Islands of the Mediterranean Trivia Quiz

Sicily, with a population over 5 million, is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and an autonomous region of Italy. If Italy is a boot, Sicily is the large triangle about to be kicked by the toe, which is the region of Calabria. Sicily is separated from Calabria by the Strait of Messina, a stretch of water between 3 and 15 km wide which connects the Tyrrhenian Sea (on the northern end) and the Ionian Sea. A whirlpool at the northern end of the strait, near the Calabrian town of Scilla, is associated with the mythological figures of Scylla and Charybdis. These two monsters, who threatened Odysseus, Aeneas and Jason (among others) were on opposite sides of a narrow strait, which would make Charybdis the Sicilian one.

This particular photograph of Sicily was taken during an eruption of Mt Etna, which produced the white smoke plume seen near the upper right part of the image. Etna is one of the highest active volcanoes in Europe and eruptions continue to increase its height as ash and rocks are thrown out to land near the peak. In Greek mythology, the forge of Hephaestus was reputed to be found beneath Etna, which is also, in some versions of the myth, where Zeus imprisoned the monster Typhon following an unsuccessful attempt to challenge Zeus for supremacy.

Northwest of Sicily you will find Sardinia, the second-largest island of the Mediterranean, and also an autonomous region of Italy. Its name is of unknown origin, with evidence that a form of it was already being used by the residents, the Nuragic culture, when the Phoenicians first arrived there in the 9th century BCE.

Like many of the islands of the Mediterranean, it has been controlled by a number of different groups. The Nuragic civilization, present by the 18th century BCE, continued until sometime between the 3rd century BCE and the 2nd century CE (according to your source), sharing the island with the Phoenicians until Carthage took control of some regions in the 6th century BCE, and Rome conquered the island in 238 BCE, remaining in control until 700 CE. Then followed a period during which the Vandals and the Byzantines shared the island, until the (now Spanish) Crown of Aragon brought it into its sphere as part of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1324-1718). In 1718 it became part of the House of Savoy, who led the unification of Italy, leaving Sardinia part of the Kingdom of Italy until 1946, when the Italian Republic was proclaimed.

The island of Sardinia is linked to the English word sardonic in a number of ways, including the obvious sharing of the root sard-. It has been suggested that the Greeks believed the Sardinians used plants such as hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) to disable elderly people as part of their ritual execution. The plant caused convulsions that resembled laughter, hence laughter in the face of imminent danger became associated with it, and known as sardonicism. The idea of a sardonic attitude has since evolved to refer to disdainful and/or mocking humour.

The third-largest island in the Mediterranean is located in the Levantine Sea, near the east end of the sea. It is part of the geographical region called Western Asia, or (being more Eurocentric) the Middle East, but is culturally considered to be Southeast European. Its lengthy history of sequential invasions, starting with Greece around 2000 BCE, and followed by pretty much whoever wanted to control that part of the Mediterranean, is reflected in its contemporary political status. Following independence from British control in 1960, conflict between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority eventually led to the creation of a de facto Turkish Cyprus in the northeast part of the island (recognized as an independent state only by Türkiye), a Greek area controlled by the official Cypriot government, and a UN-monitored buffer zone between them. A few British bases also remain in place.

Cyprus features strongly in a number of Greek myths, most especially as being the birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of love and passion, according to some (with others attributing the site as Cythera, another Greek island). According to Hesiod, she was born from the sea foam produced when Cronus cut off Uranus' genitals and threw them into the sea. this was said to have occurred near the town of Paphos, which was an important pilgrimage site in ancient times. This story is the basis of Botticelli's famous painting 'The Birth of Venus', for which he used the name of the syncretized Roman goddess.

Pygmalion was the mythological sculptor described by Ovid as falling in love with one of his creations who was then obligingly brought to life by Aphrodite. According to Ovid, they had a child named Paphos, from whom the name of the town associated with Aphrodite is derived. This story has been explored many times over the centuries, including in GB Shaw's play 'Pygmalion', and the musical and movie inspired by it, 'My Fair Lady'.

The fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean, situated just north of Sardinia (11 km at the closest) and marking the southern edge of the Liguria Sea, is also the most mountainous Mediterranean island. More than 120 peaks over 2,000 meters form the chain of mountains that comprise over two-thirds of the island's area.

With history of occupation by various cultures similar to that of Sardinia and Sicily, Corsica ended up being governed by Genoa from around 1300 until the Corsican Revolution of 1729 attempted to set up an independent state, which was finally crushed when Genoa sold the island to France. Corsica was officially annexed in 1769, the year when Napoleone Buonaparte was born in Ajaccio to a family with Italian roots. His father fought for Corsican independence until the Battle of Ponte Nevu brought that fight to a close; he then started working for the French, and in 1777 became the Corsican representative at the court of Louis XVI. This made life in Corsica difficult for the family during the continued struggle for Corsican independence, and they moved to Toulon in 1793. In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte (the French version of his name he adopted on moving to mainland France) became First Consul of the French Republic , and in 1804 was designated Emperor Napoleon I.

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands (and fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea). It lies about 160 km south of mainland Greece, forming the boundary between the Aegean Sea on its north and the Libyan Sea on its south. The capital city of Heraklion is located near the archeological site of Knossos, a major centre of the Minoan civilization whose presence is documented from about 2700 to 1420 BCE, when it was conquered by the Myceneans from Greece. After control by a number of groups, a familiar story, Crete gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1898 before becoming part of Greece in 1913.

The Minoans were given that name (in the early 20th century) by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, whose excavation at Knossos revealed a large palace that he associated with the myth of King Minos, declaring it to be the site of the labyrinth that Daedalus built to hold the Minotaur. This half-human half-bull was the offspring of Minos' wife and a white bull that Minos had refused to sacrifice to Poseidon (long story). The monstrous offspring had the body of a man but the head and tail of a bull (or some other configuration, according to your source); with no natural food to suit that combination, it ate humans. To protect his people, Minos confined the Minotaur to a labyrinth, sending in sacrifices at appropriate times. These sacrificial offerings were Athenian youths, for reasons that vary between sources, and the Athenian prince Theseus set out to slay the Minotaur and end the sacrifices. Minos' daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus, and gave him a ball of string to help him find his way back out. He was successful, then repaid her by abandoning her on the island of Naxos before returning to Athens. On arrival, he forgot to change his sails according to a predetermined signal; his father, King Aegeus, presumed him dead, and in his grief threw himself into the sea that is now named for him.

Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island of the Balearic Islands, located off the east coast of Spain, of which they form an autonomous region. Along with Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, they are a popular holiday destination for tourists, especially Europeans from colder climes who enjoy the Mediterranean sun. Latin writings refer to it as 'insula maior' (larger island) which became Maiorca and then Mallorca, with the smaller 'insula minor' becoming Minorca then Menorca.

The tourist industry in Mallorca was largely the result of work done by Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, who fell in love with the island in an 1867 visit, later settling there and spending 22 years producing a five-volume work that attempted present an exhaustive record of the history, culture, flora and fauna of the islands. He bought up large areas of Mallorcan land so that they could be preserved in their natural state, and a number of walking trails are named in his honour.

There have been a number of famous people who spread the word about Mallorca following extended visits to the place, including George Sand (who spent a winter there with Frederic Chopin who was attempting to recover his health) and Agatha Christie (who set her short story 'Problem at Pollensa Bay' in Port de Pollença). For tennis fans, Mallorca is best known as the birthplace of Rafael Nadal, who was born in the town of Manacor in 1989. (If you're a tennis fan, 'nuff said; if not, you don't want to listen to me telling you all about his accomplishments!)

Rhodes is one of Greece's Dodecanese Islands, a group of over 150 islands (26 inhabited) that lie off the coast of the Turkish region of Anatolia. Rhodes is the largest, and historically considered the most significant, of the group. The group's name suggests there are 12 islands, and over time there has been some movement as to which exact islands are the twelve, and which are less significant.

Rhodes has several nicknames, including Island of the Sun, which is a reference to its patron god, Helios. The Colossus of Rhodes, a statue depicting Helios, was included in the classical list of Seven Wonders of the World. It was constructed near the harbour of the city of Rhodes, located near the island's northeast tip, to celebrate victory over Demetrius I of Macedon in the Siege of Rhodes (305-304 BCE). Chares of Lindos was given the responsibility of overseeing the construction, which was completed in 280 BCE. The impressive statue stood until 226 BCE, when it collapsed during an earthquake. The Delphic oracle apparently advised against reconstruction, so the impressive remains stayed on the ground until at least 653 CE. Its final fate is lost in the mists of time.

Corfu (also known as Kerkyra in Greek) lies in the Ionian Sea, and forms the northwestern frontier of Greece. The Greek name has a mythological basis - Poseidon fell in love with and abducted a beautiful nymph named Korkyra, and gave her name to the island where he installed her. The name became entwined in Byzantine Greek with 'Koryphai', meaning peaks; this in turn became Corfù during the period (1386-1797) when the island was ruled by Venice. The northern part of the island lies to the west of Albania, from which it is separated at its closest by 3km; the southern end is off the coast of Greece.

Corfu appears a number of times in Greek myths. Some historians think it may well be the island of Scheria that Homer described in his 'Odyssey'. It is recorded as being visited by Jason and the Argonauts, who took refuge there during their return after successfully nabbing the Golden Fleece. Jason and Medea are said to have been married there. Apollonius of Rhodes named the island 'Drepane', which is Greek for sickle. This probably was because the island has the shape of a sickle, but it has been given two different mythological origins: it may have been where Cronus buried the sickle he used to castrate his father Uranus, or it may have been a scythe belonging to Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, that was buried there.

This is the largest island in the archipelago that makes up the nation of Malta, which is situated 80 km south of the Italian island of Sicily and a bit more than 300 km north of Libya. This location smack in the middle of the Mediterranean as made it a point of strategic importance as a base for naval operations over the millennia. Groups who have ruled the island include Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards, Knights of St John, French and British. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, and became a republic in 1974, while still remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

According the the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Paul was shipwrecked on an island identified as Melite, which many scholars consider to be Malta. Local tradition says the shipwreck occurred near the town of St Paul's Bay, northwest of the Maltese capital, Valetta. An offshore island (which becomes two islands when the isthmus connecting them is submerged) is supposed to be the actual point of the wreck.

When Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, gave the islands of Malta to the military order known as the Knights Hospitaller (also the Knights of St John, and later called the Knights of Malta), they were granted a perpetual lease, which required the annual payment of one Maltese falcon (a living bird, not the valuable statuette featured in the movie). The knights then used this base to continue attacks on the ships of the Ottoman Empire, who had driven them out of their previous base on Rhodes. They remained in control until 1798, when Napoleon captured Malta in his way to Egypt. The Maltese people were unhappy under French rule, and asked for help from the British. They became an official part of the British Empire in 1814, and the headquarters for the British Mediterranean fleet. Their role in World War II was recognized by King George VI awarding the collective population the George Cross, considered the civilian equivalent of the military Victoria Cross.

The island of Elba is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea (with the Ligurian Sea on its north coast) about 10 km off the coast of Italy and 50 km east of Corsica. The largest island in the Tuscan archipelago, it is also Italy's third largest island. This image was taken from the western end of the island, which lies almost exactly on an east-west line. The eastern end is the region where the iron deposits that made Elba famous in antiquity are located. The ancient Greek name, 'Aethalia', means smoky, a reference to the fumes produced by smelting the ore.

As a well-known palindrome says, "Able was I ere I saw Elba". This refers to the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the then-French island between 1814 and 1815, before he escaped to resume his efforts to regain control of the French Empire. The 1815 Congress of Vienna granted Elba to Italy as part of the reorganisation of European states in the wake of the defeat of Napoleon. Napoleon, following his defeat at Waterloo in June of 1815, was exiled a second time to the remote British island of Saint Helena, about a third of the way from Africa to Brazil, where he died in 1821.