This list of questions has resulted from many years of collecting from many different sources. They have been transcribed several times. There are probably many typographical and some factual errors. Please do not hesitate to call such errors to the attention of the administrator for correction. Additionally, if you find any questions that are difficult to understand or are poorly worded, let the administrator know. If you feel any of the questions are outdated or of dubious value or if you have any suggestions for new questions to add to the list, submit them to the sponsor for next year. We will use this list as the basis for references. If you find mistakes, please use the numbers here as references.
Explanation: Even though both the vibraphone and the marimba are similar to the xylophone, only
‘marimba’ will be accepted as it is the answer given.
Answer: Sixteenth and seventeenth centures.
Explanation: Both ‘sixteenth’ and ‘seventeenth’ must be mentioned.
Anytime an answer includes two or more elements and the word ‘or’ is used, then one of the elements given will be considered correct.
Question: What style of architecture can be seen in the Alhambra?
Answer: Moorish or Arabic.
Judges will have the right to accept slight variations in the answers. Judges also have the right to ask contestants to repeat an answer or to ask for more detail. The last answer given will be considered correct. Their decision on acceptance will be final.
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What Nicaraguan leader did the Sandanista National Liberation front overthrow in 1979?
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Anastasio Somoza Debayle
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Name the former capital of Guatemala.
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Antigua
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Guatemala has had two capitals. Name them.
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Antigua and Guatemala
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What were the two Indian tribes that Columbus and other explorers encountered in the Caribbean Islands?
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Arawak and carib
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“Dorado” one of Puerto Rico’s beautiful beaches lies on what body of water?
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Atlantic Ocean
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Who was the first Spanish explorer to cross the isthmus of Panama?
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Balboa
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Which is Panama’s leading export? Oil, sugarcane or bananas
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Bananas
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Who founded Santo Domingo?
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Bartolomé Colón
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Many Puerto Rican players of this sport have had successful careers in the USA. Name the sport.
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Baseball
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Who was Roberto Clemente?
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Baseball player
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What country was formally known as British Honduras?
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Belize
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Which Central American country’s official language is English?
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Belize
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What color beans are generally used in Cuba?
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Black
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What does a Guatemalan refer to with the word “patojo”?
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Boy
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What is Belize’s former name?
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British Honduras
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This daughter of a Cuban American stars in such films as Shrek, Being John Malkovich and The Mask.
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Cameron Diaz
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In what sea is Cuba located?
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Caribbean
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From whom do Nicaragua’s Sadinistas take their name?
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César Augusto Sandino (Nicaraguan guerilla leader, fought U.S. Marines 1920’s)
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Before the U.S. engineered the Panama Canal, to what country did the land belong?
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Colombia
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What was the “Football War”?
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Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras ignited by hotly contested soccer matches in 1969
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What are plaintains or plátanos?
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Cooking bananas (in Mexico plátano macho)
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What Puerto Rican frog has recently invaded Hawaii?
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Coqui
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What nationality are ticos?
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Costa Rican
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What is the largest Caribbean Island?
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Cuba
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What Spanish speaking Caribbean country is closest to Florida?
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Cuba
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What country is famous for the dance the mambo?
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Cuba
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For which country did Jose Martí fight?
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Cuba
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What country produces the most sugar in Latin America?
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Cuba
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Where did the rumba originate?
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Cuba
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From what country is singer Gloria Estefan?
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Cuba
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The Sierra Maestra mountain range is located in the southeast of which Cribbean country?
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Cuba
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Name the 5 Latin American countries that do not have volcanoes?
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Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Uruguay Paraguay
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Two Spanish-speaking countries have flags with identical design, but with two colors, red and blue, reversed. What are the countries?
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Cuba, Puerto Rico
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What was the nationality of the poet Jose Martí?
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Cuban
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What is a merengue?
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Dance (national dance of the Dominican Republic)
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What was Ricky Ricardo’s real name?
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Desi Arnaz
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Who was Lucille Ball’s first husband and what was his nationality?
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Desi Arnaz - Cuban
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What Caribbean country shares an island with Haiti?
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Dominican Republic
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From what country is baseball player Sammy Sosa?
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Dominican Republic
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What is the oldest country in the Caribbean?
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Dominican Republic
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What country is famous for the dance the merengue?
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Dominican Republic
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What Spanish speaking country is located on the island of Hispaniola?
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Dominican Republic
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What country was founded by Juan Pablo Duarte in 1844?
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Dominican Republic
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In what country did the “jipijapa”, the Panama hat, originate?
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Ecuador
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What Spanish name was given to the Puerto Rican Spanish Harlem in New York City?
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El Barrio
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What is the smallest Central American country?
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El Salvador
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Which country bordering the Pacific Ocean is Central America’s most densely populated country?
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El Salvador
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From November 1999 to June 2000, the US and Cuba struggled over custody of what boy?
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Elián Gonzalez
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Who is Hugo Chávez’ mentor?
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Fidel Castro
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What lures most sportsmen to Costa Rica?
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Fishing
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What do the 5 stars in the center of Honduran flag stand for?
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Five original Central American countries
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Where in the U.S. is there a large concentration of Cuban-Americans?
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Florida
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What is a “coqui”?
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Frog, native to el Yunque in Puerto Rico
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Which country exports large quantities of chicle?
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Guatemala
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What Central American Spanish speaking country borders Mexico?
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Guatemala
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In what country would you find “patojos”?
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Guatemala
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In 3 Central America countries the name of the capital contains at least a part of the name of the country. Name the three cities.
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Guatemala City, Panama City, and San Salvador
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Where would you find “el Castillo del Morro”?
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Harbor of Havana
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What is the capital of Cuba?
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Havana
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What would you buy in a Puerto Rican botánica?
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Herbs and cures
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Which Caribbean island houses 2 nations, 1 French speaking, and 1 Spanish speaking?
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Hispanola
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What Latin American flag has a blue stripe on top and bottom and 5 stars on a white stripe in the center?
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Honduras
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What is the most mountainous country of Central America?
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Honduras
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What nation lies just north of Nicaragua?
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Honduras
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In what country is the 2nd largest barrier reef?
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Honduras
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Name the 7 Central American countries.
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Honduras, Costa Rico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Belize, Panama
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What is ‘Borinquen’?
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Indigenous name for Puerto Rico
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Where did Columbus establish his first colony?
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Island of Hispaniola
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Who is the well-known blind singer from Puerto Rico?
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Jose Feliciano
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Who wrote the words to the song “Guantanamera”?
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Jose Martí
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What famous Spanish explorer founded San Juan, Puerto Rico?
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Juan Ponce de León
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What is the name of the governor’s house in Puerto Rico?
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La Fortaleza
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What do Puerto Ricans call Puerto Rico?
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La isla
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Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras, was founded first as what?
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Mining camp
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In the original indigenous language what does “Tegucigalpa” mean?
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Mountain of silver
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What was the name of Columbus’ first colony
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Navidad
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The longest living dictator in the world is Fidel Castro. What country does he rule?
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None. He retired.
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Name the program established in the 1941 aimed at helping Puerto Rico.
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Operation Bootstrap
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What Central American country borders South America?
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Panama
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What Central American country’s name completes the palindrome: A man, a plan, a canal, ___
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Panama
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The second largest peninsula on the Pacific coast of Latin America is the Azure Peninsula. In what country is it located?
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Panama
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In what Latin American country is the Darien rain forest located?
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Panamá
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What is the nationality of the singing group “Menudo”?
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Puerto Rican
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Where did Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony grow up?
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New York
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What is the largest country in Central America?
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Nicaragua
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From what Spanish-speaking area is the actress Rita Moreno?
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Puerto Rico
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What was the original name of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico?
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Puerto Rico
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From what country is Ricky Martin?
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Puerto Rico
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Name the three Spanish speaking Caribbean countries.
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Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba
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What is the national emblem of Guatemala?
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Quetzal bird
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What is “el Yunque”?
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Rainforest in Puerto Rico
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Who is the current leader of Cuba?
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Raúl Castro
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What Puerto Rican actress played in West Side Story?
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Rita Moreno
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Who was the first Puerto Rican baseball player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973?
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Roberto Clemente
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What Hispanic boxer was nicknamed “Hands of Rock”?
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Roberto Durán
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Who is the father of modernism?
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Ruben Darío
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What is the capital of Costa Rica?
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San Jose
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What is the capital of El Salvador?
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San Salvador
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Where did Columbus make his first landfall?
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San Salvador, now known as Watling Island
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What is the oldest capital founded by conquistadores?
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Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
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What war brought independence from Spain for Cuba?
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Spanish American War
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What it the capital of Honduras?
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Tegucigalpa
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What is the name of the currency used in Puerto Rico?
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U.S. dollar
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Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of what country?
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United States
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What countries border Mexico?
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United States, Guatemala, Belize
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What explorer from Spain discovered the Pacific Ocean?
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Vasco Nunez de Balboa
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In Puerto Rico, who would wear a ‘pollera’.
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Girls or women (skirt)
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After which World War was there a large influx of Puerto Ricans to Spanish Harlem in New York City?
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World War II
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What is the oldest university in the New World?
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University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1539)
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When was Santo domingo founded?
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1496
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When and how did Jose Martí die?
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1895 in an invasion of Cuba
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When did Puerto Ricans acquire U.S. citizenship?
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1917
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What is the “Operation Bootstrap”?
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1941 economic program of Puerto Rico
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When did Belize win its independence?
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1981
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