So You Think You Know Your Beach Facts?
A simple quiz to test your knowledge of beaches.
1. Which have more visitors each year:
a. The national and state parks combined.
b. All the theme parks in the United States combined.
c. America's ocean, Gulf and inland beaches.
ANSWER: C. The Clean Beaches Council estimates that approximately 180 million Americans make 2 billion visits annually to ocean, Gulf and inland beaches. That is almost twice as many annual visits than those made to properties of the National Park Service, Bureau of Land management, and all the state parks and recreation areas combined. It also dwarfs the 138 million annual visitors to all the theme parks in the United States combined.
2. Why do we renourish (put sand on) beaches?
a. To protect homes and other buildings from storms.
b. To restore wildlife habitat.
c. To maintain our beaches for recreation.
d. To bolster our tourism economy.
ANSWER: Actually, all the answers are correct. Wide beaches reduce damage from storms, provide a home or nesting place for animals and plants (including threatened and endangered species), provide people with a wide beach to enjoy, and beaches are America's leading tourism destination.
3. Which of the following beaches have been renourished?
a. Miami Beach, Florida.
b. Ocean City, Maryland.
c. San Diego, California.
d. Coney Island, New York.
e. Waikiki, Hawaii.
ANSWER: All of the above!
4. How many U.S. beaches have been renourished since the 1920s?
a. Less than 50.
b. Over 100.
c. Over 300.
d. Over 500.
ANSWER: C. Since the 1920s, more than 370 locations were nourished (several of these were nourished more than once) with more than 500 million cubic yards of sand placed along America's beaches.
5. Which country spends the most on beach nourishment?
a. Spain
b. Germany
c. United States
d. Japan
ANSWER: Depending on the time frame, anyone but C. Spain (where tourist is a key industry) has spent more over five years than the United States has in 40 years. Germany's $3.3 billion was six times more than the U.S. over that same 40-year period - for a coastline that's less than 5% the length. Japan's budget for shore protection and restoration has topped $1.5 billion in a single year, but that can include more than beach renourishment.
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