General Knowledge Quiz

[johnnychips]

Five miles east of the terminus of 'Le petit train jaune'.

Thirty miles south-east of the western point of a 312 mile railway built from an African capital city to the coast to avoid rapids on a mighty river, finished in 1934.

What links the two?

 

[theageofthetra]

National borders? Spain/France and Ivory Coast/Ghana?

 

[D841 Roebuck]

The Suez Canal?

 

[johnnychips]

National borders are something to do with it; the first pair of countries is correct, the second isn't, but are on the correct African ocean.

 

[cjp]

They are both border crossing points

 

[johnnychips]

They are, but there is something special about these borders.

For example, if you ever watch Spanish TV weather, they cover everywhere in Spain, then they seemingly pointlessly pick out two places in what you think is Morocco.

It's a black point against you if your French isn't very good.

 

[theageofthetra]

Ceuta & Mellilia are those outpost in Africa which the Spanish start shuffling their feet when Gib is discussed?

 

[johnnychips]

Exactly...so start looking for my two.

 

[Golghar]

A railway line built from an African capital city to avoid rapids could be the Leopoldville-Matadi line in the then Belgian Congo. I can't figure out the rest of the answer.

 

[johnnychips]

It's actually Brazzaville - Pointe Noire in the (ex-French) Republic of Congo. The terminus of Le Petit Train Jaune is at Latour de Carol in France.

So which two enclaves are near those places?

 

[Golghar]

Llivia and Cabinda respectively.

 

[johnnychips]

Yay! Over to you!

 

[Golghar]

A philatelic question this time:

Here we see an Italian stamp with face value 1 Franc. How did this come about? Hint: there's something in common here with the last question.

 

[fowler9]

A philatelic question this time:

Here we see an Italian stamp with face value 1 Franc. How did this come about? Hint: there's something in common here with the last question.

Loads of Northern Italy wasn't originally Italy, for example around Lake Garda and its general area lots of people speak German. I'm guessing this isn't detailed enough. Ha ha.

 

[TheEdge]

I'm going to take a stab and say it was issued by, in or for Monaco.

 

[Darren R]

It appears to have been issued in Campione at some point after Italian Unification in the 1860s, when the town became an Italian exclave in Switzerland. I think it came about because the wider region chose to go with Switzerland, but the Comune di Campione elected instead to stay with Lombardia with which it had long historical links. (The pre-unification histories of the many Italian kingdoms, dukedoms etc is long and complex so I can't remember proper details without Googling - which is cheating!)

At the time of the Unification there was some sort of agreement with Switzerland to allow trade with the town to be treated as though it was Swiss rather than Italian - I'm guessing this is the reason for the price being in (Swiss) Francs. I think it changed under Mussolini though.

 

[Golghar]

I'll give that to you, Darren. Campione is an Italian enclave completely surrounded by Swiss territory. During 1943/44 when there were efectively two governments in Italy, the commune of Campione issued its own stamps with values in Swiss Francs. Evidently they were only accepted for postal items sent to Switzerland.
And, by the way, there is also a German enclave within Swiss territory called Büsingen. Motor vehicles registered there have special number plates beginning with BÜS.

 

[Darren R]

I will declare open floor

 

[theageofthetra]

In which French town can you go inside a statue made from captured canon from the battle of Sebastopol.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

LePuy ?

 

[theageofthetra]

Correct, your floor.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In 1903, who was hounded by the then Governor of Ceylon to death by suicide in a hotel in Paris ?

 

[Seacook]

In which French town can you go inside a statue made from captured canon from the battle of Sebastopol.

I have no idea, but I am sure that making a statue out of a dead clergyman probably qualifies as a war crime.

(Okay, it was a typo, but I couldn't resist.)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I have no idea, but I am sure that making a statue out of a dead clergyman probably qualifies as a war crime.

(Okay, it was a typo, but I couldn't resist.)

I was far too much of a gentleman to mention this, now that I have attained my 69th birthday.....Meanwhile, let us return back to the new conundrum that I have set.

 

[johnnychips]

Hector Mc Donald. He was suspected of sodomy and forced to leave the island and fled, whereafter he killed himself.

If this is right, then open floor as I'm off to China tomorrow

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You are indeed correct.

I note that you have declared OPEN FLOOR.

 

[cjp]

Peter Paul and Mary were a folk group of the 60s who did a lot to popularise songs such as "Leaving on a Jet Plane", Blowing In The Wind", "If I had A Hammer" and "Puff The Magic Dragon".
What is the Chrismas connection?

 

[fowler9]

Peter Paul and Mary were a folk group of the 60s who did a lot to popularise songs such as "Leaving on a Jet Plane", Blowing In The Wind", "If I had A Hammer" and "Puff The Magic Dragon".
What is the Chrismas connection?

Burning?

 

[cjp]

Not Burning

Clue

Consider their names

 

[fowler9]

Not Burning

Clue

Consider their names

Well they all involve air apart from the hammer one.