Islands of the Pacific Trivia Quiz

Answer: Phoenix

The Phoenix Islands lie to the north west, and are part of Kiribati. The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), a UNESCO World Heritage site, was set up to protect one of the last intact archipelago coral reef ecosystems, and is the world's largest marine protected area at over 400,000 square km! Tahiti is perhaps the most famous of the Polynesian islands; it is thought that the tradition of sailors' tattoos began in the 1770s when members of Captain Cook's crew tattooed their arms in the style of the native islanders.

Answer: Ecuador

The Galapagos islands are home to wide array of exceptional flora and fauna, including: marine iguanas, foot long Scolopendra centipedes, and the Galapagos penguin to name but a few. No wonder the islands were a source of fascination to Charles Darwin (after whom one of the islands is named).

Answer: O'ahu

As of 2000, O'ahu had population of around 900,000; it also has the greatest population density (approx. 1500/sq mi). In stark contrast, Kaho'olawe, the 8th largest island, is uninhabited; it is now a state reserve.

Answer: Aleutian

Known prior to 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, the Aleutian islands stretch like stepping stones from Alaska to Russia - it has been suggested that this is the path the first natives took to reach America.

Answer: Desventuradas

Islas de los Desventurados, translated into English, are the 'Unfortunate Islands', closely beating the 'Iles du Desappointement' in French Polynesia to be the answer to this question. Due to the apparent lack of freshwater on the Desventurados, wildlife consists almost entirely of marine birds, and the only human settlement on the islands is a Chilean Naval base on Saint Felix.

The base has a 2km runway, which dominates the tiny island (it's surface area is about 2.4 square km).

Answer: Norfolk

Further north than the other three (although not enough to be part of the Cook Islands), Norfolk Island belongs to Australia. The island was first colonised by 15 convicts, 7 freemen, and commandant Lieutenant Phillip Gidley King in 1788. Despite being part of Australian territory, it achieved the right to self-govern in 1979.

Answer: Detroit

Detroit is one of the oldest islands in the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount chain, formed around 75-81 million years ago. The city was formed much later!

Answer: Vanuatu

Vanuatu gained independence from the UK and France in 1980, hence the change in name. Earthquakes affect the island relatively frequently, due to its proximity to the Australian/Pacific plate boundary. Similarly, Tuvalu was formerly called the Ellice Islands (not to be confused with Ellis Island!) prior to gaining independence from Britain earlier in the '70s.

Answer: Isaac

Tropical storms are set to intensify with global warming; this could have serious implications for low lying Pacific islands, especially when combined with rising sea levels. PICCAP (the Pacific Islands Climate Change Assistance Programme) was established in 1997 to help islands combat this threat.

Answer: New Guinea

With an area of approx. 342,000 square miles, New Guinea is also the second largest island in the world (after Greenland). The western half of the island, Irian Jaya, belongs to Indonesia, while the east half forms Papua New Guinea.