Geography Game

rhombus · **Reply #2900 on:** November 24, 2013, 03:42:02 PM

Alton, Illinois is a city on the Mississippi River in south central Illinois. It is known for being important in the Camp Jackson Affair, which challenged the neutrality of Missouri and led to the eviction of its Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson from office. During that incident, the weapons in the St. Louis arsenal were sent to Alton to avoid them falling into confederate hands, as it was believed that the Governor planned to use the state militia to attack the arsenal. It is also the birthplace of the famous jazz musician Miles Davis.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2901 on:** December 02, 2013, 09:32:21 PM

New Zealand - A large island country in the southwest Pacific Ocean. First inhabited over 700 years ago, it was one of the last major landmasses to be settled by humans. When Dutch explorers discovered the region, they named it after the Dutch province of Zeeland. It's native Maori name is Aotearoa, which means "land of the long white cloud". The country consists of two major islands, the names of which were never actually formalized until just earlier this year. Officially known as North Island and South Island, their Maori names (Te Ika-a-Maui and Te Waipounamu respectively) are also officially recognized.

rhombus · **Reply #2902 on:** December 04, 2013, 09:46:31 PM

Dunkirk is a city (officially a commune) in northern France. It is famous as the site of the Battle of Dunkirk in World War II and the subsequent Dunkirk evacuation, which freed over 300,000 allied troops who were stranded at the Port of Dunkirk.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2903 on:** December 08, 2013, 12:30:30 AM

Kyoto - A city in Japan. It's name means "Capital City". It was the capital of Japan from the 8th century AD until 1869, when the imperial court was moved to Tokyo. During WWII, it was one of the cities considered by the U.S. on which to drop one of the atomic bombs. Not only did it avoid such a terrible fate, it was also mostly spared from conventional bombing, making it one of very few cities in Japan to have a lot of prewar buildings still standing.

rhombus · **Reply #2904 on:** December 08, 2013, 11:35:02 PM

Oak Ridge, Tennessee is a city about 25 miles outside of Knoxville. Many of the original residents of the area were evicted by order of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in order to form the Oak Ridge settlement. Oak Ridge was the site of numerous plants which were used to separate Uranium 235 from Uranium ore. The work conducted at this site was essential for the development of the atom bomb. More recently, the city is currently the site of the world's fastest supercomputer, the Titan.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2905 on:** December 10, 2013, 10:40:15 PM

Edinburgh - Capital of Scotland. Became known as the "Athens of the North" during the Scottish Enlightenment of the late 18th century. Political power was moved to London after the Treaty of Union united the kingdoms of England and Scotland in 1707, but the Scotland Act of 1998 reintroduced a devolved Scottish Parliament.

rhombus · **Reply #2906 on:** December 11, 2013, 06:32:42 PM

Harrisburg, Illinois is the county seat of Saline County in Illinois. It is the site of a multiplex between several highways, including U.S. Route 45, Illinois Route 13, Illinois Route 145, and Illinois Route 34, making it an important way-point before entering the Shawnee National Forest. It attracted news headlines last year when it was the target of a large EF4 tornado, that destroyed multiple homes and businesses.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2907 on:** December 12, 2013, 09:30:21 PM

Gettysburg - County seat of Adams County, Pennsylvania. First settled in 1780 and later incorporated in 1806. Know for the famous Civil War battle that took place there on July 1-3, 1863, as well as Lincoln's address on November 19 later that same year. Today, it has a population of 7,620, and its biggest industry is tourism for the historic sites.

rhombus · **Reply #2908 on:** December 15, 2013, 06:12:44 PM

Geneva is the second-most populated city in Switzerland and it serves as the capital of the Swiss canton of Geneva. It is an international center of diplomacy due to the fact that many international agencies have set up their headquarters in Geneva, including the Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, and the World Trade Organization.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2909 on:** December 16, 2013, 09:48:32 PM

Athens - Capital and largest city of Greece, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. A powerful city-state in the Classical Era, it is regarded as the cradle of Western Civilization, and the birthplace of Democracy. The modern city was made capital of Greece soon after its independence in 1834. The city hosted the first Olympic Games in 1896, and later hosted them a second time in 2004.

rhombus · **Reply #2910 on:** December 17, 2013, 01:59:04 PM

Springfield is the current capital of the US state of Illinois. It was preceded by the former capitals of Kaskaskia and Vandalia. Besides the sixth Illinois State Capitol (the current one) and the fifth Illinois State Capitol (currently used as an historical site) the city also contains many other notable buildings, including the Hoogland Center for the Arts, which is the home of Springfield Theatre Centre, the Springfield Ballet Company, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and the Springfield Municipal Opera. The city also lays claim to the invention of the corn dog, although there is considerable controversy and multiple counter-claimants to that claim.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2911 on:** December 18, 2013, 09:50:30 PM

Dover - Capital of Delaware. Founded in 1683 by William Penn, and later incorporated as a city in 1717. The state capital was moved to here from Newcastle in 1777 due to its central location and relative safety from British raiders at the time. It is one of four state capitals not near an Interstate highway. One of the major sporting events is the two NASCAR races (one in spring, one in fall) that take place every year at Dover International Speedway.

rhombus · **Reply #2912 on:** December 26, 2013, 05:19:23 PM

Royalton, Illinois is a small town in southern Illinois. Its population was only 1,130 as of the most recent census. It has two major distinctions of note: It was the site of the worst mining accident in southern Illinois history (the 1914 North Mine explosion which killed 51 miners) and it is the location of the only Russian Orthodox church in southern Illinois.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2913 on:** December 26, 2013, 08:40:35 PM

Newport - City in northeastern Vermont, county seat of Orleans County. Located at the southern end of Lake Memphremagog. Settled in 1793 as Pickeral Point, later renamed Lake Bridge. Incorporated as a city in 1918, taking portions of the neighboring towns of Newport and Derby. Birthplace of former NASA Astronaut Duane Graveline.

rhombus · **Reply #2914 on:** December 29, 2013, 10:23:28 PM

Tver is a Russian city located north of Moscow. During medieval times, it was one of the wealthiest and most powerful of the Russian states, the Principality of Tver. Due to dynastic struggles and the role of the city in a failed rebellion that was brutally crushed, it lost influence in favor of the Principality of Moscow. It currently serves as the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2915 on:** December 30, 2013, 10:45:45 PM

Rapa Nui - Better known as Easter Island. An island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and one of the most remote inhabited places in the world (1200 miles to the nearest island and over 2000 miles west of South America). It was given the name Easter Island because it was discovered by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Sunday in 1722. The island is famous for the hundreds of moai (the giant head statues) located along the coast. It is believed the mass construction of these statues ultimately led to ecological disaster that left the island treeless and led to a huge population loss (from 15,000 to 2000-3000) before the Europeans had even arrived.

rhombus · **Reply #2916 on:** January 02, 2014, 03:37:10 PM

Indianapolis is the state capital of Indiana and it is also its most populous city. Due to its status as the capital of the state, much of the city's productivity revolves around the government sector, with manufacturing being the second-largest segment of its economy. Historically, it resides upon the original location of the East-West National Road, which is no longer extant and has long since been replaced by other highways, which was the first improved interstate highway built in the United States.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2917 on:** January 06, 2014, 10:40:12 PM

Singapore - A city-state and island nation in southeast Asia, just85 miles north of the equator. Its name is derived from the Malay word Singapura, which means Lion City. Founded in 1819 as a trading outpost for the British East India Company, it became a British territory in 1824. After the end of British rule in 1963, it was a part of Malaysia for only two years before becoming completely independent in 1965. The city has since become known as one of the Four Asian Tigers.

rhombus · **Reply #2918 on:** January 15, 2014, 10:10:29 PM

East St. Louis, Illinois. East St. Louis is situated directly across the river from the much larger city of St. Louis. Its population has declined from a high of over 80,000 in the 1950s to its current level of 27,000. Its rapid loss of population is attributed to many factors, but the loss of industrial and railroad jobs is generally blamed for the financial decline of the area.

The Chronicler · **Reply #2919 on:** January 17, 2014, 08:32:42 PM

South Australia - A state in south central Australia, it is 4th largest in area, 5th largest in population, and is the only state that borders all the others on the mainland. It was declared a colony in 1834 and proclaimed two years later, the only Australian state to be settled entirely by free settlers. It is also located within an unusual time zone: UTC+ 9:30, as opposed to just 9:00 as you might expect.