Can you name the busiest seaports in North America?

Can you name the busiest seaports in North America?

Enter a port in the box below
Correctly named ports will show up below
Answers do not have to be guessed in order
This game contributed by Booger on 11/25/2009
Note: The AAPA refers to North America as the U.S, Canada, Mexico and their territories
Source: American Association of Port Authorities

You have 7 minutes to guess after you click the button below.

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Rank	Port (City)	20 Foot Container Units.
1		7,849,985
2		6,350,125
3		5,265,058
4		2,616,126
5		2,492,107
6		2,236,244
7		2,083,278
8		1,861,352
9		1,794,309
10		1,704,492
11		1,684,883
12		1,635,534
13		1,473,914
14		1,409,782
15		1,124,388
16		985,095
17		828,349
18		716,046
19		697,494
20		612,877
21		544,315
22		524,791
23		436,119
24		387,347
25		267,684

Rank	Port (City)	20 Foot Container Units.
26		255,994
27		245,459
28		244,638
29		235,324
30		214,074
31		208,626
32		196,040
33		181,894
34		167,784
35		147,003
36		118,020
37		114,439
38		110,423
39		97,591
40		95,230
41		71,900
42		66,477
43		60,190
44		59,457
45		49,530
46		49,240
47		47,228
48		44,265
49		32,197
50		30,477

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There are 63 comments for this game.
(Warning: comments may contain spoilers)

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	otis89:	Nov 26th, 2009 at 03:11 GMT	12 points
	Guam is most definitely not in North America. I also wouldn't include Hawaii. It may be part of the US, but it is not part of North America.

	WorldWhiz:	Nov 26th, 2009 at 04:14 GMT	6 points
	I was not expecting Panama City, FLORIDA (never heard of it) to come up when I put in Panama City. What with the Panama Canal and all I'd thought it would be up here--I guess not.

	Converge:	Nov 26th, 2009 at 04:45 GMT	1 point
	Great idea for a quiz. I agree with otis89, though. Perhaps you could rephrase the title somehow - perhaps "Busiest Seaports in North America and territories," or something.

	TheyKilledKenny:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 08:38 GMT	7 points
	i did this right after the us states quiz and could not get kansas and wyoming out of my head.

	Tex17:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 08:45 GMT	1 point
	Panama City, FL is a big spring break destination.

	TJL:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 08:46 GMT	17 points
	Guam shouldn't be in here. Hawaii, I understand, since it's actually a state, but Guam must go. It's so far from being in North America that it's practically in Asia (it's almost as far west as Japan)

	Wing:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 08:57 GMT	4 points
	Guam and Hawaii are not part of North America.

	DTNelson:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:01 GMT	6 points
	Interesting that it ranks ports solely on container units. Many ports do big business in loading bulk cargo, such as grain and ore.

	American:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:01 GMT	12 points
	I guess portland was given

	sabresfan:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:06 GMT	4 points
	Guam is not in North America.

Comment below threshold: show it

	Gumpster:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:16 GMT	17 points
	@ everyone complaining about the inclusion of Guam and Hawaii: check the note at the top of the quiz

	brianc:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:18 GMT	3 points
	guys, in the info for the quiz The AAPA refers to North America as the U.S, Canada, Mexico and their territories I wasn't expecting that either, but I guess it's just how they organize it. Surprised that Ft Lauderdale wasn't there though.

	GeoExpert:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:26 GMT	2 points
	I typed Panama City for Panama. When it popped up I thought it was right, as I just glanced. I had no idea the answer was Panama City, Florida until I started reading the comments.

	xeju:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:27 GMT	9 points
	This was a cool and unique quiz. Complainers, please read the note that territories are included. I just can't believe I missed the #1 answer. I must have thought I typed it already. I also kept trying Great Lakes ports.

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	geographun:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:41 GMT	-4 points
	North America is a continent. continents are based on tectonic plate boundaries. of course the AAPA calculates the shipping statistics of all american ports, even those in territories and states that aren't on the north american continent. just because the AAPA does this, doesn't mean all of the ports are on this continent

	BamaRainbow:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:41 GMT	5 points
	If I'd only read the "disclaimer" I wouldn't have spent so much time on Central American and West Indies ports. (I did wonder why none of those other NORTH AMERICAN port cities didn't register other than San Juan.)

	The_Goat:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:52 GMT	18 points
	Norfolk should be an acceptable answer for Hampton Roads.

Comment below threshold: show it

	adamnvillani:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 10:11 GMT	11 points
	Ditto the above for Norfolk being acceptable for Hampton Roads. Also, just read the instructions, and it will tell you USA, Canada, Mexico, and their possessions. Hawaii is fully a part of the United States, not just a territory, even though it's not on the North American continent. I have a Geology degree and can tell you that plate tectonics do not solely determine the boundaries of continents. The coast of California from San Francisco on south isn't on the North American plate, either; we're on the Pacific Plate. Europe and Asia are one plate, except that India and Arabia are on separate smaller plates.

	MacXach:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 10:26 GMT	4 points
	Ditto the Norfolk comment. Hampton Roads is made up of multiple Virginia ports in the same general area and Norfolk is the most significant of them.

	adamnvillani:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 10:38 GMT	5 points
	Fort Lauderdale ought to be accepted for Port Everglades. The columns say "Port (City)," so either the port name or the city name ought to be accepted. Similarly, "Lihue" ought to be acceptable for "Nawiliwili." Hampton Roads should really include Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, and maybe even Chesapeake.

	skyhorizon523:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 11:57 GMT	-4 points
	im pretty sure montreal isnt really a "seaport" as it sits on the st. lawrence river, which is fed by the ocean but really shouldnt count

	guyborab:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 12:57 GMT	1 point
	VERY challenging (ie hard) quiz... I only got a little more than half and I'm ususauly in the 9th something percentile with geography

	Patteroast:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 13:03 GMT	6 points
	I'm sad that Duluth, MN doesn't make this list. I've always loved the fact that Minnesota - thousands of miles from the ocean - has a busy seaport.

	acquiesce:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 13:20 GMT	1 point
	@Patteroast-the quiz is for container traffic, not bulk cargoes. It would be interesting to see the results for ports that handle bulk cargoes. Then you would probably get a few Great Lakes ports in there

	JJFO:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 14:07 GMT	3 points
	Can anyone enlighten me to why Montreal counts but Chicago, Detroit and Toronto don't? Those are huge ports, they aren't on the sea but neither is Montreal.

	JJFO:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 14:10 GMT	4 points
	And can Norfolk be accepted for Hampton Roads? I'm from New York and that is the biggest port I've ever seen, if New York's ports in New Jersey count along with New York surely Norfolk's suburbs should count for Norfolk.

	Serenity:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 15:29 GMT	2 points
	Ports in New York and New Jersey should be listed separately.

	mirage45331:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 16:51 GMT	3 points
	I was also surprised not to see Cleveland and Duluth. I guess the more interior seaports don't count?

	Dysart:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 17:21 GMT	0 points
	Never read the question properly, just went for ones in the USA.

	RyanUR:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 17:22 GMT	1 point
	I grew up there. You should accept the following for Hampton Roads: Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News. I would say the other major cities (Va Beach, Hampton, and Suffolk) don't contribute much to the port action.

	shakirafan:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 17:42 GMT	8 points
	A "seaport" is ANY port where ocean going vessels can dock. If the ship can get up the river, into the bay, through the locks, and sail around an "inland lake", it's a seaport. I didn't notice the part about container shipping--which explains why the Great Lake ports didn't make it as they are mostly BULK ore and grain shipping. I also typed in NORFOLK and NEWPORT NEWS. Those SHOULD work for HAMPTON ROADS.

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	AtoneMENT:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 18:40 GMT	4 points
	I put Hampton, when I schlepped down there to see the Stones two thousand years ago, Mick said good evening Virginia, welcome Hampton! Where was I, anyway? I also put Norfolk, and got bupkis then too. But I want to make one point, which has nothing to do with the quality of the test, nice job, btw. Lumping New York and New Jersey together is despicable -- where I come from, no one does that, OK, maybe Bobby Kennedy and Estes Kefauver, but no one I was ever forced to eat Sunday dinner with...:)

	Roman:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 19:04 GMT	1 point
	Jcos444, a port does not have to be on an ocean. St Louis is one of the more busiest interior ports and St Louis is at the point where the Missouri flows into the Mississippi (well close enough) and is one of the buisit river ports in the USA. I am surprised it is not on here. Another busy interior port is Chicago which is on Lake Michigan. In both cases you could get to the ocean. Follow the missisippi down to the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic or Pacific throught he Panama Canal, and in the case of Chicago along Lake Michigan, through the Mackinaw Straits, through Lake Huron, across the Detriot River, into Lake Erie, across the Niagara Canal, through Lake Ontario and onto the st Lawrence River into the Gulf of Gaspe into the Atlantic

	Chocolatl:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 19:19 GMT	2 points
	If you're going to call it "busiest seaports in North America" you should include all of North America, and only North America. You should also include inland ports, not just the ones on coastlines. The AAPA may define "North America" as "the US, Canada, Mexico and their territories," but that description is inaccurate and misleading. It's also inexcusable to lump New York and New Jersey together.

	spottedcow:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 20:18 GMT	1 point
	I didnt realize that water connected Philadelphia to the Atlantic Ocean. This makes me feel dumb since I live in New Jersey and go to school in Philadelphia.

	performax:	Nov 28th, 2009 at 21:33 GMT	3 points
	It's true that the instructions are clear as to using containers as a measure of activity and including only U.S., Canada, Mexico and territories. Certainly a fun quiz but it would be great to include all of North America and have a more comprehensive measurement. Easy to say I guess, but maybe the stats aren't there.