Historical Places

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Brunswick (Germany): It has the oldest technical university in Germany.

Brussels (Belgium): Capital. It was capital of the Spanish Netherlands in the middle ages. Hq. of EU and NATO.

Budapest (Hungary): Capital created in 1873 by merging the towns of Buda and pest, on the two sides of the Danube. It was one of the two capitals of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Bukhara(Uzbekistan): City one of the oldest cities and trading centres of Asia. It was the centre of powerful kingdom. Rapid growth after discovery of natural gas in the ‘50s.

Byblos (Ancient Phoenicia): Chief city of Phoenicia in 2nd millennium B.C., on the site of modern Jebeil. Famous for Papyrus, nicknamed biblos, from which the word ‘Bible’ is derived.

Caen (France): Port, tomb of William the Conqueror.

Cairo (Egypt): Largest African city. Pyramids are nearby.

Calabar (Nigeria): Port, centre of the slave trade in 18th $ 19th centuries.

California (USA): Most populous US state. Major towns: San Francisco, Los Angels, San Diego, Sacramento. Centre of micro electronics industry in Silicon Valley. Disneyland.

Calvary (Jerusalem, Golgotha in Hebrew): The hill outside the city of Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified.

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Cambridge (UK): City on River Cam. One of the world’s greatest universities. First college Peterhouse founded in 1284.

Cambridge (USA): Harvard University is the oldest (1636) US college. MIT moved from Boston, 1915.

Camp David (USA): The US president’s retreat in the Appalachian Mountains where the middle east peace treaty was signed by Sadat and Begin (1978) with president Carter mediating.

Campoformido (Italy): Treaty of Campo Formio of 1979 was signed here between Austria and France, after Austria was defeated by Napoleon.

Cana (Palestine): Northeast of Nazareth. Jesus Christ is believed to have his first miracle here.

Canaan (Is`rael): Ancient Palestine before it was occupied by the Jews was ‘Canaan’- referred to in the Bible as the land promised to the Israelites by God.

Canary Islands (Spain): Group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, of volcanic formation.

Cannes (France): Venue of the most prestigious international film festival.

Canterbury (England): City in east Kent, seat of the Archbishop of Anglican church. Famous for the cathedral where Thomas Becket was assassinated (1170).

Canton (China): Port, commercial centre of S. China. Focus of the first Opium War. Sun Yat Sen was born here.

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Canyon de Chelly (USA): National monument in Arizona, established in 1931 to protect Indian cliff dwellings dating from AD 350.

Cape Canaveral (USA): Known as Cap Kennedy, 1963-73. Launch site for US space programme.

Cape of good hope (S.Africa): Discovered by Bartolomeu Diaz in 1488. He called it the Cape of Storms.

Capernaum (Israel): Site of many biblical events, situated on the northern shore o the Seal of Galilee.

Cape Town (S. Africa): The oldest white settlement in S. Africa. Founded 1672, Country’s legislative capital, Venue of CHOGM summit of 1999.

Cape Verde (Senegal): The western most point of Africa.

Capitol (USA): Where the US congress meets in Washington.

Capri (Italy): Island, which was a favorite resort of Roman emperors. Today a big tourist attraction.

Cardiff (UK): Capital of Wales. Its Welsh name is Caerdydd.

Carthage (Tunisia): Ancient town founded by Phoenicians (1814 BC). Destroyed in Punic Wars. It was founded again by Caesar and Octavian, Arabs destroyed in (1698).

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Casablanca (Morocco): The port city where Churchill and F.D Roosevelt met for the Casablanca conference in 1943,

Catania (Italy): In Sicily. Often damaged by eruptions of Mt.Etna.

Cayenne (French Guinea): Capital and seaport. Founded in 1643 by the French, A penal colony.

Chaco (Paraguay-Bolvia): Chaco War (1932-35) between the two countries in the disputed Northern Chaco area. Paraguay was the winner.

Champagne (France): Noted for the production of champagne wine.

Changdu: Capital of China’s south west Sichuan province that was reduced to rubble in the 7.9 magnitude earthquake of May, 2008.

Changsha (China): Historic trade centre, capital of Kunan Province.

Channel Islands (US): Island group of the British Isles in the English Channel (Jersey, Guernsey, etc).

Chechnya (Russia): A constituent republic if Russia in north Caucasus. Resistance to Russian rule by Chechnya since 19th c. Chechen rebels keep carrying out attacks.

Chicago (USA): City on the shore of Lake Michigan. Devastated by fire in 1871. Transport, industrial, shipping, cultural centre. Largest rail terminal in the world. O’Hare is one of the busiest airports. World’s first skyscraper was built here in 1885-Sears tower.

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Chittagong (Bangladesh): Seaport, country’s chief port

Cluny (France): Town where the Cluniac order of Benedictine monks was established in 910.

Cognac (France): Town in river Charente, known for the brandy of the same name produced here.

Colditz (Germany): A castle here was used as a prison camp in WWII, for Allied escapers.

Coldstream (Scotland UK): Town known for regiment of Coldstream guards raised here first (1660) to restore Charles II.

Colorado (USA): Famous for Colarado National monument (1911) which has towering monoliths and canyons.

Colosseum (Rome): Amphitheatre built in AD 70-82 between gladiators and of men with animals.

Columbia (USA): State capital. Burned by Gen, Sherman in 1865.

Communism Peak (Tajikistan): Mountain in central Asia, known as Mount Garmo until 1933 and Stalin Peak until 1962. it was the highest peak in the former Soviet Union.

Concord (USA): The beginning of American war of independence was marked by battle of concord (1775).

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Constantinople (Turkey): Byzantium from 330 to 1930 capital of Byzantine empire, the eastern half of the Roman empire. Fell to Ottoman Turks (1453). Now, Istanbul.

Cook Strait (Pacific Ocean Channel): Separates New Zealand’s North and South Islands. Visited by Captain Cook in 1770.

Copperbelt (Africa): Aregion in central Africa, with the largest copper deposits in Africa.

Coral Sea (or Solomon Sea): It has many coral islands. Was scene of US victory over Japanese, 1942.

Cordoba (Spain): City which was the capital of Moorish Spain in 8th c. Great Mosque (990).

Corfu (Greece): Island in the lonian sea. British protectorate from 1815 to 1864.

Corinth (Greece): A powerful city of ancient Greece. Destroyed by Romans, 146 B.C, rebuilt by Caesar, 44 BC.

Corpus Christi (USA): A port on Corpus Christi Bay, channel access to Gulf of Mexico.

Corsica (France): Largest island of France, Napoleon Bonaparte was born here.

Cotopaxi (Ecuador): Highest active volcano in the world.

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Crete (Greece): Largest Greek island settled from 6000 BC, Minoan civilization, 2000 BC.

Crimea (Ukraine): Penisula in South Ukraine, now an autonomous republic of Ukraine. Crimean War (1853-56) fought by Britain, France and Ottoman Turks against Russia.

Darwin (Australia): Port, Allied hq in WWII, Bombed by Japan in 1942. A. 1974 cyclone destroyed the city.

Davos (Switzerland): A resort, the venue of World Economic forum.

Dayton (USA): The scene of the Peace Accord of 1995 that ended the Bosnian civil war.

Delphi (Greece): A village famous in ancient Greece as the sanctuary of Apollo and the seat of his oracle.

Dhaka (Bangladesh): Capital . From 1608-1704, capital of Mughal province of East Bengal, of British province of East Bengal & Assam, 1905-1912. of East Pakistan, 1947; of Bangladesh since 1971. ‘The city of mosques’. Centre of world’s biggest jute-growing region.

Diego Garcia (India Ocean): Island, American military airbase. Treaty was signed in1966 by US and UK for the use of the island.

Doogton (Ohio, USA): Hometown of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Dresden (Germany): A centre of Napoleon’s military operations. The beautiful city was damaged in WWII bombing. Known for art galleries and other cultural institutions.