Image: Photography by Deb Snelson/Moment/Getty Images
About This Quiz
We've got the scoop on some of the best beaches the world has to offer. The most famous beaches span the globe and are treasured by all who visit them. Cleanliness, unique attractions and water quality are some of the best causes of their celebration. Prove that you're aware of the seaside hype by identifying as many beaches as you can from the photos we present!
Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, and India are repeat scenic champions for having the world's best beaches year after year. Florida's gulf locales have had the perfect beach thing figured out for many years, and Hawaii's volcanoes have long crafted some impressive seaside scenery. Speaking of volcanoes, the basalt stacks formed at Reynisfjara Beach of Iceland's south coast offer breathtaking competition. Â
Many of the world's outstanding coastlines maintain wildlife preservation zones. Assateague Island on the east coast of the U.S. has maintained a group of horses that have been so genetically altered by seclusion that they are now classified as ponies. The fishermen of Nungwi beach in Zanzibar are very careful to avoid the beach's massive sea turtle population. Man-made real estate and shipwrecks commonly share seashores with sacred creatures and flora at these delightful destinations. Intense deep-sea diving adventures at a number of spots expose visitors to the ancient shipping vessel remnants that are yet to be washed ashore.Â
Armed with these helpful hints, you have a good chance of naming all of the beaches in this quiz. Sail on, dive deep, score big!
Noordwijk Beach
Cathedrals Beach
Las Islas Cies
75-Mile Beach
Located at Fraser Island off of southeast Queensland, you'll find 75-Mile Beach. In 1935, the shipwrecked vessel Maheno washed ashore and it's been tarnishing under Australia's sun ever since.
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Piscinas Beach
Pink Sands Beach
The coral reef at Pink Sands Beach at Harbour Island in the Bahamas guards the ecosystem against the turbulent waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Located in Dunmore Town, Pink Sands is part of one of the earliest outposts of the Bahamas.
Maho Beach
Copacabana Beach
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Block Island
Sleeping Bear Point
Ofu Beach
Ancient artifacts dating back to 1000 B.C. have been discovered at To'aga Site, an area found behind Ofu Beach. White sands, mountain ridges and boulders of Ofu Beach are a part of the 2,600 miles that comprise the National Park of American Samoa.
Hidden Beach
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Langkawi
Lyme Regis
Cape Henlopen
Crane Beach
Crane Beach is a remote fixture of St. Philip parish in Barbados. Dunes and cliffs accompany the pink sandy beaches of Crane Beach, which dominates the island's southeast coastline.
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One Foot Island
Tayrona National Park
Horseshoe Bay
The rocky Horseshoe Bay is Bermuda's best-known beach, posted 650 miles off the coastline of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Horseshoe's tallest rock is 60 feet high. Bermuda is a small island that spans 21 miles.
Anguilla
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Baia Dos Porcos
Brazil's Baia dos Porcos is well known for white grainy beaches and rock fragments that shoot up from blue waters. Baia dos Porcos is located in the Fernando Noronha volcanic archipelago.
Lazy Beach
Harbour Island
Phi Phi Islands
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Tenerife
Sixty-mile-long Tenerife is the most populous of the Canary Islands. In 1936, Francisco Franco was banished to the islands, which he used as his base to devise a scheme to topple Spain's government.
Phra Nang Beach
Nai Harn Beach
Maya Bay
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Yalong Bay
Pricey Yalong Bay is four miles of blue water and white sand that beautify the tropical island of Hainan, China's southern island. Hanian has two other beaches: Dadonghai and Sanya Bay.
Clifton Beach
Anse Lazio
Great Santa Cruz Island
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Natadola Beach
Energetic waves at Natadola Beach make for good surfing. The shoreline at Natadola Beach is filled with white sands and hugs the Pacific Ocean on Fiji's main island, Viti Levu. The region boasts 35 acres of tropical flora.
Yapak Beach
White Beach
Secret Lagoon Beach
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Main Beach
Westhampton Beach
East Hampton Beach
Large Beach, Biarritz
Regarded as one of the best surfing destinations in all of Europe, Large Beach in Biarritz, France is a slice of the commune's rocky beaches beaten by the wild waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Biarritz is a former whaling port off of France's southwest coast.
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Playa del Amor
Red Beach
The red-rock landscape of Red Beach at Santorini in Greece is due to natural volcanic formations, while the rock sculptures at the beach's edge are recent additions. Known as a nudist hub, Red Beach was started by a group of European bohemians in the 1960s.
Maroma
Playa Paraiso
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Reynisfjara Beach
The basalt sea stacks at Reynisfjara Beach were created when very hot lava from volcanic activity met the cold waters of the ocean. In addition to ink-black sand, the beach is renowned for its powerful waves.
Marconi Beach
Gay Head
Crane Beach
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Coast Guard Beach
Cape Cod
Cas Abao Beach
Cas Abao Beach is a secluded Caribbean destination spot on the island of Curacao. Snorkeling is a popular activity at the beach's section of the ocean, where you'll spot abundant coral, tropical fish, sponges and other underwater wildlife.
Varkala Beach
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Varca Beach
Agonda Beach
India's Agonda Beach is a quiet beach, as few tourists venture to this remote destination. Agonda Beach is home to a sea turtle conservation center that protects the eggs of the Olive Ridley species.
Randhanagar Beach
Palolem Beach
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Negril Beach
Negril's seven-mile beach is the longest and one of the most attractive of Jamaica. In addition to dramatic rock cliffs and secluded seaside spots for hedonists, Negril's waters include remnants from Spanish as well and English ships that date as far back as the 15th century.
Mandrem Beach
Cavelossim Beach
Benaulim Beach
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Popham Beach
In 1607, early English settlers constructed Maine's first ship near Popham Beach. The beach community is very quiet, and its long stretch of sandy pristine shoreline tends to stay uncrowded.
Arambol Beach
Poipu Beach
Honaunau Bay
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Red Sand Beach
Waikiki Beach
Lanikai Beach
Assateague Island
Assateague Island is known for its wild horse population. Because of their short stature, the horses are classified as ponies. The animals have adapted to island conditions, including nutrient deficiencies, for hundreds of years.
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Kapalua
Red Beach
Blue Bay
The 872-acre Blue Bay Marine Park in Mauritius has 108 species of coral, 30 species of echinoderms and 233 mollusk species. Blue Bay Beach includes the blue waters of the Indian Ocean.
Navagio Beach
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South Beach
South Beach is a beach community in Miami that was once dubbed "God's Waiting Room" because it included a large retiree population. Views from art-deco styled buildings overlook the town's bright stretch of beach.
Sidari
Bowman's Beach
Siest Key Beach
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St. Joseph State Park
Perdido Key SRA
Grayton Beach
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach is one of six island towns that comprise North Carolina's Brunswick Islands. Sunset Beach visitors are encouraged to submit messages about their hopes and dreams in the Kindred Spirit mailbox that Frank Nesmith, an island local, set up at the beach's west end in the 1970s.
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Bahia Honda SRA
Cannon Beach
Haystack Rock is the main draw at Oregon's Cannon Beach, which is posted at the northern end of the coast. Haystack Rock is a massive basalt stone that emerges from the beach's north end.
Barbuda
Carmel City Beach
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Newport Beach
Laguna Beach
Hyams Beach
El Nido
El Nido in the Philippines boasts unique limestone formations that decorate the beach's landscape. El Nido and surrounding islands are the most famous shipwreck diving destinations in the world.
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Nungwi
Maldives
Zoni Beach
An assortment of birds call Zonich Beach in Culebra, Puerto Rico home. Accessible by ferry or airplane, the seven-by-three-mile long island offers secluded strolls along pink sandy beaches and plenty of snorkeling sites.
Shi Shi Beach
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Trunk Bay
Grace Bay
Ipanema Beach
Brazil's Ipanema Beach gained notoriety during the 1960s as the hype of the city's Copacabana Beach began to dim. Stretching just over a mile long, Ipanema is a favorite destination for Rio's most sophisticated visitors.
Railay Beach
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Matira Point
Camps Bay
Ipanema Beach
Anse Source d'Argent
Anse Source d'Argent at La Digue in Seychelles includes massive boulders, and the region's lush greenery contrasts its bright, white sand. The waters are a crystal-clear tone of turquoise which makes it easy to see numerous tropical fish scurrying about.
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Zoni Beach
El Nido
Cannon Beach
Camps Bay
Camp's Bay is a wealthy suburb of Cape Town, South Africa with fine-grained pale sand beaches that rim the coast. Pricey beachfront homes are a brief walk away from fine-dining establishments that also dot the seaboard.
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Sunset Beach
Matira Point
If you care to witness reef sharks getting hand feed, then head over to Matira Point, Bora Bora's majestic beach commune. Matira Point lies at the southern tip of the French Polynesian island.
South Beach
Blue Bay
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Assateague Island
Railay Beach
Limestone-rich Railay Beach in southern Thailand used to be one of the country's most popular cliff-climbing destinations until the activity was banned. Railay Beach lies at the Phra Nang Peninsula.
Popham Beach
Negril Beach
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Dhanushkodi Beach
Agonda Beach
Grace Bay
Grace Bay Beach is one of the main draws of Turks and Caicos. The skies at Grace Bay are filled with sun 319 days of the year, and the 12-mile-long beach is powdered with soft sand.
Reynisfjara Beach
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Papakolea Beach
Shipwreck Beach
Red Beach
Trunk Bay
Some visitors claim to see the contour of a heart when viewing St. John's Trunk Bay from above. Beneath the ocean's surface, exotic fish chase deep-sea swimmers along Trunk Bay's snorkeling trail that stretches for a quarter of a mile.
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Corniche
Shi Shi Beach
Located a four-and-a-half-hour car drive away from Seattle is Shi Shi Beach, which Washington's Olympic National Park acquired in 1983. Shi Shi Beach has been named the state's most attractive ocean landscape.
St. Tropez
Biarritz Beach
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Clearwater Beach
Natadola Beach
Nungwi
Weak tides at Nungwi allow for peaceful snorkeling and swimming in the beach's clear blue waters. Nungwi is the scuba-diving mecca of Zanzibar's share of the Indian Ocean and it has an abundant sea turtle population.
Cas Abao Beach
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Yalong Bay
Tenerife
Baia Dos Porcos
Whitehaven Beach
Voted one of the best beaches on Earth, Whitehaven Beach at Australia's Whitsunday Island is four miles of white silica sand and blue-green water. Silica does not retain heat, which is ideal for strolling barefoot on the beach under the hot sun.
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Horseshoe Bay
Cat Island
Cat Island in the Bahamas is named for the pirate Arthur Catt, who established sugar and cotton plantations there. The English arrived at the island in 1649, and set up a colony in 1717.
Pelican Beach
Crane Beach
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Cat Island
Pink Sands Beach
South Water Caye
Propped on a barrier reef, South Water Caye features numerous deep-water sites, including wall dives and ocean drops. The South Water Caye Marine Reserve is filled with exotic creatures, such as blue tang, coral and angelfish.
Whitehaven Beach
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75-Mile Beach
Clearwater Beach
Florida's Clearwater Beach is considered one of the best beaches of the United States. It one of the few places in the world to receive the Blue Wave Award for meeting high standards in cleanliness, environmental protection and water quality.
Ofu Beach
Noordwijk Beach
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Long Beach
St. Tropez
St. Tropez is a popular beach destination that punctuates the French Riviera; the area attracts 6 million visitors every year. The resort spot was featured in the 1956 Brigitte Bardot film "And God Created Woman."
Phra Nang Beach
Maya Bay
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White Beach
East Hampton Beach
Navagio Beach
Surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, Greece's Navagio Beach is accessible by boat. The location is known for the Panagiotis, a small shipwreck that has been washed ashore since the 1980s.
Cavelossim Beach
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Papakolea Beach
Majestic olive-colored cliffs surround Hawaii's Papakolea Beach. The cove's sand is comprised of small crystals called olivine, which is from the 49,000-year-old Puu Mahana cinder cone located nearby.
Arambol Beach
Lanikai Beach
Siest Key Beach
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Perdido Key SRA
El Nido
Grace Bay
Dhanushkodi Beach
Dhanushkodi Beach flecks the tip of Pamban Island in southeast India. The virtual ghost town that includes the remote beach paradise was flattened by a destructive hurricane in 1964.
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