Complex Googleplex Trivia Quiz

Answer: Coastal + Mountainous

Izmir, the largest city in the Aegean region, is famous for its blue seas. Large mountains surround the bay, with the city basically sprawled at the foot of the mountains. To save time traveling from one side of the city to the other, one can take a ferry instead of the bus/metro.

The ferry costs nearly the same as the other public transport systems. On the outskirts of Izmir sit the ruins of Ephesus, one of the largest ruins in the world. More people should go visit!

Answer: Flatland + Mountainous

Tehran, the capital of Iran, has the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East, varying 800 meters in elevation from north to south. Not only the most secular and liberal city in Iran, but it is also filled with traffic and people. Literary-wise, the "Tehran International Book Fair" is one of the most important publishing events in Asia.

As with most Muslim countries, the city generally comes to a standstill during midday on Friday. Nearly everyone goes to pray and attend the service.

Answer: Coastal

Mumbai, once known as Bombay, is also known as the City of Dreams, the Hollywood of India, or the City That Never Sleeps. Mumbai is India's city of firsts. India's first airport, the Juhu Aerodrome, in 1928; first 5-star hotel, the Taj Mahal Hotel, in 1903; first public bus service in 1926; and first electric rail system which is now no longer used.

In the 16th century, Mumbai was a collection of seven islands until 1845, when they were filled in.

Answer: Flatlands

Naypyidaw, sometimes spelled Nay Pyi Taw, literally means "Abode of the King." Around 4.5 times the size of London, Naypyidaw has around 7K squared km of land while London only has around 1.5K squared km. Superhighways of twenty lanes are sparsely used. Some call it the "Ghost-town." In addition, the city is nestled between two mountain ranges.

Answer: Coastal

Shanghai in Chinese literally means "on the sea" or "above the sea." After the Cultural Revolution, China's economy grew very fast and many people went to Shanghai. I had lived as a child in Shanghai for a while, and today, I cannot even recognize it. Many people no longer speak Shanghainese, the Chinese dialect in Shanghai. Some locals have started calling Shanghainese a dying dialect.

If you were wondering about the capital of China, it is Beijing (it was in Nanjing a long time ago).

Answer: Coastal

The name "Manila" came from Nila, a flowering mangrove plant that grew on the shores of Manila's bay. Nila was the main ingredient in soap-making.

The official language of Manila is Tagalog, which has its roots in Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Sanskrit. Filipino has many similarities to Tagalog, but they are not the same language.

Several tunnels run under Manila that once were used to hide soldiers and transport food. Some are open to tourists.

Answer: Coastal

Jakarta was known as Batavia when it was a colony of the Dutch. Due to its fast growth, the city is nicknamed "The Big Durian" (think: the Big Apple of America).

Tropical areas are famous for their durians (a type of fruit). Some love the smell of durians while others hate it. As a result, many public buses and MRT (subway) trains have signs saying "No Durians Allowed."

Answer: Flatlands

Putrajaya, close to Kuala Lumpur, is the seat of the federal government after Kuala Lumpur suffered from overcrowding. Kuala Lumpur is home to the Petronas Twin Tower buildings, tallest buildings in the world until 2004. Kuala Lumpur in Malay literally means "Muddy Confluence."

Answer: Island + Flatlands

With only roughly 298 kilometers to name, Maldives is a tiny island country of 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea). Considered part of South East Asia, they sit in the southwest direction of India. In addition, Maldives looks very different on Google Maps satellite.

As a child, my brother and I thought naming the capital "Male" was very funny (we pronounced it "male" as in the gender). When we were slightly older, we sometimes joked about countries naming their capitals after the shortened name of the country--- it would make geography a lot easier.

Answer: Coastal + Flatlands

Istanbul has the largest city area, population, and economy while Ankara is the capital of Turkey. Many people know about Istanbul but not Ankara. In addition, Istanbul was the capital of three empires, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman.

Istanbul has a large metro area but a smaller province area by proportion. Konya, a landlocked province in central Turkey, claims the largest area of land.