If We Give You Two International Cities, Can You Guess Which Is Furthest North?

WORLD

By: Ruby Scalera

6 Min Quiz

Image: SOMPOP SRINOPHAN/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Nutexzles/ Moment/ Getty Images

About This Quiz

Cartography, or the science of mapmaking, dates back thousands of years before Christ and our understanding of international geography has only become more accurate over time. Not only have new advances in technology and communication changed the way that we travel, but the very map of the world has changed hundreds of times since humanity first began. 

Humans used to navigate using the stars and simple compasses and tools, maybe an outdated map if they were lucky. Now, we have more tools at our fingertips than ever before, navigation systems, electronic maps, even phone apps in the palms of our hands that mean getting lost is a thing of the past. With all these great tools right at our disposal, we can sometimes forget our past and the mapmaking days of history. It also means we don't need to memorize the maps or follow the stars, because we have all we need in our phones or laptops. 

So put the phone away and power down your modern-day resources to see if good old-fashioned brainpower is enough to help you navigate this quiz. Do you think you know a lot about world geography? Then let us know which of these international cities is further north — and call yourself a modern-day explorer! 

In America's neighboring country of Canada, which of these cities is further north?

On a map, it would seem that Canada is significantly further north than the United States but, in fact, many of the states in America are more north than the Canadian cities. In Canada, however, you will find Quebec is more north than Toronto.

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Would you be further north in Rome or Florence?

Because Italy is a small country, it would only take you a few hours to travel between Rome and Florence by car or by train. If you're looking for the more northern location in the country, you'll want to get off in Florence.

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In Egypt, which city is further north?

Cairo may be known as the country's capital and a location for incredible art, history, and tourism but Alexandria, with its own epic history, still stands tall as the more northern city in the country — as its lighthouse stood tall in early civilization.

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In Scotland, are you more north in Glasgow or Edinburgh?

Scotland is a small country, and Glasgow and the country's capital city of Edinburgh are located less than an hour's drive from each other, but Glasgow is slightly further north of the two.

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Would you be further north in the capital city of Portugal or the capital city of Greece?

Portugal and Greece are both located in Europe, but Greece, and its capital city of Athens, are significantly further south, making Portugal's capital, Lisbon, more northernly located.

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Are you more north in Perth or Brisbane?

Perth and Brisbane are located on opposite sides of the country and continent of Australia. While they're on similar latitudes, Brisbane is still located father north than the city of Perth.

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Where in Scandinavia will you be more northern?

While the capital cities of the Scandinavian countries are all nearly all at the same latitude, including Helsinki in Finland, Oslo, Norway is just slightly more north than Stockholm, Sweden.

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Where would you be further norther, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore?

Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of the country of Malaysia. The country of Singapore is officially recognized as autonomous, with the capital city of Singapore, but it is further south than Kuala Lumpur.

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If you were to visit South America, would you be more north in Lima, Peru or La Paz, Bolivia?

Lima, Peru and La Paz, Bolivia share the distinctions of being their respective country's capital cities, but if you're looking for the location that is further north, then you'll want to be in Lima.

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Which is further north?

While Austria and Hungary are bordering nations that share many latitudinal points, their capital cities of Vienna and Budapest are slightly separated on the map, with Vienna standing out as further north.

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Of these African countries, which capital city is located further north?

Libya and Algeria may share a border with each other and each with Tunisia, but a quick glance at the map shows that Algeria's capital city of Algiers is further north than Libya's Tripoli.

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When visiting the capital cities of Belgium and the Netherlands, in which country are you farther north?

The capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, may be known for its many historic museums, unique nightlife, and the many bikes that ride its bucolic city streets, but it's also further north than the Belgian capital of Brussels.

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In Japan, are you further north in Tokyo or Yokohama?

The Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama are located relatively close to one another, but it is the capital city of Tokyo that is located in the more northern position of the two cities.

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Are you more far north when visiting the Eiffel Tower or the Palace of Versailles?

While the trip from Paris, France, where the Eiffel Tower is located, to Versailles, where the Palace of Versailles is located, is less than an hour, Paris is still slightly further north than the palace.

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Where are you further north?

Kenya and Uganda are neighboring nations in Africa and both sit on Lake Victoria, along with the county of Tanzania. However, the Ugandan capital of Kampala is further north than the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

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If you were to visit Australia, would you be further north in Sydney or Melbourne?

Australia is a large country and it would take you nearly a day to travel from Sydney to Melbourne, located in Victoria and New South Wales, respectively. Sydney is further north, however.

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Which of these Central American capitals is further north, San Salvador or San Jose?

If you were to visit Central America, you would find that the capital city of San Salvador, located in El Salvador, is significantly further north than the capital city of San Jose in Costa Rica.

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In Turkey, would you be further north in Ankara or Istanbul?

Ankara is the capital city of the county of Turkey and Istanbul is both the most populated and one of the most important economic and commercial locations in the country. Of these two important cities, Istanbul is further north.

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Would you be more north in Astana, Kazakhstan or Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia?

Kazakhstan and Mongolia have touching borderlines and share several of the same bordering countries. Of their two capital cities, Astana and Ulaanbaatar, Astana is located further to the north.

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Where in the Middle East would you be further north?

Baghdad and Tehran are both capital cities in the Middle East, belonging to Iraq and Iran, respectively. Though the countries share a border and the capitals are relatively close, Tehran is located further north.

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Are you further north in Ankara, Turkey or Palermo, Italy?

Palermo is located on the coast of Sicily, which is already one of the most southern locations in Italy. While Ankara is not the most northern city in the country of Turkey, it's more north than Palermo, Italy.

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Where in Sardinia is further north?

Sardinia is a small island of less than 10,000 square miles, and home to just over 1.6 million people. You'll find the city of Cagliari at the southernmost point and Olbia at the northernmost.

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Where in India are you further north: Surat or Mumbai?

Surat and Mumbai are both located along India's coast and are relatively close to each other when one takes India's size in to account. Still, the city of Surat is further north than Mumbai.

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Would you be further north in Morocco's capital city of Rabat or Cyprus's capital city of Nicosia?

While it seems strange that a country in Africa can be further north than a country in Europe, it's certainly possible. Rabat, Morocco is located nearly at the most northern tip of the country, higher than the country of Cyprus.

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Which city is further north, Warsaw or Kiev?

When visiting Eastern Europe, you'll find that Poland's capital city of Warsaw is slightly more north than Ukraine's capital city of Kiev. It will take you about 10 hours by car to go from one to the other.

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In Vietnam, are you more north in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

Vietnam is about 1/30 the size of the United States, so even though the capital city of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are located near the northern and southern tips, it would only take a little more than a day to drive between them. Hanoi is north.

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In New Zealand, are you further north in Auckland or Wellington?

Both Auckland and New Zealand's capital city of Wellington are located on the country's North Island, but with Wellington at the southernmost part of the island, Auckland is further north.

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Are you more far north in Moscow or St. Petersburg?

St. Petersburg and Moscow are two of Russia's most famous cities to visit, but although Moscow is the country's capital city, St. Petersburg is the city located further to the north.

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Where would you be further north, when visiting South America?

Suriname and French Guiana share a border and are two of the most northerly located countries in South America. The capital city of Paramaribo, in Suriname, is slightly more north than French Guiana's Cayenne, however.

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In which capital city are you further north?

While Paramaribo, Suriname is further north than Cayenne, the capital city of its neighbor French Guiana, it is not as far north as the capital city of Georgetown, located in the country of Guyana on the other side.

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Of these Italian-speaking cities, which is further north?

Switzerland might be a much smaller country than Italy, with a population of less than 10 million people, but its de facto capital city of Bern is also further north than the Italian city of Milan.

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Are you further north in the capital of Zambia or Zimbabwe?

Zambia and Zimbabwe share a border and their capital cities are relatively close, but Zambia's capital city of Lusaka is located farther north than Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare.

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Which is further north, Beijing or New Delhi?

Beijing, China and New Delhi, India are their respective country's capital cities, but Asia is a very large continent and they are located a great distance from one another, with Beijing being significantly further north.

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When visiting England, are you more north in London or Brighton?

England is a small country with a population of less than 60 million people. The capital city of London is located further north than Brighton, but the drive is less than two hours.

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Are you further north in Antwerp or Rotterdam?

To visit Rotterdam, you'd need to go to the Netherlands, whereas Antwerp is located near to the border in the country of Belgium. The Netherlands is more north than Belgium, making Rotterdam more north than Antwerp.

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Would you be further north in Marseille or Bordeaux?

As the names might indicate, Marseille and Bordeaux are located in the country of France, both more toward the south and on opposite sides of the country. Bordeaux is significantly further to the north, however.

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Which is more north, Berlin or Luxembourg?

Luxembourg is one of Germany's neighboring countries to the south. The capital city of Luxembourg is therefore more southern than Germany's capital city of Berlin, located in the north of the country.

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This country is further north — which is it?

Thailand and Cambodia share borders, but Cambodia is located further to the south. That means Thailand's capital city of Bangkok is more north than Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh.

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Where are you further north, Brasilia or Asuncion?

Brasilia is the capital city of Brazil, placing it further up north than Asuncion, the capital city of Paraguay. Although Brazil and Paraguay share borders, Brazil's capital is more north in the country.

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When visiting South Africa, would you be more north in Cape Town or Johannesburg?

Cape Town is located nearly at the most southern tip of South Africa and, indeed, nearly the most southern tip of the African continent. Johannesburg is located much further north in the country.

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