Cities in Africa

Kinshasa was founded as Léopoldville in 1881, by Henry Stanley, a Welsh journalist and explorer. It was named in honor of King Leopold II of Belgian. In 1923, Léopoldville, replaced Boma as the colony’s capital. When the Congo declared its independence in 1960, Léopoldville became the capital. The city was renamed as Kinshasa in 1966, as a means of replacing colonial names with original or African titles.

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Founded in 1899, the city of Nairobi began as a rail junction for the Uganda Railway as a means of connecting the interior of Uganda and Kenya with the port city of Mombasa. In 1905, Nairobi replaced Mombasa as the capital of the British colony. The town became an important agricultural site for growing coffee, tea, and sisal, spurring further development in making Nairobi a financial and industrial center for Africa.

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Algiers began as Ikosim, a small seaport serving Phoenician commerce. After the Punic Wars, the town fell under Roman control and flourished as Icosium, a thriving commercial city in Mauretania Caesariensis, the Roman province covering the Northern Algerian coast.  The modern city of Algiers began to take shape in 944 through the efforts of Bologhine ibn Ziri, the founder of the Berber Zirid–Sanhaja dynasty.

Cities in South Africa

Durban has the largest and busiest shipping terminal in South Africa. The port facilities include berths for cargo ships and cruise liners. It also serves as a naval base for the South African Navy. The area was first sighted by Europeans when Vasco da Gama sailed along the coast in 1497. The city was named in honor of Benjamin Alfred D’Urban, a British general and former governor of the Cape Colony; 1834 to 1838.

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Cape Town was founded by Jan van Riebeeck, a navigator working for the United East India Company, Vereenigde Oost-indische Compagnie. In 1652 he sailed into Table Bay and established a way station to provision Dutch ships with fresh supplies. The Cape colony strengthened the Dutch trade route stretching from Europe to East Africa, India, and the Far East. The Dutch ceded Cape Town to the British in 1814.

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Johannisburg was established in 1866 when gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand, a 56 kilometer scarp. Early reports and findings of gold did not generate much interest until Jan Gerrit Bantjes discovered large amounts of gold at Langlaagte. The Witwatersrand Gold Rush quickly became the biggest rush in history and resulted in the unearthing of the largest deposit of gold ever found.

Jacaranda - Pretoria

Jacaranda mimosifolia - Although native to South America, the jacaranda tree is grown throughout the world as an ornamental plant. Mature trees grow to heights of 20 meters. The lavender blue flowers are 5 centimeters in length and clustered in panicles 30 centimeters in diameter. The tree is well known for its spectacular display of blooms and carpet of blue left on the ground when the flowers fall. The hardy blue jacaranda is able to survive freezing temperatures for short periods and if damaged, can easily resprout as a multi-branched shrub. 

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Pretoria is one of three cities serving as capitals of South Africa. Each branch of South Africa’s government, administrative, judicial, and legislative, is based in a different city. Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. The city was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius and was named after Boer leader Andries Pretorius, the father of Marthinus. Pretoria is located along the banks of the Apies River and lies in a fertile valley nestled on the foothills of the Magaliesberg Mountains. Pretoria and Johannesburg, the seat of South Africa’s Constitution Court, are located in Gauteng province and are separated by 55 kilometers.

Tulip - Ottawa

Tulips originated in Southern Europe and Central Asia; there are about 75 species distributed across 4 subgenera. Tulips are perennial herbaceous geophytes: perennial describes plants able to live for more than two seasons, herbaceous plants lack a woody stem growing above ground, and a geophyte plant makes use of a storage organ, typically a bulb, corm, rhizome or tuber, for storing food during the dormant stage. These bulbs are usually concealed underground to protect them from adverse weather and grazing herbivores. 

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In 1826, the British built the Rideau Canal to link the Ottawa River to Lake Ontario. The project attracted new settlers and the village of Bytown was created. The name was changed to Ottawa in 1855, a name the local Algonguin tribe had been using in referring to the river for its importance of serving as a commercial waterway. In 1857, Queen Victoria had the final word in settling a dispute between the cities of Montreal, Toronto, Kingston, Quebec, and Ottawa to determine Canada’s capital city. Her choice was based on Ottawa’s central location between the two existing Canadian colonies at the time: Quebec and Ontario.

Cities in Canada

Over 2,000 years ago, the Coast Salish people occupied the present day area of Vancouver. The Fraser Gold Rush of 1858 brought thousands of prospectors to the area. Gastown, centered near the Hastings sawmill, was established in 1863 to serve the needs of the growing community. It was declared a town in 1870 and renamed Granville. In 1886, it was renamed for George Vancouver, a captain in the Royal Navy.

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In 1608, Samuel Champlain built three stockades to strengthen French claims in Canada. The settlement was named Habitation de Québec. Alliances with the Algonquin and Huron people were successful and the village prospered. In 1759, the Plains of Abraham, an area outside Québec City, became a battle site in the French and Indian War, a battle to decide if Canada would be controlled by the French or the British.

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The city of Hamilton was official chartered in 1846, but the area had been a destination point for large numbers of displaced Americans loyal to the British cause during and after the American Revolutionary War. With the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1854 and the completion of the Niagara Suspension Bridge in 1855, Hamilton was fully connected to Canada and the United States.

Cities in Canada

A new community was founded on the treeless plains of Canada’s North West Territories in 1882 and named “Regina.” The settlement was named by Princess Louise in honor of her mother, Queen Victoria. Regina served briefly as the capital of the North West Territory. Saskatchewan became a province in 1905 and Regina, having been incorporated as a city in 1903, became Saskatchewan’s capital in 1906.

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People from the Blackfoot Confederacy had settled in the area of present day Calgary. John Glenn was the first European to establish a residence in the area; he built a log cabin near Fish Creek in 1873. His farmstead and trading post became a stop along the migration route crossing Canada. In 1875, Fort Brisebois, as Calgary was then known, served as an outpost for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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The Europeans had established a short cut between the trading routes along Lakes Ontario and Huron. A French trading post, Fort Rouillé, was built near the Humber and Don Rivers during the mid-18th century. The settlement was destroyed by the British in 1759 during the French and Indian War. The rebuilt community was renamed York and became the key to British control of Upper Canada.

Cities in Canada

E.A. Blakeney, a prospector, on his way to the gold fields of the Klondike, discovered gold in the Northwest Territory in 1898, but the ongoing Klondike Rush and the remoteness of the new find did not stir much enthusiasm. In 1934, another discovery of gold occurred in the same region. This time, with the use of aircraft, a rush to recover the mineral wealth resulted in the founding of Yellowknife. 

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In 1795, the Hudson Bay Company built a trading post on the northern section of the Saskatchewan River. Fort Edmonton became a center in the thriving fur trade. In the 1890’s, the settlement became a starting point for thousands of prospectors starting out for the new gold fields of the Yukon Territory. The Canadian Pacific Railroad, reaching the area in 1891, contributed to Edmonton’s rapid growth.

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Located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, the region of present day Winnipeg had been occupied by the Assiniboine and Cree people. The first European settlement was established by Sieur de La Vérendrye in 1738 and was named Fort Rouge. The North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company contributed to the area’s economy by setting up trading posts in the early 1800’s.

Sassafras - Washington D.C.

Sassafras albidum - The sassafras tree, a member of the laurel family, is found throughout the deciduous forests of the Eastern United States. Native Americans made use of the entire tree to serve their medicinal, culinary, and ceremonial needs. The medium-sized tree grows to heights of 15 to 20 meters, is a fast growing plant, and prefers well-drained soils with a low pH, potential of hydrogen. Young trees have a greenish bark; mature trees are reddish brown in color and course in texture. The fruit is an important wildlife food source.

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In 1783, the United States Congress decided a permanent capital was needed. The site for the new city was selected by George Washington and was to be known as the District of Columbia. Pierre L’Enfant and Andrew Ellicott contributed in designing the national capital. Congress had convened in eight other cities prior to meeting in Washington D.C. The other cities, in order of initial appearance, include Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, York, Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton, and New York. Of the eight cities, Philadelphia’s Congress and Independence Hall served longer as the nation’s temporary capital than all the others combined.

Cities in the Americas

The first European to appreciate the strategic importance of La Habana harbor was Sebastian de Ocampo during his circumnavigation of Cuba in 1509. The city was established in 1515 and used by Spain as the staging area for the treasure fleets hauling gold and silver from the New World to Europe. Philip II granted La Habana “city” status in 1592 and efforts began in fortifying the city against pirates and foreign intrusion.

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Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet passed through what is the present day city of Chicago in 1673. They found a swampy area inhabited by members of the Saulk, Mesquakie, and Potawatomi people. These Native Americas referred to the area as "Checagou," in reference to the wild onions growing along the shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago serves as an important transportation, financial, and industrial center.

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In 1535, Jacques Cartier discovered the Huron village of Hochelaga located on an island situated at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. By 1605, the native village had been abandoned and the French began erecting a trading post in the area. French colonists arrived in 1642 and established Ville-Marie. By 1705, the residents began referring to their settlement as Montréal.

Cities in the United States

The area now occupied by the city of Seattle was settled by the Duwamish people during the last ice age; almost 10,000 years ago. George Vancouver, an English captain in the Royal Navy, was the first European to land in the area during a 1792 charting expedition. Seattle was incorporated in 1862 and is named after Chief Si'ahl, a Duwamish tribal leader. Seattle is the largest American city in the Pacific Northwest.

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The first capital of North Carolina, New Bern, had become open to British attack during the Revolutionary War and provided incentive for finding a less vulnerable site. The state legislature purchased 1,000 acres of land and began laying out a new city in 1792; the first session of the state’s general assembly met in their new capital in 1794. The city was named in honor of Walter Raleigh, an English explorer.

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Dallas was established near the Trinity River in 1841. By the 1860’s, a stage line had connected the town and a railway link from the south was nearing completion. It became a leading center for transporting grain and cotton, serving as the largest inland cotton market in the United States. Dallas emerged from its agricultural roots in the early 20th century to become a banking and industrial metropolis.

Cities in Asia

Bangkok began as a small trading post  situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in the emerging Ayutthaya Kingdom. Prosperity for the Ayutthaya Kingdom came through trade with the nearby Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indians, as well as the distant French, Portuguese, and Dutch. This lucrative international trade transformed Krung Thep, as it is known in Thai, into a leading Asian metropolis.

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Kuala Lumpur  was founded in the 1850’s to serve the needs of the local tin miners. The town barely survived floods, fires, gang warfare, and various outbreaks of diseases. Yap Ah Loy was installed by the British as the chieftain of the area during the 1870’s in an attempt to bring a degree of stability to the region. Under his leadership, Kuala Lumpur began to grow rapidly and emerged as Malaysia’s leading city.

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Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Central Asia. It was known as Marakanda when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BC. Samarkand served as the capital for Timur when he ruled over the Timurid Empire in the 14th century and serves as his burial site. Samarkand was also one of the key cities along the Silk Road and through this position, grew into a prosperous trading city.

Cities in Europe

Celtic people known as the Parisi founded Paris in the middle of the 13th century. The location, along the River Seine, was ideal in taking advantage of trade developing between Northern and Southern Europe. The town grew into a thriving city, bringing on unwanted attention from Romans and Vikings. Clovis the Frank, the first king to unite the Frankish tribes, made Paris the capital of his unified kingdom in 508.

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In 1095, Hungarian King Ladislaus I established a diocese in an area featuring two prominent hills; Gradec and Kaptol. The diocese was built on Kaptol and a small village took shape on Gradec. The two communities suffered invasions, fires, and the plague. They often resorted to violence in resolving their own petty differences, but agreed to merge in 1609, resulting in the formation of Zagreb.

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Wien was founded by Celtic people and can trace its history back to 500 BC. The Romans called the settlement Vindobona and built it into a fortified city to guard their northern border. The city and surrounding area became part of the Duchy of Austria, a state in the Holy Roman Empire. By 1440, Wien became the resident city of the Hapsburg Dynasty and served as the capital for the Holy Roman Empire.

Cities in Germany

Spas became popular in the late 1600’s, but the hot mineral waters of Aquae Mattiacorum had been serving as a Roman spa since 6 AD when the settlement became a military post along the Limes Germanicus, the fortified border between the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes. The hot mineral waters are still flowing today and have contributed in making Wiesbaden the largest spa city in Germany.

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Dresden has the distinction of being home to the oldest public museum in the world. Augustus II, the Strong, Elector of Saxony, founded the Grünes Gewölbe in 1723; the name translates as “Green Vault.” The museum is known for its large art collection featuring artist from the Baroque and Classicism era. The museum was heavily damaged during the 1945 Allied bombing, but has since been restored. 

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Nürnberg is situated along the Pegnitz River, a small tributary flowing into the Regnitz and finally the Main River at Bamberg. The Fleischbrücke is one of several bridges crossing the Pegnitz in Nürnberg. Construction began in 1596 and when completed in 1598, the single arch bridge was the largest masonry bridge in Germany. It is a Renaissance styled bridge similar in design to the Ponte di Rialto in Venice, Italy.

Cities in Germany

Halle is located on the Saale River and serves as an important site in the production and harvesting of salt. Production began during the Bronze Age and was centered on 4 fracture springs spewing forth a briny solution. The water was boiled off to recover the salt, a precious commodity at the time and was referred to as “white gold.” Fracture springs are formed by fissures, faults or joints in the earth’s surface.

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Köln had been a free city within the Holy Roman Empire, but this status was lost in 1801; the city had been occupied by Napoleon since 1794. The Treaty of Lunéville ceded all territories west of the Rhine, including Köln, from the Holy Roman Empire to France. Köln became part of the French Department of Roer and was returned to the control of a German administration following Napoleon’s final defeat in 1814.

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The annual gathering for München’s Oktoberfest has made it the world’s most widely attended “Volksfest” or People’s Fair in the world. Oktoberfest began as a celebration of marriage when Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria took Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen as his bride on October 12, 1810. The tradition continues and has grown into a two week celebration with millions of participants world-wide. 

Cities in Germany

Prior to 1800, Germany was a rural country dedicated to an agricultural base. By 1900, the Industrial Revolution transformed Germany into Europe’s largest economy. The coal dug out of the rich mines of the Ruhr Area fired the factory furnaces producing the new demand for iron and steel. Dortmund stood at the center and became one of Germany’s largest cities and the show piece of Germany’s largest urban area.

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Referred to as “Bonna” by the Roman founders, Bonn housed a small military garrison on the Rhein River. In 1949, the city became the site for drafting a new German constitution and became the nation’s new capital. Berlin, lying deep within Soviet controlled territory, was regarded as the “de jure” capital of a divided Germany, but Bonn served as the “de facto” capital of West Germany until the 1991 reunification.  

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Charlemagne brought the Carolingian Dynasty to a peak when he became Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 822; the Carolingians originated in and around Aachen. Charlemagne made Aachen his winter home throughout his thirteen year reign and elevated the city as the administrative seat of power for the Holy Roman Empire from 794 to 1328; thirty-one Holy Roman Emperors were crowned in Aachen.

Cities in Germany

The Ludwig Kanal, built between 1836 and 1846, connected the Donau River at Kelheim with the Main River at Bamberg. The canal was extensively damaged during World War II and abandoned in 1950. The Rhein-Main-Donau Kanal, completed in 1992, runs almost parallel to the old Ludwig Kanal in reconnecting the Rhine and Danube Basins. Bamberg continues to serve as a key link in the waterway.

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Darmstadt, the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Hessen, is the third largest city in Hessen and serves as the mission control center for the European Space Agency, an intergovernmental organization established in 1975. The city is also the site of the  GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research, an institution responsible for research in the discovery and confirmation of several chemical elements. 

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In geographical terms, a bight is a curve along a coastline or river. Wilhelmshaven is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a curvature along Germany’s North Sea coast. The city was established by Kaiser Wilhelm I as a naval base for Prussia’s expanding fleet; the name translates as Wilhelm’s Harbor. The city continues to serve as Germany’s largest naval base and is the only deep water port in the nation.

Cities in Australia

Sir Thomas Brisbane, the namesake for the city and river, was governor of the New South Wales colony from 1821 to 1825. At the time, New South Wales included Queensland. When the colonies were separated in 1859, Brisbane, the former penal colony of Moreton Bay, was chosen as the capital of the new territory. Despite suffering a destructive fire in 1864 and a flood in 1893, Brisbane survived and prospered.

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Of Australia’s 10 largest cities only Adelaide and Perth are not located on the country’s east coast. Perth is located along the banks of the Swan River on Australia’s west coast and encompasses a metropolitan area of about 7 square kilometers.  The city was founded in 1829 and began to experience rapid growth as a result of 5 significant gold rushes taking place in Western Australia during the late 19th century.

Cities in Oceania

Honiara began as a small development in the vicinity of Henderson Field, a landing strip partially constructed by Japanese forces. The struggle for control of Henderson Field became the focal point in the Battle of Guadalcanal, a battle lasting from August 1942 until February 1943. The Allied forces prevailed and the air field was completed; it now serves as the main airport for the Solomon Islands.

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Jakarta was established as a trading center for the Sunda Kingdom, a state existing from 669 to 1579. In 1619, the city began serving as the administrative headquarters for the Dutch East Indies Company; the Dutch had renamed the city “Batavia.” Jakarta survived Dutch colonial rule, Japanese occupation, and a war of liberation to become, with over 30 million people, one of the world’s most populated metropolitan areas.

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Manila has been associated with several Asian kingdoms, but its longest foreign relationship was with Spain. The Spanish, under the leadership of Ferdinand Magellan, arrived in 1521. Although the first European encounter resulted in Magellan’s death, Spain succeeded in establishing a successful colony in the Philippines; Manila became one of the leading cities in Spain’s colonial empire.