Trivia by topic

Cities: 50 questions from around the world

Capitals, ports, old towns and what each city is known for. Each question says which country it is about.

Latvia
Which town was the capital of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia?
1. A. Jelgava
2. B. Valmiera
3. C. Rēzekne
4. D. Sigulda
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Jelgava. Jelgava was the capital of the duchy, and its dukes' palace by Rastrelli now houses a university.
Czechia
Which is the second-largest city in Czechia?
1. A. Brno
2. B. Ostrava
3. C. Plzeň
4. D. Olomouc
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Brno. Brno, with about 404,000 people, is the second-largest city after Prague. Ostrava is third and Plzeň fourth.
Lebanon
The cafés of which coastal town have been famous for fresh lemonade since the early 1900s?
1. A. Batroun
2. B. Tyre
3. C. Sidon
4. D. Jounieh
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Batroun. Batroun is surrounded by citrus groves, and its lemonade is famous across Lebanon.
Zimbabwe
Which city grew from the royal town of the Ndebele kings Mzilikazi and Lobengula?
1. A. Bulawayo
2. B. Harare
3. C. Masvingo
4. D. Chinhoyi
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Bulawayo. Bulawayo grew from the royal town of the Ndebele kings and is still the heart of Matabeleland.
Austria
Which Austrian city hosted the Winter Olympic Games twice, in 1964 and 1976?
1. A. Innsbruck
2. B. Salzburg
3. C. Graz
4. D. Klagenfurt
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Innsbruck. Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976, and the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012.
Armenia
Vanadzor is Armenia's second-largest city.
True or false?
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False. False. Vanadzor is the third-largest city. Gyumri is the second-largest.
Slovakia
Which old silver-mining town was built inside the crater of an ancient volcano?
1. A. Banská Štiavnica
2. B. Levoča
3. C. Bardejov
4. D. Trnava
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Banská Štiavnica. Banská Štiavnica lies in a huge caldera. In the Middle Ages it was the main producer of silver and gold in the Kingdom of Hungary.
China
Which city's name means 'southern capital'?
1. A. Beijing
2. B. Nanjing
3. C. Xi'an
4. D. Guilin
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Nanjing. Nanjing means 'southern capital', and Beijing means 'northern capital'. Nanjing was the first capital of the Ming dynasty.
United Arab Emirates
Ajman is the smallest of the seven emirates by area.
True or false?
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True. True. The emirate of Ajman covers only about 259 km². The emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest, covers about 87 percent of the country.
Canada
Which Canadian city hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics?
1. A. Montreal
2. B. Toronto
3. C. Vancouver
4. D. Calgary
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Montreal. Montreal is the only Canadian city to have hosted the Summer Olympics. Calgary (1988) and Vancouver (2010) hosted the Winter Olympics.
Türkiye
Which town in Cappadocia is famous for hot-air balloon flights over fairy chimneys at sunrise?
1. A. Göreme
2. B. Edirne
3. C. Trabzon
4. D. Bursa
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Göreme. Göreme, in the heart of Cappadocia, where many hotels are carved into the soft volcanic rock.
Guatemala
Which city is known by its K'iche' Maya nickname, Xela?
1. A. Quetzaltenango
2. B. Huehuetenango
3. C. Chichicastenango
4. D. Retalhuleu
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Quetzaltenango. Quetzaltenango is called Xela, short for Xelajú, 'under ten mountains'. Retalhuleu's nickname is Reu.
Nigeria
Nigeria's first crude oil export was shipped through Port Harcourt in 1958.
True or false?
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True. True. Port Harcourt, founded in 1912 to export coal, turned to oil when Nigeria's first crude oil was shipped from there in 1958.
Netherlands
In which city was the 1992 treaty that created the European Union signed?
1. A. Maastricht
2. B. Rotterdam
3. C. Groningen
4. D. Utrecht
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Maastricht. The Maastricht Treaty was signed there on 7 February 1992. It created the European Union and led to the euro.
Fiji
Which city on the west coast of Viti Levu is known as the Sugar City?
1. A. Lautoka
2. B. Suva
3. C. Levuka
4. D. Nausori
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Lautoka. Lautoka, Fiji's second city, lies in the heart of the sugarcane country and has a large sugar mill.
Germany
In which city was Johann Sebastian Bach cantor of St Thomas Church from 1723 until his death?
1. A. Leipzig
2. B. Bonn
3. C. Stuttgart
4. D. Heidelberg
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Leipzig. Bach worked in Leipzig from 1723 until he died in 1750. Bonn is Beethoven's birthplace.
Algeria
Which city is known as the "City of Bridges", built around a deep gorge?
1. A. Constantine
2. B. Oran
3. C. Tlemcen
4. D. Annaba
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Constantine. Constantine stands on a rock plateau cut by the gorge of the Rhumel river, crossed by several bridges.
Georgia
The name Tbilisi comes from a Georgian word meaning what?
1. A. Warm
2. B. River
3. C. Fortress
4. D. Crossroads
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Warm. Tbilisi comes from tbili, 'warm', because of the hot sulphur springs on which the city was built.
Myanmar
Which city was the last royal capital of Burma?
1. A. Mandalay
2. B. Yangon
3. C. Naypyidaw
4. D. Mawlamyine
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Mandalay. Mandalay, founded by King Mindon in 1857, was the last royal capital before the British took it in 1885.
Ecuador
Otavalo is known for its big Saturday market of woven textiles.
True or false?
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True. True. The Otavalo people are famous weavers, and the largest market is held on Saturday around the Plaza de los Ponchos.
Iran
Which desert city is known as the City of Windcatchers?
1. A. Yazd
2. B. Rasht
3. C. Tabriz
4. D. Hamadan
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Yazd. Yazd is known for its windcatchers, towers that cool the houses. Rasht is rainy and green, and Tabriz and Hamadan lie in the cooler northwest and west.
Sweden
Since 2000, the Öresund Bridge has linked Malmö with Copenhagen in Denmark.
True or false?
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True. True. The bridge and tunnel opened on 1 July 2000.
South Africa
What was the city of Gqeberha called until 2021?
1. A. Port Elizabeth
2. B. East London
3. C. Port Natal
4. D. Kimberley
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Port Elizabeth. Gqeberha was called Port Elizabeth until 2021, when it took the Xhosa name of the river that flows through it.
Costa Rica
Which Costa Rican city is nicknamed 'the white city'?
1. A. Liberia
2. B. Cartago
3. C. Heredia
4. D. Puntarenas
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Liberia. Liberia is called 'la ciudad blanca', the white city, after the white gravel once used on its roads and its whitewashed colonial houses.
Brazil
What does the name Rio de Janeiro mean?
1. A. River of January
2. B. River of Kings
3. C. River of Gold
4. D. City of the Sea
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River of January. Rio de Janeiro means 'River of January'. The name refers to Guanabara Bay, which Portuguese sailors reached on 1 January 1502.
Iceland
Which town on Skjálfandi bay in the north is one of the best places in Iceland for whale watching?
1. A. Húsavík
2. B. Selfoss
3. C. Egilsstaðir
4. D. Keflavík
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Húsavík. Húsavík, on Skjálfandi bay, is a centre of whale watching and has a whale museum. Selfoss and Egilsstaðir are inland towns.
Colombia
Which Colombian city is known as the capital of salsa?
1. A. Cali
2. B. Bogotá
3. C. Leticia
4. D. Villa de Leyva
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Cali. Cali is famous for its love of salsa, with dance schools, clubs and a yearly salsa festival.
Bangladesh
Which city on the Padma River, near the Indian border, is known for its silk and its mangoes?
1. A. Sylhet
2. B. Rajshahi
3. C. Barisal
4. D. Cox's Bazar
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Rajshahi. Rajshahi, the largest city of the north, is a historic centre of silk weaving and is known for its mangoes.
Jordan
Which Jordanian city was called Philadelphia in Greek and Roman times?
1. A. Amman
2. B. Jerash
3. C. Madaba
4. D. Karak
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Amman. Amman was renamed Philadelphia by the Greek king Ptolemy II. Jerash was called Gerasa.
Tanzania
Which city on Lake Victoria is nicknamed "Rock City" for the huge granite boulders around it?
1. A. Mwanza
2. B. Kigoma
3. C. Tanga
4. D. Morogoro
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Mwanza. Mwanza is called Rock City. Kigoma is on Lake Tanganyika, and Tanga is on the Indian Ocean.
Kenya
Kisumu, Kenya's third largest city, lies on the shore of which lake?
1. A. Lake Victoria
2. B. Lake Turkana
3. C. Lake Naivasha
4. D. Lake Nakuru
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Lake Victoria. Kisumu is on Lake Victoria, which Kenya shares with Uganda and Tanzania. The first railway from Mombasa ended there in 1901.
Mexico
Which former silver-mining city has main streets that run through underground tunnels?
1. A. Cancún
2. B. Tijuana
3. C. Guanajuato
4. D. Mérida
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Guanajuato. In Guanajuato, old flood tunnels and the former course of the river were turned into underground roads.
Slovenia
The town of Ptuj grew out of a Roman fort called Poetovio on the Drava river.
True or false?
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True. True. Ptuj is often called the oldest recorded town in Slovenia, and it is famous for its Kurentovanje carnival.
Laos
Which town is the usual base for visiting the Plain of Jars?
1. A. Phonsavan
2. B. Vang Vieng
3. C. Thakhek
4. D. Houayxay
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Phonsavan. Phonsavan, on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, is the base for visiting the Plain of Jars.
Estonia
Which seaside town is known as Estonia's 'Summer Capital'?
1. A. Pärnu
2. B. Narva
3. C. Tartu
4. D. Rakvere
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Pärnu. Pärnu, on the Gulf of Riga, has been a resort since 1838 and is known as the Summer Capital.
Albania
Pogradec lies on the shore of Lake Ohrid.
True or false?
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True. True. Pogradec is on the south-western shore of Lake Ohrid, near North Macedonia.
Morocco
Which is Morocco's largest city?
1. A. Casablanca
2. B. Rabat
3. C. Marrakesh
4. D. Meknes
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Casablanca. Casablanca, with about 3.2 million people in the city itself, is the largest city and the centre of business. Rabat is the capital but much smaller.
Kazakhstan
Which is the largest city in Kazakhstan by population?
1. A. Almaty
2. B. Astana
3. C. Shymkent
4. D. Karaganda
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Almaty. Almaty has more than two million people. Astana, the capital, is second and Shymkent third.
United Kingdom
Which city is the home town of the Beatles?
1. A. Liverpool
2. B. Manchester
3. C. Glasgow
4. D. Newcastle upon Tyne
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Liverpool. The Beatles came from Liverpool, a port on the River Mersey, where they played at the Cavern Club.
Saudi Arabia
What does the name Riyadh mean?
1. A. Gardens
2. B. Sands
3. C. Wells
4. D. Fortress
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Gardens. Riyadh means gardens, after the oasis orchards of date palms that surrounded the old walled town.
Uzbekistan
Moynaq was once a fishing port on the shore of the Aral Sea.
True or false?
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True. True. As the sea shrank, the water retreated far from the town, and rusting boats now lie on the sand.
Jamaica
Kingston was founded in 1692 to house survivors of what?
1. A. The earthquake that destroyed Port Royal
2. B. A great fire in Spanish Town
3. C. The English invasion
4. D. Hurricane Gilbert
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The earthquake that destroyed Port Royal. Kingston was laid out in 1692 for survivors of the earthquake that destroyed Port Royal, across the harbour.
Uganda
Kampala's name comes from Luganda words meaning what?
1. A. Hill of the impala
2. B. Place of cool waters
3. C. City of seven kings
4. D. Shore of the great lake
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Hill of the impala. Kampala means hill of the impala, after the antelopes that once grazed on the hill where the British built their first fort.
Israel
Which city on the Red Sea is Israel's southernmost city?
1. A. Eilat
2. B. Arad
3. C. Beersheba
4. D. Haifa
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Eilat. Eilat, on the Gulf of Aqaba, is Israel's southernmost city and a beach and diving resort.
New Zealand
As of 2026, Wellington is the southernmost capital city of any sovereign country.
True or false?
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True. True. Wellington, at about 41 degrees south, is further south than any other national capital. It is also famous for its strong winds.
North Macedonia
Which town is best known for growing and processing high-quality tobacco?
1. A. Prilep
2. B. Ohrid
3. C. Struga
4. D. Kruševo
Show the answer
Prilep. Prilep is a regional centre for high-quality tobacco, and its tobacco is used by large cigarette makers.
Uruguay
The Uruguayan city of Rivera is joined to a Brazilian city, Santana do Livramento, with no fence or checkpoint between them.
True or false?
Show the answer
True. True. People move freely between the two cities; travellers going further into either country use a shared border post.
Ukraine
Which city was renamed in 2016, after being called Dnipropetrovsk in Soviet times?
1. A. Dnipro
2. B. Kharkiv
3. C. Vinnytsia
4. D. Chernihiv
Show the answer
Dnipro. The city was called Yekaterinoslav from 1787, became Dnipropetrovsk in 1926 and was renamed Dnipro in 2016.
Finland
The village of Inari, in the far north, is known as the capital of which people's culture?
1. A. The Sámi
2. B. The Vikings
3. C. The Karelians
4. D. The Estonians
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The Sámi. The Sámi: Inari is known as the capital of Sámi culture, with the Siida museum and the Sajos cultural centre.
Ethiopia
Which city lies on the shore of Lake Tana, where the Blue Nile flows out of the lake?
1. A. Bahir Dar
2. B. Hawassa
3. C. Harar
4. D. Dire Dawa
Show the answer
Bahir Dar. Bahir Dar, the capital of the Amhara Region, stands where the Blue Nile leaves Lake Tana. Hawassa lies on a different lake, Lake Hawassa, in the Rift Valley.