Vacation Locations Trivia Quiz

Answer: Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is located in the Principality of Monaco, in the Maritime Alps and on the Mediterranean Sea. It is small in area, about three times the area of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is arguably one of the top two or three places in the world for gambling, but also has a lovely climate and a beautiful Mediterranean coastline.

Answer: St. Moritz

Although all four choices are exclusive ski areas, the two Olympics that are cited took place in St. Moritz, which is in Switzerland. It's a very small place, about 11 square miles. Its permanent population is only around 5200 (as of December 2014, according to the Swiss Federal Statistics Office).

St. Moritz is very expensive, and home to such events as the Cartier Polo Tournament. However, if you're on a budget, don't despair, it has both a McDonald's and a Burger King!

Answer: Ipanema

Ipanema is located in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is renowned for people-watching as well as for the many bars, restaurants and shops along its length. The surf at Ipanema can be dicey - one translation of its name is "bad, dangerous waters". Pictured are the two mountain peaks at its western edge, known as the Two Brothers.

Answer: Key West, Florida

Key West is at the end of a chain of small islands, or keys, off the southern tip of Florida, only 90 miles from Cuba. Renowned for being the home of Ernest Hemingway, there is a long list of famous people who have resided there.

One caveat about Key West: while the weather there is usually perfect beach weather, it is vulnerable to hurricanes. There is only one road from Key West to the mainland, so when storms threaten, evacuating the island can be a long process.

Answer: Yosemite

Yosemite is one of three US National Parks that were established in 1890--Sequoia, in California, was founded on September 1 of that year, making it the second national park in the country. Yellowstone in Wyoming was the first, established in 1872.

Yosemite and what is now Kings Canyon (originally General Grant) were both established on October 1, 1890, tied for third. Yosemite had been a California state park since 1864.

Yosemite is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is known for its waterfalls in addition to its many beautiful peaks.

Answer: Bali

Bali is part of Indonesia, and with several other southwestern Pacific countries, it forms "the Coral Triangle". This area of the Pacific is home to more than 2,000 known species of fish and over 500 species of coral. Bali is a popular destination for divers because of its abundant coral reefs, but it also offers gorgeous beaches, many beautiful temples and opportunities for spiritual practice.

Answer: Churchill, Manitoba

Churchill had a population of fewer than 1000 in 2011, but it hosts around 10,000 visitors a year. It is known for the polar bears that live in the area, as a place where one can often see beluga whales, and it's a popular site for bird-watching with nearly 300 species having been identified in and around Churchill.

Churchill is also a great place to see the Northern Lights, especially during the long winter nights.

Answer: Phuket, Thailand

Phuket Island is in the south of Thailand. Its terrain is mostly mountainous, and, in fact, it has no rivers, only a few creeks and streams.

The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 did quite a bit of damage to a number of Phuket's beaches, but they have recovered nicely. The coastline, along with much of the coast in all the affected nations, is protected now with tsunami-detecting buoys placed offshore, so that if another tsunami threatens, there will be sufficient warning time for people to get to safety.

Answer: Las Vegas

Las Vegas is not for the fainthearted! Located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, it has hotels, it has casinos, it has spectacular man-made scenery, it has incredible fountains, it has shops, it has amazing stage shows-music, comedy, magic and variety. You name it, Las Vegas has it. And, of course, it has Wayne Newton, who began performing there in 1962...

Answer: Chichen Itza

All the choices listed are ancient cities in Latin America, but of those, only Chichen Itza is in Mexico. Tikal and Caracol are Mayan sites located respectively in Guatemala and Belize, and Machu Picchu is an Incan city located in Peru.

The Mexican Riviera Maya lies along Mexico's Caribbean coastline on the eastern Yucatan Peninsula. Chichen Itza is a little less than an hour's drive from Tulum, a city on the coast which sports its own Mayan ruins. Chichen Itza is one of Mexico's most popular tourist destinations, visited annually by more than a million people.