The Maldives (Again)

A lovely beach, one of many in the Maldives

October

What is the name of this politically unstable island nation?

This island nation, the lowest in the world at just under 5 feet above sea level, was featured earlier this year. With 26 atolls, however, it obviously has plenty of beaches to choose from. This one looks quite inviting, with pristine blue water and soft, velvety sand under a pink-and-blue sky.

The nation gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 and became a republic in 1968. Politically unstable ever since, it currently has a democratic form of government with a constitution that was adopted in 2008.

French "Society"

Bora Bora

September

What is the name of this "first-born" island?

Surrounded by a barrier reef and a lagoon, this island -- one of the Society Islands of French Polynesia -- is 12 square miles in size. Its name, in the local Tahitian dialect, means "first born."

Explorer Jakob Roggeveen was the first European to visit the island in 1722. James Cook arrived about a half-century later, and the London Missionary Society first sent missionaries to the island in 1820. An independent kingdom until 1888, it was then annexed as a colony by the French.

Where Ballplayers Are Born and Raised

The Dominican Republic

August

What is the name of this Caribbean jewel?

This Caribbean nation occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles. (The western three-eighths is occupied by Haiti.) It is the second-largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with a population of 10.4 million.

Christopher Columbus landed here on Dec. 5, 1492, and it became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. It is now the most visited destination in the Caribbean, with its temperate climate and year-round golf courses, though baseball is its sport of choice.

Sharks Galore

Republic of Palau