Quiz Your Geography Noodle

I was exploring the National Geographic for Kids site today and came across a geography activity called "Quiz Your Noodle." Are you a geography "brainiac?" Take this quiz and find out. Please report your score via the comments feature.

Volvo Ocean Race - Leg 1 is Over!

All eight teams in the Volvo Ocean Race reached their first stop safely in Cape Town, South Africa. Greeted by the famous plateau, Table Mountain, the sailors ready their boats for Leg 2's start on November 15th. Their next stop will be Cochin, India.

So during this stop over, see what you can learn about the history, people and places of South Africa via a Time for Kids Virtual Tour. When you are finished exploring take the Africa Challenge. Report your score and any interesting facts your learned through a comment.

Image Source:
http://www.socalsail.com/wp/wp-content/abn_amro2_table_mtn.jpg

Where Are They From?

The current leader in the Volvo Ocean race is the Ericcson 4 team. Their current position is Latitude 23˚15'12"S Longitude 34˚54'17"W. This international crew has sailors from six different countries. Can you name the nationalities of the crew based on their flags? You can use the CIA World Factbook to help you.

The Atlantic Ocean - Answers

The Atlantic Ocean was formed 150 millions years ago during the Jurassic Period. The rivers of the Amazon, Congo, and Niger all flower into the Atlantic. North of the equator the currents in the Atlantic run clockwise, while south of the equator they run counter-clockwise.

The Atlantic Ocean

The sailors in the Volvo Ocean Race continue sailing through the Atlantic Ocean on their way to South Africa. The Atlantic Ocean is the 2nd largest ocean and is about 6.5 times larger than the United States.

Read the World InfoZone website to learn more about the Atlantic Ocean, then answer the following questions.


1. When was the Atlantic Ocean formed?
2. Name three large rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean?
3. How are the currents in the South Atlantic Ocean different than the currents in the North Atlantic Ocean?

Visiting an Archipelago - Answers

The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago located in the North Atlantic Ocean. A territory of Spain, they were created from volcanoes. The subtropical climate makes the Canary Islands a popular tourist destination. Another example of an archipelago are the islands of Hawaii located in the Pacific Ocean.

Visiting an Archipelago

Sixty miles west of Morocco lies an archipelago named after, canes, a breed of large dogs that once lived there. Formed from underwater volcanoes, this group of islands in the Atlantic is one of the most popular places to vacation in the world. Teams in the Volvo Ocean Race will race past these islands on their way to Cape Town, South Africa. See if you can learn more about them.

World Atlas
Climate

1. What is the name of this archipelago?
2. They are a territory of what European country?
3. What is the climate like?
4. Can you look on an atlas or map and name another archipelago?

Image source: http://jamieytony.com/images/canary_islands_map.gif