Quiz the Map

Beyond Countries: Learning the World's Oceans, Seas, Rivers and Mountains

Once you know where the countries are, the next layer is the physical map – the water and the high ground. It's harder in some ways (no borders, no capitals) and easier in others (the shapes are big and distinctive). This guide covers the main features in each category and how to learn them with the Nature quizzes.

Oceans – the easy five

Pacific – the biggest, between the Americas and Asia/Australia. Atlantic – between the Americas and Europe/Africa. Indian – south of Asia, between Africa and Australia. Southern – all the way round Antarctica. Arctic – around the North Pole.

Most people know these. The trouble starts with the seas.

Seas – learn them by ocean

Around Europe - Mediterranean – between Europe and Africa. - Black Sea – north-east of Turkey, with Ukraine on its north shore. - Baltic – between Sweden and Poland/the Baltic states. - North Sea – between Britain and Norway/Denmark. - Adriatic – the arm of the Mediterranean between Italy and the Balkans. - Aegean – between Greece and Turkey. - Tyrrhenian – west of Italy. Ionian – south of Italy, west of Greece.

Hook: Italy is the key. Adriatic on its right, Tyrrhenian on its left, Ionian under its toe.

Around Asia - Red Sea – between Africa and Arabia. - Persian Gulf – between Arabia and Iran. - Arabian Sea – south of Pakistan and Iran, west of India. - Bay of Bengal – east of India. - South China Sea – between Vietnam, the Philippines and Borneo. - East China Sea – between China and Japan's southern islands. - Sea of Japan – between Japan and Korea/Russia. - Yellow Sea – between China and Korea.

Hook: India is the key. Arabian Sea on its left, Bay of Bengal on its right. China is the other key: Yellow Sea at the top, East China Sea in the middle, South China Sea at the bottom.

Around the Americas - Caribbean – south of Cuba, north of South America. - Gulf of Mexico – between Florida, Texas and Mexico. - Hudson Bay – the huge inlet in northern Canada. - Bering Sea – between Alaska and Russia.

Around Africa and Australia - Gulf of Guinea – the big bend in West Africa. - Mozambique Channel – between Mozambique and Madagascar. - Coral Sea – north-east of Australia. Tasman Sea – between Australia and New Zealand. Timor Sea – north-west of Australia.

Play Oceans & seas (40) once you've read this; then More Seas (32) and Gulfs, Bays & Straits (40) for the next tier.

Rivers – the big ten

In the World Rivers quiz you tap the river's course. The ten everyone should know:

  1. Nile – north through Egypt and Sudan into the Mediterranean.
  2. Amazon – west to east across Brazil into the Atlantic.
  3. Yangtze – across central China into the East China Sea at Shanghai.
  4. Mississippi – north to south through the USA into the Gulf of Mexico.
  5. Yellow River (Huang He) – north China, looping before reaching the Yellow Sea.
  6. Congo – curving through central Africa into the Atlantic.
  7. Mekong – south through Southeast Asia into the South China Sea.
  8. Danube – east across Europe from Germany to the Black Sea.
  9. Ganges – east across northern India into the Bay of Bengal.
  10. Volga – south through Russia into the Caspian Sea.

Hook: Every river ends in a sea you already know from the section above – learn them as "the river into the Bay of Bengal", "the river into the Black Sea".

Mountain ranges – the big eight

  1. Himalayas – the wall between India and Tibet/China.
  2. Andes – the whole west coast of South America.
  3. Rockies – western North America, Canada to New Mexico.
  4. Alps – across Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy.
  5. Urals – the north–south line in Russia dividing Europe from Asia.
  6. Atlas – north-west Africa, Morocco and Algeria.
  7. Caucasus – between the Black Sea and the Caspian.
  8. Great Dividing Range – down the east coast of Australia.

Play Mountain ranges (36) and then World Peaks (32) for individual summits.

Deserts – the six to start with

Sahara (North Africa), Arabian (the peninsula), Gobi (Mongolia/China), Kalahari (Botswana), Atacama (Chile), Great Victoria (Australia). The Deserts quiz has 18.

Lakes

Caspian Sea (actually a lake, between Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran), Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes (USA/Canada), Lake Victoria (Uganda/Kenya/Tanzania), Lake Baikal (Siberia, deepest in the world), Lake Tanganyika (the long one along DR Congo's east edge), Lake Malawi. The Lakes quiz has 39.

Suggested order

  1. Oceans & seas – the frame for everything else.
  2. Mountain ranges – big, few, and they explain where rivers start.
  3. World Rivers – each one runs from a range to a sea.
  4. Deserts and Lakes – fill in the gaps.
  5. Islands, Peninsulas, Archipelagos – the coastline detail.
  6. Volcanoes, Waterfalls, Famous Landmarks – the trivia layer.

Each quiz is 20–45 items, so one per day is a comfortable pace. The physical map takes about two weeks to learn at that rate – and unlike country borders, it doesn't change.

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