The latest one.
If you hike around the edge, you’ll encounter 7 languages
Not a country, but rather 5 national sectors
about 15% pop. from one of the countries bordering it live in tents and box cars.
Limnologists believe 5 million years ago the area was less than 50% of its present size.
I initially thought of a volcanic island-nation, but the bordering country and box cars threw me off. I don’t even know where to start to look for this.
As always, thanks in advance.
#2 would make me think Antarctica
Limnologists are people who study lakes, so its a lake. The question is, which one?
My guess - Caspian Sea
It’s got to be either Antarctica or possibly the Arctic Ocean. I would think you would run into more than 7 languages in the Arctic though.
I confess I don’t quite understand #3. Do they mean that 15% of the population of one of the bordering countries lives in tents and boxcars, or that a number of people equal to that percentage live in tents and boxcars in that region, or what?
I’ll slow down, stop jumping the gun and quit with the multiposting. Clue #2 suggests its surrounded by 5 nations. Clue #3 suggests its in a part of the world with low quality of life. And clue #4 shows its a lake or sea. The Capsian Sea (which may or may not be the world’s largest lake) is surrounded by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. Works for me.
What if the 15% of population living in tents and boxcars were gypsies? As many are supposed to come from Romania, could the lake be the Black Sea? Perhaps it doesn’t qualify for limnologists, though…
Lake Vostok
knew it was a lake when I found out what the hell a limnologist was. Central or southern Asia should also be the right area, due to the poverty part. And the Caspian is technically a lake. (Make me wonder why we have the 5 Great Lakes, when they are in fact inland seas)
FWIW, her teacher always gets these from the CIA factbook, but he appearantly made it obscure by going with a region rather than specific country.
Anyway, I’ll tell her Caspian tonight if nothing else turns up.
Thanks again
Can’t be Caspian or Black. 5 million or so years ago, they were part of one much larger sea, the Sarmatic sea - Cite and map
Lake Victoria is another option, but i found a cite (gone now) that said it was broken into 3 national sectors.
5 mill years ago it was LESS than half the size, meaning it has grown.
Also, Lake Victoria did cross my mind as well. Are you sure it’s divided into 3 sectors?
Here’s my cite. Admittedly, its a travel site, but i’ll take what i can get. if someone wants to debunk it, go right ahead.
I interpret the clue to mean that, in 5,000,000 BC, the area was <0.5 of its present size. That would mean that it would now have to be twice the size it was in 5,000,000 BC.
You appear to be agreeing with this - “it has grown”. So what’s the problem? Wouldn’t that prove my point?
Only Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania border Lake Victoria. However, Rwanda and Burundi are in the Lake Victoria drainage basin. A bit too much of a stretch for me.
Hey duffer, any word on the right answer?
Nope, not due till Friday. I’ll let you know.
Lambchop, I meant that if it was part of a larger sea, it wouldn’t have been a sea itself, thereby no way to know if it had grown. Also, she’s only 11 so I doubt the teacher would pose something so obscure and difficult. But it was kinda interesting to read about. 
Maybe I should post my clue again with a link.
Are you sure its not 7 sectors and 5 languages.
It’s not going to be Lake Vostok, as that is under several kilometres of ice. You’re not going to hike around its perimeter, and even if you did, you wouldn’t encounter a population living in tents and boxcars.
It’s the Caspian Sea, for sure.
The “tents and boxcars” bit is a reference to the refugees of Azerbaijan. See here.
Sorry to bring up an oldish post, but did we ever find out the right answer to this?
