A Mixed Bag of Bahamian Facts Trivia Quiz

Answer: The King or Queen of Great Britain

Although the Bahamas gained independence from Great Britain on July 10, 1973, the reigning monarch of Great Britain is still recognized as head of state and appears on some of the currency. The Bahamas have remained a member of the British Commonwealth. The Governor General is the Monarch's representative in the Bahamas.

Answer: Campari

Local bush medicine practitioners use Cascarilla as a fever reducer. It is also used as a flavoring for Vermouth.

The Bahamas have exported many goods to other countries, such as sponges, rum, pineapples, tomatoes, fish and spiny lobster. The major industry of the Bahamas is tourism, followed closely by banking.

Answer: False

The national bird of the Bahamas is the flamingo and appears on the Bahamas National Crest. There are six species of flamingo found in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Flamingos can be found in parts of Africa, Asia and India. However, the majority of species are found in South America and the Caribbean.

Answer: Eleuthera

During the late 1880's and early 1890's pineapples were the chief export of the Bahamas. Although Eleuthera was the primary producer, pineapples were also grown on Cat Island and Long Island.

According to trade records: "The first canning factory was established in Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera in 1857". The industry did not last, and "by the early 1900s the pineapple industry was in serious decline. By the late 1920s the industry had collapsed". ("History of the Pineapple Business in Eleuthera". eleuthera.com, 19 Apr 2009).

Answer: Summer and Winter

Bahamians enjoy steady temperature throughout most of the year, except during the hurricane season (June-November). Summers are sunny and can be wet. Winters are not much different, just slightly cooler and less humid.

Answer: Black Tuesday

In the Bahamas, Black Tuesday refers to April 27, 1965. On this day, Sir Lynden O. Pindling, first Prime Minister of the Bahamas, accused the government of gerrymandering. He then took the Speaker's Mace and threw it out of a window onto the streets. The Speaker's Mace is the symbol of the Speaker's authority in the House of Assembly. Mr. Pindling was attempting to gain support for his political party, the Progressive Liberal Party.

October 29, 1929 in the United States marks the day the New York Stock Exchange crashed.

Answer: Junkanoo

Legend has it that the festival was named after a former slave, John Canoe. Junkanoo is highly competitive with teams competing each year for the trophies in Senior and Junior Junkanoo. Junkanoo costumes and floats are primarily made of cardboard and crepe paper and some teams spend an entire year working on the costumes.

Answer: Robinson Crusoe

During one of Woodes Rogers' privateering expeditions, he and his crew rescued a gentleman by the name of Alexander Selkirk who had been stranded on an island in the Pacific for four years. Rogers' good friend Daniel Defoe used Selkirk's story as inspiration for his classic "Robinson Crusoe".

Answer: Carleton Point

After the War of Independence in the United States, those persons wishing to remain British citizens left the country for nearby British Colonies. Some went to Canada and others to the Bahamas. The first Loyalist settlement in Abaco was founded in 1783 and was deserted two years later. The settlers moved on to other parts of Great Abaco and the outer cays, such as New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay, Hope Town on Elbow Cay, Cherokee Sound and Man-o-War.

Answer: Hog Island

Hog Island got its name from the farm animals kept there. It became home to many hotels, casinos and resorts. Several celebrities have owned homes on Paradise Island and it has also been a popular site for movie shoots. "My Father the Hero" and several James Bond films went on location to Paradise Island.

Answer: Como Hill

Cat Island is approximately 48 miles long and four miles wide at the widest point. Mount Alvernia is 206 feet above sea level. Located atop Mount Alvernia is the famous Hermitage, a stone monastery hand-built by Father Jerome, a famous architect and hermit.

Arthur's Town, Cat Island is the childhood home of Sir Sydney Poitier.

Answer: Cholera

Many historians believe that cholera was brought to the Bahamas on a ship from New York. Once the disease reached Nassau it was carried to the Out Islands by passengers and crew on the regular supply runs. The Cholera Cemetery in Hope Town is located in the center of town.

A local legend tells of the "White Lady of the Ridge" who was allegedly a victim of the cholera and always appears before a major disaster, walking along the ridge overlooking the ocean.

Answer: 1962

Prior to 1962, only landholding men could vote in any type of election in the Bahamas.

The other answer choices: New Zealand granted equal voting rights to women in 1893. Germany gave women the vote in 1918. The United States of America passed the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote in 1920.

Answer: Chickcharnie

Scientists have found that a three-toed burrowing owl once lived in the forests on Andros. This is probably where the legend originated. Traditionally, locals believed that flowers or a brightly colored piece of cloth would charm the chickcharnies.

Answer: Bimini

In 1968 large limestone blocks, forming what looks very much like a road, were found off the coast of Bimini. Many people think they are a relic of the Lost City of Atlantis.

Ponce de Leon may have been headed for Bimini looking for the Fountain of Youth when he simply missed and discovered Florida instead.

Answer: Cuba

The Royal Bahamas Defense Force was created by the Defense Act in March 1980 and is the only military branch in the Bahamas. In May of that same year, the HMBS Flamingo attempted to board fishing vessels that were caught poaching in Bahamian waters. The Flamingo was attacked by two Cuban MiG-21s sinking the ship and firing on the crew in the water. Four Bahamian Defense Force marines lost their lives in the attack.

All Defense Force vessels carry the designation of HMBS which stands for Her Majesty's Bahamian Ship.

Answer: Queen Victoria

The number of steps are supposed to celebrate the years of Victoria's reign. The staircase was created by slaves and was completed in 1794. A statue of Queen Victoria graces Rawson Square in front of the Houses of Parliament in the nation's capital, Nassau. ("Queen's Staircase Nassau Bahamas", BahamasGo Website, 18 Apr 2009).

Answer: Fort Fincastle

The soldiers would climb 102 feet from the bottom of the staircase to access the fort. Right next to Fort Fincastle is the Water Tower, another must-see in Nassau.

Visitors can use the Queen's Staircase to get to the Gregory Arch, St. Andrew's Kirk, the Government House, Prospect Ridge, The Straw Market, Christ Church Cathedral, Vendue House, and the old Graycliff hotel.

Answer: Harvard

When hard times fell on the Adventurers, their leader, Captain William Sayles, left to seek help from the Virginia and Massachusetts colonies. In gratitude for the supplies, Capt. Sayles' group sent back loads of mahogany wood. The Massachusetts colonists then sold the wood and used the proceeds to purchase the land that is now occupied by Harvard University.

Answer: Lignum Vitae

The name Lignum Vitae means tree of life. The sap of the Lignum Vitae is used by Bush Medicine practitioners to treat weakness and strengthen the spine.

Answer: True

Aloe Vera was brought to the Bahamas during the period of colonization. The brown part of the aloe plant contains aloin which is a strong laxative. Aloe Vera is found in most Bahamian kitchens as a burn aid, antiseptic and healing aid.

Answer: All of these

The boiled bark is also used by natives to treat "skin sores, measles, sunburn, insect bites, and rashes. Strips of bark are boiled in water and then used topically or drunk as tea to treat backaches, urinary tract infections, colds, flu, and fevers". (Hilton, "Bush Medicine". The Bahamas, A Tropical Paradise Website, 2005).

Most Bahamians call this tree Gamalamee, or Kamalamee. It is also referred to as the Tourist Tree because the peeling bark resembles visitors after a bad sunburn.

Answer: False

The settlement of True Blue is actually located on Crooked Island. Other interesting town names in the Bahamas are: Hope Town, The Current, Cripple Hill, Crossing Rocks, Cherokee Sound, and Scrub Hill. You will also find Elbow Cay, Double Breasted Cay, Don't Rock and Lubber's Quarters Cay.

Answer: The Morton Salt Company

The Morton Salt Company has been in operation on the island of Great Inagua since 1954. The destructive 2008 hurricane season severely damaged the salt plant in Inagua. For decades, many people in Inagua have relied on The Morton Salt Company for employment.

Great Inagua is the third largest of the Bahamian islands and is located 55 miles from Cuba. Inagua is also home to about 80,000 of the Bahamas' national bird, the flamingo.

Answer: Off the east coast of Florida

The Bahamas is an archipelago made up of about 700 islands and cays. The country occupies 5,382 square miles and the closest point to Florida is only 50 miles away. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the central Bahamas.

It's better in the Bahamas! Come on over for a visit.