Sites for Sore Eyes (P-Z) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gdansk

Gdansk is the fourth biggest metropolitan area in Poland. Called Danzig in German, the city lies on the Baltic coast and is an important industrial center and the largest seaport in the country. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Gdansk was part of the Hanseatic League which was a confederation of merchant guilds.

Some of you may remember that Gdansk was the birthplace of the 'Solidarity' movement, i.e., the first independent trade union in the Soviet Bloc. It was led by Lech Walesa in 1980; Walesa won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in 1983, and Solidarity helped to play a major role in the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Answer: Al Khor

The state of Qatar is a sovereign country located in southwest Asia on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The nation gained its independence in 1971. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia. Since 2004, Qatar has been divided into seven municipalities or 'baladiyah'.

The municipalities are then further divided into 98 zones which are subdivided into blocks. Doha is the largest of the seven municipalities and the capital of Qatar. Al Khor or Al Khawr is a coastal city in northern Qatar whose name is Arabic for "the arm of sea stretching in the land forming a bay".

The main industry there is fishing.

Answer: Butare

Rwanda is a landlocked country located in east Africa with the nickname "Land of a Thousand Hills". Rwanda borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, and is known for Volcanoes National Park. The country is also infamous for the genocide which occurred in the 1990s when the Hutu majority murdered some 800,00 people, most of them Tutsis. Butare, located in the Southern Province, is the second largest city in Rwanda after its capital of Kigali. Butare, also called Huye, has been the country's intellectual center, housing the National University of Rwanda, the National Institute of Scientific Research and the National Museum of Rwanda.

Answer: Brokopondo

Suriname is a country on the northeastern coast of South America, just a little larger than the US state of Michigan. The earliest inhabitants were the Surinen Indians. In 1602, the Dutch started to settle in Suriname. The country was formerly known as Dutch Guiana, and the capital and largest city is Paramaribo. Brokopondo is the third largest city and features the Brokopondo Reservoir which is officially named Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. van Blommestein Meer, after the Surakarta-born, Dutch hydroelectric engineer.

It is one of the largest reservoirs in the world.

Answer: Dasoguz

Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia surrounded by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the Caspian Sea. It has been considered as the "crossroad of civilizations" for centuries, was a stop on the Silk Road, was annexed by Russia in 1881 and became independent in 1991. Did you know that Turkmenistan has the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas resources? According to Human Rights Watch, it also remains "one of the world's most repressed countries"; the capital is Ashgabat.

The third-largest city is Dasoguz (meaning 'stone spring' in Turk) in the north of the country. It has an airport, a football club and a World Heritage Site.

Answer: Dubai

United Arab Emirates (or UAE) is located at the southeastern end of the Arabian Peninsula along the Persian Gulf. Although Abu Dhabi is the nation's capital, Dubai is the largest city. On January 9, 2010, the skyscraper Burj Khalifa opened and officially became the "Tallest Building in the World" at 2,717 feet (828 meters). Dubai is one of seven emirates which make up the country, but only Abu Dhabi and Dubai have veto power in the country's legislature. Dubai's main revenue now comes from tourism, aviation, real estate and financial services. Dubai has become one of the most expensive cities in the Middle East.

Answer: Hue

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is in Southeast Asia on the China Sea. Two of the more famous cities in Vietnam are Hanoi, the capital, and Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Hue (formerly known as Phu Xuan) is a city in central Vietnam, near the border between North and South Vietnam.

It served as the national capital from 1802 to 1945 under the Nguyen Dynasty. Hue houses the 19th century Citadel which encompasses the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City (that sounds intriguing) and the Royal Theater.

Answer: Swansea

Wales is a country in southwest Great Britain; it is part of the unitary state of Great Britain. Wales is known for its rugged coastline and Celtic culture. Cardiff is the capital and the Welsh flag is a big red dragon on a background of white and green. Wales also is the owner of the longest one-word place name in Europe: Llanfairpwllgwyngyligogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. As for Swansea, it is the second largest city in Wales and the twenty-fifth largest city in the United Kingdom. In the 1800s, Swansea was a primary hub for the production of copper. Swansea was granted city status in 1969, marking Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.

Answer: Aden

The Republic of Yemen is an Arab country at the southwestern end of the Arabian Peninsula which is the largest peninsula in the world. Yemen is the second largest country on the peninsula, second only to Saudi Arabia. In a continuing civil war, Sana'a, the capital was taken under rebel control in February 2015. Due to continued conflict, the capital was temporarily relocated to the port city and economic center of Aden, Yemen's fourth-largest city. Aden is on the Gulf of Aden at the southern end of the Red Sea and has a population of under one million people.

The city houses a university and the National Museum of Yemen.

Answer: Kitwe

We seem to be at the end of our world journey in the country of Zambia. Once called Northern Rhodesia, Zambia became a republic in 1964. Located in southern Africa, it is a landlocked country which borders Zimbabwe (another 'z' country) to the south. Zambia's other neighbors include: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. Lusaka, in the south-central part of the country, is the capital. Kitwe, in the Copperbelt Province, is the second largest city in Zambia in terms of both size and population, with one of the most developed industrial areas in the nation.