Q 01/05

Which harbour settlement on Tortola's south coast is the capital of the British Virgin Islands?

A) Road Town

B) Spanish Town

C) Cruz Bay

D) The Valley

Answer · why

A) Road Town

Road Town takes its name from 'the roads', a sailors' term for a place less sheltered than a harbour that ships can still reach easily.

Q 02/05

Tortola flies the British flag, but which currency is the official money used on the island?

A) Pound sterling

B) Eastern Caribbean dollar

C) US dollar

D) Euro

Answer · why

C) US dollar

The US dollar is official on Tortola because the island sits so close to, and trades so often with, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Q 03/05

Tortola's name matches a Spanish word for which bird, though a Dutch origin is also claimed?

A) Pelican

B) Turtle dove

C) Flamingo

D) Frigatebird

Answer · why

B) Turtle dove

Turtle dove is what 'tórtola' means in Spanish, but the name may really be an English twist on Ter-Tholen, after an island in the Netherlands.

Q 04/05

The channel between Tortola and the islands to its south is named after which English privateer?

A) Sir Walter Raleigh

B) Sir Henry Morgan

C) Sir John Hawkins

D) Sir Francis Drake

Answer · why

D) Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake gives his name to the strait, which can be seen from Tortola's ridge-top trails stretching from Virgin Gorda to St. John.

Q 05/05

Which hurricane devastated Tortola in September 2017, days before Boris Johnson toured the damage?

A) Irma

B) Maria

C) Hugo

D) Dorian

Answer · why

A) Irma

Irma did its worst British Virgin Islands damage on Tortola on 6 September 2017, and Johnson said the wreckage reminded him of photos of Hiroshima.