Major Cities of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: London

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. Located on the river Thames in the south east of the country, London was founded by the Romans when they invaded the British Isles more than 2000 years ago. Before that event took place, the city we know as London was nothing more than a few scattered huts here and there on the estuary of the Thames, in a way of life that had existed since approximately 4500 BC. Under Roman rule though, that scattered settlement grew to be a thriving city of some 60,000 people. With a population of over eight and a half million people, London is considered one of the world's leading finance centres. Sites to see around this beautiful and fascinating city with such a glorious history include the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the Royal Observatory, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and a host of other history related locations.

Answer: Edinburgh

Evidence of human habitation in the Edinburgh area of Scotland dates back to 8,500 BC, but established settlement only progressed at a snail's pace until the arrival of the Romans to the British Isles in the latter part of the first century AD. In the centuries that followed their departure, the area developed further into the city it would eventually become, but was hampered continually by local skirmishes initially as clans battled for supremacy, and then later by centuries of conflict with the English.

The 15th century heralded Edinburgh's recognition as the capital of Scotland. Like capital cities throughout the world, Edinburgh has its museums, its historical sites, its castles, its churches and education centres, its festivals and its own particular ambience.

Answer: Kabul

Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan, and, with a 2015 population of over 3,600,000 people, considered one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It has been fought over for thousands of years by various cultures and their belief systems, and, sadly so, this still continued as the 21st century reached its 16th year. Many of its famous old buildings have been destroyed in the process.

Answer: Luanda

Not only is Luanda the capital city of Angola, it is that nation's main port and industrial centre. By the second decade of the 21st century, its population had soared to over six million residents, all of whom speak Portuguese. The city was founded by that nation in 1576 when it was settled by one hundred families and four hundred soldiers from Portugal. Prior to that, it had the darker history of being the site from which slaves were transported over to Brazil, and this continued until 1836. Luanda's large population is mostly of African descent, with a minority of both Portuguese and Brazilian descent. Angola achieved its independence from Portugal in 1975, but interestingly, since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a renewal of immigration of people from Portugal into Luanda.

Answer: Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia and built specifically for that purpose following years of rather heated discussions between the capital cities of Melbourne (in Victoria) and Sydney (in New South Wales) for that honour. Construction commenced on this created city in 1913, which was designed by American husband and wife architectural team, Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, and ongoing building still continues. With its streets laid out in circles, triangles and hexagons, it's very easy to get lost in Canberra as a result, in spite of its small population of some 350,000 residents, many of whom are public servants.

The Australian War Memorial, National University, Australian Mint, National Institute of Sport, National Gallery, National Museum, and National Library can all be found in Canberra, as well as the Royal Military Officers Training College, the Australian Defence Force Academy and of course the National Parliament, the High Court of Australia and the Governor-General's department. The city is considered a monument to city design and national government.

Answer: True

Formerly known as The Town of Saint Michael - a bit of a mouthful - Bridgetown is the capital city of Barbados. When the British first landed there in 1628, the country was uninhabited, but traces of previous indigenous populations existed. How and why they had disappeared is unknown. What IS known however is that one of the few structures they left behind was a very primitive bridge built over a small swamp in what is now Bridgetown - hence the city's name.

The swamp itself has long since been drained away to make way for Bridgetown's expanding waistline over the centuries.

This lovely city with its deep water harbour located on the Caribbean Sea is a mecca for tourists and cruise ships.

Answer: Santiago

Santiago is the capital of Chile. This area was originally inhabited in 10,000 BC by nomadic hunter-gatherers who returned to the area on a regular basis, but by 800 BC, the first permanent settlements began to be formed by people who grew potatoes, maize and beans, and who domesticated the South American camelids that roamed the region.

It subsequently fell under the rule of the Inca empire during the 15-16th centuries. This was followed by conquests from Peruvian Spain in the mid 16th century and it was from that period that the city we know as Santiago began to develop.

It had a troubled history over the centuries since then, but is now a prosperous and thriving cultural, political and financial centre of much beauty and historical significance.

Answer: A volcano

Moroni is the capital city of the Union of the Comoros, which is an archipelago nation just off the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The city was built more or less at the base of a volcano, which sounds a bit alarming, and the city's name reflects this location.

It translates into English as "in the heart of the fire". That volcano is one of the largest active ones in the world. Moroni was founded by Arab settlers some time during the 10th century and had endured more than its share of violence, along with a coup d'état in recent years.

There are many fascinating ruins to visit in this old town.

Answer: Penal colony

Cayenne is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas department of France located on the far north-east of the South American continent. For the first few years of French control, this area was ignored by the French government because it was considered too unproductive and way too hot.

They eventually colonised it in 1604 with a small settlement in the area, but that was shortly afterwards destroyed by the Portuguese. Over the centuries that followed, Cayenne changed hands many times between warring nations, before being handed back to France in 1814.

It is now a city of exceptionally diverse cultures famous for its carnivals, its historic buildings, its important seaport, its food and its music.

Answer: Helsinki

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is the world's most northerly city with a population of over one million in its metropolitan area. Half that number resides in the main part of the city. It was founded as a town by the then King of Sweden in 1550. King Gustav's aim for the establishment of Helsinki was to compete with the Hanseatic city of Reval (now Tallinn), but he was to be disappointed. For the first couple of centuries of its existence, Helsinki constantly had to deal with war, disease and the plague instead, events which decimated its population.

In fact, it wouldn't be until Russia defeated Sweden in the Finnish war of 1808-09, annexed Finland, and shifted its capital to Helsinki, that the city began to grow and prosper. It is considered to be the most liveable city in the world.