Places Beginning with "H" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Honduras

The photograph shows the rather spectacular official coat of arms of the Republic of Honduras (with the country name blacked out for obvious reasons).

The largest of the four "H" countries/territories, Honduras has an area of 43,433 square miles which is slightly smaller than the US state of Ohio. Countries of similar size include Benin, Liberia and Bulgaria.

Hungary (35,918 sq miles) is about 15% smaller and of comparable size to Portugal and the US state of Maine. Haiti is less than a quarter the size of Honduras: with an area of 10,710 sq miles, it is of similar size to Burundi and the US state of Massachusetts. The Chinese territory of Hong Kong is the smallest of the four, with an area of just 426 square miles, a bit smaller than the Faroe Islands.

Answer: Huallaga

The Huallaga river stretches 684 miles (1,100km) across Peru and is part of the Amazon River Basin. Rising in the Andes in central Peru, the Huallaga runs north before becoming a tributary of the Maranon, which then goes on to join the Ucayali River to form the Amazon.

The red-tailed catfish is native to the Amazon Basin. A member of the Pimelodidae family of catfish, this is the only surviving species within its genus. A freshwater fish, it is found only in the major lakes and rivers of the region. Growing to around six feet in length and weighing 180 pounds, it is a popular game fish, although the natives do not eat this species because of its black flesh.

Of the alternatives, both the Han (the longest of the "H" rivers at 950 miles) and the Huai flow through China before eventually joining the Yangtze. The Helmand River, with a length of 710 miles, is the longest river in Afghanistan.

Answer: Hyderabad, India

India's fourth-largest city after Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, Hyderabad is home to 6.8 million (2011 Census) with an urban area population of 7.7 million. Founded in 1591, since independence it has been the capital of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. In 2014, the state divided into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with Hyderabad to remain the joint capital for up to ten years. Historically the centre of the diamond and pearl trade, Hyderabad is nicknamed "City of Pearls".

The photograph shows a typical Indian street scene with the Hyderabad Old Town Hospital in the background.

Of the alternatives, Hangzhou is one of four "H" cities of more than three million in China, although it is only half the size of the largest, Hong Kong, which has a population in excess of 7.2 million. Ho Chi Minh City is the largest of the world's "H" cities with a population of 7.7 million, and the larger of Vietnam's two huge "H" cities. Houston TX, the largest "H" city in the USA, is not in the same league as these Asia mega-cities. It had a population of just over two million at the time of the 2010 Census, although its urban area population was approaching the five million mark.

Answer: Pakistan

Both Hunza Peak and Haramosh Peak are part of the Karakoram mountain range, part of the Himalayas. The range is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, the northernmost administrative territory of Pakistan. This highly mountainous region of Pakistan was originally formed by the amalgamation of the former princely states of Nagar and Hunza, from which Hunza Peak gets its name.

Answer: Harding

Of the more than 3,000 counties (or equivalents) in the USA, only two bear the name of former President Warren G Harding, and only one of those, in New Mexico county (the smallest in the state) was actually named for him. Harding County in South Dakota (that state's second-smallest county) was named after the former Dakota Territory House Speaker, J.A. Harding.

Ten different states each have counties bearing the names Henry, Hamilton and Hancock, with Harrison the fourth-most popular "H" county name, with eight. Two states, Ohio and Iowa have counties bearing all four of these names. Four states have three out of the four: there is no Harrison County in Tennessee or Illinois, no Hamilton County in Kentucky, and no Hancock County in Indiana. All six of those state have a Henry County, as does Georgia, where the pictured state court house stands in the seat of the county named for Revolutionary War hero Patrick Henry.

Answer: Hanoi, Vietnam

The picture shows Turtle Tower (also sometimes called 'Tortoise Tower'), which is known in Vietnamese as 'Thap Rua'. It was built during the reign of one of Vietnam's greatest emperors, Le Thanh Tong, who ascended to the throne at the age of just 18 in 1460 and ruled until his death in 1497. The tower stands on a small island in Hoan Kiem Lake (meaning "Lake of the Returned Sword") in the heart of Hanoi's historic centre. The story behind the tower goes back to the 14th-century Vietnamese emperor and folk hero Le Lợi.

The city of Hanoi is itself steeped in history: in October 2010, Vietnam celebrated the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of its capital city. The city quickly became the centre of Vietnam and remained so for the next seven decades. During reign of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the national capital moved 1,100 miles south to Saigon (now renamed Ho Chi Minh City). Hanoi became the capital of French Indochina in 1902 and, in 1954, of North Vietnam. Capital status was fully returned to Hanoi in 1976 following reunification of the country.

The alternatives are also cities of long-standing, but not compared to the 1,000-year history of Hanoi. Havana (Cuba) was founded in 1515, Helsinki (Finland) in 1550 and Salisbury (then capital of Rhodesia and later renamed Harare in 1982 following Zimbabwe becoming independent) was founded in 1890.

Answer: Hampshire

The photograph shows 'The Three Queens' (Elizabeth, Victoria and Mary 2) together in Southampton to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in June 2012. Southampton has long been England's most important port for cruise ships dating back to the departure of the Titanic and beyond, whilst the other major city in Hampshire, Portsmouth, is one of the country's most significant Royal Navy ports.

With an area of 1,455 square miles, about one and a half times the size of the European country of Luxembourg and marginally smaller than the smallest US state, Rhode Island, Hampshire is the ninth-largest English county and comfortably the largest beginning with "H".

Of the alternatives, Hertfordshire has an area of 842 sq miles and ranks 26th whilst Herefordshire ranks 36th with an area of 634 sq miles. Huntingdonshire is one of England's historic counties but has now been incorporated into Cambridgeshire. It would have been the smallest of the four, though, with an area of 352 sq miles.

Answer: Honshu (Japan)

Only one "H" island makes it into the list of the world's ten largest islands, all of which have an area in excess of 70,000 square miles: that one is Japan's Honshu island, the world's seventh-largest. Although less than half the size of the sixth-largest, Sumatra, it makes it into the Top 10 comfortably ahead of Great Britain and two Canadian islands, Victoria and Ellesmere. Honshu has an area of 87,182 square miles, which is about the same as the 12th-largest US state, Minnesota. If Honshu was a country, it would be the world's 85th largest, ranking between Laos and Guyana.

The picture shows the "Great Buddha" at the temple of Kotoku-in, located in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture on Honshu island. The enormous bronze statue dating back to the middle of the 13th century is one of the icons of Japan. This amazing statue is 43.8 feet tall (the face alone is almost eight feet high) and weighs in at an amazing 121 tonnes. Rudyard Kipling's 1903 publication "The Five Nations" includes a poem, "The Buddha at Kamakura", written after his visit here in 1892.

Of the alternatives, the other Japanese island, Hokkaido, is the next largest of the four, ranking as the world's 21st-largest island with an area of 30,394 sq miles. Hispaniola ranks right behind Hokkaido, in 22nd place, with an area of 29,530, and China's Hainan Island ranks 42nd with an area of 12,822 sq miles. The only other "H" island in the world's Top 100 is the Indonesian island of Halmahera, which ranks 51st with an area of 6,865 sq miles.

Answer: Hungary

The photograph shows the 'The Turul Monument', which towers above the northern Hungarian city of Tatabanya from the top of Gerecse Mountain. With a wingspan of close to 20 feet, this is both central Europe's largest bronze statue and the largest bird statue to be found anywhere in the world. Another magnificent turul statue can be seen atop the Royal Palace in Budapest. Indeed, there are close to 200 statues featuring the turul in Hungary. The bird also features on the Hungarian Army's coat of arms and has appeared on numerous Hungarian postage stamps.

Magyar myth paints the hawk-like turul as a divine messenger, perching atop the 'tree of life' that joins the Earthy world to the netherworld.

Of the alternatives, only Honduras has an official emblem, the white-tailed deer.

Answer: Hanga Roa, Easter Island

Easter Island was first settled by Polynesians more than 2,500 years ago, which is quite remarkable when you consider that the world's most remote inhabited land is almost 1,300 miles from its nearest neighbor (the Pitcairn Islands with a population of 50), and 2,182 miles from the nearest continental point (in Chile). Noted for the monuments, called 'moai', UNESCO named the whole of Easter Island a World Heritage Site in 1995.

Annexed in 1888, Easter Island is today a 'special territory' within Chile. The capital city, Hango Roa, was home to some 3,300 at the time of the 2002 census, which was 87% of the island's total population.

The photograph shows the rather unusual flag of Easter Island. The item in red is a 'reimiro', a wooden ornament once worn by the island's women.

Of the alternatives, Bermuda's capital, Hamilton, is home to only just over 1,000, making it one of the world's smallest capital cities. More than 13,000 commute daily into the city to work, around 40% of the country's population. Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, is a fair sized city with a population of round 60,000, almost 10% of the islands' total. Formerly called Agana, Hagatna is the historic and administrative capital of the U.S. territory of Guam even though it is home to only just over 1,000 of the island's 160,000 people. The largest city in the territory is Dededo, which has a population of around 45,000.