A Board

Albania

100

The Mojahedin-e-Khalq, founded in 1965, was a major dissident organization against the Shah and Ayatollahs in this country. Their influence hasn't been the same since being forcefully relocated to Albania, however.

Iran

200

In June 2025, this (now former) NYC mayor hosted a celebration of Albanian culture at Gracie Mansion. He has since become an Albanian citizen himself.

Eric Adams

300

Only around 20% of Albanians actually live in Albania today. Another 15% live in this neighboring country.

Kosovo

400

Muhammad Ali, a 19th century Ottoman viceory of Albanian origin, is widely considered to be the modern founder of this country.

Egypt

500

This Albanian nobleman established the League of Lezhë in 1444 and resisted Ottoman expansion for nearly 25 years. Today he is Albania's singular national hero.

Skanderbeg (Gjergj Kastrioti)

Arid Geography

100

This continent is almost entirely a desert? Yes, since a desert is simply defined as having less than 250mm of annual precipitation.

Antarctica

200

Over 90% of this country's total area is considered desert

Algeria

300

This 82 mile long aqueduct conveys water from the Colorado to the Imperial Valley, providing water for irrigation and civilization in what is otherwise a desert. It also sounds like an accolade you may give to a top NCAA player.

All-American Canal

400

The 280 square km Tabernas desert, the only desert in Europe, is located within this southernmost Spanish autonomous community.

Andalusia

500

This desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world. It's been used to simulate Mars expeditions given how little precipitation it receives.

Atacama Desert

American History

100

If you attend a UC Berkeley event, you may hear a land acknowledgment for this American people.

Ohlone

200

This psychoactive cactus may have been used for religious ceremonies by Americans in modern-day Texas for over 2000 years. More recently, the Native American Church has spread the practice widely across the US.

Peyote

300

The first Americans most likely moved into North America by crossing over this strait, although it's possible some may have arrived even earlier along the "Kelp Highway".

Bering Strait

400

The Salt River Project, the primary water provider for this desert capital city, re-used much of the canal system built over 1000 years ago by the Hohokam people.

Phoenix

500

According to legend, this unifier co-founded the Haudenosaunee Confederacy from 5 Iroquoian-speaking people, including the Mohawk which he led.

Hiawatha

Astrology

100

This country's University Grants Commission introduced Vedic astrology as a discipline of scientific study in 2001. Despite criticism from the scientific community, this "science" is still researched, including in public universities...

India

200

You may be familiar with the Hellenistic origins of Western horoscopes, but the Greeks in turn borrowed the concept of splitting the sky into twelve from this ancient Mesopotamian civilization.

Babylonia

300

The calculation of this sign, which represents external-facing traits, requires trigonometry to discern and varies greatly by location, giving a scientific veneer to what is, ultimately, a pseudoscience.

Ascendant (Rising)

400

Western astrologists aim to apply a "ruling planet" to each of the 12 horoscopes, despite there only being 8 planets in the solar system. To solve this, both classical and modern astrologists have included other bodies as "planets" for this purpose. Name any two.

Pluto, Ceres, Eris, the Sun

500

This Italian philosopher wrote about astronomy and astrology, pushing beyond Copernicus to insist that the universe is infinite. Unlike Galileo, he was burned at the stake, although the Inquisition likely considered his writings on reincarnation too.

Giordano Bruno

Australian Animals

100

These tiny octopuses are known for their potent neurotoxin and starring role in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy

Blue-ringed octopus

200

This hackeysack-shaped toad is named after the distinctive pattern on its back.

Crucifix toad

300

This kingfisher is known for its distinctive call that sounds like human laughter. In older films, this call is almost synonymous with the jungle.

Kookaburra

400

Methuselah, a nearly 100 year old lungfish, is the oldest living fish in captivity. She's lived all of her life in this California aquarium.

California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium)

500

This carnivorous marsupial, also known as the Tasmanian tiger due to its stripes, went extinct in 1936. Its enduring popularity, however, has led to efforts to bring it back to life.

Thylacine