Which City is Number 2? Trivia Quiz

Answer: St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg (2004 pop. 4.6 million) was founded near the mouth of the Neva River in the wake of retreating Swedish troops in 1703. Made capital by Peter the Great in 1710, it was renamed Petrograd in 1914 (St. Petersburg sounded too German) and then Leningrad in 1924 (in honour of Lenin) before reverting to its original name after the break-up of the USSR in 1991.

Answer: Birmingham

Birmingham (2004 pop. 990,000), a major manufacturing centre, grew rapidly into prominence during the industrial revolution due to nearby iron and coal deposits. It was heavily bombed during World War II, and large portions of the city centre were rebuilt.

Answer: Alexandria

Located on the western side of the Nile delta, Alexandria (2004 pop 3.95 million) was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. It became part of the Roman and then Byzantine Empires before falling to the Arabs and later Napoleon.

Answer: Guadalajara

Guadalajara is the home of mariachi music.

Answer: Busan (Pusan)

Busan, also known as Pusan (2004 pop. 3.5 million), is located on the southern tip of the Korean peninsula, is the principal seaport of South Korea. Was temporary capital of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War (1950-3).

Answer: Thessaloniki

Was founded 316 BC and named for one of Alexander the Great's sisters (Salonika). Capital of the Roman province of Macedonia and finally, was the birthplace of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk).
2004 population: 1.1 million.

Answer: Melbourne

Down in the Garden State, Melbournians maintain a pretty fierce rivalry with the Sydney folks up north. Melbourne has a sister city relationship with Osaka, another No.2 city.
In 2018, Melbourne overtook Sydney as Australia's largest city.

Answer: Cordoba

Founded in 1573 and named after the Spanish city of the same name, Cordoba (Pop. 1.5 million) is located on the Primerol River on the NW fringe of the Pampas. Traditionally a fiercely conservative city with a rich colonial heritage, Cordoba is now a major transport and communications hub.

Answer: Surabaya

A sister city to Seattle (I wonder how big the grunge movement was there?), Surabaya (pop. 3.9 million) is referred to as 'the city of heroes' in Indonesia because of its heroic efforts at the end of WWII.

Answer: Graz

Graz (pop. 220,000) was long known as a major trade centre, particularly in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, but nowadays its most famous export is the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger!