Friday, November 14, 2014

Holiday Quizzes

With the holiday season right around the corner, lots of talk is centring around who is going where. So, lets practice and see just how much we know about the world around us.



1. What continent has the most world heritage sites?
a. Asia
b. Europe
c. America
d. Asia

Answer:
Europe has the lion's share of World Heritage sites; most are cultural sites, such as cathedrals, castles, Roman and Greek ruins, and historic city centers. Recent selections recognize modern sites like the Essen coal region in Germany and cultural landscapes such as the Douro wine country of Portugal.


2. The Swiss towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were added to the World Heritage List in 2009 for what cultural distinction?
a. Traditional cheesemaking
b. Their town planning
c. A Roman aqueduct
d. Twin monasteries

Answer: Their town planning
These small cities in the remote Jura Mountains were designated as World Heritage sites because of their unique town planning. Centers of the Swiss watchmaking industry, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were laid out explicitly for the single goal of manufacturing watches.


3. What is the Vredefort Dome, a World Heritage site in South Africa?
a. The world´s largest asteroid impact site
b. An 11th century stadium
c. A historic gold mine
d. A volcanic crater

Answer: The worlds largest asteroid impact site
The Vredefort Dome, southwest of Johannesburg, is part of the largest known asteroid impact site on Earth. The astrobleme, or scar, stretches 186 miles (300 kilometers) wide and is estimated to be some two billion years old. It was added to the World Heritage List in 2005.


4. Which of these sites was in the first group added to the World Heritage List?
a. Historic Cairo, Egypt
b. Old Havana, Cuba
c. Yellowstone National Park, USA
d. Venice, Italy

Answer: Yellowstone National Park, USA
In 1978, the first 12 sites were inscribed to the World Heritage List. Among them was Yellowstone National Park, recognized for its natural beauty, biodiversity, and geological processes. Also in the first batch: the Galápagos; Senegal's Island of Gorée; the historic center of Krakow, Poland; and the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia.


5. How many countries have adhered to the World Heritage Convention?
a. 37
b.  88
c.  120
d.  187

Answer: 187
As of June 2010, there are 187 States Parties, or countries that have adhered to the World Heritage Convention. This means they agree to protect the sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, among other duties.


6. Which of these U.S. sites is on the World Heritage List?
a. Los Alamos, New Mexico
b. Jimi Hendrix's birthplace in Seattle, Washington
c. Statue of Liberty, New York
d. The White House, Washington DC

Answer: Statue of Liberty, New York
America's iconic Statue of Liberty was added to the World Heritage List in 1984. The 151-foot-tall (46-meter-tall) monument stands on a pedestal at the entrance to New York Harbor, where it has welcomed millions of arriving immigrants.


7. Only two countries have ever had a World Heritage site removed from the list. What are they?
a. Ecuador and Cape Verde
b. China and Lithuania
c. Iraq and Laos
d. Germany and Oman

Answer:  Germany and Oman
Germany and Oman are the only countries that have suffered the embarrassment of having a site removed from the World Heritage List. Germany's Dresden Elbe Valley was delisted in 2009 because of the construction of a bridge through the valley. In 2007, Oman's Arabian Onyx Sanctuary was delisted when the size of the preserve was reduced by 90 percent after oil was discovered there.


8. Which of the following is a World Heritage site?
a. Hiroshima Peace Memoria, Japan
b. Sydney Opera House, Australia
c. Sewell Mining Town, Chile
d. All of the above

Answer: All of the above
As of November 2010, UNESCO's World Heritage List included 911 sites—including these three. The list's sites cover the spectrum from the natural (Skocjan Caves in Slovenia) to the man-made (the Milan church that includes "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci).


9. A World Heritage site added in 2006 recognizes what in Mexico?
a. Its tequila-producing area
b. The Zona Rosa neighbourhood of Mexico City
c. A bullring in Acapulco
d. Artist Diego Rivera´s murals

Answer: Its tequila-producing area
The 2006 addition recognizes the agave landscape and ancient industrial facilities of the Tequila area in Mexico. The spiny agave plant has been fermented and distilled into the spirit called tequila for centuries.


10. China's Qionglai and Jiajin Mountains are home to a World Heritage site that protects what endangered animal?
a. Red panda
b. Snow leopard
c. Giant panda
d. All of the above

Answer: All of the above
The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries provide the largest remaining contiguous habitat for the highly endangered giant panda, found only in China. The sanctuaries are also home to the red panda, snow leopard, and clouded leopard, all endangered.



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