How Well Do You Know The World's Biggest Cities?

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Well Do You Know The World's Biggest Cities?
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About This Quiz

Are you a world traveler, or just a student of geography? Either way, you're probably familiar with the major cities of the world. Take this quiz to find out how much you really know about the world's metropolises.

The world's biggest city, by population, is Shanghai, in China. More than 24 million people live there. But Shanghai isn't the only city that is bursting at the seams. In fact, there are roughly 500 cities throughout the world with populations of more than one million people. Shanghai may be overrun (not literally, lol) by Mexico City, Mexico very soon since Mexico City's population is growing at an astounding rate. 

Although these megacities come with their own sets of problems and challenges, they also serve as hubs for the development of art, music, medicine, culture, and more. For instance, take New York, as the very first megacity (New York had grown to house more than 10 million people by 1930), and Tokyo as the second megacity (more than 10 million inhabitants by 1950), and you'll see how cities grow. But because we have kept track of the world's biggest cities, we also understand why they become so large.

Let's find out how much you know.

Which American city is one of the top 5 most visited cities on earth?
San Francisco
New York City
Cleveland
Miami
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

New York City is one of the richest and most populous cities on earth, as well as one of the most visited. It was the 5th most visited city on earth in 2016 with roughly 13 million foreign visitors.

Which of these European capitals is more populated?
Paris
London
Rome
Bucharest
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Paris, France is the largest metropolis in Europe and the 25th largest in the world. It has a population of nearly 11 million.

Which megacity is famous for K-pop?
Tokyo
Seoul
Kinshasa
Chennai
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Seoul, South Korea is one of Asia's coolest and most wired cities. This massive capital is famous for its singing and dancing K-Pop stars.

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From which major metropolis can you still see the Great Pyramids of Giza?
Los Angeles
Chennai
Cairo
Shanghai
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Over 19 million people live in Cairo, Egypt. The Great Pyramids are less than an hour away from the center of this bustling African city.

Where are most of the world's most expensive cities located?
America
Asia
India
The Middle East
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Half of the top 10 most expensive cities to live in are located in Asia, as well as all of the top 5 but 1. Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul are some of the largest and most expensive cities to live in on earth.

Other than New York City, which US cities are amongst the wealthiest on earth?
Philadelphia and Miami
Chicago and Los Angeles
Portland and Dallas
San Francisco and Nashville
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While New York City is the 2nd richest city on earth, both Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California occupy 2 other top 10 spots. Los Angeles is 3rd and Chicago is 8th.

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Which of these cities is the most populated on earth?
Paris
Tokyo
New York City
Cairo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With a population pushing 40 million, Tokyo, Japan is the most populated metropolitan area on earth. In fact, a quarter of Japan's entire population lives there.

Of these two cities, which is more populated?
Moscow
New York City
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

New York City has a metropolitan population of over 18 million people and is the 9th most populous city. Moscow is the 21st most populous city with roughly 12 million inhabitants.

In which global city is Tiananmen Square?
New Delhi
Beijing
New York City
Cairo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Beijing, China is a massive city where you can see The Great Wall of China. It is also home to Tiananmen Square, the world's largest public square.

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Which city is the largest in the Americas?
Sao Paulo
New York City
Chennai
Montreal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With a metropolitan area population of more than 21 million, Sao Paulo, Brazil is the most populous city in the Americas. It is also the largest Portuguese-speaking city on earth.

Which of these mega cities is also one of the cheapest to live in in the world?
New York City
Chicago
London
Mumbai
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

21.4 million people live in Mumbai. It's India's most populated city and one of the top 5 cheapest places to live in the world due to local food, transportation and housing costs.

In which global city is Times Square?
New York City
Osaka
Manila
Beijing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

New York City is arguably the most famous city on earth. It is the 10th most populated and 9th most expensive city to live in on earth.

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Which was the most visited city in the world in 2016?
London
Moscow
Bangkok
New York City
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bangkok, Thailand is home to about 8 million residents and the most visited tourist destination in the world. It had over 20 million foreign overnight visitors in 2016.

Which megacity is one of the biggest in Africa?
Shanghai
Lagos
Djibouti
Johannesburg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lagos, Nigeria is the largest city in Nigeria and one of the top 10 largest cities on earth. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Where are most of the world's cheapest big cities located?
South America
North America
India
Europe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

India has some of the world's most affordable big metropolises. These include New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

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Which of these two cities is bigger?
Shanghai
Los Angeles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shanghai is the 3rd largest city on earth after Tokyo and Delhi. Los Angeles is the 20th largest, by population.

_________ is the only Russian city in the top 25 most populated cities on earth.
Omsk
St. Petersburg
Sochi
Moscow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Russia is the largest country on earth by land, but 9th in terms of total population. Its largest city, Moscow, is the 21st most populous city on earth.

Which city in the Middle East had the most visitors in 2016?
Riyadh
Dubai
Jerusalem
Istanbul
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates. It is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the Middle East and had more than 15 million visitors in 2016.

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Which major metropolis is the richest in the world?
Tokyo
New Delhi
Sao Paulo
Chicago
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tokyo is the largest metropolis on earth and also the wealthiest by far. The GDP of the city is $1,520 billion.

In which country does about half of the population live in the massive capital city?
America
Scotland
South Korea
France
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Seoul, South Korea is the 17th largest city on earth, with about 25 million people living in its metropolitan area. That is about half of the country's entire population, about 51.44 million people.

Which major western city had the most visitors in 2016?
Paris
London
Berlin
Rome
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

London is the world's largest financial center. After the pound dropped in value following Brexit, nearly 20 million foreign visitors flocked to the city.

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Which of these is the biggest city in North America?
Spokane
Mexico City
Los Angeles
New York City
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

New York City is the 10th most populated city on earth and Mexico City is the 7th. Mexico City has over 20 million residents and is famous for its incredible street food and terrible traffic.

In which global city can you find the largest palace on earth?
Beijing
Chennai
New York City
Los Angeles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Beijing, China is the 6th most populated city on earth, home to 21.2 million people. It's where you can visit the Forbidden City, the largest palace on earth.

Which famous city is split between two continents?
Chicago
New York City
Tokyo
Istanbul
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Istanbul, Turkey is a city with over a thousand years of history that straddles the Bosphorus Strait, which separates Europe from Asia. Istanbul has the 3rd largest population of any city in the Middle East.

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Which major city is a more popular tourist destination?
Paris
Los Angeles
Seoul
New Delhi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2016, Paris was the 3rd most visited city on earth. The City of Love had more than 15 million overnight foreign visitors.

In which large South American country is one of the biggest cities in the world?
Ecuador
Bolivia
Paraguay
Brazil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sao Paulo, Brazil is a metropolis more than 21 million people call home. It's known for its vibrant nightlife.

Which of these famous cities is also known as Bombay?
Mumbai
Tokyo
New York City
Mexico City
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mumbai used to be known as Bombay officially, until the mid-1990s. This was an effort by the political party in power to break colonial ties and name the city after its patron goddess instead.

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In which city is the world's largest shopping district?
Shanghai
New Delhi
Mexico City
Sao Paulo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shanghai is China's largest city and the third largest in the world. In Shanghai, you can find Nanjing road, the longest shopping district in the world at 3.5 miles long.

Which major metropolis is India's capital?
New Delhi
Tokyo
Osaka
London
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

New Delhi is the second-most populated city on earth after Tokyo, with over 26 million residents. This diverse city is a surprisingly green tourist hot spot with 18,000 parks.

Which is the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere?
Wellington
Sao Paulo
Sydney
Johannesburg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sao Paulo, Brazil has the 11th most populous metropolitan area on earth and the largest in the entire Southern Hemisphere. The city alone is so wealthy that its GDP could be ranked 24th globally compared to entire other countries.

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Where are most of the world's richest metropolises?
America
Europe
Asia
Africa
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The richest city on earth is Tokyo. Seoul, Osaka, and Shanghai are also massive and wealthy metropolises that are within the top 10 richest cities globally.

Tokyo, the world's largest urban area, has a larger population than which entire country?
India
Vietnam
America
Canada
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tokyo, Japan has an urban population of about 38 million people. The entire country of Canada, which is the second biggest on earth by total land, has a population of only about 35 million.

Put these cities in order in terms of population: Tokyo, Moscow, New York City, Mumbai.
New York City, Mumbai, Moscow, Tokyo
Tokyo, Mumbai, New York City, Moscow
All are the same
Tokyo and Mumbai, Moscow, New York City
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tokyo is the most populous city on earth. Mumbai is 6th, New York City is 9th, and Moscow is the 21st most populous.

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Where is the world's largest French-speaking city?
Europe
North America
Africa
Australia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest city in Africa and with a population larger than Paris, the most populous Francophone city in the world.

Which large city is known as one of the safest in the world?
Paris
Hong Kong
New York City
Chennai
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While China considers Hong Kong a part of China, Hong Kong does not. This global city has a population of roughly 7 million people and is one of the most visited cities in the world.

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