Geo answer

The World

Today’s Geo Quiz takes us to a state in southern Australia. The state is the center of Australian industry and culture. It’s also the home of what used to be a thriving wool industry.

sheep shearingsheep shearingSeveral Australian folk songs glorify the hard work of sheering the sheep. That actually makes sheep shearing sound like more fun than it is.

?You have to drag each animal from the pen…wrestle it to the floor…and go through that tangled wool with electric clippers.?

No wonder sheep shearers are leaving the industry in droves. The words of another old song include the name of the Australian state we’re looking for. The lyrics go

“Here we are in blankety-blank
Shearing sheep as big as whales,
With leather necks and daggy tails.”

sheepsheep

We’ll fill in the blankety-blank…when we answer today’s Geo Quiz here…

We head to Australia for the answer to today’s Geo Quiz.

We were looking for a southeastern state that borders the Pacific Ocean.

According to an Australian folk song, they shear “sheep as big as whales” there.

The answer is New South Wales.

Sheep farm in New South Wales, AustraliaSheep farm in New South Wales, Australia

But fewer and fewer people are willing to shear the sheep in the state or the country, for that matter.

It’s grueling work…and there are better jobs with better pay.

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!