:04 AM

Nagasaki is a city on Kyushu island in Japan. The city was actually founded by the Portuguese in the late 1500s. The city then became a hub of trade and European influence for the next several centuries. It is, of course, infamous for being the last city to date to have experienced an attack by nuclear weapons. The attack by the plutonium-based implosion weapon codenamed "Fat Man" resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 individuals. The city was rebuilt after the war and remains a port city.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2937 on:** March 26, 2014, 09:40:25 PM

Israel - A small country in the Middle East. It's population is an exception to the region due to its large Jewish population, especially in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Ever since independence in 1948, Israel has been at the heart of many wars and conflicts, and currently occupies the neighboring territories of West Bank, Gaza, and Golan Heights.

rhombus · **Reply #2938 on:** April 01, 2014, 09:54:29 PM

Louisiana is the 18th state to join the United States, with its day of admission being April 30, 1812. The land which currently makes up the state of Louisiana was purchased in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the size of the young country. It joined the confederacy in the Civil War, but was quickly defeated as the United States wanted to cut the confederacy in two by capturing and securing the Mississippi River. It still retains many unique cultures within its borders due to French, Spanish, African, and Native American influence during its history. This unique cultural amalgamations include Creole, Cajun, and IsleÒo culture.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2939 on:** April 08, 2014, 08:52:15 PM

Abu Dhabi - Capital of the United Arab Emirates. Although many ancient civilizations have existed here, the modern city was first founded in the late 18th century. Before oil was discovered in the late 1930s, the local economy was dominated by the pearl trade. Today, among the world's largest producers of oil, it is also considered one of the richest cities in the world.