North, South, East or West? Trivia Quiz

Answer: North

Cancun is a plush resort on the Yucatan Peninsula. The area was named by the Mayan people for the large number of snakes, which thankfully are no longer there. We will be flying over the United States on our way home.

Answer: West

Spain and Portugal make up most of the Iberian Peninsula, but it also includes Andorra, which borders France and Spain in the Pyrenees, and Gibraltar, a British territory in the southernmost tip.

Answer: South

Both Switzerland and Austria separate Germany from Italy, Switzerland to the west and Austria to the east. Italy is probably the most recognizable country in the world, being shaped like a high-heeled boot. The island located at the "toe" of the boot is Sicily.

Answer: East

The Scandinavian Peninsula also includes part of Finland. Greater Scandinavia, or Norden, includes Norway and Sweden, but also Denmark, Finland and Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Jan Mayen, Savlbard, and Åland.

Answer: South

We crossed over the English Channel to get to France. At its widest, the English Channel is about 150 miles across, but it is only 21 miles across at its narrowest point. We took the Eurostar train and used the Channel Tunnel, or "Chunnel" as it is sometimes called, that connects England and France.

Answer: West

Chile is the long, skinny country that runs down the west side of Argentina. One of the territories of Chile is the mysterious Polynesian island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, home of about a thousand large stone statues. It is about 2,237 miles from the mainland.

Answer: East

Hawaii, which used to be called the Sandwich Islands, became the 50th state of the United States in 1959. It is made up of nineteen islands and atolls and is about 2500 miles from the mainland. The eight main islands are Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii. It takes about eight hours to fly from Japan to Hawaii.

Answer: North

We were able to see the Great Wall of China. It is an amazing 4,160 miles long and parts of it date back to the 7th century BC. It was built to keep out marauding tribes from the north. The part of Russia we visited is called Siberia.

While Russia also extends far to the west, the route from China through Mongolia to Russia is northerly - depending on exactly where you start and finish, it might be a bit northeast or northwest.

Answer: South

26 countries operate research stations on the continent of Antarctica and in the surrounding oceans. There are no indigenous people, but there are both permanent and summer-only staff at the research facilities.

Answer: East

This area of the world is rich in ancient history, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, located just outside of Cairo. When we go to Saudi Arabia, we will cross the Red Sea which separates the African continent in that area from the Arabian Peninsula.