Unusual Flags of the Americas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Calgary AB, Canada

This design was selected from more than 1,000 entrants in the 1983 competition conducted by the Calgary Junior Chamber of Commerce. The design depicts a cowboy hat in the letter "C". The hat is also shaped like a hand, representing hospitality. The cowboy hat is particularly significant for Calgary, which is famous for its annual 10-day rodeo.

The city has the nicknames "C-Town", "Cowtown", "Heart of The New West" and "The Stampede City". Of the alternatives, the flag of Ottawa is a stylized white "O" on a background of light blue and dark blue halves.

The flag of Omaha NE has a white covered wagon within a red central circle, with a large yellow wagon wheel on a blue background. The flag of Chicago IL has two horizontal pale blue stripes on a white background, with four red stars between the blue stripes.

Answer: Venezuela

When we think of the Amazon region, either the river or the rainforest, we immediately think of Brazil. Although 60% of the Amazon jungle is in Brazil, it does actually cover part of an amazing nine different countries -- 13% is in Peru, 10% in Colombia, 5% in Venezuela and the remaining 12% is divided between Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The Amazon jungle region covers an amazing 2.1 million square miles, which is not much less than twice the size of India.

Four South American countries have departments/states/regions called "Amazonas", but the clue here is in the geographical location within the country. In Brazil, the Amazon region is in the north/northwest, in Peru it is in the north/northeast and in Colombia it is in the southeast. Only in Venezuela is the Amazon rainforest in the southwest of the country, and that is where this excellent flag comes from.

The Amazonas is one of 23 Venezuelan states and although it is the fifth largest, covering 68,300 square miles (which is about the size of Uruguay) it is home only to 0.5% of the country's 29 million people. However, about one third of all indigenous Venezuelans live in the Amazonas region. Although named Amazonas, the state is actually drained mostly by the Orinoco River.

Answer: Argentina

Founded in 1904, Neuquén is the capital of the Argentine province of the same name. Already an important agricultural center, Neuquén is set to become the continent's fastest-growing city with the discovery of the Vaca Muerta oil fields (the world's third-largest shale gas and oil reserves) to the west of the city.
The region of Patagonia is divided between Argentina and Chile, encompassing everything south of the Colorado river, which includes the southern Andes as well as deserts, grasslands and steppes. It has coastlines on both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.

Answer: Havana, Cuba

Founded by Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1515, Havana was the sixth town that the Spanish founded on the island they named Cuba. Originally a trading port, the new settlement was regularly attacked by pirates. In 1552, Havana was designated as the capital of Spanish Cuba.

Granted city status by King Philip II of Spain in 1592, Havana expanded rapidly and by the middle of the 16th Century it was the third largest city in the Americas after only Lima and Mexico City. Captured briefly by the British in 1762, when the Spanish regained control they made Havana the best-fortified city in the New World. In 1837, the first railway was built, from Havana to Bejucal 32 miles away) and Cuba became only the fifth country (and the first Spanish-speaking country) with a rail service.

The historic center of Havana was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. Despite the U.S. embargo on travel to Cuba, the city still hosts more than one million tourists annually.

The castles depicted on Havana's flag represent the three original castles built to defend the city, Fuerza Castle, the Morro Castle and the Punta Castle. The key represents the city's position as the first gateway to "The New World of Spanish America".

Answer: Indianapolis, IN

The flag of Indianapolis IN, designed by a local art school student, was adopted in 1963. In 2004 it as voted the eight-best flag design from 150 American cities rated.

Home to the world famous annual "Indy 500" race, Indianapolis IN also has the nicknames "Naptown", "The Racing Capital of the World" and "Amateur Sports Capital of the World". The capital and largest city in the midwest state of Indiana, Indianapolis was the 12th-largest city in the country at the time of the 2010 Census with a population of 820,000.

Famous people from Indianapolis include the bank robber John Dillinger, late night TV host David Letterman, former U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle and cult novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Answer: Lima, Peru

Located in the central coastal part Peru overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Lima is home to some 7.6 million people, making it the fifth-largest city in the Americas after São Paulo, Mexico City, New York City and Bogotá. About one third of the country's 30 million people live in the Lima metropolitan area.

Nicknamed "La ciudad de los reyes" (The City of the Kings) and "La gris" (The gray one), Lima's official motto is "Hoc signum vere regum est" (This is the real sign of the kings). The impressive flag design features the city's coat of arms on a gold background.

Answer: Nunavut

Separated from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, the creation of Nunavut as Canada's largest, northernmost and newest territory was the first major alteration to the country's political map in half a century. With an area of 787,000 square miles (about 15% larger than Mexico), Nunavut is the largest state/province/territory in North America and the fifth-largest in the world.

The flag itself is two fields of gold and white separated by a red 'inuksuk' (an Inuit land marker used to guide travelers and denote sacred sites). The blue star in the upper right corner represents 'Niqirtsuituq', the North Star, and highlights the importance of the wisdom and leadership of elders in the community.

Answer: Brasilia, Brazil

Situated in the Brazilian Highlands in the central-west region of the country, Brasilia was designed in the 1950s in order to relocate the national capital from Rio de Janeiro (hich had been the national capital since 1763) to a more central location. The city's modernist architecture encouraged UNESCO to designate the city as a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Nicknamed "Capital da Esperança" (Capital of Hope), the city's motto is "Venturis ventis" (To the coming winds).

Answer: Georgia

The first flag of the Confederate States of America was identical to the pictured flag but with just seven white stars on the blue field in the upper left corner. The pictured flag, the official state flag of Georgia, has the state's coat of arms surrounded by thirteen stars, commemorating the state's position as one of the original colonies of the Union.

Adopted in 2003, this design is the seventh to be adopted as Georgia's official state flag since the end of the 19th Century.

Answer: São Paulo, Brazil

Although less than 50 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, São Paulo is located half a mile up on a plateau in the Brazilian Highlands. The city itself covers an area of 588 square miles (about a third of the size of Rhode Island) and is home to more than 11 million people (2010 Census). Ever-expanding urban sprawl, though, means that the Greater São Paulo metropolitan area is home to more than 30 million, smaller only than Tokyo and Jakata amongst the world's great magacities. Natives of the city are known as 'Paulistanos', whilst those from the surrounding area are 'Paulistas'.

Known for its unreliable weather, São Paulo is nicknamed "Cidade da Garoa" (City of Drizzle).