1. Which country’s capital is located on the estuary of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers?
2. Pazeh, a member of the Austronesian language family, had only one remaining speaker in 2005. This language originated on what island southwest of Okinawa?
3. Eleme, a language spoken by about 50,000 people who are traditionally agricultural, can be heard in the Rivers state of what West African country?
4. Burushaski, a language isolate, meaning that it is not related to any other known languages, is spoken in the Gilgit District of what country containing part of the Karakoram Range?
5. Karaim, an endangered member of the Turkic language family, remains spoken by fewer than one hundred people in the southernmost Baltic state. Name this country.
6. N|u, a nearly extinct Khoisan language that uses click sounds, had fewer than 10 remaining speakers in 2005. Elderly speakers of N|u can still be found in what country that borders Mozambique and Namibia?
7. Ifugao, a language with at least four different dialects, is spoken in an Asian country where Christianity has affected traditional religious practices. Name this island country.
8. Laal, also known as Gori, is an unclassified language, meaning that its relationship with other languages has not been confirmed. Laal can be found along the Chari River in what Saharan country?
9. Ainu, also a language isolate, once had dialects spoken on both the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island. While an effort is underway to preserve the language, the few remaining Ainu speakers reside in what Asian country?
10. Gta’, a language where long, complex sentences can be just one word, is spoken by only a few thousand people, some of whom are still hunter-gatherers, in one of the most populous countries in the world. Name this Asian country.
ANSWERS: 1. Argentina 2. Taiwan 3. Nigeria 4. Pakistan 5. Lithuania 6. South Africa 7. Philippines 8. Chad 9. Japan 10. India National Geographic Bee, National Geographic Society
