Amazing World-Wide Holiday Tour Quiz

Answer: Bhutan

Yes, it's Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, where Nyilo is a public holiday on July 2. While most people think of Bhutan as being a mountain country, it actually has quite a variety of geographic regions, including subtropical plains in the southern part of the country, and the temperate highlands in the middle were most of the settled population lives.

Many endangered species can be found in Bhutan, and the country has been proactive in establishing widespread conservation areas.

Answer: Vietnam

Vietnam (or Viet Nam) is an East Asian country, located in what is known as the Sinosphere. The Municipal Theatre is located in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest city (though not the capital - that would be Hanoi). Tet is celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month, which also happens to be the day when the Chinese New Year is also observed.

Answer: Brazil

Brazil is the only South American country in which Portuguese is the official language, and it is famous for its beaches (remember "The Girl From Ipanema"?), although you might be able to celebrate Carnival in some of the others. Carnival is celebrated on the day (or days) just before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent for Christians.

The name of the festival literally means 'farewell meat', a reference to the fact that strict observance of Lent traditionally involved eating no meat for forty days.

Answer: Iran

Tehran is the capital of Iran, formerly called Persia, the home of the Zoroastrian religion. A number of Zoroastrian holidays are still observed, even though the official religion of the country is now Islam. Nowruz, or Persian New Year, celebrates the vernal equinox, the day when daylight hours become longer than dark hours in the spring.

The beginning of spring signals the start of a new year. Traditional family celebrations include bonfires.

Answer: Germany

Much of Germany's geography is characterized by many hilly regions locally called "Mittelgebirge" (literally "medium mountains"). They are all forested areas, mostly deciduous, and the highest peaks are typically between 800 and 1400 meters (2500 to 4000 feet). Higher mountains can be found only in the very south of Germany, in the Alps, with the highest German peak being the 2962 meters (9718 feet) Zugspitze.

Answer: Australia

Sydney is Australia's largest city, and the one that is probably best known internationally. While you are in Sydney, a ferry trip across the harbour from near the Opera House to Taronga Park Zoo on the North Shore will give you a chance to see examples of the native fauna - there are lots of other marsupials besides the kangaroo and the koala, not to mention the world's only monotremes (the platypus and echidna, egg-laying mammals), and a whole lot of venomous spiders and snakes.

ANZAC Day is celebrated on the anniversary of the battle of Gallipoli, in which many Australian soldiers lost their lives. ANZAC is an acronym which stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Answer: Russia

At over 17 million square kilometers (6.5 million square miles), Russia is almost twice as large as Canada and contains more than ten percent of the world's land mass. Victory Day, established in the Soviet Union, celebrates the end of World War II. If you have never heard of Redonda, you may be forgiven - it is not a true country but an island part of Antigua and Barbuda which a Montserrat citizen briefly claimed as his own kingdom in the late 19th century.

Answer: China

Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is a good base for your tour of China. Portions of the Great Wall are within reach during a day tour, although you might want to travel further to the north and west to get a real feel for its immensity. The impressive Terracotta Army is further away - you will need to join a bus tour to visit it.

The Dragon Boat Festival is held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. Because it is in the month of the Horse, the peak time for celebrations is the Hour of the Horse, between 11:00am and 1:00pm. Don't ask me why it's two hours long! During that time, it is considered good luck if you can make an egg stand on its end, and children compete to be the first to succeed in doing it. Meanwhile, the adults participate in and spectate at boat races, and rituals which reenact attempts to rescue the poet Chu Yau, who drowned on this date in 277 BCE.

Answer: Scotland

One of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom, Scotland has a strong Gaelic tradition and a distinct national identity. It maintains its own national squads in many sports (most prominently soccer). In the 2010s, talks have begun about the possibility of Scottish independence, or at least greater autonomy, with a referendum tentatively planned for the year 2014. Scotland has significant natural resources, in particular in the form of oil.

Answer: United States of America

The Grand Canyon, carved out by the Colorado River, is found in the south-western state of Arizona. Yellowstone National Park, established as the United States' first national park in 1872, is located mostly in the northern state of Wyoming, but parts of it are in the nearby states of Montana and Idaho.

It contains some of the world's best-known geothermal features, including the geyser Old Faithful. (Visiting Old Faithful as a child, I remember being quite disappointed, as it is far from being the most spectacular geyser in the park.

It is, however, incredibly predictable in its release of steam, hence its name.) The Everglades is a large wetland area in the south-eastern state of Florida.

Answer: France

The shape of France is very recognizable on a map and the French themselves call their country "the hexagon" (l'hexagone). The French capital, Paris, is situated on the Seine River which flows in a northwesterly direction, emptying into the English Channel.

The Rhone (not to be confused with the Rhine) originates in Switzerland and flows through the south-east of France towards the Mediterranean Sea. The 14th of July is the French National Holiday, often called Bastille Day, celebrating the establishment of the modern nation in the French Revolution.

Answer: South Africa

Most countries manage to get by with one capital city, but in South Africa the legislature is in Cape Town, the executive capital is Pretoria, and the judicial capital is in Bloemfontein; and none of these is the largest city - that is Johannesburg. The national languages include English and Afrikaans, left over from colonial times, and nine of the tribal languages which are the most widely spoken and understood. There are at least a dozen more semi-official languages.

Mandela Day celebrates the efforts of Nelson Mandela to bring an end to the policy of apartheid. Celebrated on his birthday, an interesting part of the observance is the idea that everyone should spend 67 minutes during the day in service to the local community or to some charity. The number of minutes is the same as the number of years during which Mandela was politically active.

Answer: Canada

The name Canada comes from the word Kanata, an Iroquois word for settlement. As well as being the world's second-largest country (second to Russia), Canada shares the world's longest land border with its neighbour, the United States. A day of thanksgiving (for the harvest season which is coming to a close) has been celebrated on the second Monday in October, providing a long weekend for the celebration, since 1967.

In the French-speaking province of Quebec, the day is referred to as Jour de l'Action de grace.

Answer: India

The Taj Mahal is one of the world's most famous tombs, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jehan to hold the body of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, beside whom he was later buried himself. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture to be found. Bollywood is the term used to refer to India's thriving film industry. The name was coined to combine the name of Bombay (previous name of the city of Mumbai where the industry is located) and Hollywood, centre of the American film industry.

Diwali is celebrated during five days in October or November. The date changes from year to year, because it must include the new moon night that occurs between mid-October and mid-November. Celebrations involve lighting of oil lamps and colourful street lanterns to celebrate the triumph of good over evil in several Hindu stories.

Answer: Norway

Also known as the Land of the Midnight Sun, Norway has a substantial portion of its landmass north of the Arctic Circle, enjoying 24 hours of daylight during the summer days and perpetual darkness in the winter. While often cited as the northernmost point of central Europe, Nordkapp is situated on an island and the actual northernmost point of the continent is called Cape Nordkinn, a significant distance further to the east.