Exploring the World's Waters Trivia Quiz

Answer: Drake Passage

Drake Passage creates a route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via Cape Horn, the southern tip of Chile's Tierra del Fuego, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. Named for Sir Francis Drake, the English explorer (or privateer), whose ship was blown south to the area in 1578.

The first voyage through Drake Passage is credited to Willem Schouten in 1616, who rounded the tip of South America and gave Cape Horn its name.

Answer: Bering Strait

The strait is named for Vitus Bering who, despite being Danish by birth, was in the Russian navy, where he worked as as an explorer and cartographer. The areas around the northern regions of the world commemorate his discoveries, with his name being used for the Bering Sea, Bering Glacier and Bering Island as well as the strait. Bering Strait separates the Russian mainland from Alaska.

Answer: Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea is located on the eastern side of Australia with New Zealand on its other side. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman gave his name to the sea, being the first European known to have seen it. He is also remembered in the name of Tasmania. Englishman James Cook, well known for his exploration of New Zealand (and in the name of Cook Strait, which lies between the North and South Islands of New Zealand) also explored the area thoroughly.

As well as Norfolk Island, the Tasman Sea contains Lord Howe Island.

Answer: Davis Strait

This strait bears the name of John Davis, one of the many explorers who searched for the elusive Northwest Passage, which wasn't definitely travelled until the early years of the twentieth century. Davis, an Englishman, carried out his voyages in the sixteenth century. The strait is located between Greenland and Baffin Island, which is itself named for another explorer, William Baffin.

Answer: Barents Sea

The area was known to the Russians as the Murman Sea, and the city of Murmansk is situated on the southern border of the Barents Sea. It also touches the northern coast of Norway, and Svalbard, part of Norway, is the northern border. The sea was given the name by which it has been known since the sixteenth century after the Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz. Having been trapped by sea ice, Barentsz, and many of his crew, perished in the area in 1597.

Answer: Weddell Sea

In 1823, James Weddell sailed further south than any person before him (he was in search of seals to hunt, but those were different times, so let's not be too judgemental). His journey took him well into Antarctica, and the area he reached was named the Weddell Sea after him.

He also gave his name to the Weddell seal, which was discovered during his expeditions of the 1820s. This breed of seal is found throughout Antarctica, not just in the sea with which it shares its name.

Answer: Torres Strait

The Torres Strait lies to the north of Australia, bordering Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, the northernmost point of the country. On the other side of the straits lies New Guinea. The first European to navigate the straits was Luis Vaz de Torres from, probably, Spain although he is sometimes described as Portuguese.

He sailed the straits in 1606, eventually arriving in Manila, Philippines, in 1607.

Answer: Strait of Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan made the first voyage through these straits, which lie in the southern part of Chile, in South America. This formed part of the first circumnavigation of the world, and one that Magellan himself was destined not to see completed. The route remains a difficult one to navigate, although it is still shorter and safer than Drake's Passage, which is located even further south, and suffers from worse storms.

Answer: Hudson Bay

Only the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean, is a larger bay than Hudson Bay. Its name comes from Henry Hudson, the English explorer, who explored much of the country which became Canada in the early years of the seventeenth century. Hudson's name is remembered not only in the Bay, and the trading company set up in the area, but in the Hudson River in New York, and the Hudson Strait. Hudson Bay borders many regions of Canada, including Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba.

Answer: Bass Strait

Bass Strait lies between the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania. Bass was not the first explorer to see the straits - both Abel Tasman and James Cook knew of its existence. Tasman didn't explore the area, concentrating instead on searching for Antarctica, while Cook hid his discovery to ensure his French rivals (and enemies) did not find out about it.

The strait was eventually named for George Bass, another English explorer, who travelled round Tasmania, confirming that it was an island, in 1798.