Island Nick Nack Trivia Quiz

Answer: Madeira

Discovered by the Portuguese in 1419, Madeira is believed to have once been part of the fabled continent of Atlantis. Its capital is Funchal.
The other islands mentioned are also located in the Atlantic.

Answer: Prince Edward Island

Also known as "The Gentle Island", "Spud Island", or simply "The Island" (by its inhabitants), Prince Edward Island (or PEI, as it is often abbreviated) is the largest island of Canada's smallest province (of the same name). Its official French name is "Île-du-Prince-Édouard". Its capital is Charlottetown.
The other islands mentioned are also Canadian.

Answer: Tasmania

Also known as "Tassie" or "Tazzie", and often abbreviated as TAS, Tasmania is the largest Australian island (if you count Australia as a continent). It is the smallest Australian state, separated from the rest of the country by Bass Strait. Its capital is Hobart.
Tasmania used to be one of the world's largest apple producers, hence the name. The "Granny Smith" apple was developed here.

Answer: Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha is located in the Southern Atlantic, and the main island of a volcanic group of islands of the same name. Its capital is Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.
Tristan de Cunha is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, South Africa being over 2800km away and Brazil over 3300km. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Those other two islands are both over 2400km (1500 miles) removed.
Other islands in the archipelago are Gough Island, the Nightingale Islands, and Inaccessible Island (what's in a name!).
Although Napoleon spent a part of his life in exile on Elba, its nickname is not "The World's Loneliest Island". Actually, Elba's nickname is "Fume", after the large number of foundries on the island. Iceland is "The Land of Fire and Ice", and although one can be very lonely at Christmas, Christmas Island has not yet earned that nickname.

Answer: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has many names. It used to be called Ceylon by the Europeans. In Arab, it is known as Tenerism (Isle of Delight), in Chinese as Pa-Outchow (Isle of Gems). Other nicknames are "India's Teardrop" (referring to its shape) and "The Pearl of the Indian Ocean". Its capital is Sri Jayewardenapura Kotte and its largest city and former capital is Colombo.
Its nickname "Island of Teaching" was given by the large number of Greeks and Chinese who travelled there to learn of Buddhism. Don't confuse it with Ireland, "The Island of Saints and Scholars".
Taiwan is a Chinese island, Okinawa is Japanese, and Bahrain is a country in the Persian Gulf.

Answer: Lana'i

Lana'i is one of the islands in the USA state of Hawaii. Its largest city is Lana'i City, and the capital of the state is Honolulu.
The islands in that archipelago all have interesting nicknames, ranging from "The Friendly Isle" (Molokai) to "The Forbidden Isle" (Niihau). Maui is "The Valley Isle" or "The Magic Isle". One of the incorrect answers, Oahu, is "The Gathering Place"; Kauai is "The Garden Isle". Kahoolawe is known as "The Target Isle", and finally, Hawaii itself is "The Big Island".

Answer: Trinidad

Trinidad, part of the country of Trinidad and Tobago, got its name from the Arawak and Carib Indians that named it Ieri: Land of the Hummingbird. Its capital is Port-of-Spain. The name "Tobago", by the way, comes from tobacco, which was cultivated there by the Carib people.
Dominica is nicknamed "The Land of 365 Rivers" or "Switzerland of the Caribbean", Jamaica is "The Land of Wood and Water", and Montserrat is also known as "The Emerald Isle" (not to be confused with Ireland).

Answer: Barbados

Although the other three possible answers are also under the British crown, only Barbados has the nickname "Little England" (or "Bimshire"). Its capital is Bridgetown.
Grenada is often nicknamed "The Spice Isle of the West". New Providence is not the largest island of the Bahamas, but it is the most important one, being the island that harbours the country's capital: Nassau. Guernsey is in the English Channel, and can feel more English than England itself, but has no real nickname (although it does have an alternative name: Sarnia).

Answer: The Isle of Wight

The remains of over twenty species of dinosaur from the Cretaceous period have been exposed on the Isle of Wight, making it one of the richest fossil-bearing beds in Europe. The island's largest city is Newport.
Mauritius is well known for being the island where the dodo used to have its habitat, before becoming one of the first recorded extinctions by humankind. Its beautiful nickname is "The Star and Key of the Indian Ocean".
Sable Island is nicknamed "The Graveyard of the Atlantic", but no dinosaurs have been uprooted from between the shipwrecks.
Zanzibar, "The Spice Island", is a small island on the east coast of Africa, not specifically known for dinosaur findings.

Answer: Guam

Guam was called "Isla de los Ladrones" (Island of Thieves) by Ferdinand Magellan. Its capital is Hagåtña (formerly Agaña), and the island is part of the Mariana Islands. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Although it is known for being home to several mafia families, Sicily has never been named "Island of Thieves". Its common nickname is "God's Kitchen".
Alcatraz has been nicknamed "The Rock" or "Uncle Sam's Devil's Island", the latter due to its obvious similarity to the real Devil's Island, off the coast of French Guiana.
Manhattan has not yet earned the nickname "Island of Thieves", despite Wall Street being located there.

Answer: Graciosa

All islands mentioned are part of the Azores, which are part of Portugal. Its largest city is Santa Cruz da Graciosa.
Faial Island is called the "Blue Island", by the way. Pico Island has the highest peak of Portugal, and is volcanic. São Miguel is called "The Green Island".

Answer: Bali

Although all three islands mentioned have an extensive mythological tradition, Bali, especially, is known for its spirituality. A pura is a Balinese Hindu temple, of which there are about 20,000. Bali is also known as "The Island of the Gods", "The Island of Hinduism", or "The Island of Peace". Its capital is Denpasar.
Java is another Indonesian island, quite a bit larger than Bali. Crete is the largest Greek island, and Kyushu is Japan's third largest island.

Answer: Aruba

Made up by the Aruban Tourist Board, this nickname has stuck, and is now even on every car's license plate. The accompanying tagline is "90,000 friends you haven't met". Aruba is an independent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and its capital is Oranjestad ("Orange Town").
The other three islands mentioned are probably also very happy islands, and popular with party animals, but not nicknamed as such. Catalina is "The Island of Romance", Ibiza is sometimes called "The Gomorrah of the Mediterranean".

Answer: Ellis Island

This is the island where prospective immigrants used to set foot in the United States of America. It is located in New York and New Jersey harbour. Its original name was Oyster Island. Contrary to popular belief, the Statue of Liberty is not located on Ellis Island, but on Liberty Island instead. Angel Island is nicknamed "The Ellis Island of the West", being the entry point to the USA of immigrants from the Far East. Cyprus has an ancient culture, and was one of the cradles of western culture. Easter Island lies some thousand miles off the west coast of South America, and is famous for its 887 monumental statues.

Answer: Hashima

Hashima is often called "Gunkanjima" in Japanese, meaning "Battleship Island". It is located some 20 miles from Nagasaki. In 1974 with over 5,000 residents on a 480 by 150 meter island, it was the highest population density worldwide. To accommodate so many people in such a small area, every piece of land was built up so that the island came to resemble a massive battleship. Tahiti is known as "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze", "The Mounting Place of the Sun", "The Land of the Double Rainbow" or "The Gathering Place". Martinique is "The Island of Flowers". Corsica, finally, is known as "The Island of Beauty" ("L'île de Beauté") or "The Scented Isle", for its aromatic undergrowth (maquis).