The BBC's Top 50 Places to See Before You Die Quiz

Answer: none

Amazingly, London's many landmarks, Scotland's Highlands, the Giant's Causeway and Mount Snowdon all failed to make the cut.

Answer: Matterhorn

The Matterhorn, near Zermatt in Switzerland, is a stunning sight. I was surprised that none of the others made it into the BBC list of fifty.

Answer: 4

They were: at 47 the Angel Falls in Venezuela, at 26 was the Iguacu Falls on the Brazil-Argentina border, and at 21 was the Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. The highest placed waterfalls were unsurprisingly Niagara Falls, which were at number 15 in the BBC list.

Answer: True

The Golden Temple of Amritsar is a stunning golden temple in the centre of a lake. It is situated in the heart of the Punjab region, and was the site of a major terrorist attack in 1984.
The Golden Temple is also the highest placed individual building in the BBC's list.

Answer: 9

There were eight places wholly within the USA, plus Niagara Falls on the US-Canada border.

Answer: False

Fantastic though it is, New York was only placed at number 9 on the BBC list. Cape Town (5), Las Vegas (7) and Sydney (8) were above NYC in the BBC list.

Answer: none of these three were included

There are many wonderful places in the survey's top 50, but also many more that were missed out.

Answer: Uluru

Uluru is the sacred Aboriginal name for the rock. It is situated in the Northern Territory of Australia, and was named Ayers Rock in 1872, in honour of the Governer of South Australia. The name reverted to Uluru in 1995.

Answer: Barcelona

Fans of "Fawlty Towers" will remember poor old Manuel, the foolish waiter and assistant, who had to be constantly excused as "he's from Barcelona."

Answer: Paris

Rome was at a lowly 35, Paris at 27. Both are beautiful cities.

Answer: 2600 years BC

The mystery of how the Pyramids were constructed has never been fully explained. It is generally accepted that they were built to entomb the bodies of Pharaohs. The Great Pyramid of Cheops contains approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone, and until the construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1898, it was the tallest structure on Earth.

The Pyramids ranked at number 17 in the chart.

Answer: Great Wall of China

The exact length of the wall is unclear, as many sections have fallen into disrepair, or have been dismantled to allow roads to be built. Apparently the wall's defensive power was not that strong - Genghis Khan allegedly bribed guards to allow him to pass, and thereby enter China. Nevertheless, the Great Wall of China is seen as one of the world's most intriguing and interesting sights.

Answer: Chichen Itza, Mexico

Chichen Itza means "Opening of the wells of the river Itza." You can see the staggered pyramid, known as El Castillo, which is a stone-built Mayan calendar.

Machu Picchu is also an abandoned city in South America, and was also on the list, at number 14. However, it was built much later than Chichen Itza, probably around the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It was an Incan city, built on a mountain-top, and is a stunning sight.

Answer: Petra

The Rose City of Petra was abandoned around 500 AD, and lay hidden until its rediscovery in 1812. Visitors must approach via a narrow path along the bottom of the gorge, known as the 'Siq'.

Answer: Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century, as a tomb for the Shah Jahan's beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. It is a few miles from Delhi, in the town of Agra.

Answer: Cape Town, South Africa

Venice came in at number 18, the highest ranked place in Europe. NYC was number 9, Sydney, home of the 2000 Olympic Games was at number 8, and South Africa's Cape Town was at number 5. Cape Town is famous for Table Mountain, and the cable car ride to its summit. From here there are stunning views of the Cape of Good Hope, the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and penguins on the beaches.

Answer: South Island, New Zealand

New Zealand's South Island lies about one and a half thousand miles south-east of the Australian coast. The North Island was also in the top 50, at number 25. Here you can visit the city of Auckland, and see the spectacular Rotorua, a volcanic hotspot, where mud geysers bubble away day and night.
New Zealand was also the location for the filming of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, which have done much to increase the popularity of New Zealand as a tourist destination.

Answer: False

It was ranked at number three. While I am sure it is a great place for a vacation with the kids, I am amazed that it came so high up the list. Better than New York? Better than Venice, the Pyramids, and the Galapagos Islands?
However it was beaten by the top-ranked spot ... the Grand Canyon.

Answer: 2000 km

The Great Barrier Reef is home to many different species of coral, fish and other aquatic life, and is extremely popular with divers. It stretches for more than 1200 miles.

Answer: Grand Canyon, USA

Stretching for 277 miles along the length of the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is an unforgettable sight. The rocks on the canyon floor are two billion years old.