Lost Islands Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tasmania

First of all, an explanation of the solution:

Island 6 has to be Greenland or Madagascar (the only two that both begin and end with a consonant). However, Madagascar must be Island 8 as that island has a longer name than Island 6.

Island 5 has to be one of those with two word names: East Falkland, Puerto Rico or Sri Lanka. However, it can't be Sri Lanka as both Island 3 and Island 4 have to have names that come later alphabetically. Island 9 also has to be either East Falkland or Puerto Rico as these both include a four letter word. As Island 4's name comes directly after Island 5's alphabetically, Island 5 has to be Puerto Rico (as Island 6's name comes directly after East Falkland alphabetically), leaving Island 9 as East Falkland. It then follows that Island 4 must be Skye and Island 3 has to be Sri Lanka.

Islands 2 and 10 have to have names that come before Greenland (Island 6) alphabetically, with Island 2's name coming after Island 10's. Therefore Island 2 has to be Corsica and Island 10 is Corfu.

This just leaves Honshu and Tasmania to be either Island 1 or Island 7. Island 1's name ends in an 'a' - so it must be Tasmania and Island 7 is therefore Honshu.

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Tasmania is separated from the Australian mainland by the Bass Strait and was first discovered by Europeans in the 1640s when the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, landed on the island. Tasmania is famed for its diverse and unique wildlife, including the Tasmanian devil (which frankly doesn't look much like the Looney Tunes character based on the species), the now extinct thylacine or Tasmanian tiger, and the Tasmanian native hen (which is actually a type of rail rather than a domesticated fowl).

Answer: Corsica

Corsica lies off the coast of Italy and, despite once being an independent nation, is actually one of the regions of France. It is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, has its own language (called Corsican, unsurprisingly) and is particularly noted for its unspoilt countryside.

The island is also famous for having been the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. The house in which he was born was owned by the Bonaparte family for nearly 250 years and was converted into a museum in the 1960s.

Answer: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is the large tear-drop shaped island located off the south-east coast of India. It was formerly the British colony of Ceylon, but gained independence (and a new name) in 1948. Its economy is still based around traditional products such as tea, but has grown and diversified in the 21st century to include manufacturing and service industries.

It is also a popular tourist destination - particularly since the end of the 26 year long civil war that raged from 1983 to 2009.

Answer: Skye

The Isle of Skye is the largest of Scotland's Inner Hebrides group and is connected to the Scottish mainland by a road bridge that opened in 1995. It is one of the most iconic Scottish islands - Bonnie Prince Charlie's escape route after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 took him to Skye and that story has since been immortalised in the 'Skye Boat Song':

"Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing
Onward, the sailors cry!
Carry the lad that's born to be King
Over the sea to Skye."

Answer: Puerto Rico

The island of Puerto Rico can be found at the eastern end of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. It was first colonised by Spain in the early 16th century, a few years after its 'discovery' by Christopher Columbus. After the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain was forced to cede sovereignty over the island under the terms of the Treaty of Paris and it then became the major part of the United States Territory known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The territory also includes over 140 smaller islands, only a handful of which are inhabited.

Answer: Greenland

The name 'Greenland' is a bit of a misnomer for the world's largest island, as around three-quarters of it is covered by an ice sheet - meaning that it generally appears to be white rather than green. The name is believed to have come from the Viking explorer, Erik the Red, supposedly in an attempt to make the area sound more attractive to other potential settlers. Greenland has a strong historical connection to the north-European countries of Norway, Denmark and Iceland and has remained an autonomous self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark into the 21st century.

Answer: Honshu

Honshu is the largest island of Japan and is home to the country's capital city, Tokyo, as well as several former capitals including Kyoto and Nara. Since Tokyo and its surrounding metropolitan area is one of the most populous areas of the world, it is probably not that surprising that Honshu turns out to be the second most populated island worldwide, despite only being the seventh largest. Honshu is prone to seismic and volcanic activity; its highest point, Mount Fuji, is an active volcano, while several disasters have been caused by earthquakes - including the tsunami that led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

Answer: Madagascar

Madagascar is the large island located off the east coast of Africa that gained independence from France in 1960. It is famed for the biodiversity of its plants and animals - most of which cannot be found in the wild in any other part of the world - particularly its population of lemurs, of which there are over 100 identified species.

However, I'd recommend that you don't use the animated film 'Madagascar' as a template for what animals you'd expect to see in Madagascar - most of them were zoo escapees...

Answer: East Falkland

East Falkland is the largest of the islands that make up the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands (also known as Las Malvinas). The Spanish name for the island is Isla Soledad. The island consists of two almost separate land masses, which are connected by a narrow isthmus.

The isthmus is home to the settlement of Goose Green - famous for the battle of the same name that occurred there during the 1982 Falklands War between Britain and Argentina. Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands and home to the majority of the islands' population, is located in north-east East Falkland.

Answer: Corfu

Corfu is the seventh-largest of the 200 or so inhabited islands of Greece and the second-largest of the Ionian Islands group. It is located off the western coast of Greece in the Ionian Sea (part of the larger Mediterranean Sea) and is a popular tourist destination.

In addition to enjoying the sandy beaches and sunny climate, visitors can also see ancient ruins (such as the Temple of Kardaki from the 6th century B.C.), tour various medieval castles and admire the predominantly Venetian architecture of the Old Town.