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African Safari Quiz - Answers

1.You're on safari in East Africa. In which country are you likely to be?
  1. Botswana
  2. Angola
  3. Mozambique
  4. Kenya
  5. Namibia

Answer: Kenya
Kenya is the only country of those listed that falls within East Africa. It's also the best-known safari destination in East Africa, although Tanzania has been catching up. Of the other countries listed, all fall within Southern Africa, with Angola and Namibia lying on Africa's west coast.

2. Where would you go to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

  1. Uganda
  2. Tanzania
  3. Kenya
  4. Somalia
  5. Malawi

Answer: Tanzania
Mt Kilimanjaro, part of the Kilimanjaro National Park, is in northern Tanzania. Although it's close to the Kenyan border, you would be in Tanzania to climb the mountain. At 5,895m, Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Although it's one of the coveted "Seven Summits", it's possible to climb Kilimanjaro without technical climbing skills. Reaching the top is more a test of endurance and ability to handle the altitude and extremes of temperature.

3. Which of the following IS correct?

  1. Never apply sunscreen on safari because this attracts stinging insects
  2. When on safari, you can avoid malaria by drinking a lot of gin and tonic
  3. Deodorants are dangerous in Africa as they attract venomous snakes
  4. In a malaria area, it's advisable to use a mosquito repellant
  5. All safari lodges in Africa are fenced to keep guests safe from predators

Answer: No.4 is correct
The first three are (or should be) fairly obvious tongue-in-cheek answers. Although Quinine was the only effective treatment for malaria for many years, the quantity in tonic water is minimal. The thought of slugging G&Ts to ward off malaria in the tropics is nevertheless appealing! But in reality it's a lot more effective applying an effective mosquito repellant to exposed parts of the body. The majority of safari lodges in game parks are not fenced, so staff normally escort guests to their accommodation at night.

4. The island of Zanzibar forms part of which country?

  1. Kenya
  2. Mozambique
  3. Tanzania
  4. Madagascar
  5. Somalia

Answer: Tanzania
Zanzibar lies off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. The island's fascinating and sometimes dark history was shaped by a succession of traders, conquerers and colonisers , including the Portuguese, Arabs, and British. Independence from British rule was achieved in 1963 and the following year Zanzibar joined Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Today Zanzibar is a popular tourist destination, with its beaches and melting pot of cultures being the chief attractions.

5. Where would you find both Kafue National Park and South Luangwa National Park?

  1. Zimbabwe
  2. Mozambique
  3. Zambia
  4. Namibia
  5. Malawi

Answer: Zambia
Kafue National Park is Zambia’s oldest park and by far the largest in the country. It was proclaimed in 1950 and is spread over 22,400 sq km, making it the second largest national park in the world. South Luangwa National Park, 9,050 sq km in size, depends for its survival on the winding Luangwa River and its numerous tributaries that course through the park. Remote and wild, South Luangwa is host to massive concentrations of game that congregate around the Luangwa River and it’s ox bow lagoons, providing visitors on safari spectacular game viewing opportunities.

6. Who wrote the famous book "Out of Africa"

  1. Ernest Hemmingway
  2. Peter H. Capstick
  3. Nadine Gordimer
  4. Karen Blixen (under the pen name Isak Dinesen)
  5. Robert Ruark

Answer: Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke (April 17, 1885 – September 7, 1962), née Karen Dinesen, was a Danish author also known under her pen name Isak Dinesen. Blixen wrote works both in Danish and in English. She is best known, at least in English, for Out of Africa, her account of living in Kenya, and one of her stories, Babette's Feast, both of which have been adapted into highly acclaimed motion pictures (ref Wikipedia). Hemingway, Capstick and Ruark all wrote novels about Africa, usually focusing on the hunting aspect, while Gordimer is a South African author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991.

7. In the book, the author's farm (a coffee plantation) is situated in?

  1. Rhodesia
  2. Nyasaland
  3. South Africa
  4. Uganda
  5. Kenya

Answer: Kenya
In 1914 Karen von Blixen-Finecke, with her husband Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke, moved from Denmark to Kenya where they esablished a coffee plantation. Initially life in Africa for the pair was blissful but Bror Blixen was unfaithful to his wife and the couple were divorced in 1925. During her years in Kenya Karen Blixen met the English big game hunter Denys Finch Hatton (played by Robert Redford in the movie), and after her separation she and Finch Hatton developed a close friendship which eventually became a long-term love affair. Finch Hatton died in the crash of his deHavilland Gypsy Moth biplane in 1931.

8. Who played the lead role in the movie "Out of Africa"?

  1. Dustin Hoffman
  2. Nicole Kidman
  3. Mel Gibson
  4. Meryl Streep
  5. Sharon Stone

Answer: Meryl Streep
Out of Africa is a 1985 film based loosely on the autobiographical book by Isak Dinesen (the pen name of Karen Blixen) published in 1937. The lead role - that of Karen Blixen - is played by Meryl Streep with Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton and Klaus Maria Brandauer as Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke. The movie received 28 film awards, including seven Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Original Score, Art Direction, Sound) and three Golden Globes (Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Original Score).

9. Which one of these lakes in Africa is man-made?

  1. Lake Kariba
  2. Lake Victoria
  3. Lake Albert
  4. Laky Malawi
  5. Lake Tanganyika

Answer: Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is a large, man-made lake and reservoir located on the Zambezi river, about halfway between the river's source and mouth, about 1300 kilometers upstream from the Indian Ocean. The lake lies along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Kariba Dam wall at its northeastern end, flooding the Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River. Lake Kariba is over 220 kilometers (140 miles) long and up to 40 kilometers (20 miles) in width. It covers an area of 5,580 sq km (2,150 sq miles)

10. Which is the largest wildlife sanctuary in South Africa?

  1. Addo Elephant Park
  2. Kruger National Park
  3. Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve
  4. Tembe Elephant Park
  5. Kalahari Gemsbok Park

Answer: Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is South Africa's flagship wildlife reserve and offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. It covers 18,989 square km (7,332 sq miles) and extends 350 km (217 miles) from north to south and 60 km (37 miles) from east to west and is without question the largest wildlife sanctuary in South Africa. As such it is home to an impressive diversity of flora and fauna, including 507 different birds and 147 types of mammal.

11. If game viewing from a mokoro, where would you most likely be?

  1. Lake Malawi
  2. Zambezi River
  3. Okavango Delta
  4. Lake Kariba
  5. Rufiji River

Answer: Okavango Delta
Botswana's Okavango Delta is a fascinating inland water systeom of papyrus-fringed channels and lagoons formed by annual flooding after summer rains in neighboring Angola. The local inhabitants have for centuries traversed these waterways in dugout canoes called mekoro (plural) or mokoro (singular). The mokoro is pushed along the water's surface by the boatman using a long pole and is thus well suited to the shallow waters of the delta. There are a number of luxury safari lodges in Moremi and the Okavango that offer guests spectacular game viewing both by game-drive vehicle and mokoro.

12. Opposite the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia is a World Heritage Site. It is:

  1. Mana Pools National Park
  2. The Victoria Falls
  3. Mount Kilimanjaro
  4. Lake Victoria
  5. Ukhalamba-Drakensberg Park

Answer: Mana Pools National Park
Mana Pools National Park is a wildlife conservation area in Western Zimbabwe with frontage along the lower Zambezi River. The river has left behind the remains of old channels forming small seasonal pools scattered over 2 000 sq. kms surrounded by the valley escarpment. The four main large pools are near the river, with further smaller pools dotted around, enabling a wide diversity of animals to inhabit the area. Opposite Mana Pools is the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia. Large animals like elephants, hippo and buffalo can cross freely between the two. Although the Victorial Falls, Mt Kilimanjaro, and the Ukhalamba-Drakensberg Park are also World Heritage Sites, they are not near the Lower Zambezi National Park.

13. Which game park boasts the greatest species diversity in Africa?

  1. Serengeti National Park
  2. Chobe National Park
  3. Masai Mara National Reserve
  4. Selous Game Reserve
  5. Kruger National Park

Answer: Kruger National Park
South Africa's Kruger National Park, covering nearly 2 million hectares, boasts the greatest wildlife species diversity of any park in Africa. Its density of permanent game is unrivalled with hundreds of different species, including 507 birds, 336 trees, 147 mammals, 114 reptiles, 49 fish and 34 amphibians. In addition to the "Big Five" - elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino - there are also large numbers of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, antelope, and hyena. Less common but also seen by visitors on safari are cheetah and wild dog.

14. Which of these is in Botswana?

  1. Serengeti National Park
  2. Victoria Falls
  3. Selous Game Reserve
  4. Okavango Delta
  5. Kruger National Park

Answer: Okavango Delta
Botswana's Okavango Delta, a magical mosaic of channels, lagoons, and lakes formed by annual flooding after summer rains in neighboring Angola, is one of the world’s largest inland water systems. Much of the delta falls within Moremi Game Reserve, established in 1963 following its designation by Chief Moremi. As such it is the first wildlife sanctuary in southern Africa created by an indigenous tribe. The Okavango Delta's waterways, grasslands and woodlands are host to a wide diversity of fauna and flora, including 36 species of larger mammal, 80 species of fish and 400 different birds. There are a number of luxury safari lodges in Moremi and the Okavango that offer guests spectacular game viewing by vehicle and mokoro (dugout canoe).

15. Which of the following is NOT in Tanzania?

  1. Selous Game Reserve
  2. Masai Mara National Reserve
  3. Serengeti National Park
  4. Ruaha National Park
  5. Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Answer: Masai Mara National Reserve
The Masai Mara National Reserve, covering about 1515 sq km, is the most famous and most visited game reserve in Kenya. It offers an extraordinary density of wildlife including "the Big Five" (lions, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros) and may varieties of plains game. The Mara is world-renowned for the annual migration of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles that move from the plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania, across the Tanzanian border and rivers, to reach the Mara's grasslands from late June, their progress tracked by predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena.

Take the African Safari Quiz now and see how you go!



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+Scotch Macaskill