Backpacking South East Asia Quiz | Geography

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. You fly from Australia into Indonesia, to an island well known for its tourism and partying. You stay in the town of Kuta. What island are you on?

Answer: Bali

Bali is a popular party destination for lots of tourists and backpackers. It attracts a lot of Australians due to its proximity to the country.
It's actually a shorter flight from Perth to Bali then it is from Perth to Sydney.
Bali itself is a beautiful green landscape although it's generally seen as one of the more expensive locations in South East Asia.

2. After partying, you slow the pace and head east to the island of Lombok. You enjoy scuba diving and have your heart set on exploring three small islands found off the north west coast of Lombok. These islands are known collectively as what?

Answer: Gili Islands

'Gili' is actually the local word literally meaning 'small island'. The three islands are named Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. They are popular among tourists as a scuba diving spot due to the islands' coral reefs.

3. After spending a sizable chunk of your budget on partying and scuba diving it's time to head to our next country. To get there, you cross to the island of Borneo where our next country has a border with Indonesia. What is it?

Answer: Malaysia

Malaysia is a country split onto two main land masses. There is Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and Malaysian Borneo (East Malaysia). These two parts of Malaysia are separated by the South China Sea and it takes a two and a half hour flight to travel between the two.

4. You fly across to Peninsular Malaysia and find yourself in the country's capital of Kuala Lumpur. The first thing you notice is the massive twin towers dominating the skyline. What are these towers called?

Answer: Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers are the world's largest twin towers at 452 metres (1,483 feet) tall. They were also the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004.
You can pay to go up the towers. This includes a view from the sky bridge on the 41st and 42nd floors and the observation deck on floor 86. I can assure you the view is worth the price.

5. The height gives you vertigo and you leave Kuala Lumpur to head north. Before you enter Thailand you stop off at an island south of the border and just off the west coast. This island is home to the UNESCO Heritage site of George Town and some of the best food I've ever eaten. Where is it?

Answer: Penang Island

Penang Island is in the state of Penang which spreads onto the Malaysian mainland. The island itself is connected to the mainland by two rather long bridges (one is 24 km the other is 13.5 km).
Penang is world renowned for its amazing food. This is in part due to a mixture of cultures living together which in turn lead to a fusion of their cooking. The curry here is pretty special.

6. You head into Thailand and realise you haven't had a good party in a while. Fortunately you've timed it right to attend the famous full moon party. Which island do you need to go to?

Answer: Ko Pha Ngan

'Ko' is the Thai word for island and as such most islands precede with it.
The only way to get to Ko Pha Ngan is by boat from Ko Samui which is one of the islands sister islands (the other being Ko Tao).
The full moon party is an all night beach party around the date of the full moon. It has built up quite a reputation and is on most party-travellers' itineraries.

7. You have no more party left in you. You have culture and history set in your mind as you take a flight to Vietnam. You land in a major city and visit the War Remnants Museum - a museum containing exhibits about the Vietnam War. What city are you in?

Answer: Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh city is named after a revolutionary leader of the Vietnam War. The city was previously known as Saigon and it's common for people to still use that name.
The museum contains exhibits about the Vietnam War and the atrocities caused by some American soldiers. I felt that there was some bias to the information presented, but nonetheless had an interesting experience wandering the museum with an American I had just met.

8. You take the time in Vietnam to assess your finances. You check your pockets to see how much Vietnamese currency you have to exchange for the remainder of your trip. What currency are you looking at?

Answer: Vietnamese Dong

Come on, we're all (mostly) adults here, although I will admit to enjoying the VND or Vietnamese Dong currency. It's a hard joke to avoid when you're trying to give someone a handful of Dong.
It's also a very weak currency, with 1 USD giving you around 23000 VND. This value is obviously a ball-park figure and is liable to change, but just gives you an idea. It's not uncommon to be paying millions of Dong for a few nights in a hotel.

9. Your finances indicate you have enough money for one more country. You pick the Philippines. You fly into the capital of Manila. The city of Manila is actually part of a greater region called Metro Manila - the capital region of the Philippines. What is the largest city in Metro Manila and the Philippines?

Answer: Quezon City

Metro Manila is actually comprised of sixteen independent cities and one municipality. Manila (City of Manila) is the capital and Quezon City is the largest by both population and area.
Manila itself is a very densely populated and busy place to visit.

10. You fly to Cebu City and get a ferry to your final destination - the island of Bohol. You want to finish on something sweet. This island is home to a delicious sounding tourist attraction called the 'Chocolate Hills'. What are the 'Chocolate Hills'?

Answer: Cone shaped hills of grass covered limestone

These 'Chocolate Hills' are a famous attraction of the Philippines and a sight to behold. They are cones of limestone that are formed into large symmetric mounds. There are 1,268 to about 1,776 individual mounds ranging from 30 to 50 metres(98 to 164 feet) in height with the tallest at 120 metres. They get their name from the grass that turns brown during the dry season.

Source: Author canyall

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Backpacking South East Asia Trivia Quiz

These are a few questions based around places you might hear about while backpacking around South East Asia. There are only ten questions so not every country will be included.

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