So You Like Vacations? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cape Spear

The pictured lighthouse, located on Newfoundland's Cape Spear, was the second lighthouse built in Newfoundland (the first was built sixteen years prior at the entrance to St. John's Harbour). It began operation in 1836, and has since been restored to become the Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site.

The name 'Cape Spear' actually comes from the anglicizing of the original Portuguese 'Cabo da Esperança' and later French 'Cap d'Espoir', which both translate as 'Cape of Hope'.

Answer: Louis XIV le Grand, le Roi Soleil

The Treaty of Utrecht (1713), which effectively ended the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), also established and recognized the claims on the New World by the various European colonial powers. Shortly after the establishment of this 'Peace of Utrecht', France chose Isle Royale (which included present-day Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton) as a permanent administrative base in the New World. They chose Havre à l'Anglois for this site, renaming it Havre Louisbourg (havre translates as harbour or haven).

The French monarch in 1713 was Louis XIV le Grand, le Roi Soleil (the Great, the Sun King). He ruled from 1643 until 1715, immediately following his father, Louis XIII.

Answer: New Brunswick

The bridge connects P.E.I. to the mainland at Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick, crossing the Northumberland Strait at the Abegweit Passage. In total, the bridge is 12.9 kilometres in length (8 miles), and takes approximately 12 minutes to cross at a speed limit of 80 kph (50 mph).

The name "Confederation Bridge" was chosen despite the prevalence of places already carrying the name in P.E.I. (the first conference held to propose the confederation of the British colonies into a country was held in Charlottetown). Other names proposed were "Abegweit Crossing" and "Northumberland Strait Crossing", while local P.E.I. residents tended to refer to the bridge as the "Fixed Link".

Answer: Fundy National Park

The Bay of Fundy can be found between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and it also touches the northeast part of the U.S. state of Maine. While various places within the Bay of Fundy have helped lay the claim of "largest tidal range in the world", there has been stiff competition from other locations in the world such as Quebec's Ungava Bay, Western Australia's King Sound, the Gulf of Khambhat in India, and the United Kingdom's Severn Estuary.

Burntcoat Head in the Bay of Fundy, at a tidal range of 17 metres (55.8 feet) beat out Ungava Bay (16.8 metres / 55.1 feet) in measurements by the Canadian Hydrographic Service, which then granted them a statistical tie.

New Brunswick also happens to boast the world's longest covered bridge (not the Point Wolfe bridge depicted), which can be found in Hartland. The aptly named Hartland Bridge crosses the St. John River and is 391 metres (1,283 feet) long.

Answer: Québec City

Located on and below Cap Diamant, a promontory overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, the Old City (Vieux-Québec) of Québec City is comprised of two main parts: the Upper Town (Haute-Ville); and the Lower Town (Basse-Ville). The walls and gates surround the Upper Town, while the Lower Town extends down from the promontory to (nearly) the river's edge.

There are four gates that allow access to the Old City:

Porte St. Jean - originally constructed in 1694, demolished and rebuilt 1791, 1865, and 1939.
Porte St. Louis - originally constructed in 1694, demolished and rebuilt in 1791, 1823 and 1871/1880.
Porte Prescott - built in 1797, demolished in 1871, and reconstructed in 1983.
Porte Kent - erected in 1879.

Answer: Erie Falls

From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are Horseshoe (on the Canadian side of the border), American, and Bridal Veil (both on the American side).

The falls are located on the Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. Combined, the three waterfalls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world.

According to the Niagara Falls Heritage Portal (niagarafallsheritage.ca), the first non-Native believed to have seen the Falls was Etienne Brûlé, who was Samuel de Champlain's interpreter and guide.

Answer: Churchill

Although visited as early as 1619 by European explorers, the first permanent settlement at Churchill was not established until 1717 by the Hudson's Bay Company. Located at the mouth of the Churchill River, the city and river were named for John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim (1650-1722). Sir Winston Churchill was his descendant (and biographer).

As the city's nicknames suggest, Churchill's tourist industry revolves around Polar Bears (mostly in October/November) and Beluga whales (June/July).

Answer: Moose Jaw

Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Moose Jaw is located 7.4 kilometres (4.6 miles) south of the city of the same name. The Snowbirds, officially named the Royal Canadian Air Force's 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, have been active since 1971 (as the Snowbirds), taking on their official name in 1978.

The Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort is a four-star hotel that opened in 1996, utilizing the hot springs that were discovered in 1910 when speculators were drilling to discover oil.

The Tunnels of Moose Jaw are also a big tourism draw for the city. The history of the tunnels includes early Chinese immigration to Canada, as well as a 1920s connection to Chicago gangsters and bootlegging.

Answer: True

Albertosaurus (translated as 'Alberta lizard') was first discovered in 1884 by geologist Joseph Burr Tyrrell in the Red Deer River Valley. Since that time, more than 30 specimens have been unearthed. A smaller relative of Tyrannosaurus Rex, Albertosaurus would have been no larger than roughly two tonnes, and is believed to have travelled in packs (unlike the solitary T-Rex). The range of Albertosaurus was even restricted to what are present-day boundaries of Alberta.

Although discovered in 1884, the species would not be officially named until 1905 - the same year that Alberta joined Confederation and became a province.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology was established in 1985 and, ironically, is over a two-hour drive from Dinosaur Provincial Park. It just shows how wide-spread evidence of Dinosaurs is in Alberta.

Answer: A limestone quarry

Robert Pim Butchart and his wife Jennie established their limestone quarry and cement factory at Tod Inlet on Vancouver Island (British Columbia) in 1904. As the quarry was exhausted of limestone deposits, Jennie slowly transformed it into what is now known as the Sunken Garden. Later additions to the site included Japanese Gardens, an Italian Garden, and a Rose Garden, all established by 1929.

The beautiful site has remained within the family over the years, with Jennie and Robert's grandson Ian Ross taking the reins after the Second World War, followed by Ian (and wife Ann-Lee)'s children (first their son Christopher in 1977, and then their daughter Robin after Christopher's death in 2000).