Paris was the first city in Europe to start using electric street lamps leading to it being nicknamed "The City of Light". The city's architecture and beauty have also made it very popular among couples earning it another nickname of the "City of Love".
2. The Old Smoke
Answer: London
Coal was the major source of fuel for heating in the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. The smoke generated led to a hazy smog enveloping the city of London finally culminating in the Great Smog of 1952. As a result of this, London was nicknamed "The Smoke". With other cities soon acquiring the same nickname for similar reasons, London began to be referred to as "The Old Smoke".
Other cities with comparative nicknames are Vancouver -"The Big Smoke" and Edinburgh - "Auld Reekie".
3. The Eternal City
Answer: Rome
The Roman Empire was at one time considered "an empire without an end". Consequently the Romans believed that while other empires and cities around the world may rise and fall, the city of Rome would continue to exist forever. This resulted in its nickname of "The Eternal City".
4. The Holy City
Answer: Jerusalem
Jerusalem's nickname doesn't come as a surprise as it is considered to be a holy city by three major world religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
5. Venice of the North
Answer: Amsterdam
The Italian city of Venice is built over thousands of islands and is famous for its many canals. This has led to numerous cities around the world which have their own canal systems being compared with it. Amsterdam is just one of the many cities that are nicknamed "Venice of the North", the others include Wroclaw in Poland, Bruges in Belgium and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
6. The Pearl of the Adriatic
Answer: Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is located in the region of Dalmatia in Croatia. This walled city is located at the tip of the Croatian coast along the Adriatic Sea. It's beauty and strategic location have earned it the nickname of the "Pearl of the Adriatic".
7. The Pink City
Answer: Jaipur
Jaipur is the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded in the early 18th century when the then king, Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II, moved his capital from Amer to the planned city of Jaipur. The buildings in the city are mostly constructed out of the locally available sandstone.
In 1876, all the buildings were painted pink to welcome the Prince of Wales on his maiden visit to India giving the city its nickname.
8. Pearl of the Orient
Answer: Hong Kong
There are multiple places that share this nickname apart from the city of Hong Kong. These are the Malaysian state on Penang, the country of Sri Lanka and Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Hong Kong's colonial coat of arms featured a pearl held by a lion which may be one of the reasons behind this nickname.
9. City of the Kings
Answer: Lima
When Lima was founded by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, he named it Ciudad de los Reyes which literally translates to "City of the Kings". Lima is also nicknamed the "Pacific Pearl" (La Perla del Pacífico) due to its location on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
10. City of Churches
Answer: Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital of the Australian state of South Australia and was named after Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the wife of King William IV. It was a planned city founded as a freely-settled British province. The nickname of "City of Churches" has been in use since the mid 19th century. While the city is home to many, many churches, the exact reason behind the nickname is not known.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
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