Q 01/05

Who became the first sitting US president to visit Havana since Calvin Coolidge in 1928?

A) Bill Clinton

B) Jimmy Carter

C) Barack Obama

D) George W. Bush

Answer · why

C) Barack Obama

Barack Obama landed in March 2016 during the thaw in relations and toured Old Havana on foot with his family through a downpour, cheered by crowds who...

Q 02/05

Which city did Havana replace as the seat of Cuba's colonial governors in the 16th century?

A) Matanzas

B) Santiago

C) Cienfuegos

D) Camagüey

Answer · why

B) Santiago

Santiago de Cuba lost out because Havana's deep, sheltered harbour became the gathering point for treasure fleets sailing home to Spain, and the gover...

Q 03/05

Which founding name, honouring the patron saint of travellers, did Havana first carry?

A) Santa María de la Habana

B) San Felipe de la Habana

C) San Cristóbal de la Habana

D) San Rafael de la Habana

Answer · why

C) San Cristóbal de la Habana

San Cristóbal de la Habana honours Saint Christopher, still the city's patron; tradition dates its first mass, under a ceiba tree, to 16 November 1519...

Q 04/05

One theory traces the name 'Habana' to Habaguanex, who was what?

A) A Carib sea god

B) A Maya trader

C) A Spanish friar

D) A Taíno chief

Answer · why

D) A Taíno chief

Habaguanex was a Taíno chief, or cacique, said to have controlled the region when the Spanish arrived; little else is recorded of him, so the derivati...

Q 05/05

Locals write 'La Habana' with a b, so where did English get its 'v' spelling?

A) From French traders' charts

B) From a British map's misprint

C) From older Spanish usage

D) From an Italian mapmaker

Answer · why

C) From older Spanish usage

From older Spanish usage: for over two centuries Spanish documents wrote Havana or Hauana, and 'Habana' only became standard around 1821, after Englis...