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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 90 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Caribbean
| The other part of Hispanola was ceded to France from Spain 1795, but was retaken by Spain 1808. It was then known as ________? | Caribbean Islands Part 2
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Santo Domingo. Became Dominican Republic 1844.
Haiti. Republic since 1820.
| Finally I am on my way home. As my flight takes off from l'Aeroport Poles Caraibes in Guadeloupe I take one last look at the island. In the distance I can see 'La Soufriere'. What is this? | Island Hopping in the Caribbean
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A volcano. La Soufriere is an active volcano. It last erupted in 1976-1977.
Antigua. V.C. Bird International is the only airport in Antigua and is named after the country's long-serving Prime Minister. It is LIAT's main base and so many of the flights within the Eastern Caribbean pass through here. It felt a bit like home by the end of my trip!
| I have been island hopping for a month now and I'm feeling pretty exhausted so I decide to return to my favourite island, Guadeloupe, for a few days rest before I fly home. I need to change some money before I arrive, what currency should I ask for? | Island Hopping in the Caribbean
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Euros. Guadeloupe is an overseas department of France and so changed currency from French Francs to Euros when France did on 1st January 2002.
| My next visit is to a beautiful, relatively unspoilt island. I'm staying in a place called House of Pancakes in Pigeon Point. Tomorrow I am going horse riding on Turtle Beach. Where am I? | Island Hopping in the Caribbean
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Tobago. Pancakes are a local specialty in Tobago. Turtle Beach is so called because it is a nesting ground for giant turtles.
| After a fantastic few days in 'Karukera' (hint for question 1) I'm off to my next destination, flying with the regional airline LIAT. I'm staying at a place called Lashings which is owned by the famous West Indian cricket player, Richie Richardson. Tonight I am going to a BBQ at Shirley Heights. Where am I? | Island Hopping in the Caribbean
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Antigua. Shirley Heights is a hill which overlooks Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua where once a week they hold BBQs with reggae and steel drum bands playing. Lashings is a fantastic bar and hotel on Runaway Beach. The bar has its own beach cricket team with Richie Richardson as its captain.
| I have just arrived at my first destination. This island is an overseas department of France. I am staying overnight in Pointe a Pitre and tomorrow I am going to take a boat to some nearby islands called Les Saintes. Where am I? | Island Hopping in the Caribbean
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Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe has been an overseas department (departement d'outre-mer or DOM) of France since 1946. Martinique is also a DOM, as is part of St. Martin, the other part is Dutch making it the only island in the world to be ruled by two European powers. When it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 Guadeloupe was called Karukera (Island of Beautiful Waters) by the native Carib Indians who inhabited the island.
Panama. Panama is in Central America, bordered by the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, neighbor to Colombia and Costa Rica. Of course, it is best known for the Panama Canal, but there are also rain forests to visit and hike in, bird watching, whale watching, surfing, and deep sea and spear fishing. There are accommodations of all kinds, upscale to economical, and plenty of great beaches. Special Attraction: Panama Canal and History Museum
| Ralph the llama reckoned he picked up a serious clue to Kyle's whereabouts while watching TV in his hotel room. He saw an interview with Beatrix Llamas, who was promoting her latest cookbook. Which country should he travel to if he plans to interview her personally at her home in Havana? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Cuba. Beatriz Llamas is a Spanish cook and author who has lived in Cuba since early in the 21st century. Her book "A Taste of Cuba" describes the history of the development of a cuisine that fuses the flavors of Spanish settlers and African slaves (as illness eradicated almost all the indigenous Arawak people and their customs very soon after Spanish settlement in 1511). Havana is the capital and largest city of Cuba, which is the largest island in the Caribbean.
Ralph and looney_tunes both enjoyed exploring all the different ways in which rice and beans are prepared in Cuba. And we found Kyle!
| Ralph the (baffled) Llama once more gets the wrong end of the stick, thinking he is en route to Europe as he is told he will soon be in the city of Port-of-Spain. However, Ralph is actually positioned on an island just off the coast of Venezuela. Which island is this? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Trinidad. The country Trinidad and Tobago is made up of two main islands - the larger, Trinidad, which is just seven miles from the South American mainland coast, and Tobago, which is located north-east of its neighbour. There are, however, several smaller islands which collectively form this nation.
It is thought that the name Tobago is derived from the Spanish name for tobacco, due to the island's "cigar-like" shape. Some sources mistakenly claim that it was, in fact, the name tobacco which was born from the name of the Caribbean island.
Amongst the impressive animal life on these islands is the stunning scarlet ibis - the national bird of Trinidad. Although helped by the bird-watching doublemm, Ralph is unable to find Kyle amongst this kaleidoscope of colourful creatures.
| Ralph the Llama, being from the mountains, has selected for his next destination an island whose name means 'low land' or 'down land', expecting to explore an unfamiliar environment. Imagine his bewilderment at finding himself at the foot of La Grande Soufriere, an active volcano rising 1,467 m (4,813 ft) above sea level! On what island did Ralph receive this surprise? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Basse-Terre, in Guadeloupe. The islands of the Caribbean were named by European sailors with reference to the prevailing winds on which they reached the area. As a result, the terms 'leeward' and 'downwind' were applied to the western side of islands or island chains, while the eastern sides were labeled 'windward' or 'upwind' (in various languages, of course - English, French, Dutch and Spanish being the most common). Originally, the name Basse-Terre referred to a city on the western side of the island called Guadeloupe; it subsequently came to refer to the entire island, and the name Guadeloupe expanded to include a second (smaller and lower) island to the east, Grande-Terre ('Large Land'). Grande-Terre Island is so named because it is significantly larger than the much smaller Petite Terre Islands ('Small Land' Islands) nearby. Confused yet?
Basse Terre, the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis, was also named for its location on the western side of its island. La Grande Soufriere (not to be confused with La Soufriere in Saint Vincent) is the highest mountain in the Lesser Antilles.
Looney_tunes and Ralph are staying on the beaches to look for Kyle!
| Many Caribbean countries are composed of multiple islands. Ralph has just found himself on an island which is home to two countries! Which Caribbean island is he visiting now? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Hispaniola. Hispaniola, known as Santo Domingo in colonial times, is made up of the sovereign states of Haiti (the western third of the island) and the Dominican Republic (not to be confused with Dominica, the northernmost of the Windward Islands), which Ralph had already visited. The Dominican Republic is the second largest country in area of the Caribbean, behind Cuba. Christopher Columbus founded La Navidad on the north coast of what is now Haiti in 1492; on his 1493 voyage it had been abandoned, and was replaced by the town of La Isabela in present-day Dominican Republic. La Isabela became the first permanent European settlement in the Americas.
Saint Martin, which contains both the Collectivity of Saint Martin (French) and the Island Territory of St. Martin (Dutch), is the only other Caribbean island to include two countries.
Ralph and looney_tunes report sadly that Kyle isn't in Haiti, either.
| When Ralph's travel agent gave him the name of his next destination, he thought she was sending him back to a country he had already checked, and protested. A bit of clarification let him know that he was heading to the only place under US jurisdiction where they drive on the left side of the road. Where was he heading now? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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St John, US Virgin Islands. St John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua, which Ralph had already searched fruitlessly. Fortunately, he was not retracing his steps, but moving onwards to the island of St John in the US Virgin Islands. Two-thirds of St. John is national park, including Trunk Bay Beach, a popular snorkeling spot. The endangered brown pelican is a common sight here, but no llamas, and no Kyle.
On all of the Virgin Islands, including St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix and Water Island, as well as smaller islands, cars are driven on the left side of the road, a holdover from the practice at the time when the US acquired them from the Danes after World War I. Looney_tunes prefers to drive on the left in countries where they make cars with the driver on the right, instead of importing American cars designed for driving on the right!
| Ralph got a little confused about his next destination. He knew that the capital had the same name as an early colonial America settlement, but he could not remember which one. Upon arriving at the island, he discovered that he was not allowed to visit the capital city. He was about to accuse the officials of llama discrimination when he found out the reason why the capital was off limits to him. What was this capital city that Ralph was not able to visit? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Plymouth, Montserrat. Beginning in 1995, the Soufriere Hills volcano began to erupt, culminating in 1998 with a massive eruption that buried Plymouth under almost five feet of volcanic ash. The town was abandoned, with an exclusion zone created that encompasses the whole southern end of Montserrat. No new capital has been named so Plymouth remains as the de jure capital of Montserrat; most administrative functions, however, have been moved to Brades.
Teammate maninmidohio hopes that Ralph doesn't get permanently lost in the maze of confusingly-similar Caribbean names!
| Ralph the llama is looking for Kyle, and he thinks that Kyle may be in George Town, Cayman Islands. Unfortunately, today is St. George's Day, and Ralph mistakenly tells the ship's captain that he wants to go to St. George's. The captain drops Ralph at the capital city of which "Isle of Spice"? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Grenada. Spices are such an important product for Grenada that nutmeg is featured on the country's flag. The tropical country is blessed with rich, volcanic soil, so besides spices, Grenada is also an exporter of fruit and cocoa. The capital of St. George's is located on the southwest coast of Grenada on the Carenage, a large inner harbor. The harbor was once an inland lake and is believed to be the crater of an extinct volcano.
Ralph met PDAZ in St. George's, and she told him that Kyle was neither in Grenada nor in the Cayman Islands, so Ralph had to look elsewhere.
| Ralph heard that there are llamas at Serenity Farm, Jamaica, and decided to visit them during his search. He booked a flight to Kingston, but realized when the plane landed that he had been misunderstood - he was on a much smaller island with an active volcano called La Soufriere! What country had he accidentally reached? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Kingstown, on the island of Saint Vincent, is the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The island is dominated by the active volcano of La Soufriere, which is over 4,000 ft high. La Soufriere last erupted on 'Black Friday' (also 'Good Friday') - 13 April, 1979. Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, is located in a bay on the southeast coast of that island. Originally founded by refugees from an earthquake in 1692 that destroyed the town of Port Royal, it has grown to be the largest English-speaking city south of the United States of America.
Kyle was nowhere to be found, nor could Ralph locate any local llamas - a disappointing stop for Ralph and looney_tunes!
| Ralph moves on to a place whose name, in Spanish, means "ancient". He remembers that back in 1989 a party of traveling llamas were stranded on this island after they were refused entry into neighbouring Barbuda. What Caribbean country is Ralph in? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Antigua. The mixed party of 268 llamas and alpacas was imported from Chile to Antigua with an intended ultimate destination of America. According to the New York Times: "...when a group of local people, feuding with the Antigua Government and angry at one of the Americans, blocked access to a quarantine station, the animals were shunted to a barren chunk of coral rock and scrub brush, off the east coast of Antigua, where there is little shade and no fresh water" (April 23rd, 1989).
More than a year later, in August 1990, less than one half of the party remained and the World Society for the Protection of Animals was preparing a rescue bid (Source: "Los Angeles Times", August 23rd, 1990).
Please inform Ralph if you know how this story ended. He would be very grateful. As would be glendathecat.
| Ralph the Llama first visits the country that gave us such baseball greats as Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou, Juan Marichal, Sammy Sosa and Manny Mota. A total of 76 major league baseball players have come from San Pedro de Macoris alone. What Caribbean country is Ralph in? | Ralph the Llama's Caribbean Cruise
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Dominican Republic. Baseball was brought to the Caribbean by US sailors working in Cuba. The game spread from there to the Dominican Republic among other islands. Other noted baseball players from the Dominican Republic include Rico Carty, George Bell, Pedro Guerrero, Tony Fernandez, Joaquin Andujar, Juan Samuel and Mariano Duncan.
Both deputygary and Ralph forgot that Kyle is Canadian. He would more likely be someplace where they play hockey, eh.
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