Since its discovery by Europeans the American population has changed drastically. The Indigenous Amerindians, Inuit, and Aleuts, have been joined by Europeans, Africans and Asians, and from this cosmopolitan environment the modern Americans have arisen.
This once isolated landmass has become a melting pot for different cultures which has resulted in the birth of new countries. This quiz will tell you a little more about those countries and the flags used to represent them.
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The explorer was, of course, Christopher Columbus who is credited with discovering the Americas. The term 'Colombia' was originally coined to describe the whole of the Americas; then, more specifically, those areas which were under Spanish or Portuguese control. In 1886 the name was adopted by the new country, the Republic of Colombia, which had emerged from the dissolution of the Spanish Viceroy of New Granada
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The islands, which have many unique species due to their isolation, were visited by Charles Darwin in the 1830s. The life forms native to the Galapagos helped to inspire Darwin's theory of evolution.
In 1832 the islands were taken from Spain and became a province of Ecuador |
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The origins of the name 'Honduras' are uncertain. The word means 'depths' in Spanish and it is rumoured that Christopher Columbus said, "thank God we have come out of those depths" when he reached the Honduran coast. This story was not known before the 17th century though, so perhaps a more likely explanation is a corruption of the name fondura, which means 'anchorage', and was used on maps during the 16th century
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Panama's position on the thin strip of land between the two continents of North and South America made it perfect for the construction of the Panama Canal. This canal allows shipping to pass through Panama rather than having to travel many thousands of miles around Cape Horn to the south. Revenue from canal tolls forms a significant proportion of the Panamanian economy
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Only the French Tricolour is officially used in Guadeloupe, but this unofficial flag is often flown. It bears a yellow sun, a green sugar cane and a row of three French 'fleurs-de-lis'
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Because of the amount of times Saint Lucia switched From British to French control, and then back again, it was nicknamed the "Helen of the West Indies". In the myths of the ancient Greeks, Helen was a woman over whom the Greeks and Trojans fought a long and bloody war
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The name 'Antigua' is Spanish for ancient and it is believed that the island is named after an ancient relic in Seville Cathedral. The name 'Barbuda' meanwhile, means 'bearded' in Spanish, although why the island should be given the name is uncertain. It may have been due to its bearded natives or perhaps the appearance of some of the local flora
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Prior to 2010, Sint Maarten was a part of the Netherlands Antilles. This was dissolved that year and Sint Maarten, along with Aruba and Curaçao, became constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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The official flag of Saint Barthélemy is the French Tricolour, but the coat of arms on a white background is used unofficially. The coat of arms shows 3 fleurs-de-lis, a maltese cross and 3 gold crowns. These represent the island's rule by the French, the knights of Malta and the Swedes at various times in its history
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As well as representing the constituent states of Brazil, the stars are also arranged into constellations, which are in the positions they held on November 15th 1889 - the night Brazil became a republic
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