The Trivia Lover's Guide to Even More of the World: Geography for the Global Generation

Gary Fuller’s entertaining and informative guide uses geographic trivia questions as a springboard to learning about non-trivial aspects of our globe. An enlightening book for all readers, it enhances geographic know-how with good, old-fashioned fun. Discover who named the kangaroo; where can you find Lakers and Salties; what chili peppers, pineapple, chocolate, and vanilla have in common; where Shangri La was; and who was the most successful pirate in the Caribbean. An inveterate traveler and geographer extraordinaire, Fuller provides extensive background, engaging maps and photos, and thorough explanations for each intriguing trivia question. Challenging today’s global generation to truly get to know their world, his book is a delight to read and an essential antidote to our lack of geographical knowledge.

Table of Contents:
List of Maps Acknowledgments Introduction 11 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 Oblivion 12 Diseases 13 Population Density 14 Fleets 15 Spice Seekers 16 Principal (Rare) Products 17 Pirates 18 Imaginary/Mythical/Legendary Places 19 Deep in the Heart of . . . 20 World Population 21 Other Populations 22 Dangerous Watery Places 23 Forced Migration 24 Forbidden Places 25 Earthquakes and Tsunamis 26 Extreme Points 27 Minerals and Mines 28 Landscapes of Fear Index About the Author Maps The 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 Realm Geographic Centers of the United States Mouth of the Columbia River Skagerrak and the Battle of Jutland Salvation Islands Radcliffe Line North Brother Island Mount Chimborazo Point Nemo Marcellus Shale Range of Sleeping Sickness Llano Estacado

About the Author :
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.

Review :
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. Fuller hits the road around the world with this accessible and fun guide to global geography. The author couches “trivia” in an engaging narrative, but his knowledge is anything but trivial in an increasingly globalized world, where an understanding of the lay of the land on the other side of the planet may prove as important as knowing one’s neighborhood. He introduces chapters on state capitals, continent-straddling countries, and “Really Big Cities,” and more with questions that are sure to coerce the curious to delve into Fuller’s informative olio—“What is the oldest language in Europe?” (Answer: Basque.) “Where was basketball invented?” (Answer: Springfield, Mass.) Interspersed throughout are fun anecdotes culled from Fuller’s 35 years as a professor at the University of Hawai’i—one student “thought it was unfair to call some lakes ‘great’ and thus, as she put it, ‘to dis other lakes.’” Featuring more than 50 maps and countless bits of miscellany, Fuller’s “Guide to the World” will provide geography buffs with plenty of interesting facts. Folks will be happy to read through or peruse at random. Facts . . . make The Trivia Lover’s Guide to the World an intriguing read, but it is also the author’s voice, informative yet entertaining, that will appeal to fact collectors and geography lovers. . . . Packed with simple and understandable maps and diagrams to complement the text, the book encourages a love of learning and a development of logical thinking. Anyone who loves geography and trivia will find this book hard to put down. In this enjoyable book Fuller explores and answers 150 geographical trivia questions. However, instead of listing the questions and providing the corresponding answers, which would make for a very boring read, he spins his responses into geographical explorations of various topics: climate and weather, maps, islands, rivers, parks, sports, and more. In 46 chapters addressing the questions and associated topics, Fuller does a wonderful job of providing historical context for his answers, in a way that is both entertaining and engaging. So why would Fuller write such a book? For one thing, he was a winning contestant on the television program Jeopardy! and chaired a championship College Bowl team. Trivia is clearly in his blood. In addition, he has a PhD in geography and has taught at universities for 35 years. Being named "Teacher of the Year" by the National Association for Geographic Education probably explains how he does such a great job of telling stories, while increasing one's knowledge of geography as a whole. A fast read and lots of fun. Not only will it make you feel a (very) tiny bit closer to thoseJeopardy!contestants, but it will also pique your curiosity about all sorts of geographic topics. It is a great book to enjoy with friends or family and a good atlas indoors or outside. Not inquisitive? Then don’t bother reading this provocative book. But if suggestive topics make your mental wheels spin then here you have a reliable source of intellectual stimulation. You might read with smart phone Siri in hand: one question leads to another, and then another. . . . Three cheers for geography—Gary Fuller’s kind of geography that favors the polymath over the pedant. Gary Fuller's sparkling insights will pique the interest of readers through engaging stories that lead to deeper awareness of critical global issues. HIs narratives link events throughout the world and clarify how even seemingly small occurrences in faraway lands affect our lives and our future. It has never been more important for us to understand how we reached this point in our history, and Gary Fuller gives both geography specialists and novices a seriously fun perspective.