O What a Lovely Place Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oresund

The Oresund Strait links the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean and is, at its narrowest point, only around two and half miles (four kilometres) wide. The strait might be better known since the building of a link across, and under, it via the Oresund Bridge, which opened in 2000 and has featured in television programmes such as 'The Bridge' (2011).

The crossing is around seven and a half miles (12 kilometres) in total, consisting of the bridge, which ends at a man made island called Peberholm where traffic (rail and road) then travels through a tunnel to complete the journey.

Answer: Venezuela

The Orinoco rises in the Guiana Highlands, and flows for over 1000 miles (more than 2000 kilometres) to the Atlantic Ocean (estimates vary from 1500-1700 miles for its length). Just over three quarters of its river basin is in Venezuela with the remainder in Colombia.

The name comes from the Warao language and is translated as 'place to paddle' - this doesn't mean paddling in shallow water; it refers to it being a waterway that is navigable. The Orinoco has over 200 major tributaries, including the Caura.

Answer: The Gathering Place

Although not the largest island, O'ahu is the most populated with around two-thirds of the state's total population living there. It is home to the state capital of Honolulu and to many popular beaches, such as Waikiki. The volcanic cone known in English as Diamond Head is on O'ahu, as is Pearl Harbour, scene of the Japanese attack which precipitated the USA's entry into World War II.

The nickname of 'The Gathering Place' refers to the numbers of people who live there, and the tourists it attracts.

Answer: Siberian

By population, Omsk is among the largest cities of Russia - the seventh overall and the third of those which are located to the east of the Urals, the demarcation between Europe and Asia. It is the south western part of Siberia, around 1400 miles (2200 km) from Moscow. Omsk was established comparatively recently, in 1716, when the Cossacks established it as a fort. Omsk was the location of the hard labour camp where Fyodor Dostoevsky was exiled between 1849 and 1854.

His memories of his time there were, understandably, not happy and were recounted in 'The House of the Dead', published in 1861.

Answer: Okehampton

Okehampton is is Devon and located on the northern border of Dartmoor, which is one of the UK's national parks. Okehampton is attractive to tourists as a walking centre and also has the remains of a Norman castle which was listed in the Domesday Book. Those of you who enjoy reading will recall that Sherlock Holmes visited Dartmoor in the Conan Doyle story 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.

Orpington is in Kent, Oswestry is in Shropshire and Ormskirk is in West Lancashire.

Answer: Sudan

The city of Omdurman is situated on the river Nile on the opposite bank to Khartoum, Sudan's capital city. Its population is greater than that of Khartoum, having grown rapidly after 1885 when Sudanese troops led by al-Mahdi defeated the British army. Omdurman was established as the Sudanese capital, since Khartoum was occupied by the British. Al-Mahdi captured Khartoum in 1885, with the British General Gordon dying during the attack before the British retaliated at the Battle of Omdurman - al-Mahdi had died in 1885 from illness, soon after the taking of Khartoum. Omdurman has remained a cultural and commercial centre and some government offices are located there rather than in Khartoum.

Answer: Black Sea

Odessa is situated in the south western corner of Ukraine and is a major port. The name is derived from Odessos, the ancient Greek city which has since been identified as having been located at what is now Varna, in Bulgaria, further along the Black Sea coast.

There has been settlement there since around the sixth century BC, when the Greeks lived there, but the city expanded rapidly in the nineteenth century, particularly during the latter part when the railway provided easier access to the rest of the country. Having suffered a great deal of damage during World War II, the city is now thriving and is a major industrial area as well as port.

Answer: Honshu

Honshu is the largest of Japan's islands and most of the country's population lives there. Apart from Okazaki and Okayama, the cities of Tokyo, Japan's capital, Kyoto and Kamakura are on Honshu. Okazaki and Okayama are both in the south, with Okayama further west. Okazaki is known for its castle, built close to the site of earthworks dating from 1455, with the original castle on the current site being built in the sixteenth century. Okayama was a more rural area until 1889 when it was founded as a city following the abolishment of the feudal system during the Meiji era.

Answer: Okeechobee

While all the names do refer to lakes, only Okeechobee is in the USA, let alone in Florida. Okanagan and Osoyoos are in Canada and Onega is in Russia. Covering an area of some 730 square miles (1900 square kilometres) Okeechobee is among the top ten largest lakes in the USA, although it is known for its lack of depth.

There are environmental concerns about pollution in the lake, including algal bloom in 2016 and run off from farmland which surrounds it. Okeechobee is not Florida's only lake but is by far the largest, which is why it obtained its nickname of being an inland sea.

Answer: Denmark

Evidence has been found of humans living in what is now Odense over 4000 years ago and it was established as a large community as early as 1070. Its name refers to Norse myth, deriving from the name of Odin, the chief Norse god. Odense is situated on the island of Funen, one of the largest in Denmark, which has bridges linking it to the mainland and to other islands.

Its most famous son is undoubtedly Hans Christian Andersen, who was born there in 1805 and left us numerous folk and fairy tales. Rather more recently, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki was born in Odense in 1990.