10 Degrees of the World - Part VII Quiz

Answer: Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou is pronounced "Wah-gah-doo-goo", which is sometimes shortened to just the first two syllables. The city is on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, and as a result has a yearly average temperature of 28°C. The Parc Urbain Bangr-Weoogo belonged to the Mosse chiefs before colonization, and has since been re-established as "the urban park of the forest of knowledge". Also found in the city is "L'Unité Pédagogique", an eight square kilometre biosphere reserve, botanic garden and national museum. Metropolitan city limits of Ouagadougou stretch for over 2,800 sq km (1000 sq mi).

Answer: Quebec City

Quebec Winter Carnival is most synonymous with its snowman mascot, Bonhomme. Near a million visitors take part in the festival each year, almost double the city's population. The city was founded in 1608 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain who called the city "Kwebec", an Algonquin term meaning "where the river narrows".

The walls surrounding Quebec's Old Town still stand, making it the only walled city in North America found north of Mexico. That section was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

In 1763, the French were defeated by British troops in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The British victory began the unification of New France and the eventual establishment of Canada.

Answer: Bordeaux

Historically, Bordeaux has been governed by many different leaders. The region has been controlled by the Roman Empire, Francia, and even served as an independent state before King Louis XVI's army entered the city in 1653 and brought it inside France.

The French government temporarily relocated to Bordeaux during the Franco-Prussian War and the two World Wars, although they were forced out to Vichy in World War II. It also served as a German U-boat base during the Second World War. The city is on the Garonne River and is home to an estimated 287,000 acres (116,000 hectares) of vineyards and produces close to a billion bottles of wine annually.

The aeronautical industry in Bordeaux has produced the Dassault Falcon private aircraft and cockpits for the commercial Airbus A380.

Answer: Casablanca

The story of Casablanca consists multiple instances of conflict. Portuguese colonizers destroyed Anfa in an attempt to overthrow the independent state harboring pirates in the late 15th century. The colonizers eventually constructed a new town called "Casa Branca" meaning White House in their native tongue.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the French had taken control of the city and launched a military siege of citizen resistance to the colonizers. The Hollywood film "Casablanca" from 1942 was released a few weeks after the Allied invasion of North Africa in the Second World War and is consistently considered one of the greatest films of all time.

A year later, the Casablanca Conference was an Allied meeting to plan future war strategy and was where the agreement was made to continue the war until the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers.

Answer: Budapest

Budapest came about from the merger of Obuda, Buda and Pest in 1873, which were found on opposite sides of the Danube River. The Buda Castle sits on the top of Castle Hill overlooking the city and is a massive structure taking up nearly five square kilometers (1.8 square miles).

The World Heritage Site sits above a massive cave complex that has served as a cellar, bomb shelter, military base and now is accessible as a museum. The Sziget Festival is held each August in Obuda with mostly rock bands from all over the world.

After the end of the Hungarian communist government, the festival was created as a way to replace a lack of funding.

Answer: New York City

New York served as the capital of the United States for five years from 1785-1790. With a population density of over 28,000 people per square mile, the selling of Manhattan to Dutch control for 60 guilder in 1626 seems like a steal! New York City streets have become associated with all forms of culture such as theatre (Broadway), shopping and fashion (Times Square and 34th Street), and banking and the economy (Wall Street), amongst others. New York is known as the city that never sleeps and that is reflected in it having the largest subway service, the busiest airport, and the largest public transit fleet in North America, all of which operate around the clock.

The city is home to large media companies (NBC, CBS, Associated Press), financial banks (Citi, American Express, JP Morgan Chase), telecom companies (Verizon, Time Warner), and international organizations (United Nations, Major League Baseball).

Answer: Kuala Lumpur

The city was founded by Chinese tin miners working nearby although it is not certain if it was they who gave the city its present name. The city was established in 1857 at the confluence of the Gombok and Klang Rivers. The city has grown at an exponential rate recently, surprisingly it did not reach city status until 1972.

The dominant features of the city are the Petronas Twin Towers. The two towers each measure in at 452 m (1,483 ft) and were built in just 21 months. Tower 1 is slightly tilted, to the tune of 25mm, a mistake made by the Japanese contractors hired to build it on a short deadline. Kuala Lumpur is also a shoppers' paradise, and 66 malls can be found there. Notable is the Sunrise Pyramid, with an Egyptian theme that resembles the sphinx and pyramids. Citizens of the city are referred to as KLites,

Answer: Karachi

Karachi is found on Pakistan's coast with the Arabian Sea; it is the capital of the Sindh province and the largest city in Pakistan. 2016 estimates pegged the city's population at 25 million, while only 400,000 resided in the city when Pakistan became independent in 1947. The arrival of Muslim migrants from the newly independent India (fleeing anti-Muslim pogroms) spurned economic development that further attracted Pakistanis and others from across Asia. The city is also home to many Pashtuns from northern Pakistan, Biharis from India's Bihar state, many teachers from Sri Lanka, central Asians from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Filipino domestic workers, American and British expatriates, Iranians that escaped the 1979 revolution, and a Polish population that emigrated to the area during the Second World War. Truly, a melting pot.

Crime in Karachi is still staggering compared to crime rates in other nations but has decreased significantly. The paramilitary Pakistan Rangers launched a 2013 campaign against criminals and militants which cut the homicide totals by 75% in two years.

Answer: Port Louis

During its existence, the dodo bird was found exclusively on the island of Mauritius, where Port Louis is located. The bird had no predators on the island and hence had no need to fly, eventually growing overweight and losing the ability to. The dodo appears on the national coat of arms.

The city and nation's colonization follows much of the sea history of Europe. Portugal and the Netherlands each briefly set up posts at what is now Port Louis, but the French arrival in 1715 led to the name Port Louis.

The city became a stop for ships on route from Europe to Asia before the Suez Canal opened. The port was again reopened during the closure during the Suez Canal Crisis in 1967. Sugarcane is the main export, and the port also serves as a terminus for cruise ships.

In 2001, the Blue Penny Museum opened, chronicling the history of the city and the island.

Answer: Doha

Rapid expansion of cities is a common theme in this quiz, and Doha is no different. Only 12,000 people lived in Doha around 1900, with a near majority working in pearling. After the collapse of the industry, the city fell on hard times and saw a decrease in population until the discovery of oil. The shallow water port in the city hurt accessibility of ships until the late 1970s when a deep port was opened. The 1970s saw vast change in the city, with Qatari independence, Dohas's establishment as a capital city, the opening of the University of Qatar, and a wide-scale sub-urbanization of the population with rising incomes. Today, the city is home to the Al Jazzera international broadcaster and has hosted a variety of world events, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Harvard and Yale universities each have campuses there. Hope you like the heat in Qatar, as the average daytime summer temperature is around 41.9°C (107°F), and only 75 mm of rain (2 inches) fall annually.

The Pearl-Qatar is a perfect example of the change in Doha's workforce and economy. The Pearl-Qatar is an artificial island built over what was the main pearl diving area in Doha, and the shape of the island resembles a pearl. The Pearl is expected to house 45,000 people in lavish accommodations and be self sustainable. Oh, and it cost around $15 billion to build the project too.