Central American Vacation Quiz | Central America

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Arriving from the United States, we land at an airport dubbed the second "most extreme" airport in the world. Named Toncontin International Airport, which city does it serve?

Answer: Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Toncontin International Airport serves the city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It was ranked the second "most extreme" airport in the world by The History Channel. The airport is located adjacent to a mountain range which makes landing at the airport challenging. Aircraft will often have to make a tight turn just before making their final approach.

The runway is also fairly short, which makes landing at Toncontin even more difficult. There have been several incidents involving aircraft overrunning the runway.

2. Next we head over to the nation of Guatemala. It is home to the tallest volcano in Central America. What is the name of it?

Answer: Tajumulco

Tajumulco is a volcano located in the southwest region of Guatemala. The volcano rises to a height of approximately 13,800 ft (4,200 m). It is the highest peak in the Central American region. It is unknown if the volcano is still active. There have been reports of eruptions occurring during the 1800s, but none of the claims have been verified.

3. If we wanted to visit the nation of Belize, we would need to fly to its main international airport which is located in its capital city, Belmopan.

Answer: False

Belmopan is the capital of Belize, but the nation's main international airport is actually located in Belize City on the Caribbean coast. Belmopan is located further inland near the geographic center of the country. Belize City is Belize's largest city and was once the capital of the former British colony before it was moved to Belmopan in 1970, due to Belize City being vulnerable to hurricane damage. Belize (formerly British Honduras) declared its independence from Great Britain in 1981.

4. Our next stop is an island belonging to Honduras in the Caribbean Sea. While there, divers can get a glimpse of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Which of these is it?

Answer: Roatan

Roatan is one of the Bay Islands, which are owned by Honduras. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 40 miles north of the Honduran mainland. Visitors to Roatan are able to explore the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which stretches from the Bay Islands over to Guatemala, Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

5. Next we head back onto mainland Honduras where we visit its second largest city located on the country's Caribbean coast. Which of the following could it be?

Answer: San Pedro Sula

San Pedro Sula is the second largest city in Honduras with a population of over 700,000 people. It is located in the northwest corner of the nation. While Tegucigalpa is Honduras' capital and largest city, San Pedro Sula serves as the nation's industrial and commercial center.

6. For our next stop we head to the only nation in Central America with no land touching the Caribbean Sea. Its name in Spanish translates to "The Savior". Which country is this?

Answer: El Salvador

The Republic of El Salvador is the only Central American nation that has no land on the Caribbean Sea. It sits on the Pacific coast of Central America south of its neighbors Guatemala and Honduras. Originally a province of Guatemala, it was given the long name of "Provincia De Nuestro Se�or Jesus Cristo, El Salvador Del Mundo" ("Province of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World") by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado who governed the region for Spain.

7. We make our way over to Nicaragua, a nation that is home to the largest lake in Central America. It has several names, which of these is NOT one of them?

Answer: Maracaibo

Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America. It has a bunch of alternate names, such as Cocibolca named by indigenous tribes and Mar Dolce, which is Spanish for "Sweet Sea". Before the Panama Canal was built, the United States had considered building a canal through Nicaragua instead, which would have utilized Lake Nicaragua as part of the canal route.

The United States instead opted to complete the Panama Canal, which had already been started by the French in 1881. Maracaibo is a lake located in Venezuela.

8. Which of the following is the name of a resort city within the nation of Costa Rica? It shares its name with a nation on the continent of Africa.

Answer: Liberia

Liberia is located in the northwest corner of Costa Rica. The area features volcanic springs, waterfalls and it provides access to some of the nations beaches that lie on the Pacific Ocean. Liberia, Costa Rica shares its name with the Republic of Liberia located in West Africa. The capital of the Republic of Liberia is Monrovia, named after American president James Monroe.

9. Isla Nublar is a fictional island in Costa Rica that served as the home of Jurassic Park. Which of these is the name of a real island off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica that served as inspiration for the one in the movie?

Answer: Isla del Coco

Isla del Coco (aka Cocos Island) is a small uninhabited island located 340 mi (550 km) off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The island was the inspiration for Isla Nublar in Michael Crichton's novel "Jurassic Park" as well as the blockbuster movie released in 1993.

The opening scene of the film features a fly-by of Isla del Coco. However, despite being set in Costa Rica, the majority of "Jurassic Park" was actually filmed in Hawaii.

10. Finally we will head down to the nation of Panama. There are two bridges that span the Panama Canal. The first is an arch bridge known as the Bridge of The Americas. What is the name of the second bridge that was built in 2004?

Answer: Centennial Bridge

The Bridge of the Americas, built in 1962 is a steel arch bridge that spans the Pacific Ocean side of the Panama Canal. It was the only link between Panama City and the rest of Central America until the Centennial Bridge was built. The Centennial Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge located nearly ten miles north of the
Bridge of The Americas. Panama declared its independence from Colombia on November 3, 1903. The Centennial Bridge was completed on August 15, 2004.

Source: Author RedHook13

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor spanishliz before going online.
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Central American Vacation Trivia Quiz

In this quiz, we will take a look at the seven nations that reside in Central America.

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