In My Own Little Corner Trivia Quiz

Answer: St. Helena

Located 1,200 miles to the west of Africa, in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, St. Helena is an incredibly remote location. When the Portuguese discovered it in 1502, the island was void of human inhabitants. It was not long before the island was used as a penal colony as well as a place of exile.

The abundant flora and fauna on the island, as well as easily obtainable fresh water made this island an important haven for ships crossing the Atlantic.

Answer: St. John

In 95 A.D., according to Christian tradition, St. John was exiled to the island of Patmos. While there he is said to have written his gospel and the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Christian Bible. Ten centuries later a monk was inspired to build a monastery on the island dedicated to the saint, Saint John The Evangelist.

This action established the tiny island as a center of the Greek Orthodox faith. The island is only 13 sq. mi. or 34.05 km2. and maintains a population of around 3,000 people.

Its main industries are tourism, which is closely monitored, and fishing.

Answer: Mediterranean Sea

The island of Ile Sainte-Marguerite can be found in the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The island is home to the ruins of the Fort Royal prison. Used for over 300 years as a place of exile and punishment, the island was the one time home of the mysterious prisoner now known as "The Man in the Iron Mask". Today the island is home to a small village and a marine archeology museum.

This tiny island is heavily forested, has steep cliffs, and is known as a bird-watchers paradise.

Answer: Alexander Selkirk

Alexander Selkirk (1676-1721), whom some purport to have been the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe", lived on this tiny island located west of Chile in the Pacific Ocean. Much of the flora and fauna found here are unique to the island.

This beautiful and pristine island has a year around population of less than 1,000 people. The island has a tiny airport to bring in the tourists who come to scuba dive in the crystal clear water. If I ever got to this island, I might just want to make it my own littler corner of the world!

Answer: Papillon

"Papillon", by former convict Henri Charriere, was a 1969 semi- autobiographical novel that purported to tell of his life on Devil's Island and his escape from this terrible corner of the world. It was made into an award winning movie starring Steve McQueen in 1973. Located 6.9 mi. (11km) off the coast of French Guiana in northern South America, this tiny island is only 34 acres in size.

In 1852 it became home to one of France's most infamous penal colonies. Escape from this rocky, tree covered island was almost impossible. Today the island is a tourist stop for those wishing to visit the eerie remains of the prison, which was closed permanently in 1952.

It was not a nice corner of the world for its prisoners nor the guards who worked there.

Answer: False

Skull Island is the fictional home of King Kong and was supposedly off the coast of Sumatra.

Answer: True

Between the years of 1946 and 1959, the Ecuadorean government used Isabela Island, the largest of the islands in the Galapagos chain, as a penal colony. It housed over 300 criminals and political dissidents in very harsh conditions. To keep the prisoners busy, they were forced to build a wall from lava rocks that served no purpose.

Many of the men died of heat stroke and dehydration. This beautiful island is home to many indigenous species found nowhere else in the world. Lying directly on the Equator the island is home to six volcanoes, five of which are still active.

In the midst of all this beauty is the Muro de las Lagrimas or Wall of Tears built by the prisoners who called this island home.

Answer: South Africa

Robben Island, South Africa has been a place of exile and sadness for over 400 years. It has been used as a prison, leper colony and mental hospital. Many well-known dissidents have ended up here including Robert Sobukwe, and Presidents Mandela and Zuma, just to name a few.

The island also has a reputation for being very perilous to sail near. The number of ships sunk off its shores is unknown. It is known that in the late 18th century a ship, enroute to Indonesia with a load of gold coins, sank offshore.

It is doubtful it will ever be recovered because of the continual violent surf.

Answer: Pelican

In 1775, Spanish explorer Juan de Ayala dubbed this island "La Isla de los Alcatraces" which translates, roughly, into Island of the Pelicans. The name came from the large number of these birds that made their homes on this inhospitable island. In 1933, the island became a Federal prison and was used to house problem convicts from other prisons. Alcatraz was considered to be escape proof because of the strong currents and cold, shark infested water that surrounded the island. Because of the cost, the prison was closed in 1963 and today, is considered a National Historical Landmark.

It has no permanent residents and is not a corner of the world most people would want to live.

Answer: Japan

For a thousand years the country of Japan used Sado Island as a place of exile. Graced with lush forests, pristine mountains and a temperate climate the island has become a hub of Noh theater, a traditional Japanese pastime. Today, this beautiful island is used as a popular retreat. Sadly, in the past the island was used to exile those who displeased the rulers of the time. Most of these men were of the upper class, as those of a lower rank were summarily executed.