Capes Aren't Just for Flying! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cape Horn

Cape Horn is located on Hornos Island, at the northern point of Drake passage and is the point at which the Atlantic Ocean meets the Pacific Ocean. Before the construction of the Panama Canal, ships needed to round Cape Horn in order to get from one Ocean to the other, and was part of the trade routes between Europe and Australia.

Willem Schouten named the cape after Hoorn, a city in the Netherlands, in 1616.

Answer: Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas is in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The native name for the area was 'Yenecamú', which means 'place where two waters meet'. It is a popular tourist destination known for its beaches, fishing competitions, and surfing. It is also a winter migration destination for whales who arrive to give birth to their calves in the Gulf of California.

Answer: Cape Wrath

The name of the cape comes from the Old Norse word, 'hvarf', meaning 'turning point'. It is believed that the Vikings used the cape as a navigation point. While it is used for sheep grazing, much of the cape has had limited influence from humans, and part of the cape is designated as a Special Protection Area and Site of Special Scientific Interest. Additionally, the Ministry of Defense owns part of the cape and uses it for training exercises, an area known as the Cape Wrath Training Centre.

Answer: Cape Canaveral

The cape was originally discovered by Juan Ponce de León and its original Spanish name was Cabo Cañaveral. It was known as Cape Kennedy from 1963-1973 after President Johnson gave an executive order for it to be named in honor of President Kennedy. In addition to being home to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, it is also home to a lighthouse and a busy cruise port.

The cape became a rocket launch site in 1950, and was the launch site for NASA's Gemini and Mercury projects.

Answer: Cape Elizabeth

King Charles I named the cape after his sister, Elizabeth of Bohemia. The Town of Cape Elizabeth broke away from Falmouth (now Portland) in 1765. It is located at the entrance to Casco Bay, and is home to the Portland Head Light, which according to the town's website, is "the most photographed lighthouse in the world".

Answer: Cape of Good Hope

Though Bartolomeu Dias called it the Cape of Storms in 1488, the cape was renamed by John II of Portugal to give it a title that was befitting of the optimism caused by the opening of a sea route to the East. Some accounts also state that Dias himself came up with the new name.

While it is not the southernmost point of Africa, it is of significance to sailors since it marks the point where ships begin to travel more east than south. It was also a stopping point for trade ships making the journey between India and Europe.

The original settlement established by the Dutch East India Company in the nearby bay is now Cape Town.

Answer: Cape Kidnappers

After Cook made landfall in the area in 1769, a boat with some local Maori came alongside the HMS Endeavor and the Maori attempted to kidnap the Tahitian servant of one of the crew. The attempt failed, and two Maori were killed with a third being injured.

In 2018, the New Zealand government officially changed the name of the cape to Te Kauwae-a-Maui, which means 'Maui's fish hook', as a result of the Heretaunga Tamatea Treaty of Waitangi Settlement. The cape is considered an Important Bird Area due to its use as a breeding site by the Australasian gannet.

The gannet colonies and a golf course are the cape's two main attractions.

Answer: Cape Columbia

The cape is located in the Quttinirpaaq National Park in Nunavut, which is known for its glaciers, fjords, and Lake Hazel, the largest lake in North America above the Arctic Circle. The name Quttinirpaaq comes from the Inuktitut language and means 'top of the world'. The cape was used by Arctic explorer Robert Peary as his final stop before his last attempt to reach the North Pole.

Answer: England

Cap Gris-Nez is only 21 miles from Dover, England. Gris-Nez means 'gray nose' in English, and the cape gets its name from the gray color of its cliffs, which are mostly made of clay, chalk, and sandstone. Its proximity to England has made its nearby town of Audinghen a target for destruction during wars between the two countries.

It is even the site of the ruins of an English fortress built by King Henry VIII. During WWII the Germans built a blockhouse inside these ruins and the bunkers still exist today. One of the blockhouses is now home to the Atlantic Wall Museum.

Answer: Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara is located in Turkey and connects the Aegean Sea with the Black Sea. Cape Comorin is located at the meeting point of the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sean, and the Bay of Bengal. The city located on the cape, Kanyakumari, is home to an ancient temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva as well as a memorial dedicated to the Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda.