High tides swamp Venice in northern Italy

Q: More than 80 percent of the low-lying Italian city of Venice was submerged last week after being hit by the highest tidewaters in more than 50 years. Where is Italy?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Venice is built on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by more than 400 bridges in the shallow Venetian Lagoon on the Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic is part of what larger body of water?

A. Atlantic Ocean

B. Mediterranean Sea

C. World Ocean

D. All of the above

Q: The flooding in Venice was caused by a combination of astronomical high tides and strong sirocco winds that blow from the southeast and originate in …

A. Eastern Atlantic

B. Northern Africa

C. Southern Asia

D. Western Europe

Q: Many historians say the original population of Venice consisted of refugees fleeing to the islands to escape waves of Germanic and Hun invasions. In 410, the Germanic Visigoths sacked what ancient city in Italy?

A. Alexandria

B. Constantinople

C. Rome

D. Sparta

Q: The mayor of Venice last week attributed the city’s flooding to climate change, and some scientists predict the city will be entirely underwater by the end of this century. Where was climate change blamed for widespread wildfires that are expected to only get worse with the approaching summer?

A. Australia

B. Britain

C. Canada

D. Denmark


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