World Geography · Topic 2
Oceans, the straits that join seas, and the great canals.
Learn first
For every strait and canal, learn the two waters it joins and the countries on each side.
Practise
Try each question, then open the answer. MCQs 1–50 of 311.
1.How many oceans are there on Earth?
Answer: D. Five
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic.
2.Which is the largest ocean?
Answer: B. Pacific
The Pacific covers about a third of the Earth's surface.
3.Which is the smallest ocean?
Answer: A. Arctic
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest.
4.Which is the second largest ocean?
Answer: C. Atlantic
The Atlantic is second to the Pacific.
5.Which ocean lies to the south of Pakistan?
Answer: B. Indian Ocean
Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast is part of the Indian Ocean.
6.The Southern Ocean surrounds which continent?
Answer: D. Antarctica
The Southern Ocean encircles Antarctica.
7.Which is the deepest point in the oceans?
Answer: B. Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench
Challenger Deep is about 10,900 m deep.
8.The Mariana Trench is in which ocean?
Answer: A. Pacific
It lies in the western Pacific near Guam.
9.The Ring of Fire, a belt of volcanoes and earthquakes, surrounds which ocean?
Answer: A. Pacific
About three-quarters of the world's active volcanoes lie around the Pacific.
10.Which ocean is named after a country?
Answer: A. Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the only ocean named after a country.
11.The Arabian Sea is part of which ocean?
Answer: C. Indian
The Arabian Sea is the north-western arm of the Indian Ocean.
12.Which sea lies between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula?
Answer: C. Red Sea
The Red Sea separates north-east Africa from Arabia.
13.Which is the saltiest major sea?
Answer: B. Red Sea
The Red Sea is the saltiest open sea, due to high evaporation.
14.The Dead Sea lies between which two countries?
Answer: A. Jordan and Israel/Palestine
The Dead Sea lies on the border of Jordan, Israel and the West Bank.
15.Why does a person float easily in the Dead Sea?
Answer: B. Its water is very salty and dense
High salt content makes the water dense.
16.The shore of which sea is the lowest point on land?
Answer: B. Dead Sea
The Dead Sea shore is over 400 m below sea level.
17.Which is the largest lake in the world by area?
Answer: D. Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water.
18.Which countries border the Caspian Sea?
Answer: C. Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan
Five countries share the Caspian coast.
19.The Aral Sea has shrunk mainly because of what?
Answer: C. Diversion of its rivers for irrigation
Soviet irrigation projects drained the Amu Darya and Syr Darya.
20.The Aral Sea lies between which two countries?
Answer: D. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
The Aral Sea is on the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border.
21.The Mediterranean Sea connects to the Atlantic through which strait?
Answer: B. Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is about 14 km wide at its narrowest.
22.The Strait of Gibraltar separates which two countries?
Answer: C. Spain and Morocco
Spain is to the north, Morocco to the south.
23.The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with which water body?
Answer: B. Gulf of Oman
The Strait of Hormuz leads from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
24.The Strait of Hormuz lies between which two countries?
Answer: B. Iran and Oman
Iran lies to the north and Oman's Musandam peninsula to the south.
25.Why is the Strait of Hormuz important?
Answer: A. About a fifth of the world's oil passes through it
Much of the oil from the Gulf passes through Hormuz.
26.Bab-el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with which water body?
Answer: D. Gulf of Aden
Bab-el-Mandeb leads from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden.
27.Bab-el-Mandeb lies between which two countries?
Answer: A. Yemen and Djibouti
Yemen is on the Arabian side; Djibouti and Eritrea on the African side.
28.What does "Bab-el-Mandeb" mean?
Answer: B. Gate of Tears (Grief)
Its Arabic name means the Gate of Grief, after its dangerous waters.
29.The Strait of Malacca connects which two water bodies?
Answer: C. Indian Ocean and South China Sea
Malacca links the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) with the South China Sea.
30.The Strait of Malacca lies between which two land masses?
Answer: C. Malay Peninsula and Sumatra
Malaysia and Singapore are on one side, Sumatra (Indonesia) on the other.
31.The Bosporus connects the Black Sea with which sea?
Answer: C. Sea of Marmara
The Bosporus runs through Istanbul.
32.The Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara with which sea?
Answer: B. Aegean Sea
The Dardanelles leads to the Aegean, part of the Mediterranean.
33.Which city lies on both banks of the Bosporus?
Answer: C. Istanbul
Istanbul spans Europe and Asia.
34.The Palk Strait separates which two countries?
Answer: A. India and Sri Lanka
The Palk Strait lies between Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka.
35.The Bering Strait separates which two land areas?
Answer: C. Russia and Alaska (USA)
The Bering Strait links the Pacific and Arctic oceans.
36.The English Channel separates which two countries?
Answer: B. England (UK) and France
Its narrowest part is the Strait of Dover.
37.The Channel Tunnel connects which two countries?
Answer: D. United Kingdom and France
The rail tunnel under the English Channel opened in 1994.
38.The Strait of Dover lies between which two countries?
Answer: B. United Kingdom and France
It is the narrowest part of the English Channel.
39.The Cook Strait separates which two islands?
Answer: D. North and South Islands of New Zealand
Cook Strait divides New Zealand's two main islands.
40.The Bass Strait separates Australia from which island?
Answer: C. Tasmania
Bass Strait lies between mainland Australia and Tasmania.
41.The Strait of Magellan is near the southern tip of which continent?
Answer: C. South America
It passes through southern Chile.
42.The Taiwan Strait separates Taiwan from which country?
Answer: A. China
The strait lies between Taiwan and mainland China.
43.The Korea Strait separates South Korea from which country?
Answer: B. Japan
The Korea Strait lies between Korea and Japan.
44.The Strait of Otranto connects which two seas?
Answer: B. Adriatic and Ionian
It separates Italy from Albania.
45.The Mozambique Channel separates Mozambique from which island?
Answer: B. Madagascar
It lies between Africa and Madagascar.
46.The Suez Canal connects which two seas?
Answer: B. Mediterranean and Red Sea
It links Port Said on the Mediterranean with Suez on the Red Sea.
47.The Suez Canal is in which country?
Answer: D. Egypt
The canal runs through Egypt.
48.The Suez Canal was opened in which year?
Answer: B. 1869
It opened on 17 November 1869.
49.Who designed and built the Suez Canal?
Answer: D. Ferdinand de Lesseps
The French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps led the project.
50.Who nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956?
Answer: C. Gamal Abdel Nasser
Nasser's nationalisation led to the Suez Crisis of 1956.
Test yourself
Each quiz has 50 MCQs from this topic and 50 minutes. A correct answer earns 1 mark and each wrong answer takes off 0.25; skipped questions score nothing. No password needed.
