Places Beginning with "L" Quiz | Alphabetical Places H - M

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1. Ireland is divided into four provinces. One of those provinces, Leinster, is sub-divided into twelve counties. Which of the following four counties, home to the 13th-century King John's Castle which stands on banks of the River Shannon, is NOT in Leinster province?

Answer: Limerick

The counties of Laois, Louth and Longford are all located within Leinster province. The exception is County Limerick, which can be found in heart of Munster province in southwestern Ireland.

County Limerick is home to more than 190,000 (2011 Census), half of whom live in the county capital, Limerick. Vikings first occupied what is now known as King John's Island in the River Shannon as long ago as early in the 10th century. Today the castle, built on the orders of King John in 1200, is one of the best-preserved Norman castles in Europe. A redevelopment in 2011 costing more than five million Euros added a new visitor centre, interactive exhibitions, and a courtyard caf� with spectacular river views.

2. There were more than 300 US cities of more than 100,000 people at the time of the 2010 Census, and 17 of those start with "L". Home to the pictured historic Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist (or 'La Cath�drale St-Jean'), which of those 17 is the only one located in the only "L" state, Louisiana?

Answer: Lafayette

Located on the banks of the Vermilion River in southwestern Louisiana, the city of Lafayette was originally named Vermilionville when it was founded in 1821. Now the fourth-largest city in the state (population 120,000 in the 2010 Census), it is nicknamed The Hub City. Completed in 1916 in the Romanesque Revival style, Lafayette Cathedral was originally called 'l'�glise St-Jean du Vermilion'.

Of the alternatives, Lakewood (population 152,000 at the 2010 Census) is in central Colorado; Lewisville (105,000) is in northeastern Texas, and Lowell is part of the Boston metropolitan area in northeastern Massachusetts.

3. The mountains of the Cevennes National Park stretch across four of France's 100 departments. Which of those departments, the northernmost in the Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyr�n�es region with its capital at Mende, is named for the range's highest peak?

Answer: Loz�re

Standing 5,584 feet above sea level, Mont Loz�re is the highest point in Cevennes mountains, a sub-range of the Massif Central. The department of Loz�re was founded in 1790, during the French Revolution. Situated in the central south of France, it covers an area of 1,995 square miles, the same size as the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago (only about three-quarters of Loz�re would fit into Rhode Island, the smallest US state).

Although only a small commune, with a population of around 12,000, the city of Mende is important historically, with dwellings dating back 200 BC, when it was named Mimata by the Romans. The skyline is dominated by the cathedral, which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mende.

4. The pictured coat of arms belongs to one of the four "L" countries in Europe. Equivalent in size to Sri Lanka, it is only marginally larger than West Virginia. Where could you travel along the Nemunas River (Europe's 14th-lengest), sail across Lake Vistytis, go bird-spotting in Aukstaitija National Park, and visit the geographical centre of Europe?

Answer: Lithuania

One of the three Baltic states along with Estonia and Latvia (which is almost identical in size), Lithuania was recognized as independent from the former USSR in 1991.

When the 'Institut G�ographique National' (French National Geographic Institute) re-estimated the official borders of Europe in 1989. they determined that the centre of the continent stood at a point 16 miles north of Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. Rising in Belarus, the Nemunas River flows 568 miles, much of it across southern Lithuania, before emptying into the Baltic sea. It is Lithuania's main and largest river. Established in 1974 and covering 155 square miles (about the size of Barbados) Aukstaitija National Park is the oldest of the five national parks in Lithuania.

5. Located in the extreme southwwest of the country on the Gulf of Guinea near to the border with Ghana, this city is also the country's chief seaport. Founded by traders, it became the capital of the German protectorate on what was then known as the "Slave Coast" in 1897, and continued that role when the country became a French colony after WWI. Capital of the country whose flag is pictured, which city is this?

Answer: Lom�

Home to more than 800,000 (2010 Census) with a metropolitan area that is home to more than 1.5 million, Lom� is the largest city in the West African republic of Togo. It became the capital of the German protectorate of Togoland in 1897, although even as late as 1950 the population was only a mere 30,000. By the time the Togolese Republique became independent from France in 1960, the city's population had tripled, and a decade later exceeded 200,000.

Of the alternatives, Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi, a former British possession in southeastern Africa; Luanda is the capital of the former Portuguese colony of Angola on the southern west coast; and Lusaka is capital of another former British colony in southern Africa, Zambia.

6. There are only eight rivers of more than 600 miles in length that start with "L". By far the largest, at 2,279 miles the 11th-longest in the world, rises near Russia's Lake Baikal, in the mountains of the same name. On its long journey to the Laptev Sea, it flows past the picturesque pillars (which share a name with the river) shown in the photo. Which river is this?

Answer: Lena

Rising in the Baikal Mountains south of the Central Siberian Plateau, the river Lena flows 2,279 miles in a generally northward direction through Siberia: it is the easternmost of the three major Siberian rivers (the others are the Ob and the Yenisei). The Lena eventually empties into the Laptev sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean to the west of the East Siberian Sea and to the east of the Kara Sea.

Formed in the Cambrian period, the spectacular Lena Pillars rise to between 500 and 1000 feet above the river. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, they lie a day's boat ride upriver (south) of the city of Yakutsk, capital of Russia's Sakha Republic.

Of the alternatives, the Limpopo is an 1,100-mile long African river than empties into the Indian Ocean; the Liao is a 830-mile river flows through China into the Bohal Sea; and the Loire flows 629 miles through France into the Atlantic Ocean.

7. The picture shows the official flag of a traditional English county. A major tributary of the Trent, the River Soar is the county's principal river, and its highest point is Bardon Hill at 912 feet. Gastronomically, the county is famous for Stilton cheese and the pork pie, and is home to the Chevelswarde and Welland Valley vineyards. Where must you go to visit the ruins of Ashby de la Zouch Castle or Mount St Bernard Abbey?

Answer: Leicestershire

Dating back to the 11th-century when it was known as 'Laegrecastrescir', Leicestershire is a landlocked county in England's East Midlands region. It completely surrounds the City of Leicester, which is a separate unitary authority. With an area of 832 square miles, it is only slightly larger than half the size of the smallest US state, Rhode Island.

Ashby de la Zouch Castle, a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War, is located in the town of the same name in the northeast of Leicestershire. Founded in 1835, the Trappists' Mount St Bernard Abbey near Coalville is notable as England's first permanent monastery founded since the Reformation.

8. The picture shows the landscape typical of southern Tibet. When the first ascent of the 25,172-feet high Saser Kangri II East in India was completed on August 24,2011, it left just three of the world's 100 highest peaks unconquered by humans. Which of those three, a northern outlier of the Himalayas just inside Tibet's southern border, has a name beginning with "L"?

Answer: Labuche Kang III East

Rising out of the Labuche Kang massif, Labuche Kang III East peaks at 23,786 feet and ranks number 94 in the world's highest peaks. The ascent of Saser Kangri II East in 2011 left Labuche Kang III East as the world's second-highest unclimbed peak, after the 24,840-foot high Gangkhar Puensum in Bhutan. Karjiang, also in Tibet (ranked 100 at 23,691 feet) is the only other unclimbed peak amongst the highest 100.

Only four of the world's highest 100 peaks start with the letter "L". By some distance the highest of those in Lhotse in Nepal, which is ranked #4 at 27,940 feet. It was first climbed on May 18, 1956 by a Swiss team led by Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger. Its subsidiary peak, Lhotse Middle, was not climbed until 2001, making it the last of the peaks over 8,000m (26,247 feet)to be conquered, and it is ranked as the most difficult of all peaks over that height to summit.

Of the other alternatives, Langtang Lirung in Nepal (23,734 feet and ranked #99), was first climbed in 1978 by a Japanese-Sherpa expedition. By 1995, it had been climbed successfully 14 times, but the death of a Slovenian mountaineer there in 2009 was also the 14th recorded unsuccessful attempt. Labuche Kang (or Labuche Kang I), the 24,170-foot higher sister of Labuche Kang III East, was first summitted in 1987 by a Sino-Japanese expedition. The next recorded attempt to climb one of the world's most challenging mountains was 2010, when an American climber fell to his death attempting to reach the summit.

9. Home to the only medieval English cathedral with three spires (pictured), this is one of only six English cities that start with "L". The major Roman roads, Icknield Street and Watling Street, cross just south of the city, whilst the National Memorial Arboretum lies just to the north. The birthplace of the man who compiled the first "Dictionary of the English Language", which city is this?

Answer: Lichfield

Located in Staffordshire some 15 miles north of Birmingham, the cathedral city of Lichfield is one of only eight civil parishes in England to enjoy city status. Mesolithic flints have been discovered here, putting the first human habitation of the area prior to 5000 BC, and possibly considerably earlier. A Roman fortress was built here in 50 AD, when the city was named 'Letocetum'. The city was the birthplace of the great 18th-century lexicographer Samuel Johnson.

Dedicated to St Chad and Saint Mary, Lichfield Cathedral was built in the Gothic style between 1195 and 1340. The cathedral suffered extensive damage during the English Civil War and it was not fully restored until extensive renovation was carried out during the Victorian era.

The National Memorial Arboretum is located just northeast of Lichfield in the village of Alrewas. This site is home to numerous memorials to the armed services and is the national site of remembrance.

Other than the four alternatives, Leicester and Liverpool are the only two English cities beginning with "L". Lancaster, in 1937, was the last of the six to acquire city status.

10. The pictured gold-covered stupa dating back to the third century is both a national symbol here and the country's most important national monument. The country's official tourism slogan is "Simply Beautiful": a mix of culture, colonial architecture, gastronomy, trekking and wildlife saw the country named as the "World Best Tourist Destination" in 2013 by the European Council on Trade and Tourism. Which country is this?

Answer: Laos

Muang Lao (or The People's Democratic Republic of Laos) is one of the last four Marxist-Leninist one-party communist states remaining in the world (along with China, Vietnam and Cuba). With an area of 91,400 square miles, Laos is a little smaller than the 11th-largest US state, Michigan. Its population, though, is only 6.8 million (2014 estimate), roughly 70% that of Michigan and similar to that of Arizona.

Laos was once at the heart of an empire that dominated much of southeast Asia for almost three-and-a-half centuries: the 'Kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Khao' ("Kingdom of a Million Elephants Under the White Parasol") ruled from 1354 until 1707.

The spectacular Pha That Luang, the third-century Buddhist stupa, dominates the skyline of the Laos capital, Vientiane. From ground to pinnacle, the structure stands an impressive 147.6 feet high.

Source: Author EnglishJedi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor spanishliz before going online.
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Places Beginning with "L" Trivia Quiz

This is the twelfth quiz in this alphabetic world tour. There are nine countries and ten national capitals starting with "L". There are also 17 major US cities from which to choose.

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