Place the City - Africa [3] Trivia Quiz

After Lagos, the city of Kano is Nigeria's most-populated destination and it was built to be such because of its precarious spot between the Sahara Desert to the north and the savannah to the south. After years of independence as a Kingdom and a Sultanate and an Emirate, Kano became encompassed by British rule. Visitors there today might be surprised to find beautiful ancient city walls, royal palaces, and sprawling marketplaces in its Old City.

Though the central capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo, couldn't be further from the coast, it contains more than five times the population of the nation's next largest cities. Toamasina is amongst these and, found on the country's east coast, it's one of Madagascar's most critical seaports. Built by the French during its early days of colonization, it was made with the intent to ship rare exports, like vanilla, around the globe.

Located on the Tunisian coast, Sfax was established atop what was, once, the Roman city of Taparura as the empire expanded across the Mediterranean. Today, Sfax is a massive port and one of the nation's largest cities (after the historical capital of Tunis). Found almost three hundred kilometres south along the coast, Sfax is closer to the edge of the Sahara, and its fortresses, medina, and architecture reflect the styles typical of the surrounding environment.

Once known as Élisabethville under the French and Elisabethstad under the Dutch, the city of Lubumbashi, one of the larger destinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, took on its name in 1970 during the tumultuous civil war that occurred in the region at the time.

The city is found in a relatively unique spot; the DRC is a very large country and it does touch onto the Gulf of Guinea, but Lubumbashi is found in the far south near the Zambian border. With few natural waterways to connect it to surrounding regions, it's more remote than one would expect, built almost exclusively to take advantage of mining opportunities in this part of the continent.

One of the most populated cities in Morocco, Fes is due east of Rabat en route to the Atlas Mountains as they stretch along the eastern spine of the country. Founded in the eighth century AD, it developed into what would become a cultural hub for numerous indigenous populations (including the nomadic Berbers) and French colonial influence. Visitors who make their way there today will find beautiful walled regions, old mosques, and historical tanneries that have been in operation since the city's founding.

One of the northernmost cities along the coast of Senegal, Saint-Louis (formerly N'dar) was at one point the capital of the nation when it was overseen by French colonists. Though Dakar is the largest city in the country, Saint-Louis is one of its most critical, historically and geographically. Sitting on the Senegal River, it marks an important juncture point as the waterway moves along the Mauritanian border for about two hundred kilometres. Because of how low the city is next to the sea, it has been considered the most at-risk of all African locations when it comes to climate change.

Notably NOT a capital city of South Africa (since they have three), Johannesburg is still important in the country because it's the most populated city in the nation and a critical historical location, especially when considering the effects of Apartheid in the 20th century. One of the largest cities in all of Africa, Johannesburg is found inland from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and was built after the discovery of gold nearby (and established at the end of the 19th century). Today it's a massive economic hub for the region.

Found on the end of a peninsula on the edge of the nation of Gabon, Port-Gentil is actually located on an island that forms the far end of the sheltered Cape Lopez Bay as it spills into the Gulf of Guinea. Port-Gentil is surprisingly remote despite being Gabon's second-largest city.

In fact, most people leaving the island need to fly; there are no formal roadways connecting it with the rest of the country. This being said, it's an important spot for shipping and offshore petroleum.

Found on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm El-Sheikh is located at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba as it flows beyond towards Israel. A major tourist destination due to its hot but pleasant weather and the calm Red Sea waters, it's best-known for its resorts and beaches, destinations rarely seen throughout the continent otherwise.

The region is also dotted with coral reefs and is, as such, a popular spot for international divers. The outlying regions are, otherwise, characterized by hot, unpopulated deserts and rugged mountains.

Found on the edge of Lake Victoria due east of the Ugandan capital city of Kampala, Jinja is still one of the nation's largest cities and, perhaps, its most important for agriculture. Sitting on the starting point of the Victoria Nile, it might be surprising to some that travellers who follow along the world's longest waterway could make their way up to the Mediterranean from this city.

The city is also a gateway, via ferry, to other African cities on Lake Victoria's edge; from there you could visit Kisumu, Kenya or Mwanza, Tanzania.