The Journey of Sam the Swallow Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Sam the Swallow sets off from Northern England and heads south. Whilst still in England he flies over the second largest city in the country. What is its name?

Answer: Birmingham

Birmingham is second only to London in terms of population in English cities and has over 2.2 million people in its urban area.

2. Sam the Swallow continues south and eventually leaves England crossing the White Cliffs of Dover and he heads for France. Which body of water does he cross on his way to France?

Answer: The English Channel

The English Channel is one of the world's busiest seaways carrying hundreds of ships every day. The channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean separating southern England from France (in France it is called La Manche). At its narrowest it is only 21 miles (34 km) wide and it is this narrow section, called the Strait of Dover, which is where Sam the Swallow crosses.

3. Sam the Swallow continues his journey and he is now over France. He looks down and sees a large city with a tall metal tower and a museum with a glass pyramid near its entrance. This is the largest city in France; what is it called?

Answer: Paris

Paris is the largest city in France and it is also the capital city. The tall metal tower, the Eiffel Tower, was built as a temporary structure for an exhibition in 1889. The Eiffel Tower is France's most visited tourist site.
The museum with the glass pyramid near its door is the Louvre which has many very famous artworks including the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo Da Vinci.

4. Sam the Swallow keeps flying south and he eventually crosses over from France into Spain. On the border is a range of mountains that divides France and Spain. What are these mountains called?

Answer: Pyrenees

The Pyrenees Mountains extend from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) in the east. They form a natural border between France and Spain.
The Apennines are in Italy. The Alps are a major European mountain range which extend from Austria through Northern Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France.
The Himalayas, which include Mount Everest, are in Asia and are the tallest mountain range on Earth.

5. Sam the Swallow is now making good progress southwards over Spain. He flies over another city which is not too far away from Madrid, the capital city of Spain. This city is famous for making swords, Do you know what it is called?

Answer: Toledo

The Spanish city of Toledo is a World Heritage Site with a rich history and a tradition for steelmaking and sword production going back to Roman times.

6. Sam the Swallow continues south and he can now see the Mediterranean Sea and he needs to cross it to get into the continent of Africa. He chooses one of the narrowest crossings by first flying over a large rock with a British flag (Union Jack) on top. Do you know the name of this place?

Answer: Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British territory located on a peninsula at the southern end of Spain and at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. It has long been an important naval base because of its strategic position.

7. Sam the Swallow is now in north Africa and he needs to stop for a rest, some food and a drink. He sets off southward again and he is soon flying over a vast desert area. Do you know what this is called?

Answer: Sahara Desert

The Sahara desert is the second largest desert in the whole world (after Antarctica) and it covers an area of over 3.5 million square miles or 9.4 million square kilometres.
The Gobi desert is in Asia, the Gibson desert in Australia and the Atacama desert is in South America.

8. Sam the Swallow is still making his way south over Africa. He eventually sees a very tall mountain which is, in fact, the tallest in all of Africa. What is this mountain called?

Answer: Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano and is 19,341 feet (5,895 metres) above sea level. It is in the country called Tanzania.

9. Sam the Swallow carries on flying south and he crosses plains with lots of animals, jungles and deserts. After a long time he passes over a big river called the Zambezi with spectacular waterfalls which are the largest in the world. What are these waterfalls called?

Answer: Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls were named after Queen Victoria of England by an explorer called David Livingstone who is thought to have been the first European to see them. Although not the highest waterfalls in the world (this is Angel Falls in Venezuela, South America) they are claimed to be the largest since they form the largest sheet of falling water.
Victoria Falls are approximately double the size of Niagara Falls in North America. Zimbabwe Falls do not actually exist although Victoria Falls are on the border between the countries of Zimbabwe and Zambia.

10. After flying a distance of nearly 6000 miles (9600 km) Sam the Swallow at last reaches the very tip of South Africa where he will spend his winter. He sees a flat-topped table shaped mountain below which is near a city in which Sam will stay for a few months. What is this city called?

Answer: Cape Town

Although Sam the Swallow has reached Cape Town, which is the second most populous city in South Africa, it is unusual for a swallow to migrate this far. Mostly, European swallows do travel great distances to South Africa but many winter further north near Johannesburg. Swallows can travel 200 miles (322 km) per day at speeds of around 20 miles per hour (32 km per hour). These journeys are known as migration and they are very hazardous with many birds dying from starvation, exhaustion and in storms.

Source: Author ronny8

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor NatalieW before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Journey of Sam the Swallow Quiz

Sam the Swallow is travelling from his breeding site in England to his winter feeding site in South Africa. On his journey he passes over many interesting places. Can you identify some of them using the clues ?

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>