Previous Questions

8/2/05
Q: Name the famous Viking explorer who set sail for Greenland in 986, eventually arriving with 14 boats and establishing two farming settlements on the east coast of the island.
A: Erik the Red. (First Correct - Susan Richardson)

9/26/03
Q: Name the famous Chukchi author who in 1975 penned 'When the White Whales Leave' and who contributed an article on his people to the Feb 1983 edition of National Geographic's Arctic theme issue.
A: Yuri Rytkheu. (First Correct - Carole Ezovski)

9/14/03
Q: What is the name of the beautiful and soft, deep red mineral which occurs only in Greenland and Arctic Russia? (hint: its Inuit name means 'Reindeer Blood')
A: Tuttupit. (First Correct - Jane Kriebel)

9/1/03
Q: What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic and where was it recorded?
A: -96 degrees F in Verkhoyansk, Siberia. (First Correct - Mike Quinn)

8/20/03
Q: The Transpolar Drift is the name of one of the two major circulation patterns for Arctic sea ice. What is the other?
A: The Beaufort Gyre. (First Correct - Robert Curtis)

8/7/03
Q: What is the Canadian Inuit term for the conical holes that seals scratch in the ice to reach the surface where they can breathe?
A: Aglus. (First Correct - John Decker)

7/23/03
Q: What is the commonly-used term for a small iceberg floating just on the surface of the water which is sometimes difficult to see and can be a hazard for ships?
A: Growlers. (First Correct - Chris Limon)

7/16/03
Q: We have inhabited Arctic regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia's Kola Peninsula for about 10,000 years. Over the centuries our lives have been tied to reindeer herding, hunting, and fishing. Our language is Finno-Ugrian in origin, not Siberian. Who are we?
A: Saami or Lapplanders. (First Correct - Michael Hendrickson)

7/9/03
Q: What was the name of the first Arctic Explorer to reach the Magnetic North Pole and in what year did this occur?
A: Sir John Ross - 1831. (First Correct - Betsey Grandon)

6/27/03
Q: I am a hamster-like animal with a voracious appetite for grasses, willow and berries. I live in tunnels beneath the tundra. When food becomes scarce and living conditions too crowded, I will set out with a large number of my kind looking for fresh feeding grounds. What am I?
A: Lemming. (First Correct - Mike Ortez)

6/20/03
Q: I am over 2450 km long. I was begun in March of 1942 and finished in November that same year. I cost $135 million to build. What am I?
A: The Alaskan Highway. (First Correct - Judy Molter)

6/13/03
Q: Who was the first person to sail the Northwest Passage and what was the name of the vessel?
A: Roald Amundsen in the Gjoa Haven. (First Correct - Wendy Fassel)

6/6/03
Q: What is the name of the US port on the Beaufort Sea that is noted for its nearby oil reserves?
A: Prudhoe Bay, AK (First Correct - Randy Bartram)

5/30/03
Q: What is the northernmost town in the world with more than 5000 inhabitants?
A: Tiksi, Russia (First Correct - Max Holbart)

5/23/03
Q: What part of Iceland is north of the Arctic Circle?
A: Only a small section of Grimsey Island (First Correct - Virginia Eastman)

5/15/03
Q: In their journals, early Arctic explorers often recorded islands, headlands, and mountain ranges that did not exist. What is the scientific name of the optical phenomena which creates this illusion or mirage of solid, well-defined coastal features where there are none?
A: Fata Morgana (First Correct - Randy Bartram)

5/8/03
Q: What was the name of the first surface vessel to reach the North Pole and in what year did this occur?
A: The Russian icebreaker Arktika in 1977 (First Correct - Jill Youst)

5/1/03
Q: Which country has the most landmass inside the Arctic Circle?
A: Russia (First Correct - Mary Rowen)