Islands in This Dream Trivia Quiz

Answer: Haiti

Occupying about one third of the island of Hispaniola, Haiti has long been considered the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. About 98% of Haiti's flora has been destroyed to accommodate subsistence living from the early 20th to the early 21st centuries. Most of the original natives of the island were wiped out by European voyagers bringing diseases and bacteria that were not indigenous to the area. Port-au-Prince is the capital city, Haitian Creole the language. Haiti lies in the path of hurricanes and has also suffered earthquakes.

The Dominican Republic, which occupies the larger portion of the island was under Spanish rule and is a lovely, flourishing tourist destination by comparison.

Dr. Lemming plans to visit both countries and analyse the geographical differences of the two countries and its effect on culture for her treatise.

Answer: Cuba

The island covers about 42,000 square miles, and is situated in the Greater Antilles just north of the Cayman Islands group. Cuba is surrounded by several bodies of water, primarily the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean to the south. The island shape vaguely resembles a hammerhead shark, is about 780 miles long and varies from about 20 to 120 miles wide. The country includes 4000 islands and keys. There are hills and mountains in the southeast, the highest of which is Pico Turquino at 6,475 feet in the Sierra Maestra Range. There is also swampland, the largest piece being the Zapata Swamp. There is little inland water and the Laguna de Leche lake is the largest on the main island.

Heleena is snorkeling about in the reefs - hunting for dinner perhaps?

Answer: Bahamas

The Bahamas Islands became a British commonwealth realm in 1973. The Bahamas are widely spread out and consist of 29 islands, over 600 keys, and more than 2000 rocks covering about 180,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean. The Bahamas have flourished as a tourist attraction, offering great fishing and sailing, a gambling mecca with several casinos, a popular cruise ship destination, and grand hotels on the beautiful beaches. The Bahamas has a 98% literacy rate and a high standard of living. Real estate is expensive, and much of the food is imported as most of the soil in the islands is not good for raising crops partly because of the high salt content.
Obeah (hoodoo) is still practiced on some outlying islands but is illegal in the more central areas.

We leave Cornfield leading a Conga line at the Palm Bar while sipping a Bahama Mama drink.

Answer: Bermuda

Recorded as discovered in 1502 by Juan Bermudez, who didn't bother going ashore, Bermuda has some dangerous reefs. The island was settled around 1610 and has remained a British territory. Bermuda is known for its pink sand beaches (created from coral shells and red foam). Its capital is Hamilton.

The island is quite far out, about 640 miles from Cape Hatteras. It is a frequent stop for cruise ships and lies in heavy shipping lanes as well. The dreaded 'Bermuda Triangle' is an urban legend driven by tales of 'mysterious disappearances'. To date, there is no evidence that this area is stranger than any other area. The Bermuda Triangle is drawn roughly from Bermuda, to San Juan, PR, to Miami, FL. The island contains about 90 old stone forts built by the British. The climate is subtropical and in the hurricane belt.

There goes Ginger - out for some surf casting and a nice barbie dinner afterwards.

Answer: Martinique

One of France's 27 regions, Martinique relies heavily on its VAT (Value Added Tax) and high fees for shipping services. Sugar is its unstable income crop, so the island is usually in a trade deficit position. Most meat, vegetables and grains are imported. The northern part of this 435 sq.mi. volcanic island is mountainous, changing gradually to rain forest toward the south. Grey and black sands in the north give way to lighter colors as we travel south where the beaches have white sand. Mont Pelee at 4,583 feet is an active volcano which erupted in 1792, 1851 and twice in 1902; many thousands were killed. There are five extinct volcanoes on the island.

Languages spoken here are French and Antilean Creole. Martinique is also home to the fer-de-lance snake, so don't let Quentin wander around alone, Mira!

Answer: Wake Island

Wake Island is actually an atoll of three islands connected underwater by reefs and forming a lagoon. This is a U.S. military base under control of the U.S.A.F. The twelve mile coastline covers almost three square miles. There is a runway of about 10,000 feet and a nicely sheltered harbor. The island is used as an army launch support facility. Supplies are received from *Hickam A.F. Base in Hawaii about twice a month. Many birds fly around the island and pose a hazard to aircraft at times.
*Later merged with Pearl Harbor Base and now officially Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam AFB.

Godwit has found some cousins and they are having lunch in the lagoon, mmmmmmmmmm snails!

Answer: Indonesia

Indonesia is a large archipelago of over 17,000 islands covering approximately 735,350 square miles in southeast Asia. Lying in a strategic trade and shipping location, Indonesia has had many cultural influences, including Japanese, Dutch and its own Javanese. The indigenous people have great seafaring skills, but there is still widespread poverty in the country. The area is known for its many spices such as cloves and nutmeg, and its delicious coffee.

Rupert has found a quiet cafe to finish her poetry book while enjoying the native 'java'.

Answer: Palau

Palau is at the western end of the Caroline Islands and consists of roughly 250 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Native Palauans are mostly of mixed ancestry, having had visitors from many nations in the area as well as from far places such as Spain, Japan, Germany and the U.S. The native society is matriarchal. Many islanders have become addicted to chewing betel nuts, which act in a sedative manner, so these people tend to be idle and gradually lose their health.
The climate here is tropical, lush and wet over the 177 square miles covered by this small U.S. administrative area. The islands are volcanic in origin and home to saltwater crocodiles and earthquakes. Fresh water and waste control are issues being researched and alleviated.

K-Dog1 is thrilled to hear that both dynamite fishing and shark fishing have been banned here since 2009 and that Palau contains the world's first shark sanctuary. He jumps into the sea to channel his inner shark, Jawzy. Splish-splash!

Answer: Timor Leste

The Democratic Republic of East Timor, aka Timor-Leste, is on the eastern end of the Lesser Sunda Islands. The capital is Dili. Under both Dutch and Portuguese dominance the islanders have gone through periods of slavery, as well as living on subsistence agriculture.

The country covers an estimated 14,870 square miles, one third of which is on Timor, and the rest spread out over three other islands. Some exports include oil, marble, wax, and sandalwood and offshore oil deposits.

mscurator is staying with her friend in Dili, and reporting on the incidence of cat-related economic upsurges in the islands. She has brought Bob, the talking cat, with her to entertain the locals.

Answer: Maldives

The Maldives are a tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean with every water sport imaginable. The 26 atolls and close to 1200 islands of varying sizes, cover about 90,000 square miles, include many coral reefs and grottoes, and offer thousands of diving locations. Male is the capital of this independent nation. There are almost 100 resorts, over 1000 fish species, some quite rare, and more than 200 types of coral. Windsurfing and water surfing are very popular, and there are a great variety of handicrafts from the mixture of cultures. Weaving, calligraphy and carving are some of the crafts practiced here, and, by its nature, seafaring is the dominant theme.

The Maldives group is considered the smallest Asian nation, and its comparatively sparse population is thinly spread. The highest point above sea level is 7'10", leaving the country at risk for inundation.

Flwrchyld is basking on her surfboard awaiting the 'perfect wave',