Lots of 'L' Cities Trivia Quiz

Answer: London

London, England, is the capital of the United Kingdom. While settlements have existed at this location, where the River Effra meets the Thames River, for thousands of years, the city in its present form has existed for about two thousand years. Ruled by the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and finally the capital of a united Britannia, this city has been central to the people in both location as well as culture.

In the present day, London serves as the capital, administrative center, and the financial center of the United Kingdom. It is a tourist hub, featuring such attractions as the London and Tower Bridges, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, the Big Ben bell tower, Buckingham Palace and many many more. The skyline can be seen in the picture. One can take a tour of the city on the iconic red double-decker buses that crisscross the city at all hours.

Answer: Togo

Lomé is the capital of Togo, a small West African country. It sits right on the Gulf of Guinea and also the border with Ghana. The city was originally a Ewe village (the Ewes are an indigenous people of West Africa) and was "founded" by the European traders as an established settlement in 1874. By 1897 it had already become the capital of the region and when Togo achieved independence in 1960, it was the obvious choice as the capital of the country.

While it is not an obvious choice for tourism, Lomé is actually known in pan-African politics for creating peace and order. Two famous accords have been signed there, one stopping a civil war in Sierra Leone and the other a worldwide trade, aid, and investment agreement. In the picture one can observe how much development remains to be realized in Lomé.

Answer: Roman

The Romans saw the merging of the rivers Rhône and Saône as a prime location to establish a settlement and founded the city of Lugdunum. Over the years, Lyon was continuously inhabited but occupied by several peoples, including the Gauls, the Waldensians, and Burgundians. In around 1300 CE the city became part of France and has been since.

The city boasts many Roman archaeological ruins, several churches of varying eras, and many interesting museums. It was in Lyon that the first moving pictures were shown and it was also the heart of the French Resistance during World War II. Two of my favourite wines come from the Lyonnais region - Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône. Lyon at night is pictured to the left.

Answer: Big Easy

While the "Big Easy" is a nickname for New Orleans, Los Angeles is called all of the other nicknames mentioned. Originally called by the Spanish "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula", this is usually shortened to just "LA", which makes it the most efficient acronym.

Los Angeles is located on the Pacific Ocean in the south of the state of California. There is evidence that it has been settled for about 10,000 years. When the Spanish conquistadors came, they officially declared the pueblo that was there as a settlement in 1781. Today, it is a bustling metropolis that is the heart of the American movie industry (Hollywood) and a central part of the American economy. Known for its great beaches and attractions, many tourists come through LAX to reach this interesting city. Observe LA at dusk in the picture.

Answer: Yellow River

Lanzhou is a vibrant city in northwestern China. It is the most populous and biggest city in the Gansu Province and is its capital. In history, the origin of the city can be traced back at least to the 6th century BCE. As a part of the Northern Silk Road, it controlled much of the trade going in and out of central China. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet supplies to China came to Lanzhou to aid the war effort against the Japanese.

Lanzhou is located in a valley carved out by the Yellow River (pictured), China's second-longest river. Near the city is Kôngtóng Shân, one of the sacred mountains in Taoism. Because of the low elevation surrounded by high mountains, Lanzhou suffers from air pollution from its industries. However, the city boasts lovely gardens, acclaimed universities, and interesting museums.

Answer: True

Sucre (originally La Plata) was originally the capital of Bolivia. The remote distance and the decline of the silver industry caused the government to shift the capital to La Paz. In 2009, the constitution was written with Sucre as the capital, however, the government opted to remain in La Paz while only the judicial branch moved to Sucre. At an elevation of around 3650m (11,975 ft), it is also the most elevated world capital.

La Paz has some very old roots, having been founded in 1548. It controlled lands taken from the Incan Empire and was a reminder of the peace the Spaniards had made with the territory of Peru. It was built in a valley in the Andes mountain range and is southeast of Lake Titicaca, one of the highest navigable lakes in the world. It boasts many old churches and the famous Witches' Market. It also has a aerial gondola network that ferries people around the city suspended in the sky. As you can see in the picture, La Paz is a colourful city in a densely populated valley.

Answer: Jews

Lodz (or Ùódê in Polish) is the third-largest city in Poland in terms of population, and can be found right in the heart of Poland. Founded before 1332, it was not a significant town until the 17th century when both the Germans and the Russians made incentives available to entice people to move to the area. During World War I, the city was a site of many battles, eventually being occupied by the Germans before it was turned over to the renewed Polish Republic in 1918.

In 1939, Jews made up just under a third of the city's population. When the Germans invaded, though the city held up for a week against the attacks, they were eventually overrun. This was considered an important victory for the Nazis because of the number of ethnically German citizens. They set up a ghetto for the 'Final Solution' for the Jews and forced all of the Jewry in the region inside the small area. Conditions were abysmal, many died, and many more were deported to be killed at the Chelmno and Auschwitz camps. Of the 200,000 Jews that once lived in Lodz, about 5% survived the Holocaust.

Today, Lodz is vibrant once again. Piotrkowska Street is a very long commercial hub and the Manufaktura complex is a center of activity for locals and tourists. Muzeum Sztuki houses an interesting collection of modern art and the Jewish Cemetery at Bracka Street (pictured) is a memorial to the lives tragically lost.

Answer: Portuguese

Luanda was founded on January 25, 1576 by the Portuguese seafaring explorer Paulo Dias de Novais. It was originally called 'São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda' but the name was gradually shortened. Sitting on the Atlantic ocean, this city is a major port and economic center for Angola and the region.

Initially, Luanda served as a direct conduit of slaves from Africa to South America, primarily to Brazil. However, slavery was abolished in 1836 and the shipping turned to a wide variety of goods that were available to export to willing buyers. In 1975 Angola underwent a war for independence and much of the white minority fled back to Portugal. The newly founded regime chose to keep Luanda as the capital but the civil war lasted internally until 2002 which devastated the city and the country. However, since then, Luanda has been undergoing reconstruction and improvements making it a vivacious city, even at night, as seen from the picture.

Answer: An ancient native oracle

Lima was already settled when the Spanish conquistadors came to the area. They called the region 'Itchyma' after the people that lived there. However, the name of the city came from an ancient oracle called Limaq that was destroyed by the Spanish conquerors. The name stuck, however, and the "Ciudad de los Reyes" (city of kings) that was founded in 1535 stayed with the name "Lima".

Today, Lima is a bustling hive of activity for the region, for Peru, and for the continent. Apart from the local and federal government that is there, Lima and the metropolitan area that is connected to it now has geostrategic importance economically and culturally. It hosted the 1982 Miss Universe contest, the 2015 IMF and World Bank meetings, and the 2019 Pan Am Games. The old part of the city (seen in the picture) is well-preserved and is a very interesting attraction.

Answer: Islam

When the Badshahi Mosque (pictured) was built in 1673 it was the largest mosque in the world. Lahore became, over the years of rule by different empires, a bustling center of Islam and a hub for many Muslim scholars and sages. The Walled City of Lahore has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and many elaborate havelis, or 'partitioned dwellings', can be found here amongst the winding alleys.

Though Lahore is a very old city, there are no real mentions of it from before the 10th century. The city was conquered by the Ghaznavid Empire in the 11th century and then the history of the city began to be recorded actively. It was then conquered by the Mamluks, the Tughluqs, the Mughals, the Durranis, the Sikh and the British before it eventually became part of Pakistan. Because of its location in the region of Punjab, Punjabi is the dominant language in the city.