This Bird's-Eye View Trivia Quiz

Answer: Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

The Grand Canyon is mainly situated in Arizona, USA. The town of Tusayan, Arizona is about fifteen miles from the Grand Canyon with lodging available for tourists. The width of the Grand Canyon ranges, of course, but we're soaring over the widest area which is eighteen miles wide. I can see for miles and I can tell you that this canyon goes on and on for two hundred and twenty-seven miles.

The depth averages to around five thousand feet deep! The Pueblo Indians built adobe homes around this great canyon.

The Hopi Indians believed that their spirits would come to rest at the Grand Canyon after they died. Some of the rocks here are 250,000 years old. The top layers are made of limestone and are called Kaibab limestone. Other layers are made from coconino sandstone, hermit shale, supai, redwall limestone, brown mauv limestone, green bright angel shale, tapeats limestone, Precambrian schists and gneisses.

It's no wonder that the Grand Canyon is so colorful! Hell's Canyon is bordered by eastern Oregon and western Idaho.

It is the deepest river gorge in all of North America and is nearly eight thousand feet deep. This canyon was carved by the Snake River. Horseshoe Bend, is a nearly circular shape and is located on the Colorado River. There is a thousand foot drop from the walls of this canyon down to the river below. Bryce Canyon has hundreds of geologic structures called "hoodoos". Some reach as high as two hundred feet. It looks like an amphitheater and is not a canyon at all.

Answer: The Parthenon

Athens is the capital city of Greece and is also the largest city in Greece. It has had inhabitants for at least seven thousand years. Athens is in the central plain of Attica, also known as the Athens Basin. The city is built around many hills, with one of the tallest hills named Lycabettus, which offers a wondrous view of the Attica Basin. The four familiar mountains, which border the Attica Basin, include Mount Aegaleo, Mount Parnitha, Mount Penteli and Mount Hymettus.

The Parthenon's construction began in 449 BC with its completion in 438 BC. The Parthenon was actually used as a treasury to begin with and then it was converted into a Christian church in the 5th century AD. In 1460 the Ottoman Turk conquest resulted in the Parthenon being turned into a mosque with a minaret built in it. The Ottoman Turks stored ammunition inside the Parthenon and in 1687 the Venetians attacked and the Parthenon blew up because of the stored ammunition. The Parthenon was regarded as one of the finest Doric temples with beautiful Ionic constructed features.

The Propylaia was the entrance to the Acropolis. It has undergone restoration since 1984 and is visited by thousands of tourists every year. The Erechtheum (Erechtheion), an ancient Greek temple, is located on the north side of the Acropolis. On the south side of this temple was the "Porch of Maidens" which had six female figures known as caryatids, who acted as supporting columns. Today, five remain and the sixth was removed and stands in the British Museum.

The temple of Athena Nike was the first entirely Ionic temple situated on the Acropolis. In 410 BC a parapet was built around the temple to prevent people from falling down the cliffs.

Answer: The Palm Islands, Dubai, UAE

Dubai, United Arab Emirates is an oil-rich nation with a 420-mile long coastline. It's situated on the Gulf of Oman, the entryway to the Persian Gulf, which connects UAE to the Arabian Sea. UAE is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. It is across the Persian Gulf from Iran.

The Palm Islands in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) are man-made islands consisting of the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira, which extend into the Persian Gulf. In 2011, these were the largest man-made islands throughout the world. Situated along the coastline of Dubai, these islands are built in the shape of date palm trees. They have trunks, crowns with fronds and are also surrounded by crescent shaped islands which act as a water breaker for each island. Included on these islands are luxury hotels, villas, apartments, marinas, parks, restaurants and so much more.

The Nazca Lines, Peru are ancient geoglyphs situated in the Nazca Desert, Peru. The largest carved out lines are over six hundred feet wide. The purpose of the lines is under study, with many varied viewpoints about why these were created. The Upper Egypt Mounts are a fairly unusual group of mounds located near Abu Sidhum, Egypt, along the Nile River. Stonehenge is believed to be a prehistoric monument that was erected around 2500 BC. It is also believed to have been a burial site.

Answer: Star Castle, England

The Isles of Scilly are approximately 28 miles southwest of Cornwall, England. Major islands include St. Mary's, Tresco and St. Martin's. The chief agricultural product of the Isles of Scilly, are mostly daffodils.

Star Castle is known as the Star Castle Hotel. It overlooks the largest city of Hugh Town's harbor, on the southwest of St. Mary's Island, in the Isles of Scilly, UK. The Isles of Scilly are twenty-eight miles out into the Atlantic Ocean, just beyond Lands End, UK. Star Castle was built back in 1593 to act as a defence for the Isles of Scilly. This castle overlooks clear azure blue waters and white sand beaches. The climate is wonderful due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. In 1643 the castle was a shelter for the Prince of Wales, later to be crowned King Charles II, from parliamentary forces.

The Mirsky Castle Complex in Belarus is a castle that was first constructed in the 15th century in a Gothic architectural style. Around 1568 Mikolaj Kryzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwitt competed the castle in a Renaissance style. Eventually it was an abandoned castle for close to a century and is a monument, in Belarus, under UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) protection and support.

Caerlaverock Castle is triangularly shaped believed to have been completed around 1290. This castle was commanded by Robert the Bruce and the Scots, in 1312. By 1946 the ownership of the castle was given to the Ministry of Works so it could be preserved.

Keiss Castle is a "Z-shaped" castle built upon a cliff and located in Caithness, Scotland. The castle was abandoned in the early 1700 and later turned over to the Sinclairs of Dunbeath. They built a new Keiss Castle in 1755, further from the edge of the cliff, because the original castle's entrance was destroyed from the cliff face falling into the sea.

Answer: Khufu

The Great Pyramid of Giza, known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three main pyramids built at Giza, Egypt. Khufu was the fourth dynastic Egyptian Pharaoh. It took nearly twenty years to construct this colossal structure. Khufu is regarded as being the builder of this pyramid. He reigned from 2589-2566 BC, with his predecessor being Snefeeru and his successor being Djedefre. He fathered nine sons and fifteen daughters. Some historians believe that Khufu reigned for sixty three years. Some historical accounts depict Khufu as having been cruel to his people and his family, being focused only on the construction of his pyramid. The pyramid is one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It remains mostly intact.

Geographically speaking, Giza, often spelled Gizah, is situated on the west bank of the great Nile River. Giza is the third largest Egyptian city. It is twelve miles southwest of Cairo's city center. Giza is situated on the Giza Plateau and is home to the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, as well as several other pyramids and monuments.

Answer: The Colosseum

The Colosseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre. It sits in the centre of the beautiful city of Rome, Italy. Fifty thousand spectators could sit in the Colosseum and enjoy such events as animal hunts, dramas based on some classical mythology, re-enactments of famous battles, gladiatorial contests and even executions. Over time such events ceased to be held in the Colosseum. Instead the building was used for housing, workshops, as a quarry, a fortress and even a Christian shrine. The structure still stands even though earthquakes and stone-robbers have created some very devastating damage. Pope Benedict XIV endorsed the Colosseum as a sacred site in 1749 because early Christians had been martyred there despite the fact that there is no known documentation to substantiate this claim. The Colosseum is regarded as a symbol of an international campaign against capital punishment, so whenever anyone anywhere in the world has a death sentence commuted, the exterior lighting is changed to gold from its usual white.

Rome is located on the west side of Italy. Italy is in the south central part of Europe and is a peninsula which juts out into the Mediterranean Sea, looking like a boot. Rome was once surrounded by seven hills which were Capitol, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, Velia and Palatine. Only the Capitoline is considered to be distinct nowadays.

The Pantheon is a spiritual building and was built as a Roman temple. The Roman Forum was at the core of Rome. Within it was the temple of Vesta, house of the Vestal Virgins, the temple of Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, the office of weights and measures, orators' platforms and more. The Stadium of Domitian was a palace on a hilltop which had a view of the Forum and the Circus Maximus.

Answer: Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls divide the Iguazu River into the upper and lower Iguazu. The river flows through Brazil for most of its flow, originating near the city of Curitiba. The falls are from two hundred to two hundred and sixty nine feet in height. There are two hundred and seventy five drops in this waterfall creating a spectacular view. There is a legend that tells a story about a god who had planned to marry a Naipi, a very beautiful woman. She is said to have left the god to be with her mortal lover Taroba. This infuriated the god, who split the river, created the waterfalls and condemned the two lovers to an eternal fall down the many drops. Unbelievably, in the summer of 2006 there was such a severe drought that the falls nearly dried up at that time. This drought lasted until December of 2006.

Montmorency Falls are on the Montmorency River in Quebec, Canada. Horseshoe Falls are the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls, in Ontario, Canada. Niagara Falls straddle both Ontario, Canada and New York, USA. The river that feeds the Horseshoe Falls and the Niagara Falls is the Niagara River.

Answer: Petra, Jordan

Petra, Jordan is known for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. It is both an archaeological city and a historical city. It's situated in the governorate of Ma'an in Jordan. Israel is to the west, Syria is to the north, Saudi Arabia is to the east and the south.

The Dead Sea is north of Petra and separates Jordan from Israel. Carved into the slopes of Mount Hor, in a basin, Petra was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. It was Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt who introduced the Western world to Petra in 1812.

Some of the wonderful structures in Petra include El Deir, which is "The Monastery", The Hadrien Gate, the Cardo Maximum, The Great Temple of Petra, sandstone rock-cut tombs known as Kokhim, the Obelisk Tomb, Triclinium, the Streets of Facades, the Silk Tomb, the Uneishu Tomb and much more. Petra is referred to as the "Rose-Red City.

This is because of the color of the rocks in which the city is carved.

Answer: Taj Mahal, Agra, India

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India. Agra is in Uttar Pradesh in the northern part of India. It's about one hundred and twenty miles from New Delhi. Agra is situated along the banks of the Yamuna River. To the north of Agra is the city of Mathura. To the south is Dhaulpur, to the east is Firozabad and to the west is Bharatpur. Agra forms part of the great northern plains. Agra was founded by Sikandar Lodhi, king of the Lodhi dynasty in the sixteenth century.

The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built this grand mausoleum in honor and memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is said to stand for a symbol of eternal love. The emperor had been stricken with grief, when his third wife died during childbirth, so he had the Taj Mahal erected. It was built from 1632 to 1648. The marble dome, which rises above the tomb, stands at one hundred and fifteen feet in height. The top of the dome is beautifully decorated with a lotus design. Throughout the Taj Mahal there are passages from the Qur'an which are used as decorative elements in the design. The white domed marble mausoleum is the most recognized portion of the Taj Mahal. There are many structures located there. The completion date of this UNESCO World Heritage Site was in 1653. There are buildings modeled after the Taj Mahal all over the world. Some of these buildings include Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, the Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad, Maharashtra and the Taj Mahal, Bangladesh.

Answer: Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef with nearly three thousand individual reefs. There are around nine hundred islands that stretch throughout the 133,000 square miles that this reef covers. The Great Barrier Reef is in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The reef has the Solomon Islands to the northeast, Papua New Guinea to the north, the Tasman Sea to the south and Queensland to the west. What a bird's-eye view this is, because it can be seen from outer space. There are plenty of life forms within the reef system including the more than three thousand rainbow colored coral reefs. There are whales, dolphins and porpoises in the reef. There are sea turtles, dugongs, saltwater crocodiles, stingrays, skates, chimeras, giant clams, mollusks and so much more. There are more than two hundred species of birds that come here to roost, nest and dine. There are many varieties of sea snakes and fish. The Great Barrier Reef is a beautiful natural wonder which is important to the economy of Australia, providing food and jobs that support things like agriculture and tourism.

Rainbow Reef is just off the coast of Taveuni Island, Fiji. This reef is made of white, luminescent coral. One can take the opportunity to observe the Blue Ribbon Eel, white-tip reef sharks, leopard sharks and barracudas here. Cozumel is just off the Yucatan Peninsula and was discovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1959. It is a beautiful coral reef and houses a large variety of tropical fish, one being the Splendid Toadfish, which is found nowhere else in the world. Andros is in the Bahamas and is where the third largest barrier reef in the world is. The Andros Reef is approximately one hundred and forty miles long.