Congratulations to those who took the Cities quiz posted yesterday.  Your knowledge and willingness to give it a go are truly amazing!   Below are the official answers along with some commentary from a “not as smart as he thought he was” world traveler.

1. Which of these cities has not hosted the Summer Olympics? Answer: b. Madrid (I got this one right but it was a toss up with Amsterdam.)

2. Identify the city skylines:


(I was a shameful 0 for 4 on this question.)

3. Which city has the world’s second oldest metro rail system? Answer: Budapest   (Tough question.  Paris, New York or Moscow were my best guesses.  Budapest was way down the list)

4. Identify the country from its second capital city? Answers: a. Czech Republic; b. Sri Lanka; c. Malaysia; d. Chile  (Another toughie.  Lucky to get 50% here.)

5. In which city is the world’s tallest building? Answer: The 828-meter Burj Khalifa is in Dubai.  (This seemed like a trick question possibly, but Dubai’s Burj Al Khalifa still holds the title.)

6. Identify the city from the place of worship:


(Reykjavik stumped me.  The architecture looks very soviet.  I thought that place of worship was surely in eastern Europe.)

7. Which city has the world’s oldest Chinatown? Answer: c. Manila.  (Jakarta and  Manila looked like the most likely answers.  I guessed wrong.)

8. Identify the city from the name of its airport: a. Boston; b. Doha; c. Johannesburg; d. Jakarta  (I knew this one having visited each city.)

9. Name the world’s highest capital city: La Paz, Bolivia at an elevation of approx. 3,640 meters above sea level.  (I didn’t say La Paz but still think I got this one right.  My choice was Lhasa, Tibet.  It sits at 3,650 meters above sea level.  The Chinese government, however, insists that Tibet is part of China.  I’d better be careful with my comments because people who make statements outside of China about topics like Tibet human rights and sovereignty might be subject to arrest if they visit China.  China is mounting a shameless and so far very successful campaign of extraterritorial censorship.)

10. Which destinations are widely regarded as the world’s only three sovereign city states? Answer: Monaco, Singapore, Vatican City.  (As many times as I’ve been to Singapore, I can’t believe it slipped my mind on this question.)

Overall Impression

This quiz taught me a few things.  The second oldest subway system and the names of second capitals were difficult ones that made me guess wildly.  I also had no clue as to the oldest Chinatown (outside China of course).  Multiple choice helped but I still got that one wrong.  And I’m still embarrassed about 0% on the city skylines.  The good news is the quiz taught me a few things and it was a fun diversion.