Países hispanohablantes *Fun Facts* (Spanish Speaking Countries)

What country has the driest place on earth, with an elevation of 7,500 ft?

• Argentina

• United States

• Spain

• Chile

Answer explanation

The Atacama Desert at elevation 7,500 ft is the driest place on earth, receiving an average of 0.6 inches of rainfall per year.

What country is home to the largest frog in the world?

• Equatorial Guinea

• Ecuado

• Puerto Rico

• Panama

Answer explanation

Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa to have Spanish as an official language. Considered one of Africa's richest countries, Equatorial Guinea is home to huge minerals and oil reserves. As colonizers carved up the continent, many European nations controlled their own Guinea. At independence, French Guinea became Guinea, Spanish Guinea became Equatorial Guinea, and Portuguese Guinea became Guinea-Bissau. The region was a major source of gold, hence the name “guinea” for the British gold coin.

Colombia is the world's leading source of ________.

• Coffee

• Bananas

• Emeralds

• Alpaca wool

Answer explanation

Colombia is the world's leading source of emeralds. It is also the third largest exporter of coffee in the world after Brazil and Vietnam.

______ introduced chocolate (including hot chocolate), corn, and chilies to the world.

• Spain

• Mexico

• Chile

• Peru

Answer explanation

The history of chocolate began in Mesoamerica. Fermented beverages made from chocolate date back to 450 BC. The Mexica believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, and the seeds once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency. (Wikipedia)

Baseball is the most popular sport in _________ ________ by far.

• the Dominican Republic

• Puerto Rico

• United States

• Costa Rica

Answer explanation

Baseball has always been the dominant sporting activity in the Dominican Republic, followed by sports such as basketball, volleyball, and tennis.

Sugar from sugar cane is the main crop of what country?

• Uruguay

• Spain

• Cuba

• Mexico

Answer explanation

Cuba's main imports are machinery, food and fuel products, while its major exports are refined fuels, sugar, tobacco, nickel and pharmaceuticals.

This country is the #1 exporter of bananas, totaling more than 24% and $3.5 billion of the world's exported bananas.

• Ecuador

• Peru

• Bolivia

• Uruguay

Answer explanation

Ecuador is a major exporter of bananas (the largest exporter of bananas in the world), cut flowers, cacao, coffee, shrimp, wood, and fish. Ecuador is also home to the Galapagos Islands. It is also the only country to be named after a geographical feature as it passes through the Equator!

Lake _________ is the only lake in the world to contain fresh water sharks.

• El Salvador

• Guatemala

• Honduras

• Nicaragua

Answer explanation

Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake containing oceanic animal life, including sharks, swordfish, and tarpon. More than 40 rivers drain into the lake, the largest being the Tipitapa River.

In which two bodies of water could you swim in in one day in Panama?

• Indian Ocean & Atlantic Ocean

• Caribbean Sea & Pacific Ocean

• Pacific Ocean & Arctic Ocean

• Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean

Answer explanation

Panama is known as a transit country because of the Panama Canal. While the country is known for its famous canal, its natural attractions include birding, whitewater rafting, and snorkeling tours. Panama's biodiversity has been said to be three times higher than the United States, Canada and Europe combined. (www.adventure-life.com)

What country has 52 species of hummingbirds?

• Venezuela

• Cuba

• Argentina

• Costa Rica

Answer explanation

Of the 338 known species of Hummingbirds (Colibris) worldwide there are around 50 in Costa Rica. Hummingbirds are especially abundant in the cloud forest of Costa Rica such as Monteverde, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Bajos del Toro, and the Los Ángeles Cloud Forest.