Paris 2024 Olympic Firsts Quiz

The Summer 2024 Olympics in Paris ended a little while ago on Sunday, August 11th. Congratulations to all athletes who came to these Olympics and competed fairly and to the best of their ability! This GeoFact of the Day quiz highlights medal winners representing countries — and an athlete valiantly competing for the Refugee Team — that have not won a medal previously or have not won a gold medal until Paris 2024. Three Caribbean island countries, three African countries, one European country, one Central American country, and the Refugee Olympic Team are all represented in this post. Quiz answers are listed below — enjoy and good luck!

1)      GRENADA earned bronze medals in men’s javelin throw and men’s decathlon. 2024 is the first Olympic year in which Grenada won more than one medal. Which name is not one of the athletes who won these medals?
A — Lindon Victor
B — Anderson Peters
C — Timothy Conch

2)      BOTSWANA celebrates its first ever gold medal, which was won by Letsile Tebogo. Letsile also earned a silver medal as a teammate on the men’s ___________ team.
A — badminton
B — 4 x 400 meter relay
C — football

3)      ____________ is the home country of Cindy Ngamba, the women’s 75 kg boxer who earned the first ever medal (bronze) on the Refugee Olympic Team.
A — CAMEROON
B — SOMALIA
C — YEMEN

4)      True or false: EL SALVADOR is the Central American country winning its first ever gold medal.

5)      Track athlete Julien Alfred won a gold medal in the women’s 100 meter dash and a silver medal in the women’s 200 meter dash at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She won these first ever medals on behalf of which Caribbean island country?
A — SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
B — SAINT LUCIA
C — TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
D — BARBADOS

6)      Two freestyle wrestlers — Chermen Valiev and Islam Dudaev — won the first ever medals (both bronze) for their country in Southeastern Europe. Which country?
A — ALBANIA
B — GREECE
C — NORTH MACEDONIA
D — MONTENEGRO

7)      David de Pina (Daniel Varela de Pina) won a bronze medal in men’s 51 kg boxing and therefore earned the first ever medal for which island country in Africa? Hint: this country is an archipelago located west of mainland West Africa, and the country’s name translates to green cape in Portuguese.
A — MAURITIUS
B — SEYCHELLES
C — SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE
D — COMOROS
E — CABO VERDE
F — MADAGASCAR

8)      True or false: Thea LaFond competed in women’s triple jump and earned the first ever medal — and a gold one at that — for DOMINICA.























ANSWERS

Question 1:
C . . . . . Timothy Conch

Question 2:
B . . . . . 4 x 400 meter relay

Question 3:
A . . . . . Cameroon

Question 4:
False . . . . . Guatemala

Question 5:
B . . . . . Saint Lucia

Question 6:
A . . . . . Albania

Question 7:
E . . . . . Cabo Verde

Question 8:
True

The Amazing Race 33 Finale Recap

“No Room For Error” / “In The Hands Of The Amazing Race Gods” Episode Description: After traveling to seven countries and 17 cities, one team will be crowned the winner.

Episode Airdate: Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 on CBS

This concise yet still enjoyable season of The Amazing Race has come to a close. In Episode 10, teams journeyed from GREECE to PORTUGAL and then to the UNITED STATES in hopes of arriving first at the finale Pit Stop to win $1 million. Teams travelled westward about 1700 miles (over 2730 kilometers) from Thessaloníki, Greece to Lisbon, the national capital of Portugal. Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue has a “little brother” replica in Lisbon named Cristo Rei, the location of this episode’s first clue box.

● Guided by the clue found near the Cristo Rei statue, teams knew to visit a fortress known as the Fortaleza de São Filipe in the city of Setúbal, a small to medium sized city with a residential population of over 120,000. The clue mentioned that there are two Roadblocks in Part 1 of this episode and that teams should “choose wisely” regarding which teammate will complete which roadblock. The clue also said to “take in the view; look for your next destination.” From the top of the Fortaleza, teams peered out to the seaside to find a vertical-striped flag flying near the port. The tricolor flag features yellow outer stripes and a red center stripe — somewhat resembling the appearance of an archetypal clue envelope of this show. Teams hustled down to the flag and found their first…

● Roadblock (“Who Wants to Go Exploring?”): one team member was tasked with finding a rowboat emblazoned on the back with the name of a Portuguese explorer. If the boat finder chose a correct example and rowed the boat to the marina’s other side, he or she received a clue. Incorrect boats had the names of national celebrities, so the Roadblock participant had row back until he or she found an explorer boat. Kim correctly completed this Roadblock first.

● Teams then made their way to Mercearia Confiança de Troino, a grocery store established in 1926. In this “Paint the Town” Route Info task, teams chose a colorful sardine can and brought out their inner artistic abilities (or lack thereof) to enlarge the can-label design into a colorfully painted outdoor mural. Teams then drove to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Cape Espichel (Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Cabo Espichel) where they encountered the second…

● Roadblock (“Who’s Down for the Count?”): in Season 33’s final Roadblock, one team member counted the columns on both sides of the church’s courtyard and had to recite the correct number of columns (106). Cayla was the first in this Roadblock to figure it out, which benefited her and teammate Raquel since they arrived first at a Pit Stop for the first time in this season of The Amazing Race. While the Part 1 Pit Stop at the Farol do Cabo Espichel lighthouse did not award Cayla and Raquel with $1 million, they won a likely enjoyable and invaluable vacation to SAINT LUCIA. Kim and Penn arrived second, followed by Dusty and Ryan in third. Since Arun and Natalia was the last team to arrive, they were eliminated from the competition and did not score a spot in the top three.

● In Part 2 of the finale episode, teams left Portugal and flew to Los Angeles. The City of Angels is the largest metropolis by population in California, the United States’ second most populated city, and will welcome athletes from around the world to the 2028 Summer Olympics — the 44th anniversary of the city’s 1984 Olympics. You might know that the LA Rams won the Super Bowl last month. Anyways, the two Roadblocks in Part 1 gave way to the Route Infos (no Detours or Roadblocks) in Part 2.

● Once arriving in Los Angeles, teams found their way to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel which has four towers with a locked clue box atop each tower. While going up and down the outdoor elevator, teams had to look out the window to spot the wall with a number, hinting of the lock combination that unlocked the clue box.

● Teams visited the historical monument known as El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, “the birthplace of Los Angeles.” They found three portions of the next clue by smashing an assortment of piñatas. One team member was blindfolded and of course did the piñata hitting, while the other teammate directed him or her on where to hit. In addition to the colorfully wrapped pieces of candy falling from the piñatas, teams were treated with three pieces of the Route Info clue and combined them to reveal the next assignment.

● The “Become a Foley Artist” Route Info brought teams to S.I.R. Hollywood where they learned how to perfect their Foley-style sound effect abilities by recreating classic scenes from The Amazing Race. Teams used a variety of materials to recreate audible sounds from the following scenes:
● The squeakiness of running bull inflatables.
● The shuffling of hay in search of a literal needle in a haystack.
● The catapulting “whoosh” of a watermelon slingshot.
● The throwing of a pie in the face.
● The sloshing in the mud of the infamous “My ox is broken” moment.

● In the final Route Info and challenge of Season 33, teams visited the 8,000-seat tennis stadium of Dignity Health Sports Park, a multi-sports complex prominently known as the home of the LA Galaxy soccer team. As with most of the final tasks in previous seasons, this task involves memorization of happenings throughout the season. The task involved tennis rackets with imagery from previous legs in the competition in addition to tennis balls labeled with corresponding riddles. Teams matched a scene/racket with the applicable quote/ball and were able to proceed to the finish line once every combo was correct. As an example, a tennis ball notes that “He joined you throughout the leg” while the corresponding racket depicted a “selfie” of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome. While Cayla and Raquel arrived first at the Part 1 Pit Stop, that was not the case with the final Pit Stop. Instead, the team (Kim and Penn) who won four previous legs reclaimed their spot and won 1 million dollars!

● Pit Stop: LA Galaxy’s 27,000-seat soccer stadium

  Season 33, Episode 10 Finale Results

  1st — Kim and Penn, winners
       1st place prize — $1 million!

  2nd — Cayla and Raquel

  3rd — Dusty and Ryan

  4th — Arun and Natalia

Saint Lucia Independence Day

People all across SAINT LUCIA are celebrating their country's Independence Day today. Saint Lucia achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1979. Happy Independence Day!

Saint Lucia Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org) and MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of SAINT LUCIA: artwork, avocados, bananas, beverages (e.g. beer, flavored water, and hard liquor), broadcasting accessories, cardboard boxes, cassava, citrus fruit, clothing, cocoa, coconuts, coconut oil, electronics, gravel and stones, mangoes, paint, paper containers, pumice, refined petroleum, sauce, seasonings, and telephones. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the United States (top importer), Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Guyana, the Maldives, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guatemala, France, India, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belgium, Grenada, China, the United Arab Emirates, and Belize.

Saint Lucia Rivers

While SAINT LUCIA is commonly known for its pristine beauty at its various beaches, the waterdrop-shaped island is also a place for winding rivers — connecting seaside villages to the forests and mountainous highlands in central St. Lucia. The island and country boasts over 30 streams and rivers, which are geographically spread on all sides. Plenty Saint Lucian rivers share their names with towns and cities, such as Castries (national capital), Dennery, Praslin, Saint Urbain, and Vieux Fort. Starting from the northern tip of St. Lucia and going clockwise, here is a list of some rivers winding past towns, countryside, mountains, and forests alike: Esperance, Trou Graval, Dauphin, Marquis, Sorcière, Grande Rivière du Mabouya, Fond d'Or, Dennery, Praslin, Patience, Fond, Ravine Courtois, Volet, Troumassée, Ger, Ravine Bethel, Canelles, Rouarné, Ravine Rugeine, Ravine Palmiste, Ravine St. Urbain, Ravine Rosette, Vieux Fort, Ravine Michel, Black Bay, Piaye, Balembouche, Dorée, Trou Barbet, Trou Marc, L'Ivrogne, Soufrière, Mamin, Mahaut, Canaries, La Verdure, Grande Rivière de l'Anse La Raye, Roseau, Cul de Sac, Castries, Choc, and Bois d'Orange. The typical St. Lucian vacation involves a scintillating beach and/or relaxing at a resort, but it should also include a canoe trip or two up a nearby river!         Saint Lucia post (↗)

Saint Lucia Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for SAINT LUCIA in North America lists 1 extinct species (St. Kitts Rice Rat), 6 critically endangered species, and 16 endangered species. Black Grouper (Warsaw Grouper) fish, Elkhorn Coral, Goliath Grouper fish, Semper's Warblers, Staghorn Coral, and Wide Sawfish are critically endangered in Saint Lucia. Endangered organisms include the ones listed here: the American Eel, Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Black-Capped Petrel, Boulder Star Coral, Green Turtle, Hammerhead Shark, Millepora striata coral, Nassau Grouper fish, Rough-Scaled Worm Lizard, Scalloped Hammerhead shark, Saint Lucia Racer snake (once thought to be extinct), Saint Lucia Black Finch, West Indian Mahogany tree, and White-Breasted Thrasher bird. In addition to the St. Lucia Racer and St. Lucia Black Finch, other species named after this country and the namesake saint include the Saint Lucia Amazon parrot, Saint Lucia Mullet fish, Saint Oriole, and Saint Lucia Warbler.

Districts of Saint Lucia

Click on the map image above to enlarge it in a pop-up lightbox window.

Part of the Windward Islands and located north of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, SAINT LUCIA used to have Quarters as administrative divisions until 2014; these are now called Districts, according to Statoids. In alphabetical order, the 10 districts of Saint Lucia are Anse la Raye (Anse-la-Raye), Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufrière, and Vieux Fort. Below are these parishes' capital cities, with the exact same names as their districts:

Anse la Raye — Anse la Raye
Canaries — Canaries
Castries — Castries (national capital of St. Lucia)
Choiseul — Choiseul
Dennery — Dennery
Gros Islet — Gros Islet
Laborie — Laborie
Micoud — Micoud
Soufrière — Soufrière
Vieux Fort — Vieux Fort

Saint Lucia Nature Reserves

One of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean Sea, SAINT LUCIA boasts the idyllic beauty that more famous Caribbean islands have. Much of Saint Lucia is still covered with rainforests, but development has encroached a little bit on all sides. Fortunately, nature reserves include a lot of land in the small island country. Two forest reserves - Edmund and Quilesse - are in South-Central Saint Lucia. Grand Bois Forest and Millet Bird Sanctuary are in North-Central Saint Lucia. Maria Islands Nature Reserve is located off the south-southeast coast of the main island, while Pigeon Island National Park is off the northern coast. Lastly, the Mamiku Gardens (Facebook page link) are near the eastern coast. Many of these reserves and parks are home for endemic and endangered species, like the Saint Lucia Black Finch.

The 'Saints' of the Caribbean Sea

You may have noticed that there are multiple examples of Caribbean Sea islands that have the word 'saint' in their names. The three island countries that fit this description are SAINT KITTS and NEVIS (capital: Basseterre), SAINT LUCIA (capital: Castries), and SAINT VINCENT and the GRENADINES (capital: Kingstown). Other island entities that are not countries are Saint Barthélemy (capital: Gustavia), also known as Saint Barts, and Saint Martin. Saint Barts is a collectivity belonging to France, while the island of Saint Martin is shared by France and the Netherlands. Saint Martin's northern section (Saint-Martin) belongs to France while the southern section belongs to the Netherlands (Sint Maarten, a constituent 'country' that was part of the no-longer-existing entity called the Netherlands Antilles).

There are other islands with 'saint' in their names and are part of larger entities. For example, the three largest islands of the United States Virgin Islands are Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas. To learn more about the islands and island countries in this post, click on their names (the ones that are dark blue) to bring up their posts!
Another Link: Caribbean Sea label in the Posts by Topic sidebar widget

Capital of Saint Lucia

Quick GeoFact: The capital of SAINT LUCIA, an island country in the Caribbean Sea, is Castries!

Saint Lucia

Achieving full independence from the United Kingdom in 1979, SAINT LUCIA is an island country located in the Caribbean Sea and the Lesser Antilles archipelago. More specifically, Saint Lucia is situated in the Windward Islands — the Lesser Antilles southernmost extent. Saint Lucia is north of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and south of Martinique. Saint Lucia’s currency is the East Caribbean Dollar, and its ISO 4217 currency code is XCD. Citizens annually celebrate the Saint Lucian Independence Day on February 22nd.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Saint Lucia’s population in the year 2020 is about 181,800 and is ranked 191st among populations of the whole world’s countries, dependencies, and territories. Saint Lucia’s national capital is Castries, which has more than 60,000 inhabitants. Other cities and communities include Canaries, Choiseul, Dennery, Desruisseaux, Grand Anse, Gros Islet, Laborie, Marquis, Micoud, Mon Repos, Praslin, Soufrière, and Vieux Fort. The official language is English, but about 87% of the population speaks Saint Lucian French Creole. An Arawakan language confirmed extinct in the 1920s, Island Carib was widely spoken among native people in Saint Lucia and other Caribbean islands in the Lesser Antilles. Over 95% of religious adherents are Christian, followed by Spiritists (1.7%), Hindus (0.9%), and Muslims (0.45%).

● ● ● ● ●  Land and Water Features  ● ● ● ● ●  Saint Lucia is oftentimes known as the most mountainous island in the Caribbean region, and for a good reason based on its terrain and number of peaks/hills. Mostly located in the west and southwest, several peaks include Coubaril, Gimie, Gros (Large) Piton and Petit (Small) Piton, Houlemon, Marquis, Morton, Parasol (Umbrella), Rabot, Regnier, Tabac, and Terre Blanche. Situated 5.47 kilometers and 3.4 miles east of the Soufrière town, the tallest of these is Mount Gimie — standing about 3,120 feet and over 950 meters in elevation. Saint Lucia features over 30 rivers and streams, which mostly commence in the central, mountainous uplands and radiate towards most sides of the coastline.

Almost exactly in the center of Saint Lucia, the Roseau Reservoir is the largest lake and sits south of the John Compton hydroelectric dam. Saint Lucia has one of the most rugged coastlines of all islands in the Caribbean Sea. This leaves room for dozens of protective harbors, bays, and coves which are typically suitable for recreational boats. Prominent examples include Anse Chapeau, Anse Chastanet, Anse Cochon, Anse Ger, Anse Patience, L’Anse la Raye, Anse des Sables, Anse Violon, Black Bay, Canaries Bay, Chaloupe Bay, Choc Bay, Choiseul Bay, Dennery Bay, Epouge Bay, Fond Bay, Fond d’Or, Grand Anse, Grande Cul de Sac Bay, Laborie Bay, Louvet Bay, Marigot Bay, Marquis Bay, Pitons Bay, Praslin Bay, Rodney Bay, Roseau Bay, Savannes Bay, Soufrière Bay, Troumassée Bay, and Vieux Fort Bay. Finally, access this post (↗) for comprehensive information about rivers and streams throughout the country.

This post was comprehensively updated with more info on July 14th, 2017.