July

What is the name of this shark-loving island nation?

This island country consists of approximately 250 islands that form the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. It shares maritime boundaries with nearby Indonesia and the Philippines.

The U.S. captured this country from Japan in 1944 after the devastating Battle of Pelelieu, where more than 2.000 Americans and 10,000 Japanese lost their lives. It became its own republic in 1981, and in 2009 it created the world's first shark sanctuary, banning all commercial shark fishing within its waters.

Adam & Eve's Home Before the Fall?

Praslin Island

June

Name the island of the Seychelles that features the
spectacular Anse Lazio Beach.

Characterized by large granite boulders, Anse Lazio is rated by Lonely Planet as the best beach on this island. Located in the Indian Ocean, this island is the second largest of the Seychelles (an independent African state) with a population around 7,500.

A tourist destination with many hotels and resorts, this island also contains substantial tracts of tropical forests and the Vallee de Mai, a nature preserve established in 1979. Reportedly, a 19th-century Khartoum general by the name of Charles George Gordon considered the Vallee de Mai to be the Garden of Eden.

(My Kind of) Society Island

Bora Bora

May

What is the name of this tropical paradise
in French Polynesia?

This tropical paradise is part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. It has a permanent population of around 8,880. In the center of the island, an extinct volcano rises in two peaks, the highest being 2,385 feet.

The U.S. used this island as a supply base during World War II, though no combat took place here. The base was officially closed on June 2, 1946.

Since then, the island has become a popular tourist destination. Many resorts and over-the-water bungalows have been built to accommodate the tourists. Snorkeling and scuba diving are popular activities in the clear blue water of the lagoon, where sharks and rays abound.

Rhymes with "Leaves"

Maldives

April

What is the name of this lowest country in the world?

This beach is located on one of the 26 atolls making up this island country in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 and became a republic in 1968.

Covering roughly 35,000 square miles, it is the smallest Asian country in both land area and population. Its average ground-level elevation is just under 5 feet above sea level, making it the lowest country in the world.