Trivia Lover's Guide to Even More of the World

Gary Fuller taught at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for thirty-five years before broadening his scope to lecture aboard cruise ships. He was named a Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Geographic Education, captained a championship College Bowl team, and was a winning contestant on Jeopardy! His Trivia Lover’s Guide to the World won the 2012 Book of the Year Silver Award from Foreword Reviews.

It is, unfortunately, an oft repeated (and probably true) maxim that most Americans are woefully ignorant about the geography of both their own country and the wider world. Fuller taught geography at the University of Hawaii for 35 years and is also a former winning contestant on the game show Jeopardy. Using a game-show format and trivia questions, Fuller goes beyond short answers to expound on a wide variety of geographic topics that provide enjoyment and enhanced knowledge to general readers hoping to fill in the gaps in their understanding of the world. The chapters are arranged around particular themes, which include state capitals, the why and where of various cities, and the links between religion and geography. Readers can learn why many state capitals were built away from large cities, or which nations, surprisingly, can expect population decline. Although the uninformed will benefit most, even those who consider themselves knowledgeable can enjoy the tidbits in this breezy, informative work.

• List of Maps Acknowledgments Introduction11 Geographic Ignorance Still Prevails 12 Why Can My Students Find Australia on a Map? 13 Place Names: Pronunciations and Translations 14 Borders and Boundaries 15 Islands 16 Battles 17 Airports 18 The British Empire 19 Missionaries: Agents of Geographical Change 10 Nearest Neighbors 11 Explorers Rescued from Oblivion12 Diseases13 Population Density 14 Fleets 15 Spice Seekers16 Principal (Rare) Products17 Pirates 18 Imaginary/Mythical/Legendary Places 19 Deep in the Heart of . . . 20 World Population 21 Other Populations22 Dangerous Watery Places23 Forced Migration24 Forbidden Places25 Earthquakes and Tsunamis26 Extreme Points27 Minerals and Mines28 Landscapes of FearIndex About the Author MapsThe Lost Squadron in Greenland Cook’s Voyage in Endeavour Classical Place Name Belt Mexico and Texas Andesite Line Cuba and Tarawa Superimposed on the United States European Battle Sites Source of the Nile California Missions Palk Strait Germany 1871–1945 Shackleton’s 1914 Expedition Bering’s Voyages Da Gama’s and Magellan’s Voyages Barbary Coast RealmGeographic Centers of the United States Mouth of the Columbia River Skagerrak and the Battle of Jutland Salvation Islands Radcliffe Line North Brother IslandMount Chimborazo Point Nemo Marcellus ShaleRange of Sleeping SicknessLlano Estacado