Exploring World Geography With Web Searches

A Project About “Searching” for the Correct Information.

Addie. L

March 11, 2016

Green Group (D1B3)

This is a quiz that was found in the Sunday January 3 2010 Concord Monitor newspaper…. Answers are there, too.  You need to read the question, and… if you KNOW the correct answer, that’s good… but you must still VERIFY that correct answer.  And write out your source for that correct answer.  And, MOST importantly, I want to you also write out your thinking process- especially for the questions you do NOT know the answer to.  Can you eliminate any of the answers?  How?   And how did you search for the correct answer?  Did you search the QUESTION, or did you search the possible answers? 

Write it out!  Be complete.  A good paragraph per answer is what we are after here…

• Use Google AND Bing and at least 2 other search engines... any search engine you desire.  In your paragraphs, write down which search engine you used. 

• Use Search Terms that make sense.  Do NOT just type/copy the entire question.  Use Search Terms.  Use search terms that make sense.  In your paragraph, write down what search terms you used.

• Use Advanced Search methods, or at least look for .edu sites, .gov sites   and   .com sites.  At LEAST these 3 types of sites.  You can have others, such as   .org    and    .net.    In your paragraph, write down how you searched for different domains (such as .edu, .gov .com,   etc.   Those are called “domains”.)

• And... write down the correct answer in the paragraph.  Perhaps that is the last sentence in your paragraph.

ow

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1. What are the three places that make up the points of the Bermuda Triangle?

1. Bahamas, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico
2. Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Tortola
3. Miami, Bermuda, Puerto Rico

I am going to use Google as my search engine and Google Chrome as my browser for this question. It is the engine I am most familiar and comfortable with, I know how to navigate it, and it is on my taskbar. Also, I find it the most efficient and fastest out of all the browsers I have used on this computer. The search terms I will be using are ‘Bermuda,’ triangle,’ and ‘location.’ When I searched this, I found 1, 610,000 results. I scrolled through the first seven answers, until I found a website I wanted to read, a noaa.gov website, which I deemed credible: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html. I looked at the map at the top of the page, and discovered that the answer was c.) Miami, Bermuda, Puerto Rico.

I found this image on Google, and used the advanced search settings ‘free to share, use, or modify.’

2. Recife is the popular, pretty capital of Pernambuco state in what country?

1. Italy
2. Spain
3. Brazil

For this search, I will be using the search engine duckduckgo.com, because I have never used it, only heard about it. Also, I found it interesting that it does not track your history – however, it does save searches to suggest to other users. The keywords I will be using are ‘Recife,’ and ‘Pernambuco.’ When I searched, I was surprised when I found was that duckduckgo.com does not show the number of results, like Google does. I scrolled though and clicked on lonelyplanet.com, because I have used this site before and find it pretty comprehensive. I found that Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, is located in Brazil; the answer is c). Here is the website I used: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/the-northeast/recife.

I found this image on duckduckgo.com, and used the advanced search settings ‘free to share, use, or modify.’

3. Historic Nara, Japan, celebrates a huge anniversary in 2010.  How old is the country’s first capital city?

1. 570 years  (in 2010)
2. 1,300 years   (in 2010)
3. 4,000 years   (in 2010)

For this search, I will be using Bing, because, even though I don’t like it as much as Google, it is functional, and it is said that it is the second most used search engine in the world; and if so many people like it, then it must not be too bad. However, I find it a little creepy that Bing remembers exactly what you clicked on, what you searched, and what you typed. Sometimes, if you type in just the first letter, several suggestions to search will pop up, from your previous searches. The keywords I will be plugging in will be ‘Nara,’ ‘Japan,’ ‘anniversary,’ and ‘2010.’ 73,800 results appeared. I did not scroll very much because I clicked on the first result - a New York Times website - because the NY Times is sure to be credible, because it is a globally-known magazine. The article was categorized in the Travel section, and was from the last day of December, wishing Nara, Japan a happy 1,300^th birthday in the New Year. Obviously, the answer is b) 1,300 years. Here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/travel/03headsup.html?_r=0

I found this image on Bing, and used the advanced search settings ‘free to share, use, or modify.’

4. The Northern Pacific Gyre lies in the Pacific Ocean between Japan and the west coast of the United States. What does it contain?

1. A huge pod of an estimated 2,000 endangered gray whales
2. A giant debris field of garbage trapped in a spinning circle
3. An underground sea mountain 7 miles tall

For this search, I will be using the search engine Yahoo, because it is a pretty common search engine and seems like a smaller version of Google. The keywords I will use ‘northern,’ ‘pacific,’ and ‘gyre.’ At the bottom of the page I found the total number of results: 62, 900 results. I scrolled through the results and snippets until I found a noaa.org website. I clicked on it because the NOAA is a credible organization. I learned that the Northern Pacific is a spinning patch of garbage. The fact that it spins clockwise reminded me of the Sargasso Patch of seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean. Here is the link: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/garbagepatch.html

5. This year (in 2010) a mosaic of an angel was discovered under the floor of the Hagia Sophia.  Where and what is the Hagia Sophia?

1. Istanbul, Turkey.  It’s a museum that previously was a Byzantine Christian Church and a mosque.
2. Luxembourg.  It’s a cathedral built to honor St. Sophia, the country’s patron saint.
3. Mexico City.  It’s a traditional market where the image of the angel is said to have healing powers.

For this search I have been instructed to compare the results from four different search engines. The search engines I will used Google, Yahoo, duckduckgo.com, and Bing. My key words will be ‘hagia,’ ‘sophia,’ and ‘location.’ For Google, I found 812,000 results, and I scrolled through until I clicked on a Britannica website, because I like Britannica and find it credible. From Britannica, I learned that the Hagia Sophia is located in Istanbul, Turkey, and was built when it was known as Constantinople. Yahoo showed mainly travel websites, on the other hand, and had 602,000, total results, and Bing showed fairly even amounts of everything, with 612,000 total results, while duckduckgo.com showed websites similar to Google. Overall, however, the results from engine to engine, were largely the same. Here is the website I used: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Hagia-Sophia

I found this image on Google, and used the advanced search settings ‘free to share, use, or modify.’

6. If you want to go whitewater rafting on the Kampar River, where do you have to go?

1. Wheeling, West Virginia.
2. Gopeng, Malaysia
3. Johannesburg, South Africa

This question will be done using Google, because even after surveying many other browsers, I have confirmed it my favorite. The search terms will be ‘kampar’ and ‘river.’ However, my search will be different because this time I will limit the domain results by adding ‘site:*.__’ First, I tried edu, which narrowed the search results to 1,480, but found nothing that interested me, so I tried org, and found 14,100 results. I checked Wikipedia first, and found a lot about Indonesia. Since Indonesia is close to neither West Virginia or South Africa, but is close to Malaysia, so I added another search term, ‘malaysia,’ and received 25,000 results. I scrolled down, and found a Wikipedia article named ‘Gopeng.’ I clicked on it, and found that one of the main attractions to Gopeng, Malaysia which is located in the Kampar District, is white-water rafting on the Kampar River. Here is the website I used: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopeng

I found this image on Google, and used the advanced search settings ‘free to share, use, or modify.’Also, I tried to verify that this is indeed the Kampar River, and am pretty sure I was successful.

7. Most tourists love Devonshire cream tea – scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam with tea.  But where in England is Devonshire?

1. In dairy country east of London
2. Southwest England
3. Near the Scottish border

For this search I will be using Google, and my search terms will be ‘devonshire’ and ‘england,’ because there could easily be a Devonshire in the U.S. (in fact, I know there is one in Massachusetts). I found 6,600,000 results, and realized it would be easier to find a result if I constrained them. I added site:*.com, and found 3,050,000. I scrolled through until I found a site that interested me, a Britannica website. In the first paragraph I learned that Devonshire makes up the south west peninsula of England.  

I found this image on Google, and used the advanced search settings ‘free to share, use, or modify.’

8. What and where are the Adirondacks?

1. The Amish region in Indiana where craftsmen make chairs
2. Mountain range in New York state
3. American Indian reservations in the Florida Everglades

Of course, I know the answer to this because I have hiked in the Adirondacks, and my grandparents used to live in New York State. But I will ‘verify’ anyway, and will use the search terms ‘adirondacks’ and ‘usa,’ because it is obvious that it is in the United States from the available answers. I will at first use the advanced search of .org.

The results that came up looked very promising, and had 52,100 in total results. I clicked on the first website, which advertised itself as the official Adirondacks Website. I learned that it is located in New York state, and is a mountain range full of North-Eastern-USA-esque charm – hiking, maple sugaring, front-porch-sitting, bike-riding and more. Here is my link: http://visitadirondacks.com/

I found this image on Google, and used the advanced search settings ‘free to share, use, or modify.’

9. Most people just call the region the Caribbean, but what is its formal name?

1. The West Indies
2. The East Indies
3. The South Indies

As I knew the answer to this from prior classes, units, and miscellaneous knowledge, so for this search I used only the search term ‘caribbean,’ and refined my search with ‘.com.’ I got 323,000,000 results… But I found a relevant website at the first glance – though it was Wikipedia. After clicking on this – as Wikipedia is often helpful. I scrolled down and found a list of different names of islands. Included in this section was a lot about the West Indies. This confirmed my prior knowledge. Here is the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean

10. Almost all tourists who visit the Galapagos Islands leave for their trip from what city?

1. Quito, Ecuador
2. Santiago, Chile
3. La Paz, Bolivia

For this search I used the search terms ‘flight to’ and ‘galapagos islands,’ and refined my search with ‘.org’ I found several website that mentioned Quito, Ecuador, and a few other cities, but not Santiago, or La Paz, so I instead searched for ‘quito,’ ‘ecuador,’ and ‘galapagos,’ and found a website that stated the Quito has the leading airport for trips to the galapagoes – or something along those lines. Here is the link: https://www.quasarex.com/galapagos/how-to-get-there

11. What was the United States’ first national park?

1. Great Smoky Mountain
2. Yellowstone
3. Yosemite

For this search I used the terms ‘united states,’ ‘first’ and ‘national park.’

12. Of Hawaii’s six major islands, which is the smallest and least developed?

1. Lili’uokalani
2. Kauai
3. Lanai