Seniors, How’s Your Geography?

Let’s start off with a few good questions from the National Geographic Magazine for you well traveled senior citizens. # 1: The Northern Sporades are a group of islands that belong to what country? #2: Rabat, Morocco’s capital is the second largest city in that country. What is the largest city?  #3: What is the most populated country in Africa? #4: Name the largest desert the covers parts of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa? and #5: The South Sea borders both Macau and what other former European colony that is now part of China? I only got two right myself.

Let’s check out the answers.  First of all the Sporades are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea, in the Aegean Sea. It consists of 24 islands, four of which are permanently inhabited. So the correct response would be Greece.  I didn’t answer that one correctly either.  Never heard of it .

Secondly, that largest city is Casablanca. I had an opportunity to travel with a former university colleague to Morocco but hesitated since that country has not been all that friendly to “outside visitors.”  My friend Larbi is Moroccan and  he asked me to consider going back next summer, which I just might do.

It’s an introductory indoctrination for university professors on the country and provides some basic Arabic classes while there. That would be fun for me. The city is large with over 3.5 million people and counting the metropolitan area, nearly 5 million. Many of us seniors will remember the movie ‘Casablanca’, a 1942 romantic drama with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

This Senior Finally Got One Right

Third: I got this one right. Nigeria with a population of just over 170 million with over 389 ethnic groups that give the country a great cultural diversity. Nigeria, known as “the Giant of Africa” is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Oh yes, the capital city is Abuja and the president is Goodluck Johathan. No kidding.

Fourth: That Magnificent Desert, the Kalahari. The desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in southern Africa. The Kalahari Desert has been estimated at some 360,000 square miles.

And the former colony that is now part of China. I got the Fifth one correct too. It’s Hong Kong only because I knew that it went back to China but the other part about the South Sea and Macau did not help me at all. It has over 7 million inhabitants and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

 An academic study has concluded that Hong Kong and Singapore have the highest average IQ Scores among the 108 countries examined. It is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbor. They say that Hong Kong is where the “East Meets West” and it’s true.

So I hope that you enjoyed this little geography lesson. Geography was one of my favorite subjects.  jeb