Now you know where to go skiing. But there's no gambling there.

Utah is an unusual place. Let's see how much you knew.

1. There is a lake in Utah that covers 2,100 square miles (5438.975 sq km). What is its name, which will give you its other unusual feature? The Great Salt Lake. It's the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, 3-5 times saltier than the ocean. The largest creatures in it are brine shrimp, not counting all those people proving they can't sink in it.
2. Where does the state of Utah get its name? From the Ute tribe, who were there before the migrating hordes showed up. Originally, Mormon settlers called the place Deseret.
3. What religion's central temple is located in Utah's capital? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons. Utah is unique among US states in that the majority of its citizens (62%) have the same religion. While normal in many parts of the world, it's not usual in North America.
4. Utah is not on a coast, but it has a town called Hurricane. Population: 13,748. Why do 2.7 million people a year drive down its main street? They're going somewhere else. Specifically, to the national parks.
5. What do Philo T Farnsworth and Butch Cassidy have in common? They were both born in Beaver, Utah. Farnsworth invented television, and Butch Cassidy was an outlaw. We draw no conclusions from this.
6. What do people in Utah eat more of than anyone else on the planet? Jello. Apparently, the wiggly dessert is popular in Deseret. They even have a state-wide 'Jello Week.'
7. What is a Utahraptor? A theropod dinosaur. You know, those scary things in Jurassic Park movies. The first ones were found near Moab, Utah in 1975.
8. What was Zions Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI), and what is its claim to fame? The first department store in the US. It was founded in 1868.
9. What makes the skiing so great in Utah? Powder. Utah has very dry snow, and lots of ski resorts.
10. What is peculiar about Utah's boundaries? They are all formed by lines of latitude and longitude. And Congressional finagling, of course. Silver mines, gold mines, other natural resources, politics, yadda, yadda…

Did you enjoy this? Did you hate it? Let us know! And try to fill out a blank map of US states. We dare you. Those square ones will frustrate you.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

22.01.18 Front Page

Back Issue Page