Geography and Nature

Geography And Nature

191 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

Practise Geography And Nature now

Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 191 questions

  1. Complete the sentence about Tokyo with the correct year: Tokyo was greatly damaged by the ______ Great Kantō earthquake and by Allied bombing raids during World War II.
  2. Complete the sentence about Tokyo with the correct year: As of ______, Tokyo is home to 26 of the world's 500 largest companies, as listed in the annual Fortune Global 500.
  3. Complete the sentence about Kyoto with the correct year: The emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until ______.
  4. Complete the sentence about Nagoya with the correct year: In ______, the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital of Owari Province from Kiyosu to Nagoya.
  5. Complete the sentence about Sapporo with the correct year: The city began as an administrative centre with the establishment of the Hokkaido Development Commission headquarters in ______.
  6. Complete the sentence about Sapporo with the correct year: After World War II, it replaced Otaru as Hokkaido's commercial hub, and its population surpassed one million by ______.
  7. Complete the sentence about Kobe with the correct year: While the ______ Great Hanshin earthquake diminished some of Kobe's prominence as a port city, it remains Japan's fourth-busiest container port.
  8. Complete the sentence about Kobe with the correct year: The city was briefly the capital of Japan in ______, when Taira no Kiyomori moved his grandson Emperor Antoku to Fukuhara-kyō in present-day Hyō…
  9. Complete the sentence about Fukuoka with the correct year: The city was designated by government ordinance on April 1, ______.
  10. Complete the sentence about Fukuoka with the correct year: As of ______, Fukuoka is Japan's sixth largest city, having passed the population of Kobe.
  11. Complete the sentence about Kawasaki, Kanagawa with the correct year: In ______, Kawasaki Station was established on the Tōkaidō Main Line which was Japan's first railway line.
  12. Complete the sentence about Kawasaki, Kanagawa with the correct year: In ______ the border between Kanagawa and Tokyo prefectures was established as the Tama River.
  13. Complete the sentence about Hiroshima with the correct year: Hiroshima was founded in ______ as a castle town on the Ōta River delta.
  14. Complete the sentence about Hiroshima with the correct year: Following the Meiji Restoration in ______, Hiroshima rapidly transformed into a major urban center and industrial hub.
  15. Complete the sentence about Sendai with the correct year: The modern city was founded in ______ by the daimyō Date Masamune.
  16. Complete the sentence about Sendai with the correct year: On 11 March ______, coastal areas of the city suffered catastrophic damage from a magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake, which triggered a destruc…
  17. Complete the sentence about Sendai with the correct year: The first railway line between Sendai and Tokyo, now the Tōhoku Main Line, opened in ______, bringing the area within a day's travel from Toky…
  18. Complete the sentence about Nagasaki with the correct year: After a somewhat fruitful two-year sojourn in Japan, he left for China in ______ but died soon afterwards.
  19. Complete the sentence about Nagasaki with the correct year: Thus, for a brief period after ______, the city of Nagasaki was a Jesuit colony, under their administrative and military control.
  20. Complete the sentence with the correct year: On April 14, ______, a fire consumed much of the city, including the castle.
  21. Complete the sentence about Kanazawa, Ishikawa with the correct year: In ______ Maeda Toshitsune ordered the construction of a canal to bring water from the upper Sai River to the castle to alleviate…
  22. Complete the sentence about Kagoshima with the correct year: Shimazu Ujihiza, of the Shimazu clan, moved into the area around ______.
  23. Complete the sentence about Kagoshima with the correct year: On August 6, ______, torrential rains occurred, leading to the flooding of rivers such as the Kotatsu, landslides, and the death of 49 in t…
  24. Complete the sentence with the correct year: After Kiyomasa died in ______, his son, Tadahiro, succeeded him.
  25. Complete the sentence about Kumamoto with the correct year: In ______, Tadahiro was removed by Tokugawa Iemitsu and replaced with the Hosokawa clan.
  26. Complete the sentence about Kumamoto with the correct year: The current administrative body of the City of Kumamoto was founded on April 1, ______.
  27. Complete the sentence about Kumamoto with the correct year: On July 1, ______, near the end of World War II, Kumamoto was bombed in an Allied air raid that destroyed one square mile, which was 20% of…
  28. Complete the sentence about Kumamoto with the correct year: Inaugurated in ______, it was the first of over 80 Peace Pagodas built by Fujii and his followers all over the world.
  29. Complete the sentence about Okayama with the correct year: On August 29, ______, the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan replaced the traditional feudal domain system with centralized governme…
  30. Complete the sentence about Okayama with the correct year: In ______, Okayama City was founded with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.
  31. Complete the sentence about Shizuoka with the correct year: Per Japanese census data, the population of Shizuoka has been declining slowly since ______.
  32. Complete the sentence about Matsuyama, Ehime with the correct year: The city was established with the creation of the modern municipality system on December 15, ______.
  33. Complete the sentence about Matsuyama, Ehime with the correct year: The city was bombed on July 26, ______, in the final stages of World War II, with 251 civilians killed and over 55% of the city area…
  34. Complete the sentence about Nikko, Tochigi with the correct year: The shrine of Nikkō Tōshō-gū was completed in ______ and became a major draw of visitors to the area during the Edo period.
  35. Complete the sentence about Nikko, Tochigi with the correct year: Nikkō was incorporated as a town in ______, part of Kamitsuga District, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.
  36. Complete the sentence about Hakone, Kanagawa with the correct year: Per Japanese census data, the population of Hakone peaked around the year ______ and has declined since.
  37. Complete the sentence about Hakone, Kanagawa with the correct year: After a merger with five neighboring towns and villages in September ______, it reached its present boundaries.
  38. Complete the sentence about Naha with the correct year: After the replacement of the Ryūkyū Kingdom with the Ryūkyū Domain in ______, Naha became the capital city.
  39. Complete the sentence about Himeji with the correct year: The city of Himeji was established on April 1, ______, with the creation of the modern municipalities system.
  40. Complete the sentence about Himeji with the correct year: After the ______ Great Kantō earthquake, the Japanese government reportedly considered moving the nation's capital from Tokyo to Himeji.
  41. Complete the sentence about Himeji with the correct year: On April 1, ______, Himeji attained Core city status, with increased local autonomy.
  42. Complete the sentence about Matsumoto, Nagano with the correct year: Modern Matsumoto Town was established with the creation of the municipalities system on 1 April ______.
  43. Complete the sentence about Matsumoto, Nagano with the correct year: Matsumoto was proclaimed a special city with increased local autonomy on 1 November ______.
  44. Complete the sentence about Matsumoto, Nagano with the correct year: Matsumoto was proclaimed a core city with increased local autonomy on 1 April ______.
  45. Complete the sentence about Takayama, Gifu with the correct year: On November 1, ______, Takayama merged with the town of Onada, forming the city of Takayama.
  46. Complete the sentence about Kurashiki with the correct year: Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Kurashiki was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on June 1…
  47. Complete the sentence about Kurashiki with the correct year: In ______, Kurashiki was designated a Core city with increased local autonomy.
  48. Complete the sentence about Hakodate with the correct year: The city was the biggest city in Hokkaido before the Great Fire of Hakodate in ______.
  49. Complete the sentence about Hakodate with the correct year: Hakodate was founded in ______, when Kono Kaganokami Masamichi constructed a large manor house in the fishing village of Usukeshi, the word…
  50. Complete the sentence about Hakodate with the correct year: In ______, the Tokugawa shogunate took direct control over Hakodate, which triggered rapid development in the area.
  51. Complete the sentence about Mount Fuji with the correct year: The first ascent by a foreigner was by Sir Rutherford Alcock in September ______, who ascended the mountain in 8 hours and descended in 3…
  52. Complete the sentence about Mount Fuji with the correct year: Lady Fanny Parkes, the wife of British ambassador Sir Harry Parkes, was the first non-Japanese woman to summit, in ______.
  53. Complete the sentence about Mount Fuji with the correct year: On March 5, ______, BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707, broke up in flight and crashed near the Mount Fuji Gotemba New fifth station, shortly a…
  54. Complete the sentence about Himeji Castle with the correct year: Himeji Castle dates to ______ when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill.
  55. Complete the sentence about Himeji Castle with the correct year: The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in ______ and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later.
  56. Complete the sentence about Himeji Castle with the correct year: Himeji Castle was then significantly remodeled in ______ by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added a three-story castle keep.
  57. Complete the sentence about Himeji Castle with the correct year: Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in ______ as one of the first UNESCO World Heritag…
  58. Complete the sentence about Osaka Castle with the correct year: In ______ Toyotomi Hideyoshi commenced construction on the site of the Ikkō-ikki temple of Ishiyama Hongan-ji.
  59. Complete the sentence with the correct year: Construction was completed in ______, and Hideyoshi died the following year.
  60. Complete the sentence about Osaka Castle with the correct year: In ______, Tokugawa Ieyasu besieged the Toyotomi clan forces in Osaka castle during the winter, starting the Siege of Osaka.
  61. Complete the sentence about Osaka Castle with the correct year: During the summer of ______, Hideyori began to restore the outer moat.
  62. Complete the sentence about Matsumoto Castle with the correct year: In ______ it was seized by the Takeda clan following the Siege of Fukashi.
  63. Complete the sentence about Matsumoto Castle with the correct year: Following the defeat of the Takeda clan by Oda Nobunaga in ______, the castle was surrendered to Oda Nagamasu.
  64. Complete the sentence about Matsumoto Castle with the correct year: With the assassination of Oda Nobunaga in ______, the castle was seized by Ogasawara Dosetsuzai with the backing of Uesugi Kagekatsu…
  65. Complete the sentence about Nagoya Castle with the correct year: Nagoya Castle was constructed by the Owari Domain in ______ during the Edo period on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan in t…
  66. Complete the sentence about Nagoya Castle with the correct year: Nagoya Castle became the core of the modern Nagoya and ownership was transferred to the city by the Imperial Household Ministry in ____…
  67. Complete the sentence about Kumamoto Castle with the correct year: Kumamoto Castle's history dates to ______, when fortifications were established by Ideta Hidenobu.
  68. Complete the sentence with the correct year: In ______, these fortifications were expanded by Kanokogi Chikakazu.
  69. Complete the sentence about Kumamoto Castle with the correct year: In ______, Katō Kiyomasa was transferred to the early incarnation of Kumamoto Castle.
  70. Complete the sentence about Kumamoto Castle with the correct year: The castle was besieged in ______ during the Satsuma Rebellion, and the castle keep and other parts were burned down.
  71. Complete the sentence about Shuri Castle with the correct year: In ______, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed.
  72. Complete the sentence about Shuri Castle with the correct year: The site of Shuri Castle has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since ______.
  73. Complete the sentence about Shuri Castle with the correct year: In ______, Shuri Castle was designated as a World Heritage Site, as a part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of…
  74. Complete the sentence about Shuri Castle with the correct year: On the morning of 31 October ______, the main courtyard structures of the castle were again destroyed in a fire.
  75. Complete the sentence about Itsukushima Shrine with the correct year: Another renowned patron of the shrine was Mōri Motonari, lord of Chōshū Domain, who was responsible for rebuilding the honden in _…
  76. Complete the sentence about Itsukushima Shrine with the correct year: As a result of waging war against Sue Takafusa there in ______, Motonari is said to have tainted the island's grounds by battling…
  77. Complete the sentence about Fushimi Inari-taisha with the correct year: The shrine draws several million worshipers over the Japanese New Year, 2.69 million for 3 days in ______ reported by the police…
  78. Complete the sentence about Kinkaku-ji with the correct year: Kinkaku-ji's history dates to ______, when the villa was purchased from the Saionji family by shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and transformed i…
  79. Complete the sentence about Kinkaku-ji with the correct year: The original Golden Pavilion is believed to have been constructed in ______.
  80. Complete the sentence about Kinkaku-ji with the correct year: A fictionalized version of these events is at the center of Yukio Mishima's ______ book The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and another in…
  81. Complete the sentence about Todai-ji with the correct year: The current Buddha was repaired after suffering significant damage in ______.
  82. Complete the sentence about Horyu-ji with the correct year: On January 26, ______, a fire broke out during the dismantling and repair of the Kondō.
  83. Complete the sentence about Horyu-ji with the correct year: In ______, Hōryū-ji Temple, along with Hokki-ji, was registered as Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name of Buddhist Monum…
  84. Complete the sentence about Meiji Shrine with the correct year: After the emperor's death in ______, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration.
  85. Complete the sentence about Meiji Shrine with the correct year: Construction began in ______ under Itō Chūta, and the shrine was built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, using primarily Japanese…
  86. Complete the sentence about Meiji Shrine with the correct year: The present iteration of the shrine was funded through a public fund raising effort and completed in October ______.
  87. Complete the sentence about Senso-ji with the correct year: The temple was destroyed during a 10 March ______ firebombing air raid on Tokyo during World War II.
  88. Complete the sentence about Senso-ji with the correct year: Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, the temple became independent in ______ after the war.
  89. Complete the sentence about Tokyo Tower with the correct year: A large broadcasting tower was needed in the Kantō region after NHK, Japan's public broadcasting station, began television broadcasting i…
  90. Complete the sentence about Tokyo Tower with the correct year: The Takenaka Corporation broke ground in June ______ and each day at least 400 laborers worked on the tower.
  91. Complete the sentence about Tokyo Skytree with the correct year: From October to November ______, suggestions were collected from the general public for the name to be given to the tower.
  92. Complete the sentence about Shinjuku with the correct year: In ______, during the Edo period, as the outer moat of the Edo Castle was built, a number of temples and shrines moved to the Yotsuya area o…
  93. Complete the sentence about Shinjuku with the correct year: In ______, the Yodobashi Water Purification Plant, the city's first modern water treatment facility, was built in the area that is now betwe…
  94. Complete the sentence about Shinjuku with the correct year: Shinjuku began to develop into its current form after the Great Kantō Earthquake in ______, since the seismically stable area largely escape…
  95. Complete the sentence about Shinjuku with the correct year: The Tokyo air raids from May to August ______ destroyed almost 90% of the buildings in the area in and around Shinjuku Station.
  96. Complete the sentence about Shinjuku with the correct year: In March ______, the Yodobashi Water Purification Plant closed and was replaced by skyscrapers in the following years.
  97. Complete the sentence about Shibuya with the correct year: The branch of the clan that ruled this area was defeated by the Later Hōjō clan on January 13, ______, during the Sengoku period, and the are…
  98. Complete the sentence about Shibuya with the correct year: Shibuya became an urban special ward under the Local Autonomy Act in ______.
  99. Complete the sentence about Ginza with the correct year: The name Ginza came after the establishment of a silver-coin mint established there in ______, during the Edo period.
  100. Complete the sentence about Akihabara with the correct year: After Akihabara Station was built in ______, the shrine was moved to the Taitō ward, where it resides today.

Keep practising

More general knowledge topics

All general knowledge →

Geography And Nature in other exams

Ready for more general knowledge?

Play the GK ChallengeGeneral knowledge hub