West Indian Wonders Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oranjestad

Oranjestad comes from the Dutch words 'Oranje' for Orange and 'Stad' for city. Orange is the official colour of the Netherlands. Aruba was a former Dutch colony, part of the federation the Netherlands Antilles. It now stands as a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, meaning it deals directly with The Netherlands, rather than the chief island in the federation, Curacao.

Answer: Dominica

Dominica has many natural rivers running throughout the islands' mountainous terrain. It is these rivers that led Colombus to declare it the most beautiful of the islands he had seen by far.

Answer: Bahamas

The islands of the Bahamas consists of many small islands, however, only a handful, like Nassau, Abaco, Grand Bahama, and Eluthera are inhabited by people. Nassau is the largest island, and is the capital. Off the coast of Nassau is Paradise Island, which houses Atlantis Resort, one of the Bahamas' most luxurious and expensive resorts.

Answer: Jamaica

Jamaica has the region's biggest bauxite reserves, and is a chief exporter of the precious metal, along with its bananas.

Answer: St. Kitts

Though it is rare in these modern times, in the olden days, Kittitians (people from St. Kitts) would consume the brains of the monkeys that inhabited the island.

Answer: St.Maarten/St.Martin

The only island in the world to be shared by two European countries, St.Maarten (Dutch)/ St.Martin (French) is often called the Friendly Island and is a tourism hot spot for many Americans, Canadians, and Europeans. It is also a melting pot of culture, featuring 28+ different nationalities.

Answer: Cayman Islands

Believed as a result of their strict British and religious heritage, the Caymans, as well as the islands of the Bahamas, simply refuse to allow cruise ships that have mainly homosexuals as their passengers dock in their waters. In the few cases where the ship is allowed entry, locals have been known to throw stones and sticks at the disembarking passengers.

Answer: Trinidad

Trinidad is known world-wide for its incredible carnival and their costumes are among the very best. Designers for the Trinidadian Carnival were contracted by the Olympic Committee as the official designers for the costumes worn by the performers for the Opening Ceremonies. Those men walking on stilts are called 'mocojumbies' throughout the islands, and Trinidad specializes in them.

Answer: British Virgin Islands

Tortola is part of the BVI, or British Virgin Islands.

Answer: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao

Papiamentu is not an official language of the world, as it is only spoken by three countries. The ABC islands also speak Dutch and English, but Papiamentu is their tongue of choice, so to speak. Papiamentu is a combination of Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese, and bears a very similar resemblance to Spanish (i.e., buenos días is good morning in Spanish. Bon Dia is good morning in Papiamentu)