Place Names Trivia

1. In what country is Hope, British Columbia, located?

From Quiz There's No Place Like Hope

Answer: Canada

For eight to ten thousand years, indigenous people have lived near the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the modern-day province of British Columbia, Canada. Simon Fraser arrived in 1808; the Hudson's Bay Company created the Fort Hope trading post in 1848. The 2003 motion picture "Hope Springs" (with Colin Firth and Heather Graham) was filmed in the area of Hope, BC, while depicting the fictional location of Hope, Vermont.

From Quiz Looking for Cities in All the Wrong Places

Answer: India

Bangalore, or its official name, Bengaluru, is the capital of Karnataka, which is one of the 28 states of India. Home to various technological organizations, Bangalore is dubbed the "Silicon Valley of India".

From Quiz It's Named That Way For Some Reason

Answer: from a cotton mill owner

"Colonel" Francis Henry Fries inadvertently loaned his surname to the town in Grayson County. A prominent cotton mill owner, he established a couple of towns. First, there was Mayodan, named after his textile mill, the Mayo Mill. Later he attempted to tried to incorporate another town called Carico, but for reasons that remain unclear, the Virginia state legislature changed it to Fries, Virginia.

From Quiz That's My Name!

Answer: Western Australia

The whole western third of Australia is appropriately named Western Australia. The north, south, and west sides are surrounded by water, including the Timor Sea and the Indian Ocean. The land to the east forms the Northern Territory and South Australia - also just what they say on the tin!

From Quiz Canada vs US: Same Name, Different Place

Answer: British Columbia

Phoenix, BC, near the southern border of the province, was once known as the copper city of Canada. In the early 20th century, the town was booming because the copper that was mined in the area was used during World War One. The mine stopped operations in 1919, and the population of the town fell very quickly. Phoenix, BC became a ghost town. By the turn of the 21st century, all that remained of the former boomtown was the pioneer cemetery and the WWI Cenotaph, as the buildings had either been moved or destroyed over the years.

From Quiz Five-Letter Place Names

Answer: Aqaba

Today the city of Aqaba is the only port of the nation of Jordan. The Gulf of Aqaba is an extension of the Red Sea.

From Quiz What's In a Name?

Answer: Belgrade

The name of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, comes from the Slavic words "beo" (white) and "grad" (city, town, castle). Founded on the site of a prehistoric settlement at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava by a Celtic people that gave it the name of Singindun (Latinized by the Romans in Singindunum), Belgrade has had different names throughout its long, variegated history - all meaning "white city". The other three choices are also capitals of Eastern European nations: Romania (Bucharest), Croatia (Zagreb) and Slovenia (Ljubljana).

From Quiz This Doohickey ain't New

Answer: Paris

Actually two bridges, the Pont Neuf comprises a five-arch span connecting the Left Bank to the Île de la Cité in the middle of the Seine, and a seven arch span connecting the island to the Right Bank. Unusually for its time, the bridge was built with pedestrian pavements on either side of the roadway but without houses. Having undergone both minor repairs and major renovation through the centuries, it remains a vital part of Parisian life.

From Quiz Why Is There an Echo in This Place Name... Name...

Answer: Baden-Baden

Located in the south-western part of Germany in the foothills of the Black Forest, Baden-Baden is a spa resort town, whose hot springs were popular in Roman times for bathing. It is also home to The "Festspielhaus", Europe's second largest concert hall. I made up Bonnbonn, and Lipsk-Lipsk doesn't exist, though Lipsk is the old Slavonic form of Leipzig in Germany. The word 'berg' means mountain.

From Quiz Fancy a Bit of Toponymy?

Answer: Beda, the name of a Saxon chief

As a surname, the "Bed" in Bedford derives from Bede or Beade, meaning a town crier (and a name popularised by the Venerable Bede); but the town of Bedford in Bedfordshire is more likely to be derived from the name of Beda, a Saxon Chief who once ruled the area around the River Ouse.

From Quiz It's a Satanic Planet II

Answer: Australia

The 'Devils Marbles' or 'Karlu Karlu' are scattered clusters of boulders that also include a number of balancing rocks. They are located south of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia. Located in a wide valley, the Marbles are representative around the world as a symbol of Australia's outback. The big rocks were formed when surface granite formed cracks and then fell apart.

From Quiz It's a Doggy-Dog World!

Answer: Chihuahua

The State of Chihuahua rests along the U.S./Mexico border in Northern Mexico (adjacent to Texas and New Mexico). This region is mostly covered by deserts and forests; the Chihuahuan Desert is one of the largest ecosystems of this type in North and Central America. This desert is east of the Sonoran Desert which includes Arizona, Baja, and the Mexican State of Sonora. Chihuahua makes up nearly an eighth of Mexico's total area, and while it's not necessarily the most populous state, it's certainly quite spread out. The city of Ciudad Juárez contains the most people followed by Chihuahua City itself. Ciudad Juárez rests on the U.S. border next to the city of El Paso, Texas. Although unconfirmed, many believe the Chihuahua to have originated in either Europe or Mexico.

From Quiz Can You Repeat That

Answer: Wales

You ask the teacher "Can you repeat that place name please?" Meanwhile the correct answer is Wales. Most of you will have recognised this name as something constructed in a Celtic language. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is translated into "Saint Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Saint Tysilio by the red cave". So apparently the village has two main churches. Originally the village was called "simply" Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, sometimes abbreviated to Llanfair PG. But an anonymous local merchant (a cobbler or a tailor, sources differ) has extended the name in an effort to boost about having the longest place name of one word in the world. You're quite lucky that the teacher doesn't want you to write down the full name of the village. But I pity the teacher for having to pronounce this word.

From Quiz Why Is it So?

Answer: Salt

Salzburg literally translates to 'Salt Fortress'. The wealth of the city was at one time closely tied to the trade of salt, an important food preservative. There are a number of salt mines located close to Salzburg. The river Salzach that flows by the city also derives its name from salt and was so named because of the barges carrying salt that used the river for transportation.

From Quiz Strange and Unusual Place Names

Answer: Nova Scotia, Canada

The Garden of Eden is located on the Moose River in northern Nova Scotia. It was named by William MacDonald, a Scotsman who was among the first to discover the place in 1830 and was awestruck by its natural beauty. Since MacDonald was the first man to settle there, he was known as "Adam of the Garden". Two other places in the locality, Mount Adam and Eden Lake, are assumed to have derived their names similarly. This question was written by zorba_scank.

From Quiz So Good They Named It Twice

Answer: Germany

Baden means "to bathe" in German. Famous people who travelled to Baden-Baden to use the hot springs in the 19th century included Queen Victoria of Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, and Napoleon III.

From Quiz Do You Know Your Funny English Town Names?

Answer: Pratts Bottom

The village of Pratts Bottom is in the London borough of Bromley. Its name is a legacy of the Pratt family, who were major landowners in the area in the 14th century. The village lies on the old London to Hastings road, and was a hot spot for highwaymen until they were finally weeded out in the 1830s.

From Quiz Aber - Not Just a Swedish Pop Group!

Answer: Aberystwyth

The term "Aber" means at the mouth of the river, or the estuary. Strictly speaking, Aberystwyth was originally founded as a small hamlet next to a Norman castle near the mouth of the River Ystwyth - which would make perfect sense. However, a century or so later, a larger conurbation grew up a mile and a half or so to the North of the original "Aberystwyth", on the estuary of the River Rheidol - but it kept the name Aberystwyth for some reason. Technically speaking, the University town we all know and love as Aberystwyth should by all rights therefore be known as "Aberrheidol" - but maybe the double "r" was off putting! If ever you get the chance to visit Aber, as well as enjoying the seaside and the ride on the funicular, a visit to the National Library is a must. They have some fantastic displays and exhibitions there relating to all aspects of Welsh life, past and present.

From Quiz Biblical Origins of American Place-Names

Answer: Ephrata

According to Genesis 35:19 "And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath . . .". The modern community of Ephrath in Israel is about 20 minutes from Jerusalem. Ephrata is also, possibly, an old name for the town of Bethlehem. Ephrata, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country and is a popular site for visitors to the area.

From Quiz 'Grand' Geography Names

Answer: Wyoming and Arizona

The two parks in question are Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona and Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Year after year, the Grand Canyon is the second most visited national park in the United States, after Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It is located in the northern portion of Arizona. Grand Teton National Park is located just south of Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming. It contains some of the most beautiful mountain peaks in the world.

From Quiz British Place Names Abroad

Answer: Maine

This region of France is squeezed between these two historic areas of north western France. The main city is Le Mans, and was historical often fought over by the Counts of Anjou and Dukes of Normandy.

From Quiz Place Names in Limericks

Answer: Cornwall

According to the website "Welcome to Bude", this Cornwall town is home to the "Bude Light Project", a 30 foot high beacon of light, erected to mark the millennium. The website says nothing about the inhabitants being rude, crude, lewd or lacking in clothing.

From Quiz Eating Places

Answer: Cheddar

Cheddar Gorge is in Somerset, it is known for its steep limestone cliffs and caves.

From Quiz How Places Got Their Names

Answer: Elizabeth

The colony of Virginia (now the state Commonwealth of Virginia) was named after Queen Elizabeth I by Sir Walter Raleigh.

From Quiz There's No Place Like Hope

Answer: Arkansas

William Jefferson Clinton was born as William Jefferson Blythe III in 1946 in the Julia Chester Hospital in Hope, Arkansas; he later took his stepfather's surname. Hope was also the birthplace of Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee who sought the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and 2016. Hope was founded in 1873 when a railroad was constructed and named after the railroad owner's daughter. It is the county seat of Hempstead County. There are no towns, cities or villages named Hope in Georgia, Alabama nor Tennessee ... which does not mean that they are hopeless.

From Quiz That's My Name!

Answer: Gobi Desert

The Mongolian word 'gobi' means 'waterless place' and a 'desert' is defined as a waterless area of land. The name 'Gobi Desert' is a tautology: it says the same thing twice. Make no mistake: this is a dry place to be! It can be found in northern China and southern Mongolia, covering around 1,300,000 square km of Central Asia.

From Quiz Canada vs US: Same Name, Different Place

Answer: Boston

Boston, ON is a very small community located in Norfolk county. It is over 200 years old, so the length of its history rivals that of Boston, MA. The main industry in Boston, ON is agriculture. There is one elementary school and a limited number of businesses in the tiny Canadian town.

From Quiz Five-Letter Place Names

Answer: Kenai

All of the incorrect answers are islands of Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula also has a town named Kenai, which is the largest town on the peninsula, with about 7000 people as of 2010, while Homer had about 5000.

From Quiz England and New England

Answer: Manchester

In New England, there is also a town called Manchester in Connecticut and a town called Manchester-by-the-Sea in Massachusetts. In England, Manchester is a city that was founded in the 1st century!

From Quiz Why Is There an Echo in This Place Name... Name...

Answer: Walla Walla River

Many place names that contain a word twice, as in this case, refer to the size of the defining feature. The word repeated for emphasis often indicates that the feature is particularly large. In this case, the repetition indicates it's small. So, if it was merely 'Walla' it would be River - the fact that it's 'Walla Walla' indicates a small river. Adding the word river at the end is really redundant! It becomes 'river river river'! Each of the remaining options are also tautological: Loch Loch is in Scotland; Guadix River is another instance of 'river river river' - it is made up of the Arabic and Phoenician words for river, as well as the English word. 'Kil' in Fishkill Creek means "small waterway creek" in Dutch.

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Last Updated Oct 26 2024 5:45 AM

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