Where Apples Come From

The World
The World

For our Geo Quiz, we want to know where apples originated, thousands of years ago.

Scientists point to a Central Asian mountain range. It’s located in a region where Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China come together.

So name this Central Asian mountain range where the first wild apples are said to have grown.

The answer is the Tian Shan mountains in Central Asia, where scientists have traced the origin of apples.

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Kevin Hauser who runs Kuffel Creek Apple Nursery in Riverside, California, about how apples migrated from Asia to Europe, then to the Americas, and about recent efforts to cultivate apples in warmer regions of Africa.

Will you support The World with a monthly donation?

Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!