Category Archives: name that country quiz

NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 51

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Rosh Hanikra is a white chalk cliff on the northern Mediterranean coast of our mystery country. The sea has carved away the soft rock into deep grottos, which are accessed from 200 feet above by a very steep 2-minute cable car ride. About 200 meters of manmade tunnels connect the grottos. The clear blue-green water framed by the white rock is a lovely sight. When the sea is rough, waves crash into the grottos and swirl and froth, putting on quite a show. The whole area is a nature reserve and endangered Loggerhead sea turtles nest on the on Rosh Hanikra Beach. They can be seen riding the surf in the grottos and around the base of the cliff and, at night, laying eggs on the beach. Cute, pudgy Hyrax live in cracks in the cliff face and sun themselves on the rocks in cuddly cohorts.

Can you name that country? 
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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 49

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The city of Konya in the south-central part of our mystery country is best known as the long-time home and resting place of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic. He is commonly known simply as Rumi or Mevlana, which means “our guide.” The Mevlevi religious order was formed by Rumi’s son in the years following his death. The order follows the spiritual teachings of Rumi, which include the Sema ceremony. Entranced participants spin and rotate as a group to connect with the fundamental spinning nature of the universe. This is the ceremony popularly known as the dance of the Whirling Dervish. The Sema can be viewed by visitors in Konya and other cities around the country.

Rumi’s tomb, pictured above, has been a place of pilgrimage for 700 years.

Can you name that country? 
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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 48

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Santiago is the second largest city of our mystery country. Located in the far southeast of the country, about as far away from the much-better-known capital as you can get, Santiago has a distinct culture and demographics. Most of the country’s world-famous music is rooted in Santiago and influential artists of all sorts were nurtured here, and still are. Sprawling around a large bay on the Caribbean Sea, with the Sierra Maestra mountains behind, the setting is spectacular.

Can you name that country? 
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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 47

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This is Sur, on the northern coast of our mystery country, about 90 miles northeast of the capital city, Muscat. Sur has been a regional center of ship building for centuries. Visitors can tour the ship yards and observe craftsmen building the traditional dhow vessels in the same way they have done for many generations. A stroll along the waterfront boulevard (Corniche) offers lovely views across the bay. Gorgeous beaches line the nearby coast and beautiful, rugged wadis hide in the nearby mountains.

Can you name that country? 
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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 46

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It’s an oryx! You can see one or many, along with gazelles and other creatures that inhabit the Arabian Desert. Luxury desert resorts offer nature treks into the dunes to view wildlife. Sometimes, curious animals come right onto resort grounds.

Can you name that country? 
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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 45

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In the south-east of our mystery country, tens of thousands of petroglyphs and inscriptions in Wadi Rum are evidence of human habitation going back 12,000 years. Across three hundred square miles of protected desert, you’ll find red sand dunes,  mountains, narrow canyons snaking between sheer towers of granite and sandstone and a small population of Bedouins, living much as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. Spend a few hours exploring Wadi Rum by 4X4 with a local guide or stay for several days, sleeping in a Bedouin camp. Cultural and historical sites are often the main attraction in our mystery country, with Wadi Rum as a short side trip, but “adventure” activities such as hiking and rock climbing in the country’s wild places are increasingly popular.

Can you name that country? 
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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 43

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There’s copper in them thar hills! Or, there was. The formations pictured above are popularly known as King Solomons’ Pillars and they are located in the Timna Valley in the far south of our mystery country. The area was heavily mined for copper for thousands of years, from the 5th millennium BCE to the 7th century CE. Some 10,000 mines have been discovered. Today, the area is a national park.

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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 42

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The White Desert National Park pictured above is in the geographic center of our mystery country. Except for a green ribbon of river valley, this country is all desert.
The park features bizarre white chalk formations sculpted by blowing sand.

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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 41

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These traditionally dressed members of the elite Presidential Guard (Evzones) watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Constitution Square in the capital city of our mystery country. The changing of the guard happens every hour on the hour.

At 11:00 on Sunday mornings, the changing of the guard is a full-on military parade, with a band and over 100 Evzones in full dress uniform. This is a real spectacle and worth scheduling around, if you like that sort of thing.

Can you name that country? 
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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 39

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Pictured above is the memorial and mausoleum of one the greatest heroes of our mystery country, Ernesto Guevara, better known as Che. Although not a native, Che was a leader of this country’s Marxist revolution in the middle of the last century. Che survived that revolution but several years later, while fighting in the revolution of another country, he was captured and executed. He was buried there in an unmarked grave. Thirty years later, his body was exhumed and brought back to our mystery country.

Can you name that country? 
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