Race to Byzantium Online Quiz | Geography

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Yankee begins his trip to Byzantium from a quintessential American landmark, Central Park. This massive city park is in which of these locations?

Answer: New York City

It makes sense that Yankee starts in his hometown, also the home city of the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium (in The Bronx). Smack-dab in the center of Manhattan, visitors to New York City will discover Central Park, spanning 110th St. to 59th St. It opened in the 1850s and has since remained one of the most famous city spaces. Central Park is a National Historic Landmark in the U.S. and it takes in millions of visitors seeking art, culture, and natural beauty in the Big Apple.

But the race to Byzantium has only begun! Yankee heads north.

2. Yankee catches a one-way ViaRail trip across the Canadian border ending the ride in the country's largest city (which happens to be a capital, but not the country's official capital). From Union Station, he walks between the skyscrapers in which of these cities?

Answer: Toronto

Heading northward through Upstate New York, Yankee passes through the Canadian border somewhere around Niagara Falls (via an Amtrak train) and hops onto ViaRail to reach Ontario's capital, Toronto, where he can continue his journey. Setting out from Union Station in Toronto's downtown core, he can visit the nearby CN Tower (once the world's tallest tower), the Rogers Center, and many of the unique cultural neighbourhoods radiating from the commercial center.

Yankee inevitably makes his way to Mississauga, a region to the northwest, to collect plane tickets from Lester B. Pearson International Airport, one of Canada's most frequently-used travel hubs.

3. Reaching an airport, Yankee boards a plane taking him to St. John's, Newfoundland for a connection taking him over the Atlantic Ocean. He lands on an island containing Eyjafjallaj�kull, Akureyri, and Bl�sk�gabygg�. In which country has Yankee arrived?

Answer: Iceland

Yankee's Atlantic flight has brought him from Toronto's YYZ to St. John's, Newfoundland (and YYT) before finally landing in Reykjavik (KEF), the capital city of Iceland. Found in the southwest corner of this island nation, Reykjavik is home to the majority of Icelandic citizens. Much of this country's recognition comes from its various landforms-- Eyjafjallaj�kull is an ice cap which covers a volcano of the same name, Akureyri is a town on the northern coast, and Bl�sk�gabygg� is a western region. Iceland is also home to geothermal hot springs, glaciers, black sand beaches, and waterfalls.

This is only a stop for Yankee though; his next flight leaves in the morning!

4. A flight arrives to take Yankee to Continental Europe, specifically the country home to Legoland. His flight touches the runway in which capital city, once the home of Hans Christian Andersen?

Answer: Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark isn't a far stretch from Iceland; Iceland was governed by Denmark until the late 1910s. Denmark, found across the sea from the rest of Scandinavia, was once inhabited by Vikings and has been in control of Greenland for centuries. The capital city of Copenhagen is found in the east and it's across the �resund Strait from Malm�, Sweden. Legoland Billund (in the town of Billund) opened in the 1960s becoming the first-ever Legoland theme park location. Billund, in the south of Denmark, became the home base for Lego products in the 1940s.

There's no time to play around though-- Yankee needs to hop aboard a train!

5. A series of trains throughout Europe cross through Germany and Belgium before Yankee sets foot on the platform in the city containing the Moulin Rouge. Where is Yankee?

Answer: Paris

The Moulin Rouge is a Montmartre landmark in none other than Paris, France's 18th arrondissement. It also marks the halfway point of Yankee's international trip. A famous French nightclub and cabaret, the Moulin Rouge is famous for the can-can and Edith Piaf amongst other notable performers. In addition, "Moulin Rouge" was immortalized in the film of the same name by Baz Luhrmann (starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor). Of course, Paris is more than just dancing and singing; it's also home to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Champs d'Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre.

The City of Lights can only be a stop for so long though-- Yankee needs to get going if he wants to beat Dodger to their final destination!

6. Leaving Europe, Yankee takes the suggestion of locals and takes a ferry from Spain's southern coast to the city of Tangier, a port across the Strait of Gibraltar in what African nation?

Answer: Morocco

Morocco is a beautiful (yet warm) country on the northwest corner of Africa, and Tangier is at its northern coast across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain and Portugal; a ferry runs between the two continents. Morocco is known to contain the Atlas Mountains as well as the Sahara Desert. On the same note it contains the cities of Casablanca (known to many from the famous movie starring Humphrey Bogart), Fez, Marrakesh, and Rabat. Off the coast of Morocco are the Spanish-owned Canary Islands, a territory that is constantly disputed.

Things seem to be heating up for Yankee. Where will he go next?

7. How lucky of Yankee to have stumbled upon a flight that will take him elsewhere in Africa! He decides to take his chances but ends up at OR Tambo International Airport, thousands of miles away. In which South African city, not one of its capitals, has he arrived?

Answer: Johannesburg

It seems that Yankee's impromptu flight has taken him further off-course than planned. Will he make it to the finish line in time to win? Johannesburg, while closer to the endpoint than his starting position in the United States, is in South Africa, the southernmost country in the continent. Johannesburg, while one of the most populated cities in the country, is not one of its three capitals-- those would be Cape Town, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein. Johannesburg contains over ten million citizens, is home to a great number of commercial enterprises, and is one of the only major cities not on the coast of any body of water.

Now what? Is Yankee stuck at this edge of the world?

8. Heading to the coast, Yankee boards a ship heading northward along the coast of Eastern Africa-- a direction in which he should have headed long ago. When he reaches this nation, a series of over one hundred islands, he's informed that it's the end of the line. Which country, north of Madagascar and south of the Horn of Africa, contains the capital city of Victoria?

Answer: Seychelles

Phew-- thankfully Yankee can head northward on a rather quick boat to the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Disembarking in the capital city, Victoria, he could enjoy the beaches, sit in the sun, or explore the local forests...that is if he weren't racing around the world! Seychelles is one of the smallest countries in Africa (it certainly has one of the smallest populations) and it's almost always warm because it's so close to the Equator. Oh! There's also a bunch of giant tortoises around. Odd, but true.

This seems more remote than ever for poor Yankee, but at least he's on his way!

9. Taking a final plane ride, Yankee returns to continental Africa, landing in a country containing not only the Nile River, but also the Nile River Delta. What country on the Mediterranean has Yankee just visited?

Answer: Egypt

Egypt is found in northeast Africa and it's a shame that Yankee made the loop around the country, but at least he's almost at his final destination. Egypt is, of course, known for its deserts, pyramids, ancient civilizations, and the Nile River, one of the longest waterways in the world. Aside from the capital city of Cairo, home to some of the Great Pyramids (the last remaining one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World), visitors can also search the tombs at the Valley of the Kings, the temples in Karnak and Luxor, or simply take a cruise down the Nile.

Yankee needs to take one more boat ride to get to his finishing point though-- hop to it!

10. Taking a ferry across the Mediterranean, Yankee turns his attention to a bus starting in Antalya and ending in his final destination, the city of Byzantium. What modern day Turkish location was once known as Byzantium?

Answer: Istanbul

Istanbul, which was once Constantinople, was also known as Byzantium before that. This identity-challenged city which is often wrongly-perceived as the capital of Turkey (when really Ankara is) is actually the most-populated city in the country. Resting on the Bosporus Strait, it's also the only major city in the world to rest between two continents. While some of Istanbul is in Europe, a greater portion actually rests in Asia.

But alas! Yankee has reached his goal! Did he beat Dodger?

Source: Author kyleisalive

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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Race to Byzantium Trivia Quiz

Yankee has decided to challenge his friend, Dodger, with a trip to the other side of the world, specifically the city formerly known as Byzantium, by any means necessary. Who will arrive first? How will they get there? We'll follow Yankee.

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