Qwikipedia- Monday's Marauder

Blossoming trees, blue sky and a child crossing a bridge are reflected in a pond at Keukenhof, known as the Garden of Europe, in Lisse, Netherlands. Photo: AP

What is Qwikipedia? Ever been on Wikipedia to look up an article? More often than not, we start with one topic, click a few links and within no time are reading about something else.

Qwikipedia is a game that tries to quench this curiosity in us. The objective is to get to a particular Wiki page, starting from a specific article, using minimal clicks. There is no single correct answer, so we might surprise ourselves by finding new routes each time!

Monday’s Marauder

Lake Oku —> Netherlands

Lake Oku

  Lake Oku in the central African nation of Cameroon is an example of a crater lake. It is situated on Mount Oku and is surrounded by the Kilum-Ijim Forest which is rich in biodiversity.  The lake is also home to the endangered and rather unusual Lake Oku Clawed Frog that can be found only in its waters. Considering how it is critically in danger of extinction, the Zoological Society of London’s London Zoo recently bred the first Lake Oku Clawed Frog in captivity. Unlike most animals that have two sets of chromosomes, the frog has 12 sets and no tongue!

Crater lake

  It is a lake most likely formed in the crater of a volcano. It can also be formed in a caldera, which is formed when land collapses after a volcanic eruption. The quality and nature of water depends on whether the volcano is active or dormant.

There are several crater lakes such as the Crater Lake in Oregon which is one of the deepest in the United States, the lake on Nevado Ojos del Salado volcano in South America that is considered one of the highest lakes in the world, and Lake Dziani Boundouni in Comoros among many others.

Comoros The country comprises of a group of islands or an archipelago on the eastern coast of Africa on the Indian Ocean. Moroni is the capital of this country that is considered to be one of the poorest in the world. The country has had a turbulent history and been ridden with conflicts. It gained independence from France in 1975. The islands are home mostly to those of African-Arabs origins other than some Chinese and descendents of the French and other Europeans such as the Dutch and Portuguese who settled there earlier. Comorion, French and Arabic are the official languages of this country.

Netherlands This west European country shares its borders with countries like Germany and Belgium. Amsterdam serves as its capital and Dutch is one of the official and most widely spoken languages, followed by West Frisian, English and Papiamento spoken in Caribbean Netherlands. The country is also home to The Hague from where the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court function. Several famous painters and artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Vincent Van Gogh were from The Netherlands. There is plenty to see in Netherlands, right from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to the Keukenhof, which is one of the world’s largest flower gardens.

So the path we have travelled today is: Lake Oku—> Crater Lake —> Comoros —> Netherlands

Three clicks! Hop over. It’s time for the next question:

Tuesday’s Traveller Prince George —> CERN

Send in your paths for the above to school@thehindu.co.in with the subject “Qwikipedia”.