What city is known as the "Venice of the North"?

 In the early 18th century, the Russian Tsar Peter I decided to build a new city to serve as an outlet for Russia in the Baltic Sea. The site was chosen on the Neva River, near the Gulf of Finland.

Because the region was very swampy, the city had to be built on piles sunk in the swampy land. This caused many people to die while working in this cold and humid region.

The new city, named St. Petersburg, was called "the city built on bones".

St. Petersburg served as the capital of Russia from 1703 to 1917. During the period of the Soviet Union it was known as Leningrad. St. Petersburg is sometimes called the "Venice of the North", as it is built on 101 islands and contains about 320 kilometers of navigable waterways.

The population of the city was more than 3 million when World War II began. The Germans attacked the city and prevented supplies from reaching Leningrad for more than 500 days.

About 1.3 million people died during the Nazi siege of Leningrad, many of them starving. Some 500,000 victims of the siege are now buried in a cemetery in the city, the largest cemetery in the world.

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How populous were the cities of antiquity?

The Acropolis of Athens

Today a real big city has at least five million inhabitants. But the great cities of the ancient world, even those that were the largest cities of their time, were small compared to modern cities.

The cities of Babylon in Mesopotamia, Athens in Greece, Carthage in Africa and Alexandria in Egypt all probably had a population between 250,000 and 500,000 people. And ancient Rome, the largest city the world had ever seen, probably had just under a million people.

The American cities of San Jose in California; Jacksonville in Florida, and Memphis in Tennessee, are medium-sized cities by modern standards, all with populations of more than 500,000. There are about 50 larger U.S. populations than ancient Babylon.

Before 1850, there were only three cities in the world with more than one million people: London, Paris, and Tokyo.

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Who paid for the Statue of Liberty?

 You probably know that the Statue of Liberty in New York was a gift to the United States from France.

But it was not donated by the French government; in fact, the money for the statue came directly from the contributions of French citizens, who wanted to give the United States a present to celebrate its first centennial since Independence in 1876.

U.S. citizens, for their part, collected the money for the concrete base that holds the statue. When the statue was mounted on top of the base, it rose 90 meters above the surrounding waters.

The statue is covered with copper plates, which originally gave it a bright polished color. But the color of the copper changes over time, and the statue currently has a greenish hue.

Also, but not as well known, there is a statue of Liberty in Paris.

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Dhaka (Bangladesh)

   Dhaka is the largest city and the national capital of Bangladesh. Pop. (2013 est.) 7.000.940.
Dhaka lies on the Burhi Ganga River in Dhaka district, a densely populated rural area with unusually fertile soil. The city is a processing and marketing center for the agricultural products of the district, principally rice and jute. The minor industries of the city and the surrounding district are mainly traditional handicrafts, such as gold and silver work, shell carving, and the making of mother-of-pearl buttons. There are rail connections between the city and other parts of the district, but the most common means of transportation is the close network of rivers and canals that crisscross the area. There is an international airport just northwest of Dhaka.
   The cultural center of Bangladesh, Dhaka is the site of the University of Dhaka, founded in 1921. The university library has a large collection of old Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts.
   The eastern section of Bengal, which included Dhaka, was combined with Assam, to the east, in 1905, to make up a new province called Eastern Bengal and Assam. The city was its capital until 1912, when the province was dissolved and Bengal was reunified as the presidency of Bengal. In 1947, Dhaka became the capital of the eastern region of the newly created independent country of Pakistan. The city was made the legislative capital of Pakistan in 1962. In 1971, when East Pakistan seceded and became Bangladesh, Dhaka became its capital.

Gerasa

Gerasa, Triumphal Arch of Hadrian

   Gerasa, or Jerash, ancient city of Jordan. It is located about 80 miles SW of the city of Damascus, and 20 miles E of the Jordan River in the mountains of Gilead. Its early history is unknown, although some believe it to be the city of Ramoth-Gilead. However, it was known to have been captured by Alexander Jannaeus about 83 B.C., and later rebuilt by the Romans A.D. 65. It was important in the second, third, and twelfth centuries, and in early Christian times was made a bishop's see, but it seems to have been destroyed in Byzantine times. Ruins of the city still exist, and are second only to Palmyra in importance.

The old city of Damascus

   The city of Damascus is in Syria, one of the countries that, with Egypt, make up the United Arab Republic. Da­mascus is a very old city, one of the oldest in the world. We know that it is at least 4,000 years old, and it may be much older.
   Damascus is in an oasis in the Syrian Desert. A river from mountains near by brings water to it. It has such beautiful gardens that it has been called the "Pearl of the Desert."
   Over the centuries Damascus has been a center of trade and travel. Today's cars and buses follow ancient caravan routes through it. Many of its streets are lined with bazaars. One of these streets is "The Street Called Straight." For a mile and a half it has a roof over it. Damascus has one of the world's most famous mosques.
   Fifteen hundred years ago Damascus was famous for its steel. The iron workers of Damascus may have been the first people to make true steel. A sword made of the best Damascus steel was strong enough to cut through a rod of iron and sharp enough to cut through a flimsy silk scarf floating in the air.
   Once during the Crusades, according to an old story, Richard the Lionhearted was boasting about his sword to Saladin, the ruler of the Muslims. To prove how strong it was, he cut an iron rod in two with it. Then Saladin handed Richard a soft silk pillow and asked him to try his sword on it. Richard could not cut it. Saladin with his sword of Damascus steel then cut it in two with one stroke.

Florence

   Florence is a famous city in central Italy, on both banks of the Arno River in a valley of the Apennines 145 miles north-northwest of Rome. The population is about 400,000.
    Florence is known for its magnificent churches, monuments, fountains, and sculptures, and its streets are famous for their beauty. The church of Santa Croce (the pantheon of Florence) contains a cenotaph of Dante and the actual tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Alfieri. The picture gallery of the Uffizi Palace contains one of the most magnificent collections of the old masters in the world and some famous sculptures, such as the "Niobids" and the "Venus de' Medici."
   An ancient center of learning and the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence still has numerous important educational institutions, such as the university, the Accademia della Crusca, and an astronomical observatory. It was the birthplace of many great Italian artists and poets. Florence has been an important city since Roman times. It was occupied by the Goths and by the Lombards in the 5th century A.D., later becoming independent. In the 13th and 14th centuries the party struggle between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire (between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines) centered here. The city rose to its greatest heights under the early line of the Medici family in the 15th century. Florence was the capital of the kingdom of Italy from 1865 to 1870.
In World War II Florence was held by the Germans, and the Allied forces attacked the city on their push to the north. The retreating Germans blew up all bridges except the narrow Ponte Vecchio and mined the medieval houses and palaces along the Arno. The Uffizi gallery was damaged, and part of the private collection of paintings.
   The church of Santa Croce, with its Gothic campanile, stands near Florence's Arno River. It is an outstanding Franciscan church. Thomas E. Bachorz owned by Bernard Berenson destroyed. By not making a frontal attack against the retreating Germans, the Allies were able to save most of the treasures of Florence from destruction.
Robert J. Bezucha
   The modern city of Florence is a mecca for tourists and a thriving industrial and transportation center.

Herculaneum

   Herculaneum was an ancient Roman city. It was situated six miles southeast of Naples at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. In the days of its prosperity it was a fortified city of wealth and influence. In 63 A. D. it suffered from an earthquake shock. In the terrific eruption of 79 A. D. cinders and lava covered it to a depth of from 75 to 120 feet. In an hour, one might say, the city disappeared from view. Though excellent descriptions remained the volcanic outflow covered so extensive a territory that no one knew just where to look for Herculaneum. The city lay undisturbed for seventeen centuries. Modern villages and vineyards we're above it. In 1709 a villager sinking his well brought to light sculptures and marble facings. In 1738 the well was dug deeper, when it was discovered that it had penetrated the ancient theater. Though little was done immediately, public interest was aroused. Victor Emmanuel caused extensive excavations to be made with astonishing results. The accounts of the former magnificence of the city of Herculaneum have been fully sustained. The theater mentioned was found to be a magnificent edifice of solid marble, with eighteen rows of seats, capable of seating 8,000 people. The galleries were run into the ancient streets, and doors that had been closed for eighteen centuries were reopened. Coins, jewelry, statues, paintings, libraries of old papyrus, beautiful mosaics, articles of furniture, vases, glass, and terracotta ware were brought out in a wonderfully perfect state of preservation and deposited in the neighboring museum of Naples. A number of noted statues were recovered as well as busts of Plato, Demosthenes. Seneca, Augustus, and Scipio Africanus. Among the villas of wealthy owners was one in which a provision room contained dried figs, almonds, dates, chestnuts, walnuts, prunes, corn, olive oil, peas, hams. and even pies, that had been sealed up here under volcanic ash for nearly 1,800 years-See

Geneva facts

  Geneva, Switzerland, is a picturesque city that has become the head-quarters for numerous international organizations and the meeting place for world conferences. It is also a popular tourist center. The city is located in southwestern Switzerland on Lake Geneva, which is crossed by the Rhone River from east to west. Seven bridges span the river. The municipality (ville de Genève) has a population (as of August 2011) of 191,803

  The city is a cultural, educational, and historical center. Among the places of interest are the Museum of Art and History, the Palace of Justice, the 16th-century Town Hall, the Cathedral of St. Pierre, and the University of Geneva.

Hierapolis

   Hierapolis was a city of Phrygia, Asia Minor, 120 miles northeastern of Smyrna. In ancient times the people of the city worshiped the Greek goddess Leto but it was converted to Christianity at an early date. The Romans were the builders of its great theater and its baths at the site of the famous hot springs. A deep chasm near Hierapolis that was called the Plutonium is said to have emitted mephitic vapors from its depths, causing the superstitious ancients to believe that it opened to the lower regions. There are present day Roman ruins to be seen and also great falls of a crystalline formation that are fed by the hot springs and offer a sight of great beauty. A modern town has grown up near the site of this ancient metropolis.

Hierapolis' Amphitheater

Facts about Seoul

Hyundai car

• Seoul is after Tokyo the world's largest metropolitan area with over 24.5 million inhabitants.
• Area - Special City (233.7 sq mi) 605.25 km2
• Population (2009) 10,208,302 - Metro 24.5 million
• Seoul is the capital and largest city of South Korea.
• Demonym Seoulite
• City's flower Forsythia
• City's tree Ginkgo
• Almost half of South Korea's population live in the Seoul area.
• Seoul is home to major multinational conglomerates such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia.
• Seoul, South Korea (alongside with Japan) hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup
• The name Seoul means "capital city"
• The climate of Seoul is considered both humid subtropical and humid continental.
• The city has been known in the past by the names Wirye-seong, Hanju, Namgyeong, Hanseong, Hanyang and Gyeongseong.
• Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics.
• During Japanese colonization of Korea in the early 20th century, Seoul became known as Gyeongseong.
• After World War II, Korea gained its independence from Japan and the city was renamed Seoul.

Facts about Philadelphia

Liberty Bell

• Philadelphia is the 5th-most-populous city in the United States.
• Philadelphia nicknames: "The City that Loves you Back", "Philly", "The Illadelph", "City of Brotherly Love", "Cradle of Liberty", "The Birthplace of America", "The Quaker City", "The City of Neighborhoods"
• Philadelphia is the largest city in the US state of Pennsylvania.
• The city was founded on October 27, 1682
• City area - 142.6 sq mi (369.3 km²)
• Population - City 1,526,006 - Metro 6.1 million
• Demonym Philadelphian
• The Walnut Street Theater is the oldest continually operating theater in the United States
• The name Philadelphia means in Greek "brotherly love", compounded from philos (φίλος) "love", and adelphos (ἀδελφός) "brother")
• The first U.S. stock exchange was in Philadelphia.
• Philadelphia was once the second-largest city in the British Empire (after London)
• The Philadelphia Mint produces over 30 million coins per day
• The Liberty Bell weighs 2,080 pounds (942 kg).
• The first bank in the United States was created in Philadelphia in 1791

Interesting facts about Tucson, Arizona

• Tucson is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States.
• Tucson is located 188 km (118 miles) southeast of Phoenix and 98 km (60 miles) north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona after Phoenix.
• City's population: 520,116 (metro: 980,263)
• Tucson is the largest city in the area of the Gadsden Purchase.
• Demonym Tucsonan
• Tucson nicknames: The Old Pueblo, Baja Arizona, Optics Valley, The 520, T-Town, City in Kilometers
• Location in Pima County and the state of Arizona
• Total area - City 195.1 sq mi (505.3 km2)
• Tucson is the 32nd largest city in the United States.
• Tucson is surrounded by 5 mountain ranges; the Tucson, Rincon,  Santa Catalina, Tortolita and Santa Rita mountain ranges.

Havana fast facts

• Havana (La Habana), is the capital and largest port of Cuba.
• The Spanish spelling of Habana was formerly Havana.
• Havana Nicknames: 'Princesa del Mar' (Sea Princess), 'Ciudad de las Columnas' (City of Columns).
• Havana was founded in 1515a
• Language: Spanish
• The city founder was Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar
• Area - Total 278.4 sq mi (721 km²)
• Population  - Total 2,141,993
• In 1848, Havana became the third city in the world to receive gas lighting.
• Demonym Havanan (habanero)
• Havana is the second largest city in the Caribbean region, after Santo Domingo.
• King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of City in 1592.
• In the center of Havana's John Lennon Park is a bronze likeness of the former Beatle. It was unveiled in 2000.
• People: 60 percent Spanish descent, 22 percent mulatto, 11 percent African descent, 1 percent Chinese
• Religion: 47 percent Catholic, 4 percent Protestant, 2 percent Santería (many Catholics also practice Santería)

Cleveland fast facts

• Cleveland is a city of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County.
• Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Nicknames: "The Forest City", "Sixth City", "Metropolis of the Western Reserve" and "The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World".
• The name of the city was given in honor of General Moses Cleaveland.
• Cleveland was founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.
• Population - City 396,815 - Metro 2,250,871
• The city's population has been shrinking since it peaked at 914,808 in 1950.
• Demonym: Clevelander
• Area - City 213.4 km² (82.4 sq mi)
• The first settler in Cleveland was Lorenzo Carter, who built a cabin on the banks of the Cuyahoga River.
• Cleveland is home to the first traffic light (August 5, 1914).
• Cleveland is also home to many marvelous nationally recognized museums - The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Cleveland Botanical Gardens, The Great Lakes Science Center, and The Cleveland Natural History Museum.
• Cleveland became the world's first city to be fully lighted electrically in 1879
• Eliot Ness is buried in Lake View Cemetery.

Sao Paulo fast facts

• Sao Paulo (Saint Paul) is the sixth largest city in the world.
• The city of Sao Paulo is home to the largest Japanese community outside of the country of the Rising Sun.
• Demonym: Paulistano
• The demonym paulistas designates anyone from the whole of São Paulo state, including the paulistanos.
• 70 percent of Sao Paulo people are Roman Catholic.
• Its metropolitan area is home to over 20 million people
• The official language in the city is Portuguese. Other languages spoken are Spanish, English and French.
• The average temperature in January is 21 C (70 F), while the average in July is 14 C (57 F).
• Sao Paulo is considered the richest city in Southern Hemisphere
• The São Paulo metropolitan area is ranked as the 2nd most populous in the Americas.
• Area - Municipality 588 sq mi (1,522.986 km²) - Metro 3,067.1 sq mi (7,943.818 km²).
• Sao Paulo nickname(s): Terra da Garoa (Land of Drizzle) and Sampa.
• São Paulo is considered an Alpha - World City.
• São Paulo officially became a city in 1711.
• The city is the capital of the state of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil.

Facts about Florence, Italy

• Lucius Cornelius Sulla founded the city of Florence in 80 BC.
• Firenze is the Italian name of Florence.
• The people of Florence are called “Florentines.”
• Florence was named originally Fluentia.
• Florence was home to the notorious Medici family from the fourteenth century to the eighteenth century.
• Florence is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 367,569 inhabitants (1,500,000 in the metro area).
• The city is considered the “Athens of the Middle Ages”, “Jewel of the Renaissance” and the “birthplace of the Italian Renaissance”.
• The city is known especially for its art and architecture.
• Florence Nightingale was born in and named after the city of Florence.
• Florence is arguably the last preserved Renaissance city in the world and is regarded by many as the art capital of Italy.
• Amerigo Vespucci, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei, Niccolo Machievelli, Rafael, Donatello, Robert Cavalla, and Guccio Gucci all lived in Florence.
• From 1865 to 1870 Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.
• Famous Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge in Florence to have survived World War II intact. German dictator, Adolf Hitler declared it was too beautiful to destroy.

Facts about San Antonio, Texas

• San Antonio is the 2nd-largest city within the state of Texas.
• Nickname(s): San Antone, River City, Alamo City
• Area: 1,067.3 km² (412.1 sq mi)
• Population (2010) - City: 1,327,407 - Metro: 2,142,508.
• Website www.sanantonio.gov
• It is the 7th largest city in the United States.
• The Texan city was named for San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua).
• The city is home to five Fortune 500 companies.
• San Antonio and its vicinities are home to 5 major colleges and universities.
• The climate of the city is comfortably mild throughout the year.
• More than twenty-six million people visit San Antonio, Texas each year.
• San Antonio, Texas have 300 days of sunshine annually and an average temperature of 70 degrees F (21 degrees Celsius).
• The Basketball team, the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship in 2007, 2005, 2003, and 1999.

Interesting facts about Shanghai

• Shanghai (上海) is the most populous city in China.
• The city grew in importance in the Nineteenth century due to its favourable port location.
• The name Shanghai (上海) literally mean 'Upper Sea'.
• Demonym: Shanghainese
• Shanghai area: 7,037 km2 (2,717 sq mi)
• Elevation above sea level: 4 m (13 ft)
• Population - Municipality 19,213,200
• Shanghai is the 8th largest city in the world.
• The oldest mosque in Shanghai is Fuyou Lu Mosque, which was built in 1868.
• Shanghai became the largest cargo port in the world in 2005.
• The first KFC in Shanghai was launched in 1989.
• Official flower: The White Magnolia.
• Shanghai is the most expensive city in China.
• Nicknames: ‘Queen of the Orient’ and the ‘Paris of the East’.
• Shanghai is sinking at a rate of 15 mm a year.
• The Huangpu River is the main waterway in Shanghai.
• The world's tallest statue of polish composer Frederic Chopin is located in Zhongshan Park.
• Between 1937 and 1939 an estimated 20,000 Jews travelled to Shanghai to escape the Nazis.

Interesting facts about Barcelona

• Barcelona is the capital and the most populous city of Catalonia Demonym: Barcelonan, barcelonés, barceloní, barcelonesa, barcelonina.
• Area city: 101.9 km² (39.3 sq mi)
• Mean Altitude: 12 meters above sea level.
• Annual Rainfall: 584 mm/year.
• Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid.
• Population Province: 5,350,000.
• Nickname: Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts).
• Average Temperature: 16.5 Celsius (62 Fahrenheit), Summer 25 C (77 F), Winter 10 C (50 F)
• Barcelona is the 6th-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Ruhr area, Madrid and Milan.
• The city name comes from the ancient Iberian Phoenician Barkeno.
• During the Middle Ages, Barcelona was variously known as Barchinona, Barçalona, Barchelona, and Barchenona.
• Over 268.000 foreigners live in Barcelona currently.
• Barcelona is Europe’s largest metropolis on the Mediterranean coast.
• There are 4 police forces in Catalonia: the Guardia Urbana (traffic), the Policía
• Nacional (National Police), the Guardia Civil (Civil Guard), and the Mossos d'Escuadra (Catalonia's autonomous police force).
• In the Nineteenth century, Barcelona’s restaurants were know to be some of the best in Europe.
• The famous Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926).
• Although incomplete, the Sagrada Familia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.