Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
One of Hong Kong’s most famous bridges has been chosen for a new list of typhoon names for storms in the western North Pacific and South China Sea.
“Tsing-ma” was among nine names endorsed by a committee. It was set up by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Tsing Ma Bridge is named for the two islands it connects, and it opened to traffic in 1997. The bridge is one of the longest in the world. Ever since the Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok opened in 1998, the bridge has served as a way for people to get to their flights.
Other names added to this year’s list include the Korean word for dragonfly, jamjari, the Vietnamese aquatic plant luc-binh and the mountain of Amuyao in the Philippines.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the Typhoon Committee has been adopting a list of tropical cyclone names with local characteristics since 2000. These names are nominated by its 14 members.
When a typhoon has caused deaths and economic losses, the committee may request to retire its name. The member who provided it will propose a replacement one for members to consider.
Quiz time
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Which Hong Kong bridge will lend its name to a typhoon?
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What group decided to use the Hong Kong bridge’s name for a typhoon?
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How long has this bridge been open for people to use?
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What are three other names on this year’s list that could be used for typhoons?
Suggested answers
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Tsing Ma Bridge
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a committee set up by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
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The bridge has been open to traffic since 1997 / for 27 years
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jamjari, luc-binh and Amuyao
