Winding Road Ahead Trivia Quiz

Answer: Austro-Hungarian

The Stelvio Pass was built in the first quarter of the 19th century by the Austrian Empire in order to facilitate transport between the Austrian Empire and its outlying region of Lombardy, then owned by the empire. The road formed the border between the then Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy prior to World War I. The borders have changed since the war and the road is now very close to the Swiss border.

Over seventy hairpin bends feature on this climb up and down the mountains in the Ortler Alps. One of the highest roads in Europe, the road is still used to travel to nearby ski fields and by cyclists in the Giro d'Italia. One day every August sees the road closed to motorised traffic while 8,000 cyclists take over to conquer the pass.

Answer: Silk Road

The Karakoram Highway's elevation is evident as numerous glaciers and mountains, including K2, can be seen from the road as it passes through the Karakoram Range. Built by the Chinese and Pakistan governments, it connects the two countries with parts of the road going along the centuries old Silk Road route.

Costing about 1,000 lives during its twenty year construction period, it was opened in 1979 and has now become a popular adventure tourism route. It also has importance in military considerations as it several countries lie within 250 km (160 mi) of the road, namely China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Only 10 metres (33 ft) wide, agreement has been been reached to significantly widen the road to allow heavier vehicles through and improve safety.

Answer: Ceausescu's Folly

The Transfăgărășan is about 90 km long and stretches through the the Făgăraş Mountains connecting the regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, Romania. Construction of the Transfăgărășan cost forty lives officially, but estimates of the total number of deaths rise to over one hundred deaths thanks to the treacherous conditions experienced by the road workers, particularly in winter. That was of no consequence to dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu who wanted the road constructed as a transport avenue in case of Soviet invasion.

The road was passable and opened to traffic in 1974 but construction carried on for another six years. Closed during the winter months due to snow, it becomes popular in the warmer months due to its proximity to Bālea Lake and Waterfall, and Poienari Fortress (home to Vlad III, the Impaler). Cyclists and drivers alike enjoy the road for its tunnels, viaducts and hairpin bends, all of which also feature in the Tour of Romania cycling race.

Answer: War memorial

The Great Ocean Road is 243 kilometres (151 mi) of road stretching along the coast west of Melbourne. Running between the towns of Torquay and Allansford, it's a major tourist attraction in the area. The road's construction had multiple purposes. The road's construction provided work for servicemen returned from World War I. It also created a transport route for isolated towns, the timber and agricultural industries. Over three thousand returned servicemen worked between 1919 and 1932 to create a memorial to their brothers in arms who didn't return home.

The road gives you magnificent views of the Surf and Shipwreck Coasts, grand sandstone formations including the Twelve Apostles, and gives you access to quaint towns along the route. Meandering along the coast, The Great Ocean Road wanders in and out of temperate forests at times and then let you hug the cliffs as you drive past the Southern Ocean. There are plenty of places to safely pull over and take photos. For the more energetic, the Great Ocean Walk opened in 2004. Consisting of 104 km of walking trails, it reaches from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles.

Answer: True

The Sani Pass lies in the Drakensberg Mountains and is a connection between KwaZulu-Natal (a South African province) and the country of Lesotho. Sani Pass was conquered for the first time in 1948 by an ex-RAF pilot who used a car, mules and ropes to climb up the pass which didn't have a road at the time. A road was later constructed but the vast majority of it is still unsealed. It remains a four-wheel-drive only road with South African authorities blocking your passage into the pass if you don't have a car deemed safe enough to try the road. The gradient can be as steep as 1:3 and the road is sandy and rocky, so it pays to have a safe vehicle. If conditions are deemed unsafe due to snow or excessive rainfall, the border will be closed by authorities.

There are border crossings at either end of the pass although the pass is totally in South African territory. If you are in the pass and the border stations have closed for the day, you'd best have some supplies as you'll be there until the border opens up the next morning. Take some cold weather gear too as snow can happen as late as October, well into the southern African spring. It's not unusual to see horses, mules and donkeys on the road with their owners, bringing consumer goods back from South Africa.

Answer: Yungas Road

I love a good road trip but of all the roads in this quiz, this is the one I do not want to travel on. Built in the 1930s by prisoners of war, the North Yungas Road in Bolivia has been given many nicknames, all of which allude to the inherent dangerousness of the route. It's a narrow, gravel road with mountains on the inside and sheer drops of up to 600 m (2,000 ft) on the outside. Depending on the prevailing weather, dust, mud, rockfalls, waterfalls or fog can limit visibility and enhance the terror. This road was used by bicycles, car, trucks and buses going in either direction, and passing a vehicle going in the opposite direction made for some scary and/or fatal moments.

With estimates of up to three hundred people perishing on the road every year, something had to be done. Some of the more dangerous portions of the road have now been bypassed by a more modern road, but Yungas Road has taken on a new persona as a site for adventure seekers to get their thrills. Tourists in cars and on bikes test their skills on this road, some of them coming to grief. Cyclists love the 64 km (40 mi) stretch of track which only has one short uphill section. They can sail down with minimal effort. Alas, at least one cyclist a year falls foul of Yungas Road's cliffs.

Answer: Kasbahs

From Ouarzazate to Tineghir and the Todra Gorge, all in Morocco, is the Road of a Thousand Mosques' which travels through Dades Gorge. The gorge is part of the larger Dades Valley, known as the Country of the Figs. The spectacular rock formations are reason enough to drive the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, but if that's not enough, there are small villages along the route and thousands of rose bushes in the 'Valley of the Roses'.

Resident in the region for hundreds of years, the Berbers built many kasbahs as protection against invaders. The kasbahs have high walls which make enemy penetration more difficult and aid in repelling attackers. Kasbahs in various regions were often placed in strategic positions such as on tops of hills or at a harbour entrance.

Answer: Bond issue

California's State Route 1 (SR 1) connects the southern and northern parts of California with a road that traverse some incredibly scenic areas. The southern extremity of SR 1 is Dana Point in Orange County. Leggett in Mendocino County is the northern extremity, a mere 1,055 km (656 mi) away. In between, a driver can visit places such as Los Angeles, San Francisco (including driving over The Golden Gate Bridge), Carmel, Newport Beach, Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica. The Big Sur region north of Los Angeles is home to SR 1 for about ninety miles (140 km). While hugging the coast for most of its journey through Big Sur, SR 1 diverts inland for a few miles so the driver can appreciate the magnificence of California's redwoods in the Big Sur River Valley forest.

Building of SR 1 took place gradually, with the Big Sur region the first to be completed in the 1930s. This section, thanks to its natural beauty, is an official National Scenic Byway. The entire road has been designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway, acknowledging the contribution the men and women of the US military have made to their country. Many sections of the road were built independently and had regional names. It was only in the 1960s that the Californian government designated the entire stretch of road as State Road 1. The Big Sur portion of SR 1 became the first State Scenic Highway in 1965.

The financial origins of SR 1 lay in California's third highway bond issue, passed in the first decade of the century when cars were still a new and expensive item for the rich. Later construction was partially funded by Roosevelt's New Deal Program and state funds which Californian voters had approved. Prisoners from San Quentin and Folsom Prisons toiled on the Big Sur component of SR 1, receiving a reduction in their prison sentence and 35 cents a day for their labours.

Answer: Norway

Trollstigen in southern Norway connects the towns of Åndalsnes and Valldal. A steep incline and eleven hairpin bends make this road a tourist attraction. Over two thousand cars a day (in summer) journey up and/or down the 'Troll's Ladder' or 'Troll's Path'. Viewing platforms on the road allow tourists to enjoy the scenery of the valley and the Stifgossen Falls which descend into the valley from a height of 320m (1,050 ft).

Trollstigen was opened in 1936. It took eight years to complete the initial work on the 'Troll's Ladder' but modernisation, safety improvements and tourist facilities have developed over the years.

Answer: The road that does not tolerate any mistakes

Until this amazing road was created by the residents living on top of the hill, Guoliang was an isolated hamlet with little access to the outside world, no telephones and no possibility of electricity in the future. Located in the Taihang Mountains, the village desired modernisation but had no prospects as the Chinese government weren't of a mind to connect the village with the rest of the country.

Despairing of a future involving walking up and down a stone stairway to the valley and no modernisation, the residents took things into their own hands. They sold livestock and agricultural products to buy some basic tools like hammers and other steel tools. Led by villager Shen Mingxin, a road in the side of the mountain was created over five years. The road is about 4m (13 ft) wide, 5m (16 ft) high and just over one kilometre (3/4 mi) long. The 'windows' you can see in the side of the mountain were created to push the demolition rubble out. I think it looks like it's ready to be laced with some ribbon.

Construction wasn't without its dangers and five villagers died in the process. Rewarded with a link to the outside world when the road opened in 1977, the village then needed to let the world know about their road. The slogan of 'The road that does not tolerate any mistakes' was issued to the world and once international tourists started coming into China, Guoliang became an fascinating destination. So much so, the village now sees thousands of visitors a year, has more than one hotel in its precinct and other tourist facilities are being developed.