Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This island in the Pacific is uninhabited, and is almost denuded of ground vegetation by the large terrestrial crab population which eat anything growing that they can reach. The land forms a ring just under 7.5 miles in diameter around a stagnant lagoon. The only manmade structure is the remains of a lighthouse dating from 1906. Having been the subject of several ownership disputes over the years, Passion Island as it is also known, is a French territory, even though the closest land, 587 miles to the north, belongs to Mexico. How is it more commonly known?
2. This island, 2,230 miles west of Honolulu, was originally named San Francisco when it was discovered by a Spanish explorer in 1586. Although it has a lagoon with abundant marine life, and has plenty of vegetation, it has no source of fresh water. Its highest 'peak' is Duck's Point and is only six metres above sea level.
In 1899 it was annexed by the United States, and the first proper settlement, Paaville, was founded in 1935. Which island is this?
3. Volunteer Island, Starve Island, Hero Island, and Low Island are all actually the same place. An uninhabited island of just over six square miles in the Line Islands of Kiribati, it was mined for phosphates in the 19th century. It has an abundance of wildlife, including green turtles and sooty terns, and is a United Nations protected area, only visited occasionally by scientists and yachters. It shares a name with a popular chain of takeaways; which one?
4. Only one of the Phoenix Islands is inhabited, by around 40 people in the village of Tebaronga. The island is a narrow strip of land, roughly diamond shaped, and enclosing a 24 square mile lagoon. It has no source of fresh water, and the residents must use tanks to catch rain water. Vegetation is sparse, and much of the island is bare coral, yet it supports a varied population of wildlife. Sometimes called Mary Island or Swallow Island, and lying midway between Hawaii and Fiji, how is this island usually known?
5. This island which is almost two square miles in area, lies just 25 miles from the equator, and has a desert landscape with very little vegetation. Its central lagoon has long since been dried up and the guano deposits there were mined commercially in the mid-nineteenth century. The only signs of this activity are the vestigial remains of a tram track built for transporting the guano to the coast. In the 1930s, a small settlement called Millersville was founded, but it was evacuated during World War II and the island has been uninhabited ever since. Which island is this?
6. Most people will have heard of the nation of Tonga. Its 170+ islands are divided into three main groups; which of these is NOT one of them?
7. Cooper Island, Barren Island, Sand Island and Bird Island are all part of the same atoll which lies almost due south of Hawaii, about half way between it and American Samoa. The total land area is just over 4.5 square miles and there are two lagoons. The islands support extensive vegetation, including mature trees and ground cover. Cooper Island is privately owned, and the rest of this atoll is the only "unorganised unincorporated" territory of the United States. It is designated a protected wildlife area with restricted access.
Where am I?
8. If I was to tell you I was off to Nassau for a relaxing beach break, you could be forgiven for thinking I was going to the Bahamas. In fact I could also head to "the other" Nassau... The island of Nassau is a tiny island just 1.3 square miles in area, and is the only island in its group not to have a central lagoon. With a maximum height above sea level of just nine metres, and a plentiful supply of palm trees, fruit, and fish, Nassau is home to a village of around 70 inhabitants who live in huts called 'kikau'. The only access is via an infrequent boat service, and telephones arrived in 2004.
Which island group is Nassau a part of?
9. Consisting of several tiny sandy islands with a total area of just one square mile, surrounding a lagoon and connected by coral reefs, this atoll was first discovered by Captain Cook in 1774. With trees and ground cover, there is ample vegetation, but no source of fresh water other than rainfall. In the 1860s it was settled by an Englishman called William Masters and his three Polynesian wives. The descendants of each wife have continued to live there and the family was granted ownership and title to the atoll in 1954. Named for the largest of the islands forming the atoll, where is this?
10. This island, approximately halfway between Hawaii and Australia, is just 0.7 square miles in area. It is most famous for being "the island that Amelia Earhart didn't reach". The island has a tropical climate and no fresh water source. Its highest point is just six metres above sea level. Part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands, it is visited every two years by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and is a sanctuary for birds and marine creatures.
Which island is this?
Source: Author
Rowena8482
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Pagiedamon before going online.
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