Free World Geography MCQs with Answers

4,434 World Geography MCQs from General Knowledge, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

World Geography covers continents, oceans, major rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts, islands, straits and canals, along with countries, capitals, borders and time zones. It also includes climate regions, natural resources, population distribution and important physical features, distinguishing physical geography from political geography.

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4,434 questions · page 189 of 222

  • A. Great wave
  • B. Sea monster
  • C. Tidal surge
  • D. Harbour wave

Explanation: In Japanese, "tsu" means harbour and "nami" means wave.

Correct answer: Harbour wave
  • A. Undersea earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions
  • B. High tides
  • C. Melting glaciers
  • D. Strong winds

Explanation: Sudden vertical displacement of the seafloor or coastal slopes generates tsunami waves.

Correct answer: Undersea earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions
  • A. The Arctic Ocean
  • B. The Pacific Ocean
  • C. The Atlantic Ocean
  • D. The Indian Ocean

Explanation: The Pacific's Ring of Fire produces most of the world's tsunami-generating earthquakes.

Correct answer: The Pacific Ocean
  • A. In the deep ocean
  • B. In shallow water near the coast
  • C. At the earthquake's epicentre
  • D. In mid-ocean trenches

Explanation: As a tsunami enters shallow water it slows and its height builds dramatically.

Correct answer: In shallow water near the coast
  • A. The waves get smaller
  • B. Nothing unusual happens
  • C. The water often withdraws far from the shore
  • D. The water turns red

Explanation: The trough of the tsunami can arrive first, exposing the seabed — a natural warning sign.

Correct answer: The water often withdraws far from the shore
  • A. A mountain formed by erosion
  • B. A hot spring
  • C. A crack that releases only gas
  • D. An opening in Earth's crust through which magma, ash and gases erupt

Explanation: Volcanoes are vents where molten rock, ash and gases escape from inside the Earth.

Correct answer: An opening in Earth's crust through which magma, ash and gases erupt
  • A. Lava
  • B. Magma
  • C. Basalt
  • D. Obsidian

Explanation: Molten rock underground is magma; once erupted it is called lava.

Correct answer: Magma
  • A. Pumice
  • B. Tuff
  • C. Lava
  • D. Magma

Explanation: Erupted molten rock flowing on the surface is lava.

Correct answer: Lava
  • A. The fissure
  • B. The vent
  • C. The caldera
  • D. The crater

Explanation: The crater is the bowl-like opening at a volcano's summit.

Correct answer: The crater
  • A. A crater lake
  • B. A caldera
  • C. A plug
  • D. A dyke

Explanation: A caldera is a broad depression formed when a volcano's summit collapses after a major eruption.

Correct answer: A caldera
  • A. A cinder cone
  • B. A lava dome
  • C. A shield volcano
  • D. A stratovolcano

Explanation: Shield volcanoes, like those of Hawaii, are built by fluid lava flows into broad, gentle domes.

Correct answer: A shield volcano
  • A. The Aletsch Glacier
  • B. The Siachen Glacier
  • C. The Baltoro Glacier
  • D. The Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan

Explanation: The Fedchenko Glacier, about 77 km long, is the longest glacier beyond the polar ice caps.

Correct answer: The Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan
  • A. The Karakoram
  • B. The Hindu Kush
  • C. The Pamirs
  • D. The Himalayas

Explanation: The Siachen Glacier lies in the eastern Karakoram range.

Correct answer: The Karakoram
  • A. Azad Kashmir
  • B. Swat
  • C. Gilgit-Baltistan
  • D. Chitral

Explanation: The Baltoro Glacier, gateway to K2, lies in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Correct answer: Gilgit-Baltistan
  • A. Shandur Pass
  • B. Gondogoro La
  • C. Khunjerab Pass
  • D. Hispar La

Explanation: Hispar La connects the Biafo and Hispar glaciers, forming one of the world's great glacier treks.

Correct answer: Hispar La
  • A. More than 7,000
  • B. About 2,000
  • C. About 500
  • D. About 1,000

Explanation: Pakistan has over 7,000 glaciers, more than anywhere else outside the polar regions.

Correct answer: More than 7,000
  • A. The Pindari Glacier
  • B. The Gangotri Glacier
  • C. The Siachen Glacier
  • D. The Milam Glacier

Explanation: The Gangotri Glacier in Uttarakhand feeds the Bhagirathi, one of the Ganga's main headstreams.

Correct answer: The Gangotri Glacier
  • A. The Upsala Glacier
  • B. The Grey Glacier
  • C. The Perito Moreno Glacier
  • D. The Viedma Glacier

Explanation: The Perito Moreno Glacier is famous for calving icebergs into Lake Argentino.

Correct answer: The Perito Moreno Glacier
  • A. The Mer de Glace
  • B. The Pasterze Glacier
  • C. The Gorner Glacier
  • D. The Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland

Explanation: The Aletsch Glacier, about 23 km long, is the largest and longest glacier of the Alps.

Correct answer: The Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland
  • A. The Alps
  • B. The Rockies
  • C. The Andes
  • D. The Himalaya–Karakoram–Hindu Kush region

Explanation: High Asia holds the largest ice reserve outside the poles, earning the nickname Third Pole.

Correct answer: The Himalaya–Karakoram–Hindu Kush region