Questions and Answers about
Places
-
—
in PlacesWhat was the destination of the submarine Titan that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean?
Answer: In case you missed it, the Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on Apr. 15, 1912. It collided with an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. The Titan submerged on a dive to the Titanic wreckage site on Jun. 18, 2023, for…
-
—
in PlacesWhere is the Nova Kakhovka dam?
Answer: Nova Kakhovka Dam is a strategically vital dam in southern Ukraine. It is situated on the Dnieper River and holds back an enormous body of water that supplies water to the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014. It also provides cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is now under Russian…
-
—
in PlacesWhich country boasts the busiest rail system on the planet?
Answer: India’s railway system is ranked #1 in the world in terms of passengers carried, with a record of 721.6 billion person miles per year. This means India’s railways transport more people over greater distances than any other country. The second busiest is China, with 423.3 billion person miles per year. On June 2, 2023.…
-
—
in PlacesHow old is Israel?
Answer: Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, after the British mandate over Palestine ended. This year, according to the Hebrew calendar, Israel marks its 75th anniversary on April 26, 2023. However, the celebrations are overshadowed by a political crisis that has divided the country for months._x000D__x000D_Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces widespread opposition and protests…
-
—
in PlacesWhat is Germany’s highest honor for a former leader?
Answer: The Order of Merit for special achievement is Germany’s highest distinction for a former leader. On April 17, 2023, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honored former Chancellor Angela Merkel with this award for her near-record 16 years of leading the country. She was the first woman, the first East German-born, and the longest-serving chancellor since Otto…
-
—
in PlacesWhich city is Sudan’s capital?
Answer: At the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers, Khartoum is Sudan’s capital and largest city. It’s also the seat of the country’s de facto ruler. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who clashed with his deputy, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemedti), the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).…
-
—
in PlacesWhich island nation was once known as Formosa?
Answer: Taiwan is an island nation in East Asia that was formerly called Formosa by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. The Formosan black bear is an endangered subspecies of black bears native to Taiwan and is seen as a symbol of Taiwanese identity._x000D_
-
—
in PlacesWhich of these is missing in Libya, according to a 2023 report?
Answer: The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said approximately 2.3 to 2.5 tonnes of natural uranium have gone missing from a site in Libya. The missing uranium was stored at a former nuclear facility near Sabha in southern Libya. The IAEA has been monitoring the site since 2004 when Libya agreed to abandon…
-
—
in PlacesWhat is California’s largest lake?
Answer: With 343 square miles (889 sq km) of surface area, the Salton Sea is California’s biggest lake by surface area. It’s been shrinking for decades despite water cuts and conservation efforts, causing health and environmental problems. The New York Times reported on Feb. 25 that the Salton Sea faces another water crisis, affecting farmers…
-
—
in PlacesWhat is the caste system?
Answer: Caste systems have ruled India and other parts of South Asia for thousands of years, providing privileges to the upper castes and repressing the lower castes. Dalits, on the lowest rung of Indian Hindu castes. have been called “untouchables.” Caste discrimination in India was outlawed more than 70 years ago, but it still happens…
-
—
in PlacesThe age of consent is 14 in Germany and China. What’s Japan’s age of consent?
Answer: According to multiple Feb. 21, 2023, news reports. a panel in the Japanese justice ministry wants to raise the country’s consent age from 13 to 16. The move comes in response to criticism that existing laws didn’t do enough to protect children. A series of reforms to the penal code will also make voyeurism…
-
—
in PlacesWhat is NORAD?
Answer: A joint military organization of the US and Canada, NORAD identifies and tracks objects in the air, including recent “UFO” sightings, like the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2023. NORAD has since adjusted its radar system to be more sensitive, catching more flying objects. The…
-
—
in PlacesWho’s replacing Queen Elizabeth II on Australia’s $5 bill?
Answer: Instead of King Charles III’s portrait on the A$5 banknote, Australia will replace Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait with a design honoring Indigenous culture in Australia (AKA the First Australians). After consulting with the federal government. the Reserve Bank of Australia announced the change on Feb. 2, 2023. Indigenous groups will be involved in designing…
-
—
in PlacesWhat caused the nationwide power outage in Pakistan in Jan. 2023?
Answer: As a government energy-saving measure backfired. Pakistan went without power for several hours on Jan. 23, 2023. During low usage hours overnight. the government turned off electricity to conserve fuel. As a result. schools, hospitals, factories, and shops were out of power or water during the brutal winter weather. Activist group NetBlocks.org says the…
-
—
in PlacesWhat is the name of the current Chinese zodiac year?
Answer: The Chinese zodiac names each year after one of its 12 signs; this year is the Rabbit year. Despite being China’s biggest annual holiday, Lunar New Year celebrations have been muted for the past three years due to the pandemic. Jan. 22, 2023, marked the first time in three years that people could finally…
-
—
in PlacesHow long had Matteo Messina Denaro, the notorious Mafia boss, been on the run before his arrest in Sicily?
Answer: The notorious Cosa Nostra Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro was arrested in Sicily on Jan. 16, 2023, after 30 years on the run. More than 100 armed forces members were involved in the arrest of Italy’s most wanted Mafia boss._x000D_
-
—
in PlacesWhat did rioters do to the iconic A Justiça statue outside the Supreme Court in Brazil?
Answer: Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress, the presidential palace, and the Supreme Court in Brazil on Jan. 8, 2023. The rioters caused destruction and chaos. calling for military intervention to get Bolsonaro back to power or to get the newly re-elected Lula da Silva out. Among the damage caused by the rioters was spray…
-
—
in PlacesWho initially used to live in Venice’s ghetto?
Answer: The Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice, Italy, where Jews were forced to live since a 1516 decree of the Venetian Senate and until Napoleon’s army occupied Venice in 1797. The English word ghetto is derived from the Jewish ghetto in Venice. The ghetto’s 16th-century synagogues have remained operational continuously, except for the…
-
—
in PlacesWhere is the Hoover Dam?
Answer: Hoover Dam is a dam built during the Great Depression in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between Nevada and Arizona. One of the most extensive hydroelectric facilities in the US, each of the Hoover Dam’s 17 generators can supply electricity to 100,000 households
-
—
in PlacesHow many US states share the Colorado River water?
Answer: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming share the Colorado River water. Colorado’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have reached “dangerously low” water levels as of 2022 and hover at around 25% capacity. Federal officials called on the seven states to cut their overall usage of Colorado River water by…