Great Globe Sites (all in four letters) Quiz

Answer: Xi'an or Sian

The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. The figures form the army that was buried with the emperor in 210-209 BCE in order to protect him in his afterlife. They include warriors, chariots, and horses made from terracotta clay, with weapons made from bronze and iron. This marvel was discovered in 1974 by farmers in Lintong County, outside Xi'an.

Xi'an, also known as Sian, is the capital of Shaanxi province in northwest China. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, the oldest prefecture capital and one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Since 1980, Xi'an has become a cultural, industrial, political and educational center in the region. In 2019, Xi'an was named as one of the seven main emerging megacities in China.

Answer: Ness

The Loch Ness Monster is a mythical animal that is said to live in Loch Ness. References to the monster appear in documents dated to around AD 500, when the local Picts carved in stone a strange aquatic creature, near the lake. Despite extensive research, no evidence has been found supporting the existence of such a creature.

Loch Ness, located in Scottish Highlands, 37 miles southwest of Inverness, is a large deep freshwater lake, which is 16 meters above sea level. The lake is the second largest Scottish Loch in surface area, but due to its great depth it is the largest in volume in the British Isles. It is part of a series of interconnected bodies of water in Scotland.

Answer: Oslo

The "Vigeland Park" is the largest sculpture park in the world made by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). It comprises more than 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron. Vigeland not only created the sculptures but also designed the park in which they are installed. The park is one of Norway's most popular tourist attractions.

Oslo is the capital and most populous city and the economic and governmental center of Norway. In addition, Oslo is an important trading hub for European maritime industries.

Answer: Fuji

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, located on the island of Honshū. It is 3,776 meters high, located about 100 km from Tokyo. Its conical shape, covered in snow for about five months of the year, is commonly used as a cultural icon of Japan.

Japan is an island country in East Asia located in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It spans an archipelago at 6852 islands. Japan is a unitary state and constitutional monarchy in which the power of the Emperor is limited to a ceremonial role.

Answer: Iowa

The flag of the American state of Iowa consists of three vertical stripes in the colors blue, white and red, the colors of the French flag, because Iowa was part of the French Louisiana Territory. In the central strip which is the widest, is the image of a bald eagle with a long ribbon bearing the phrase taken from the Seal of Iowa; under this design, the word "Iowa" is placed in red.

Iowa is a state located in the midwestern region of the United States and was admitted to the Union in December, 1846. Iowa's capital and largest city is Des Moines. The state of Iowa is bordered by six other states and by the Mississippi, Missouri and Big Sioux rivers.

Answer: Peru

Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa (1936-), known as Mario Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian writer, journalist and former politician, is considered one of the most important writers from Latin America and of his generation. Vargas Llosa received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010.

The Republic of Peru is a South American country, whose capital and largest city is Lima and with three official languages - Spanish, Quechua and Aymara. Peru has diverse geomorphological traits, ranging from arid plains of the Pacific Coast to peaks of the Andes, to tropical forests in the Amazon Basin. Peru is also home to incredible places: Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Cotahuasi Canyon, one of the deepest in the world. The country has also gained world fame for its gastronomy.

Answer: Iraq

The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) was an armed conflict which started on September 22, 1980 when Iraq armed forces invaded Iran, although Iraq claims that hostilities started before this date with Iran bombing several border posts. The war ended in 1988 but the withdrawal of troops only took place in 1990.

Iraq is a country in southwestern Asia, which in ancient times was known as Mesopotamia, a region which was the birthplace of the world's earliest civilization. The modern nation-state of Iraq was created after WWI with the British being granted a mandate by the League of Nations to govern the nation in 1920. A monarchy was organized under British protection in 1921 and in 1932, the kingdom of Iraq was granted independence.

Answer: Cuba

Mojito is a cocktail whose ingredients are: fresh mint, white rum, fresh lime juice, club soda or sparkling water, sugar and ice. It is a traditional Cuban drink and, according to the writer Ernest Hemingway, would have been created by Francis Drake who liked to mix white rum with mint.

The Republic of Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean Sea and comprises the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud and several small archipelagos. It is located in the northern Caribbean where Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean meet. It is a sovereign state, whose capital is Havana, the official language is Spanish and the main exports are sugar, tobacco and coffee.

Answer: Suez

The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway located in Egypt which connects the Mediterranean Sea at Port Said and the Red Sea at Suez. It is the shortest route to connect East and West due its geographic localization. Ships using the canal reduce the distance between Europe and Asia by about 7000 km, as they do not have to bypass Africa.

The canal was inaugurated in 1869 and does not contain locks since there is no difference in sea levels on either side. The canal is owned and maintained by the Egyptian Government's Suez Canal Authority from the Egypt Government and has undergone many expansions over the years. Under the terms of the Convention of Constantinople the right of passage for all ships through the Suez Canal is guaranteed, during war and peace.

Answer: Rome

"Arrivederci Roma", which is literally equivalent to "Goodbye, Rome", is the title of a popular Italian song composed by Renato Rascel, with lyrics by Pietra Garinei and Sandro Giovanni. This song was recorded by countless artists including Nat King Cole and Perry Como.

Rome, known as the Eternal City, has been a human settlement for almost three millennia. It was built on the banks of the River Tiber on seven hills. It is for its historical importance, works of art, architecture that the city must be known. In addition, the city of Rome contains the Vatican City State, an independent country inside Rome's boundaries.