A Tour of Canada Trivia Game | Geography

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. We'll start with Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. What hotel overlooks the inner harbor downtown?

Answer: Empress Hotel

The hotel was built in 1908, and is one of the two primary buildings in the area along with the legislative building. The other major attraction in the area is Butchart Gardens, considered one of the finest gardens in the world.

2. The downtown area of Vancouver sits on a peninsula, and at the end of the peninsula there's a 1000 acre park that was created in the 19th century. It's called ________ Park?

Answer: Stanley

The park was named for Lord Stanley, who was governor general of Canada when the park opened in 1888. He's better known for donating a cup to be given to the Canadian hockey champions. The park contains forests, an aquarium, and a walkway that follows along the water's edge all the way around the park.

There are scenic views at almost every turn, although to be fair, it's hard not to find a place in Vancouver that isn't scenic.

3. When you head east out of Vancouver, just after crossing into Alberta you will enter Banff NP. Which natural feature was the first area to be protected in 1885?

Answer: Sulfur Mountain Hot Springs

Railroad workers discovered the hot springs in a cave, and what would become Canada's first national park started as a 10 mile reserve to protect them. There's easily a couple of days worth of things to see here.

4. If you drive north from Banff to Jasper NP, you take the Icefield's Parkway. While admiring the scenery, you can stop along the way and actually walk on a glacier. True or False?

Answer: True

The Athabasca glacier is one of several glaciers that are connected to the Columbia Icefield, but unlike the others, it's leading edge runs right next to the road. For a fee, they take you out to a graded area and let you actually walk on the glacier. Even if that doesn't interest you, take the Parkway anyway. I would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful drive anywhere that I've traveled over the years.

5. For those of you needing a Shopping Mall fix, your next stop will take you to Edmonton, and one of the ultimate examples of a mall in the world at the _____ Edmonton Mall.

Answer: West

The West Edmonton Mall is a mall on mega steroids. There are over 800 stores, 100+ eating establishments, and then there is the really wild stuff. There's a waterpark, an amusement park, an NHL sized hockey rink, and after watching the dolphin show next to the replica Santa Maria, you can take a submarine ride.

6. From here, you head south to Calgary. On the western edge of town is the Calgary Olympic Park, where you can take a tour that lets you take a close up look at a bobsled track and look down from the top of ski jumping tower. What year did Calgary hold the Winter Olympics?

Answer: 1988

It's a chance to get a good look at one of the few facilities of its kind in North America. Calgary itself is of course famous for the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition, held in July.

7. Your next stop is in Regina, Saskatchewan, where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (aka "The Mounties") museum and training academy is located. The organization was created in 1873 and initially protected an area that makes up which modern day provinces?

Answer: Alberta and Saskatchewan

They now do police work across the country. The group was originally called the North-west Mounted Police, and took on its existing name in 1920. The museum was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth in 1973.

8. Continuing on east to Winnipeg, Manitoba, you can tour Lower Fort Garry, the oldest intact stone fort in North America. Who built it?

Answer: Hudson's Bay company

They built it as a supply depot in the 1840s after having flood problems at Upper Fort Garry, located at what is now downtown Winnipeg. The fort has been restored to its 1850s appearance, complete with costumed interpreters.

9. Here's the obligatory Niagara Falls question in my quiz. When you are facing the falls, are you in Ontario or New York?

Answer: Ontario

The Horseshoe falls is in Canadian territory and is the more photographed of the two falls, while Goat Island and the American falls (well duh!) are in the US. For all the tourist trap elements in the area, the falls really are an impressive sight.

10. Next up is Toronto, which is my favorite city in Canada. There's a long list of things to do and places to go, including the Hockey Hall of Fame. Among the exhibits is an exact recreation of an NHL team's locker room. Which team is it?

Answer: Montreal

The exhibit not only includes the dressing area, but includes the training area, equipment repair room, and coaches office as well. The museum is in a shopping mall, and the actual hall of fame is inside a renovated 19th century bank lobby, with the original Stanley Cup in the vault. I've been to the city three times, and really enjoyed each visit.

11. Montreal is named after what kind of natural feature?

Answer: Mountain

Mount Royal is an almost 800 ft high hill right on the edge of downtown that the city preserved as an impressive park. The city sits on an island in the middle of the St Lawrence river, and is an interesting mix of French and English culture.

12. From here, you follow the St Lawrence River to Quebec City, the only walled city in North America. During the American Revolution, did United States forces attack the city?

Answer: Yes

Following a grueling march, forces led by Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold marched to and assaulted the city on December 30, 1775. The attack was beaten back, with Montgomery mortally wounded. When the British sent reinforcements in early 1776, the US forces retreated out of Canada for the rest of the war. Because the city sits on a bluff overlooking the St Lawrence river, it's long been a strategically important location. If you want to check out how fortifications were set up in the past, this is a good place to do it. Quebec City is predominantly French, and is a place where you can feel like you're visiting a polite version of France without the cost of going abroad.

13. One of the unique places in Canada to check out is the Bay of Fundy, which has the largest average annual difference between high and low tide of any location in the world. What is the approximate difference between them?

Answer: 48 feet

The bay sits between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and if you compare a single spot between high and low tide, you'll be amazed at the difference.

14. The province of Nova Scotia includes Cape Breton Island, where you can drive along the Cabot Trail, which is correctly considered one of the most scenic drives in North America. In addition to the coastal views, you also pass by the summer home of a famous inventor. Which one?

Answer: Alexander Graham Bell

Bell and his family spent the summer at his home in Baddeck. The home is now a museum. The drive of around 185 miles (300km) follows an especially scenic coastal region around the Northern end of the island.

15. If you set out to drive from Victoria to Baddeck and see all these locations in one trip, about how many miles would you drive, not counting miles on ferry boats or that annoying moment when you failed to make a right turn at Albuquerque?

Answer: 3740

Yes, the fact that I had time to sit down with a road atlas and figure the distance out probably means I have too much time on my hands. I hope you enjoyed my quiz, and will go visit Canada in the near future.

Source: Author BaronTR

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

A Tour of Canada Trivia Quiz

Although I was born and still live in Texas, I've had a chance to travel to all ten Canadian provinces. The people are nice and there's a great deal to see and do there. This quiz is about the places I've visited, working from west to east.

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