Cities on the Borderline Trivia Quiz

Answer: Eilat

The city of Elilat is the southernmost destination to visit in Israel, right down where the country's borders taper down. It actually sits in a spot where you could travel between Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. A resort town, it rests at the northernmost point on the Red Sea as it makes up the water barrier between Africa and the Middle East. Part of the arid Negev Desert, it's an interesting hotspot that benefits from its location between the mountains and the sea. You have a close-to-99% chance of being there on a sunny day.

Answer: Melilla

You may be thinking about how borders and straits and seas work, but the question is perfectly sound. The city of Melilla, Spain is actually on the African continent and, like the nearby city of Ceuta, it's one of only two autonomous Spanish cities in this region of the world.

This being said, the cities are also claimed by Morocco. You might think of them as exclaves. Melilla sits on the Mediterranean next to the Moroccan city of Nador while Ceuta, further to the west, is about an hour and a half away from Tangier.

Answer: Basra

Found on the Shatt al-Arab, where the Euphrates and the Tigris meet in Southern Iraq, the city of Basra is the nation's main port city, which is saying quite a bit since Iraq has less than sixty kilometres of Indian Ocean coastline. Basra also happens to be less than an hour away from the Iranian border to the east and if you headed south instead, you'd end up in Kuwait in just a bit more time.

As close as these countries are, traveling between them can be a bit difficult for your internal clock-- technically, due to time zones, Iran is an hour and a half ahead.

The minute you cross the border and head into Iran, you lose that time.

Answer: Lahore

One of the largest cities of Pakistan, Lahore sits directly on the border with India a little bit down the ways from Amritsar, both of which are in their country's Punjab regions. Considered one of the oldest and wealthiest cities in the world, it's unknown when Lahore was first established, but its spot on the Ravi River made it an ideal spot for settlers in the pre-medieval era. Today, Lahore is a city rich in Sikh, Mughal, and British influences.

Its walled inner city and its forts are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Answer: Sault Ste. Marie

There's a Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario and there's one in Michigan, and if you're wondering, 'Sault' is pronounced 'Soo'. The Canadian one is one of the larger cities in Northern Ontario and it sits on St. Mary's River (go figure), right where the waters of Lake Superior connect with Lake Huron to the southeast. During the War of 1812, said river was decided to be the border between Canada and the U.S., so the city split in two.

The Michigan side is across the river and the Soo Locks on the Upper Peninsula.

Answer: Erenhot

The city of Erenhot is Chinese, but part of the Inner Mongolian region. Sitting in the Gobi Desert, this spot, right on Mongolia's border, sits about halfway between both national capitals-- Ulaanbaatar to the northwest and Beijing to the southeast. It became a significant hub for trade at the end of the twentieth century, acting as the easy in-between for the two nations, though it was clearly the boon to the Mongolians as their being a landlocked location certainly complicates things. Erenhot, otherwise, is a stop on the Trans-Mongolian Railway which links to China in the south (at Jining), Ulaanbaatar, and Ulan-Ude in Russia to north (and, of course, the Trans-Siberian Railway).

Answer: Cheorwon

Part of Gangwon Province, the region known as Cheorwon crosses the Korean Demilitarized Zone, technically reaching as far north as the Pyongyang city limits in North Korea. The area is relatively rural. Considering the goings on at the DMZ, it's not really the preferred place to live on both sides of the border (especially since Seoul, a short distance southwest, takes in a fifth of the South Korea's population), but the wilderness found there makes it an interesting destination for adventure sports.

The Hantan River, which flows through it to the Yellow Sea, is known for whitewater rafting.

Answer: Iguazú

Iguazú is actually the Argentinean side; the Brazilian side is known as Iguaçu. Either way, both are the name for the National Parklands that make up the world-famous Iguazu Falls. Due to the way the border lines up along the river here, most of the actual falls are technically in Argentina while the river that feeds them is in Brazil. That said, you could take a boat into the Devil's Throat canyon and travel to either one.

Interesting fact-- the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu, which is a general homebase for tourists heading to the falls, is also on the border of Paraguay. You can cross the Friendship Bridge into Ciudad del Este from there.

Answer: Nogales

This one here is another case where there are two cities, each on a different side of the border. Nogales, Arizona is to the north. Found south of Tucson, it's the largest border city in Arizona and acts as a gateway to Sonoran Mexico. Both are, of course, in the desert. Nogales, Mexico is a town that thrives solely on trade, and considering its location in the far north, it's actually quite removed from the more populated parts of the country.

It's a two thousand kilometre drive (about a full day) to get to Mexico City from that point.

Answer: Chiasso

One of Switzerland's southernmost cities, Chiasso sits on the Italian border. If you were to drive (or take a train) for a few more minutes, you'd arrive at Lake Como. Chiasso is found at the very edge of the Swiss Pre-Alps as they commence their rise towards Lugano. Chiasso is also the southernmost station on the Gotthard railway line that cuts across Switzerland from the north (in Küssnacht at Immensee Station).

It's as far as the line goes though; Italian train lines run on different track systems.