True North Trivia Quiz

Answer: Darwin

Darwin is situated in Northern Territory, Australia. It is a small city in terms of population, but has a long history, dating back to before the explorer Charles Darwin first sailed into her harbour off the Timor Sea in 1836. His famous ship was called The Beagle. Darwin has a tropical climate, with a diverse culture including the indigenous Aboriginals living alongside a cosmopolitan selection of people from around the world. Notable places of interest are Mindil Beach, Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery and Bicentennial Park.

Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne are all in the south and south-east of Australia.

Answer: Caracas

Caracas lies inland within a valley surrounded by hills and mountains, but very close to the Caribbean Sea. It is the largest city in Venezuela, a South American country situated just to the north of the equator. The city has five municipalities, Baruta, El Hatillo, Chacao, Libertador and Sucre, which are home to an estimated 3.2 million people. It is the birthplace of military leader Simon Bolivar, whose old home can be visited just off Plaza San Jacinto.

The Portuguese speaking cities of Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo can all be located south of the equator in Brazil.

Answer: Fez

Casablanca is the largest city within the North African country of Morocco. Approximately 246 km inland is the second largest and ancient city of Fez (Fes). Dating back to the 8th century, the walled medina has narrow streets with thriving covered bazaars, hidden squares with fountains and typical Moroccan archways. Many of its buildings are covered with painted and glazed ceramics. The red felt headdress is synonymous with the city of Fez, although it is believed to have originated from the Balkan states. The hat only appeared as part of Moroccan military uniform from the 19th century onwards.

Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Mogadishu (Somalia) and Nairobi (Kenya) are all cities in the east of Africa.

Answer: Portland

Not to be confused with Portland, Oregon (on the opposite seaboard), Portland is the largest city in Maine and situated in the northeast of America near the border with Canada. Native Americans made it their home for centuries and they called it Machigonne, meaning "Great Neck". It was only discovered by European settlers in 1623 and they renamed it to Casco, then Falmouth Neck, before its final name of Portland was decreed in 1786. Famous residents have included poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and author Stephen King. Well known places to visit include Portland Head Lighthouse and the cobbled streets of the Old Port District.

The fourteen American states with an Atlantic coastline are (from north to south) Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Norfolk (Virginia), Charleston (South Carolina) and Boston (Massachusetts) are all cities further south along the Atlantic coastline from Portland.

Answer: Murmansk

Murmansk is a coastal city in the northwest of Russia. It is situated on the Barents Sea, close to the border with Norway and Finland. It has mild summers but its winters are long and harsh, with snow falling anytime during the autumn, winter and spring months. The average daily temperature can sometimes reach below -20 degrees centigrade. It has the largest seaport within the Arctic Circle, and despite its cold climate, the port remains ice-free all year due to the warm North Atlantic Current. Other large cities within the Arctic circle include Norilsk (Russia), Tromso (Norway) and Vorkuta (Russia).

Reykjavik (Iceland), Anchorage (Alaska) and Trondheim (Norway) are all situated just outside the Arctic Circle.

Answer: Sapporo

Sapporo is the fourth largest city in Japan and can be found on the northern island of Hokkaido. It lies on the 43rd parallel north with cities on the same latitude being Vladivostok in Russia and Milwaukee in the USA. Snowfall is very common in Sapporo during the winter months and the average daily temperature can fall to below -8 degrees centigrade. It hosted the first Winter Olympic games in Asia back in 1972. The yearly Sapporo Snow Festival is held in February and showcases beautiful snow and ice sculptures. It attracts two million visitors from around the world. The Japanese beer "Sapporo" was named after the city.

Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing have all hosted the Summer Olympic games in 1964, 1988 and 2008 respectively.

Answer: Warsaw Pact (1955)

Warsaw in Poland is further north than the city of Versailles in France, Maastricht in the Netherlands and Geneva in Switzerland. It has a jumble of different architectural styles ranging from Gothic, to communist, and the more modernistic glass and steel. It is a city steeped in history of war and conflict, especially the well publicised Jewish ghettos during World War 2. Although the city has been scarred, it has shown a resilience by becoming a place for tourists to appreciate its differing culture; from the Warsaw Rising Museum and the Chopin Museum, to the nightlife just south of the Old Town and the relaxing Lazienki Park.

Treaty Of Versailles (1919) formally ended World War I. Geneva Convention (1929) established rules for the treatment of prisoners of war. The Warsaw Pact was the 1955 alliance of Central and Eastern European communist states. The Maastricht Treaty (1992) introduced the single market in the European Union which led to the introduction of the Euro currency.

Answer: St Petersburg

St Petersburg is Russia's second largest city with an estimated 4.8 million people and can be found at the far western reaches of the country. Peter the Great made it into a large seaport and he decreed it the country's capital from 1712, a title it kept for over 200 years. Known as the Venice of the North, it has over 340 bridges criss-crossing its many canals and waterways. Neva River is only 46 miles long, from Lake Ladoga to where it reaches St Petersburg and the Gulf of Finland. One of the main sights along the river is the Palace Embankment where you can see the world renowned Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum.

Moscow is also towards the west of Russia, Volgograd in the south-west and Omsk in south-west Siberia.

Answer: Tehran

Tehran is the capital of Iran and excavations have dated the earliest settlements back to around 6000 BC. The city is situated at the north of the country and is home to approximately eight million people. The semi-arid climate makes it hot and dry during the summer, and the winter months cool with snow on occasion. Elburz is a mountain range that runs to the north or Iran, hugging the Caspian Sea from east to west. Further inland is Mount Damavand which at 5,610m is the country's highest peak. At the foot of the mountain range is Tehran. The most iconic structure in Tehran is the Azadi Tower, a monument made from 8,000 blocks of white marble stone in a distinctive shape of an inverted "Y". It was built in 1971 to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire.

Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Muscat (Oman) are all situated below the Tropic of Cancer.

Answer: Male, Maldives

The Maldives is a set of atoll islands in the Indian Ocean, with the capital Male (pronounced mar-lay) situated on the Male Atoll. The city has a population of around 133,000 residents. It has fewer people living in the city than the whole of the island's tourist population per year which is on average 650,000 people. The city is full of colourful buildings with market places, shops, restaurants and official buildings all tightly compact within a small area. It is surrounded by the azure blue seas where boats jostle for a berthing place along several harbours and marinas. Places of interest to visit include the Old Friday Mosque and the fish market with its great catches of tuna, octopus and grouper being sold each day.

Antananarivo (Madagascar) is off the south-east coast of Africa. Hobart (Tasmania) is off the south-east coast of Australia. Suva (Fiji) is in the South Pacific Ocean.