Google Earth: Identify the city

[Yawning Angel]

Had a scan round a couple of likely candidates and Sigurd's clues helped, picked a country known to have a fair few immigrants to Oz. Anyway, Louis' city is Jakarta and the centre-piece of the pic is the National Monument

THE NATIONAL MONUMENT (MONAS)

Monas is one of the many monuments built during President Soekarno era, the first President of Indonesia. The 137-metre tall table marble obelisk is topped with a flame coated with 35 kgs of gold, and represents the people’s determination to achieve freedom. It towers over Merdeka (Freedom) Square, and serve as Jakarta’s most prominent landmark. The monument is open to public and houses a historical museum and meditation hall.

So, on for the next city, could be called a monumental city

https://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/Thal2602/monument.jpg

[Lysander13]

This one looks like it could be tough...Didn't really see anything that stands out in terms of landmarks in the actual pic..I'll have to check again closely..Only thing of note that i could see is the water separating the land...Hmmm...I'll take a wild stab in the dark and say....New York City?

[Yawning Angel]

I would say that New York is more a city with an edifice complex (poor James Bond attribution) and I'm afraid not right. You are in the correct hemisphere though :yes:

[Louis VI the Fat]

Yawning Angel is not near a computer right now. He asked me to post some clues should the city not be guessed.

I like pictorial clues, so here is a schematic drawing of the city:

https://img79.imageshack.us/img79/8335/cityyanh9.jpg

[Makanyane]

I would say that New York is more a city with an edifice complex (poor James Bond attribution) and I'm afraid not right. You are in the correct hemisphere though :yes:
erm, was a little confused by that - thought you meant hemisphere as in north / south not east / west......

anyway, the sketch clue was nice :2thumbsup:
Brasilia is the capital city and federal district of Brazil located in the southwest of Goias state. Inaugurated in 1960, it is situated in the highlands of central Brazil, and its modern public buildings stand out in sparsely settled countryside. The city was laid out (1957) in the shape of an airplane by the Brazilian architect Lucio Costa.

Next:
https://img63.imageshack.us/img63/5176/googlemapagainki5.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

hope that ones OK, its not technically a city - but has a bigger population than some cities in same country.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Brasilia was correct.

The new city screams UK to me. That it is large but not a city made me think of those Midlands towns that sprung up after the industrial revolution. I tried Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, but no luck yet...

Anyone know where Makanyane is from?

[Myrddraal]

I'd have to agree with Louis. UK definately. I'd say South East. The circular building on the right I think is a shopping centre (or Mall for you yanks).

Look at this map of High Wycombe:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=High+Wycombe,+UK&ie=UTF8&ll=51.630312,-0.753572&spn=0.003057,0.01075&t=k&z=17&om=1

The similarities are many.

[Makanyane]

I should probably point out I'm not actually cruel enough to make you go through all possible towns looking for a match! There is one very distinctive building in there that should give it away (you just need to spot it first) :laugh4:

[Myrddraal]

https://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4599/googlegy5.jpg

But you'll notice that the shadow is only cast on one side, which would suggest it's raised not walled. Are any of these the right buildings Mak?

EDIT I'd also like to add that the building which is on the green raised bit is much shorter than the raised bit itself.

[Makanyane]

You're definitely along the right lines concentrating on the 'raised bit'....

...you could almost say it's to do with Norman Architecture

:beam:

[Makanyane]

oh dear, I seem to have killed thread, I suppose it was a bit of a dum-ass picture to post!

I'll try and think of another clue to post tomorrow to
foster some good will..

https://img63.imageshack.us/img63/5176/googlemapagainki5.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

(re-posted as post turned page)

[Louis VI the Fat]

oh dear, I seem to have killed thread, I suppose it was a bit of a dum-ass picture to post!The picture is fine! :2thumbsup:
We are just stuck. But I for one love a challenge. Where is everybody else, btw?

I can only narrow it down to the UK, and very probably England / the area of Norman control. I tried googling for 'Norman keep' and 'Norman museum', and I looked at a few more cities. But to no avail!

I assume that hill was some sort of Norman fort? Good catch, Myrddaal!
Viking Norman, or Normandy post-1066 Norman? Anybody here into English history, or with some more thoughts?

[Myrddraal]

Just so everyone knows, Mak was in the chat and I mentioned this photo. She emphasised ...you could almost say it's to do with Norman Architecture


Almost...

What does that mean?

Other thing to note, the shadow is straight edged, so the raised bit has vertical edges, and seems to rise quite tall, as tall if not taller than a building. However, it's got a grass top, and a very strange shape, along with a short stubby building on top. Very strange.

[drone]

I went through the largest towns listed here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_cities) that don't have city status, and got nothing. I agree, it definitely looks like a newer UK town. Lots of commercial and/or office buildings. The big parking area on the left might be next to a train station or a hypermart, but probably just city center parking.

I haven't figured out what the green mound is/was supposed to be. If it's historical, why would there be a modern building on top of it?

...you could almost say it's to do with Norman ArchitectureFaux-Norman? A museum? Something built just prior to 1066?

[Makanyane]

the bad news:
a. clue was actually in post 1261 - so you're not getting another big clue today...
b. despite describing it quite well no-one has read the satellite pic correctly yet...

(you also seem to be having a little problem with word's)

the good news:
drone was onto something...

[Myrddraal]

Hmm, a cousin of mine was called Norman Forster, so that clue kind of leapt out at me.

https://img408.imageshack.us/img408/9868/800pxfosterwillisfaberanr9.jpg

Wierd...

https://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7895/ipsyr6.jpg

[Makanyane]

ah good, the clues were getting a bit painful (even to me) :laugh4:

was quite fascinated by what everyone seemed to think a three storey high mound of earth was doing in the middle of a town centre!

Pic 4 here (http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/0102/Default.aspx) shows it best - it was (& possibly still is) the youngest building to ever get grade 1 listed status (a form of preservation order) in Britain.

anyway, next please Myrddraal....

[Myrddraal]

If this one prooves too hard I'll give lots of clues:

https://img250.imageshack.us/img250/1943/fjrk2.jpg

[Louis VI the Fat]

Norman Foster. :wall:

Good one! Had me fooled, and I love feeling like an idiot. Bah, I even looked at this Foster (http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/0188/Default.aspx) project, and checked Sainsbury to see if it was correct.
Then I googled for 'results not including the word Foster', because he was cluttering the results for 'Norman / museum, mound, etc' so much. ~:mecry:

Myrddraal, is there a way to post a larger version of your city? When I enlarge it in Photoshop the image gets too fuzzy. And it is too small now to make out any details.
My first thought is Spain, Italy. What is that mound in the top left?

[Sigurd]

Just popping in to make my 200th post in this thread... :2thumbsup:

My thoughts on the recent city:
Is it built along an ancient road? Does the mound house a castle or a stronghold of some sort? It is the best place for a defensive structure in this area.

Too much white structures for my liking (then again we are too high to say for sure).
The clustering in the middle speaks more of antiquity than slum (directly opposite from the mound/mountain is supporting this).

Are we looking at a Medieval city?

[Husar]

What about the long linear things on the fields in the lower right corner? Looks like covers for green plants to me and might be a hint at certain vegetables being planted there.

Sigurd seems to be on to something, it looks like an important road goes through between a castle and an old village.

[Myrddraal]

https://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7379/fjax1.png

If you want a zoomed in shot of any area I'd rather give that than a worded clue.

[drone]

European. Smallish. Old. Can't really pick out any distinguishing structures, aside from the rows in the bottom right. Those look like either greenhouses or chickenhouses. Not sure what the mound/castle thing is, it also looks like a raised mound of some kind (doesn't look like the shadows are inside like a normal castle would have). A park or monument in the middle, maybe next to a church of some kind (the white blob). Maybe some modern industry or development in near the row buildings. Zoomed out to far to really tell much, maybe Google doesn't have high-res for this area.

[Louis VI the Fat]

https://img63.imageshack.us/img63/1191/fjax1xb6.jpg

1 - Hill / mound with defense works / houses
2 - Old town
3 - Cathedral / cloister / abbey with graveyard, cloisterway / whatever all of those things are called.

But where? It's a rather hilly landscape, and it looks Southern European to me, but other than that?
What I don't understand is that to me the old city looks of Roman origin, but that the location chosen for a settlement looks more medieval. I'm quite curious to find out what this place is.

[Myrddraal]

More detailed shots:

https://img215.imageshack.us/img215/341/detkg9.png

[drone]

1 - Hill / mound with defense works / houses
2 - Old town
3 - Cathedral / cloister / abbey with graveyard, cloisterway / whatever all of those things are called.
I think you have 2 and 3 reversed. ~D

Picture name = FJ + imageshack letters. Not sure if that means anything.


But where? It's a rather hilly landscape, and it looks Southern European to me, but other than that?
I agree, it looks too dry for northern Europe or the British Isles. White roofs would indicate a hot climate, right?

Edit->Looking at the newer pics, area #2 might still be a church, but I wouldn't think a parking lot and bus station would be right next to it. There is a building in the old town section that looks like a church (cross shape, with a dome). Maybe area #2 is a newer local government complex. The mound area #1 looks more like a fancy villa with walls, rather than a castle.

[KukriKhan]

I concur with drone and Louis, most likely southern euro (too sqiggly for N.Am, not green enough for UK, Holland or Germany, while too green for Scand.).

The mound, though, could be formerly-covered, now-uncovered ex-Mayan/Aztec, so Central Am for a distant 2nd choice.

If this image is of the entire town, the population is small. Yet Myrddraal's city is hi-rez on GoogleMap, so must be of some importance.

I don't see any HVAC devices on rooftops, so I infer a moderate climate.

The park-like green areas are landscaped similarly to Spanish and Italian areas around gov't centers and/or museums, etc.

Just thinking aloud here, in no particular order, while I decide where, on the globe, to start. I think I'll tour the western Med, then hop over to Central Am, just to eliminate those more obvious choices.

If this is in Australia, Asia, or Africa, I'll eat Louis's hat! :beam:

[Myrddraal]

Like I said, I'd much rather give pictorial clues. If you want more zoomed in shots of any area, or even if you want photos of any area (and I can find them) I'll post them. But don't ask if you don't need them :smile:

PS, fj doesn't stand for anything, it's just the two random letter that happened to be under my index fingers when I typed something for the name.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Looks a lot like malta. But I don't see that section on malta.

wait

Found it!

malta it is. The smaller island

[KukriKhan]

So Victoria, aka Rabat, on Gozo, Malta. Nice spot Sasaki! I still haven't figured out what the long rowed structure (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.037601,14.249254&z=17&hl=en&t=h) is. A greenhouse, or other agricultural complex?

Myrddraal is afk for a couple days, so unable to confirm. Do you have an assignment handy for us Sasaki?

[Sasaki Kojiro]

https://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4755/sanduskyohiosl7.jpg

Picture contains something worthy of the Guinness book of world records...you have to know what you're looking for though...

[drone]

First guess is western US. A mountain town, with a small baseball field and a golf course. Can't really tell much at the moment.

[KukriKhan]

Is that a coal mine at 3 o'clock? I like the us mountain states too (mainly Colorado), but what about that water in the southwest?

Hmmm.

[drone]

Don't think that's water, if you look at the different color tint it's squared, I think that's just a low-res block of a mountain. I think there is one in the northeast as well.

Don't know what the big black mass is. The two little pools near it might be a water treatment plant.

[Craterus]

Casablanca.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Not casablanca.

Closer shots:

https://img178.imageshack.us/img178/7828/closer1aa5.jpg

https://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5688/closer2vh2.jpg

[Louis VI the Fat]

I'm clueless. The world's biggest copper mine? Bauxite? Iron?

It looks Southwestern American. But, the shades would suggest it is far more southern than that.

~:confused:

[Sasaki Kojiro]

The cities in this region spell out or at least have some of the letters from their name written on the hills around them. You can see the first letter.

At the bottom of the of the first more detailed picture you can see the tallest freestanding masonry structure in the world.

The city is the 9th largest of it's region.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Anaconda, Montana. That clue about the chimmney sort of gives it away.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Yup.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Alright, here's mine:

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v96/enervatedband/BarryIsland.jpg

Clues to follow if no-one gets it.

[Zain]

Is that one in Texas?

[drone]

Unlikely, but it's as good a guess as any I can come up with. I'm guessing Western/Northern Europe, but it's zoomed too far out to get any real feel for. Filename "BarryIsland.jpg", doesn't mean anything to me, GoogleMaps pulls up a Welsh town not too far from Cardiff, but not a match.

[scotchedpommes]

I recognised that view as soon as I opened the thread.
That is Stalingrad, now Volvograd. I am almost certain.

Alright, I should have something up in the next few hours,
connection permitting.

[drone]

I recognised that view as soon as I opened the thread.
That is Stalingrad, now Volvograd. I am almost certain.
Well spotted. :bow: Without an encircled German Sixth Army, I would never have gotten it. ~D

[Zain]

Either you're just good guessers or you're Genius'!

[Louis VI the Fat]

Bugger. I tried some places in Siberia and Canada. I couldn't make much of the city, was stumped and gave up.

Famous places that leave people stumped are the best. :2thumbsup:


I recognised that view as soon as I opened the thread.
That is Stalingrad, now Volvograd.I am a bit sensitive lately about losing from Scotsmen. But well done. Are you a WWII buff?

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Gah, well done Rdece. It is indeed Stalin/Volgograd. I centred the view over the Mamaev Kurgan.

[scotchedpommes]

I am a bit sensitive lately about losing from Scotsmen. But well done. Are you a WWII buff?
[Aha, you see, I refrained from using the signature here just in case.] ~;)
And perhaps there are some areas I'm too familiar with, on one or two
fronts.


Very little is loading for me just now, and so I'm going to say once again,
whoever wants to post can go ahead. I'll definitely have something lined
up for the future - unless someone posts it first, of course.

Edit: Alright then, I have one for you all. I have the feeling that this
may have been posted previously, but that might just be as I have
had it in mind for some time.


https://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/rdecejabolko/i2u3t92asg1El8.jpg

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

This is one of those cities you know you've seen before, but you just can't place a name...

Is it in the Baltic somewhere?

[scotchedpommes]

The Baltic? Nope, sorry.

[scotchedpommes]

Clues:


This city is the capital of its county.

The name of the county [and the river which runs through it]
are present in the city's name.

It has a population numbering over 300,000.

From the late 19th Century to the Second World War the
native population of the country were outnumbered by two
other nationalities, or rather, ethnic groups within the city.

[Makanyane]

Have to confess to being completely stumped on this one. Did try looking through countries that use equivalent term to county according to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County
but haven't got anywhere.

If its not baltic, I'd assume has to be other Eastern European areas, but not getting anywhere with that either. :wall:

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Is north up?


EDIT: Tirane, Albania?

EDIT2: Nevermind, I thought it said country.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

vienna?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Is it somewhere in southeastern Europe (the Balkans to the Ukraine?).

[KukriKhan]

So, it's one of these:

The countries of the world and capitals of every country follow:

Afghanistan - Kabul
Albania - Tirane
Algeria - Algiers
Andorra - Andorra la Vella
Angola - Luanda
Antigua and Barbuda - Saint John's
Argentina - Buenos Aires
Armenia - Yerevan
Australia - Canberra
Austria - Vienna
Azerbaijan - Baku
The Bahamas - Nassau
Bahrain - Manama
Bangladesh - Dhaka
Barbados - Bridgetown
Belarus - Minsk
Belgium - Brussels
Belize - Belmopan
Benin - Porto-Novo
Bhutan - Thimphu
Bolivia - La Paz (administrative); Sucre (judicial)
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo
Botswana - Gaborone
Brazil - Brasilia
Brunei - Bandar Seri Begawan
Bulgaria - Sofia
Burkina Faso - Ouagadougou
Burundi - Bujumbura
Cambodia - Phnom Penh
Cameroon - Yaounde
Canada - Ottawa
Cape Verde - Praia
Central African Republic - Bangui
Chad - N'Djamena
Chile - Santiago
China - Beijing
Colombia - Bogota
Comoros - Moroni
Congo, Republic of the - Brazzaville
Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Kinshasa
Costa Rica - San Jose
Cote d'Ivoire - Yamoussoukro (official); Abidjan (de facto)
Croatia - Zagreb
Cuba - Havana
Cyprus - Nicosia
Czech Republic - Prague
Denmark - Copenhagen
Djibouti - Djibouti
Dominica - Roseau
Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo
East Timor (Timor-Leste) - Dili
Ecuador - Quito
Egypt - Cairo
El Salvador - San Salvador
Equatorial Guinea - Malabo
Eritrea - Asmara
Estonia - Tallinn
Ethiopia - Addis Ababa
Fiji - Suva
Finland - Helsinki
France - Paris
Gabon - Libreville
The Gambia - Banjul
Georgia - Tbilisi
Germany - Berlin
Ghana - Accra
Greece - Athens
Grenada - Saint George's
Guatemala - Guatemala City
Guinea - Conakry
Guinea-Bissau - Bissau
Guyana - Georgetown
Haiti - Port-au-Prince
Honduras - Tegucigalpa
Hungary - Budapest
Iceland - Reykjavik
India - New Delhi
Indonesia - Jakarta
Iran - Tehran
Iraq - Baghdad
Ireland - Dublin
Israel - Jerusalem
Italy - Rome
Jamaica - Kingston
Japan - Tokyo
Jordan - Amman
Kazakhstan - Astana
Kenya - Nairobi
Kiribati - Tarawa Atoll
Korea, North - Pyongyang
Korea, South - Seoul
Kuwait - Kuwait City
Kyrgyzstan - Bishkek
Laos - Vientiane
Latvia - Riga
Lebanon - Beirut
Lesotho - Maseru
Liberia - Monrovia
Libya - Tripoli
Liechtenstein - Vaduz
Lithuania - Vilnius
Luxembourg - Luxembourg
Macedonia - Skopje
Madagascar - Antananarivo
Malawi - Lilongwe
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
Maldives - Male
Mali - Bamako
Malta - Valletta
Marshall Islands - Majuro
Mauritania - Nouakchott
Mauritius - Port Louis
Mexico - Mexico City
Micronesia, Federated States of - Palikir
Moldova - Chisinau
Monaco - Monaco
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar
Montenegro - Podgorica
Morocco - Rabat
Mozambique - Maputo
Myanmar (Burma) - Rangoon (Yangon); Nay Pyi Taw (administrative)
Namibia - Windhoek
Nauru - no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
Nepal - Kathmandu
Netherlands - Amsterdam; The Hague (seat of government)
New Zealand - Wellington
Nicaragua - Managua
Niger - Niamey
Nigeria - Abuja
Norway - Oslo
Oman - Muscat
Pakistan - Islamabad
Palau - Melekeok
Panama - Panama City
Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby
Paraguay - Asuncion
Peru - Lima
Philippines - Manila
Poland - Warsaw
Portugal - Lisbon
Qatar - Doha
Romania - Bucharest
Russia - Moscow
Rwanda - Kigali
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Basseterre
Saint Lucia - Castries
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Kingstown
Samoa - Apia
San Marino - San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe - Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia - Riyadh
Senegal - Dakar
Serbia - Belgrade
Seychelles - Victoria
Sierra Leone - Freetown
Singapore - Singapore
Slovakia - Bratislava
Slovenia - Ljubljana
Solomon Islands - Honiara
Somalia - Mogadishu
South Africa - Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judiciary)
Spain - Madrid
Sri Lanka - Colombo; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative)
Sudan - Khartoum
Suriname - Paramaribo
Swaziland - Mbabana
Sweden - Stockholm
Switzerland - Bern
Syria - Damascus
Taiwan - Taipei
Tajikistan - Dushanbe
Tanzania - Dar es Salaam; Dodoma (legislative)
Thailand - Bangkok
Togo - Lome
Tonga - Nuku'alofa
Trinidad and Tobago - Port-of-Spain
Tunisia - Tunis
Turkey - Ankara
Turkmenistan - Ashgabat
Tuvalu - Vaiaku village, Funafuti province
Uganda - Kampala
Ukraine - Kyiv
United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
United Kingdom - London
United States of America - Washington D.C.
Uruguay - Montevideo
Uzbekistan - Tashkent
Vanuatu - Port-Vila
Vatican City (Holy See) - Vatican City
Venezuela - Caracas
Vietnam - Hanoi
Yemen - Sanaa
Zambia - Lusaka
Zimbabwe - Harare

Note: I just figured such a list might come in handy in the future for clues.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Didn't he say county capital? Which makes me think it's in the UK.

Edit: Hmm, a cursory scan of UK towns with a population of over 300K doesn't reveal any likely candidates...

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

So, it's one of these:
Note: I just figured such a list might come in handy in the future for clues.

He said county - don't worry, I made the same mistake.

[Craterus]

Cambridge

[KukriKhan]

He said county - don't worry, I made the same mistake.

Aye-yi-yi. That'll teach me to read without my glasses. :)

[Charge]

Eeeeemm... Timishoara , Romania ?

[Makanyane]

My google spells it Timisoara but it looks unequivocally like same place - please explain how the hell you found that! :wall:

[Charge]

Well firstly if he said about WW2 and outnumbering by 2 other nationalities (perhaps germans and we), it certainly should be an eastern european country, that's what all people already mention. Then with my book-atlas (that's why different spell) I searched those countries for a long time one by one, and finally open page with Romania, and there is it - city with same population, and river with same name near it. Then by link you specifed I founded that it's a capital of county ...
It fits his clues, although he can mention another city. :dizzy2:

[KukriKhan]

Yup, that's it, alright - just a tiny bit west of where Google Earth lands you when you type in: "Fly to: Timisoara".

Fine work, Charge. I was stumped.

[Myrddraal]

Nice find... good work. I gave up a while back after searching eastern europe a bit.

[scotchedpommes]

My apologies, I have been away, and unable to get an internet connection.

The city is Timişoara, which funnily enough, as I would have pointed out
myself, is pronounced [b]Timišoara or
Timishoara. Romanians there were, for some time leading up to the
Second World War, outnumbered by Germans and Hungarians. The city
is on the Timiş river and is the capital of Timiş, the administrative region,
if you will.

[I also knew that saying county as opposed to region could prove to be a
problem.] :embarassed:

[Charge]

So, who's next ?

(I have slow connection for such things)

[scotchedpommes]

Well, it would be yourself, Charge. However under the circumstances we could
simply have the next person who comes up with a city post it.

[Charge]

:inquisitive: So? Nobody?

[Myrddraal]

https://img115.imageshack.us/img115/4189/mapgr0.jpg

I dunno why, the airport caught my eye.

[Charge]

Dunno why, but this river completely confuse me.
Myrddraal, any clues?

Anyway,

STUMPED.:shame:

[Myrddraal]

Sorry bout that, here are some clues:

It's in the northern hemisphere. It is the capital of it's administrative region. Population over 500,000.

Look closely at the area near the southernmost end of the southern most bridge in the photo for a clue.

[Makanyane]

hmm, unless I'm miss-reading it there's something that looks like a shadow from a very tall thin monument by the river there, unfortunately that's not sparking a lot of inspiration or googleability yet.

[Myrddraal]

https://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5241/mapqm6.jpg

It might help. I'll post more clues soon.

[Charge]

It must be somewhere in the southeast asia, china more preferable..

[Makanyane]

well I thought it should be USA or Canada - but I now think I've looked through every city there with over 500,000 population and haven't found it.

I'm sure I should be able to recognise those buildings in the close up and can't at moment

am now officially fed up.. :(

[Charge]

but I now think I've looked through every city there with over 500,000 population and haven't found it.
And I still searching first one! Cursed 64kbps :sweatdrop:

[Myrddraal]

The river's source is in Switzerland

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

AHA! Düsseldorf, on the Rhine River. The tower is the Rheinturm.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

https://img147.imageshack.us/img147/4928/germanclocksay0.png


Clue:

The city has many influences from mixed religions.

[Myrddraal]

Well done EMFM :smile:
Onwards

https://img142.imageshack.us/img142/9419/268pxduesseldorfriversibe4.jpg

[Charge]

What population it has?

[Tran]

Belgrade?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Not Belgrade. Population is over half a million.

[Tran]

I think I know it. Is it Sarajevo?

[scotchedpommes]

It had better not be Sarajevo. It was the first place checked, managing to
convince myself it couldn't be Sarajevo, of course. Population of the surrounds
takes it over the half million mark, but I wouldn't think so for the city proper.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

No, it's not Sarajevo.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

There's a clue in the filename.

[Myrddraal]

Hmmm.... Looking through german cities of that population I don't find it...

[Charge]

Frankfurt?
Rotterdam?

[Tran]

I'll throw all possibility:

Duisburg
Nuremberg
Dresden
Leipzig
Hannover
Bremen
Düsseldorf
Essen
Dortmund
Stuttgart

[scotchedpommes]

Not sure why you'd consider Düsseldorf at this point, or any of those cities, to
be honest. The religion clue leaves me inclined to look outside Germany.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

None of the cities mentioned.


Clue:

Many people have moved to this city from other parts of the country in the past twenty years.

[Myrddraal]

inclined to look outside Germany.

ditto.

[Tran]

Not sure why you'd consider Düsseldorf at this point, or any of those cities, to
be honest. The religion clue leaves me inclined to look outside Germany.
That's because:


There's a clue in the filename.

Anyway, that city is either Málaga or Seville.

[Charge]

Marseille ???

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

None of the above. The city is European, and has quite the heritage of being run over by larger neighbours.

[scotchedpommes]

Alright, it's Tirana. The clue threw me in the wrong direction entirely, as clues
so often tend to do. The centre did look vaguely familiar, though I was too busy
looking around the Ruhr. Nevermind that.

Here's another one. Unsure if it's been posted already, but it's not on the [incomplete]
list of previous answers I have.

https://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/rdecejabolko/borisonmymind.jpg

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Very good. ~:) I'll explain some clues:

1) Albania has influences from the Ottoman Empire and surrounding Orthodox and Catholic regions. Many of the buildings borrow heavily from Muslim design.

2) The population of the actual city is 580000 or so, and the greater region has about 700000 people.

3) The main clock tower contains a clock bought from German makers in 1928.

4) Albania was long under the foreign rule of different empires, such as the Ottoman Empire, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and Nazi Germany.

[Tran]

It is Tblisi in Georgia. That stadium is Boris Paichadze National Stadium.

https://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4900/borisstadiumzf8.jpg

[Tran]

Try this one

https://img156.imageshack.us/img156/734/somwhere426gvo1.jpg

Clue: It's located near the border

[scotchedpommes]

Indeed, it is Tbilisi*, in Georgia. And the stadium is the site of our
most recent ignominious downfall.

[Tran]

Well, I looked into the filename and noted that the stadium must be located somewhere inside or around Russia.

Another clue: The city is located on a large island.

[Myrddraal]

A large island, with a border on it. A large island with more than one country on it... there can't be too many of those.

The blue rooftops could be asia, but I don't know why but I get a south american vibe here :smile:

That's where I'll start.

EDIT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_divided_islands

I've had a quick look through that list, but I can't find it...

[Makanyane]

could the island belong to one country, eg USA but be close to Canadian border say? to comply with those clues... :help:

EDIT: bad example sorry the shadows look like they point south...

[Tran]

Here's another clue: The locals been here for a long time, a group of foreigners came and tried to help, then someone else took over. The locals slowly diminished.

I hope it's not too cryptic... :beam:

[Myrddraal]

The thing is, the town doesn't look that old. In fact, it looks very recent. What's with that causway too?

[Craterus]

Atlantis.

[Tran]

Nope.

Here's the last clue:
The city had one of the most important naval bases in the country, and still has. It was especially crucial during the country's border dispute with its neighbour in the past in which many troops are deployed nearby.

[Myrddraal]

I've had another go, I just can't find it... :sad:

[TevashSzat]

I'm just throwing this out here, but Hagåtña, the capital of Guam???

Edit: Now after reading some of these clues, I suspect either in North or South Korea.

[Tran]

could the island belong to one country, eg USA but be close to Canadian border say? to comply with those clues...
No, the border cross through the island.


...but Hagåtña, the capital of Guam???
Not that one either. One of you actually headed toward the right direction.

[Myrddraal]

I suspect either in North or South Korea.

I've looked, but I can't find it... That doesn't mean it's not there though.

[Charge]

Aaa! It's island Borneo!

haven't look on maps, but city Balikpapan seems to be what we seek.

[Myrddraal]

Looked there too :smile: Not at Balikpapan though, it's not very close to the border...

[Tran]

Aaa! It's island Borneo!
Meh. It's not even close :smile:

Try again.

[Charge]

Meh. It's not even close :smile:

Try again.
:wreck: Hispaniola/Haiti then?

[Tran]

No, but as already mentioned before:


One of you actually headed toward the right direction.

[Myrddraal]

not even close

That's an important hint. Time for another search methinks...


Hispaniola/Haiti then?

Looked there too :laugh4:

This one's tough

[Myrddraal]

Are both countries confined to this island?

[TevashSzat]

Atlantis.

Maybe somewhere in the Mediterrannean???

[Craterus]

That wasn't a serious suggestion. I don't think any of my posts here have been.

Sorry guys, I won't do it again. :sad:

[Sigurd]

This has gone on too long... nearly two weeks on a single city.

This is a good one and you will look hard and long to find it.
The city is Ushuaia on the island of Tierra del Fuego. The two nations sharing this island is Chile and Argentina.

[Tran]

Congratulations Sigurd, you have deciphered the enigma. :thumbsup:

http://www.victory-cruises.com/new_ushuaia.jpg

All right, here are the explanation for the clues:

- Two of the clues have been explained by Sigurd.

It's located near the border

The city is located on a large island.
...island of Tierra del Fuego. The two nations sharing this island is Chile and Argentina.

- Third clue

The locals been here for a long time, a group of foreigners came and tried to help, then someone else took over. The locals slowly diminished.
The locals are the native American tribe of Yahgan, who had settled the place long before the arrival of European settlers. The "foreigners" were English missionaries led by Thomas Bridges who decided to place the archipelago’s first permanent European settlement here. Pioneer missionary Thomas Bridges and his descendants have left an enduring legacy in Bridges’s Yahgan (Yámana) dictionary, the memoir of his son Lucas, and the family estancia at nearby Harberton (sadly, the Yahgans whom Thomas Bridges hoped to save succumbed to introduced diseases and conflict with other settlers). Not long after Ushuaia’s settlement, Argentina, alarmed by the British presence, moved to establish its own authority at Ushuaia.

- Final clue

The city had one of the most important naval bases in the country, and still has. It was especially crucial during the country's border dispute with its neighbour in the past in which many troops are deployed nearby.
Ushuaia remained a penal settlement until almost 1950, when Juan Domingo Perón’s government created a major naval base to help support Argentina’s claim to a share of Antarctica. Other than Argentina's most important naval bases, it is also the command center of much action during the Falklands War. However the country's border dispute mentioned, where there were many troops deployed nearby, was Beagle Conflict with Chile (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beagle_conflict).

Only since the end of the military dictatorship of 1976–83 has it become a tourist destination, visited by many cruise ships as well as overland travelers and air passengers who come to see the world’s southernmost city.


As for the "one of you actually headed toward the right direction"...


A large island, with a border on it. A large island with more than one country on it... there can't be too many of those.

The blue rooftops could be asia, but I don't know why but I get a south american vibe here :smile:

That's where I'll start.

EDIT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_divided_islands

I've had a quick look through that list, but I can't find it...
Instead, everyone look to the other part of the Earth.

Your turn, Sigurd.

[Myrddraal]

Congratulations Sigurd. I tried, but that one was above me.

[Makanyane]

*coughs* politely, I need my fix of geographical problems.... is anyone going to post new pic?

[Sigurd]

Alright... give me a couple of minutes and I'll get something up

[Sigurd]

Here ya go... See if you can get it without clues.

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/asleka/entryCC.jpg

Sorry about the bad quality... It is the aerial photos that are bad.

[Makanyane]

ugh wish I hadn't asked! Not sure where to start yet, terrain is unusual looking, large areas of green which aren't farmed and don't seem to have many trees...

hopefully someone else has more inspiration.

[Sigurd]

ugh wish I hadn't asked! Not sure where to start yet, terrain is unusual looking, large areas of green which aren't farmed and don't seem to have many trees...

hopefully someone else has more inspiration.
Clues right there :yes:

[Duke John]

That makes me think about Iceland as most if not all trees were cut down on that island. Couldn't find the right spot though. From the housing and especially how more houses are on the edge of image I suspect that this area isn't that remote as I would then expect it to be clustered. It's got a main street and an athletic track so it quite a normal town and not too far up north.

I think I see cliffs on the southside which most likely means that this town is on the south coast with an inlet northwards. Makes sense as that would place the harbour safely in the bay. Not a very large marina which makes me believe that these people do not live near the sea for fun but out of necessity (inland is inhospatible, rugged terrain).

Housing doesn't seem Russian like. Greenland is another possibility but that is even more barren. Canada is not known for being treeless. Treeless means tundra. That would mean that certain parts in Norway also fits, Finland not according to a quick google search.

Now I just need to figure out why SG would post this particular city to narrow down the search as Norway has way too many inlets.

Edit: the headland in the lake on the left side has some kind of circular building with another circular layer around it. Could this be a motte-and-bailey? It seems that an unhardened road goes towards it, which makes sense for a monument that is only visited by the occasional tourist.

[Duke John]

After some random picks in the northern regions of the world I went back to northwestern Europe as I really thought that there is a motte-and-bailey in the picture. Then I remembered that while Scotland is farmed the Shetland Islands are not. And there it is; Lerwick! The northernmost town in Scotland and the entire United Kingdom. The motte-and-bailey is in fact Clickimin broch (a dry stone hollow-walled structure only found in Scotland): http://shetlopedia.com/images/2/25/Clickimin_Broch.jpg

[Sigurd]

Congratulations Duke John.

Yes it is Lerwick. A town I have visited a few times.

The distance from Lerwick to my hometown is nearly equal to Lerwick - Aberdeen (the most common way to travel Shetland - Scotland).
What I find most funny is that they speak English with a dialect resembling what would be the way the people from Ålesund (just north of Bergen) speak English.

[Duke John]

New city:
https://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9338/sillyts2.jpg

[Beefy187]

It looks like America...

Is it Washington DC?

[CountArach]

No way is that America, not enough traffic, too clean and a lot of fountains. The domes on the buildings point me to somewhere in Turkey.

[Charge]

I think it's Arabic city...

[Duke John]

Hint: What kind of ruler would need lots of fountains and palaces?

[Myrddraal]

A rich ruler...

Which had me looking at Kazakhstan, but no luck yet.

The patterns look very Arabic, I agree Charge.

[Lord Winter]

The building in the bottem left and center looks ethier like a captial or a uni campasus. Hmm... Not one hundred percent sure we're looking at something in the middle east.

[Duke John]

Another hint as it is time this one gets guessed, the image is named silly and because there are laws* in this country even more weird than the English ones that were in the news the other day:
Women must have white teeth. And the best way to maintain them is as dogs do: gnaw lots of bones.
The dogs however are banned from this city because of their smell.
You get a driving licences if you can answer questions on a certain philosophy book.
And video games are forbidden!
* Because the country is so closed off from the rest of the world these laws may just as well be made up by western media.

[scotchedpommes]

Those laws, particularly on the driving, sound very familiar indeed. I will have
this as soon as I come back in a couple of hours.

Argh... The Google Earth was poised over Turmenistan for a scan. Pssh.

[Riedquat]

To many clues to my taste. Is the city of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.

And the supposed philosophy book is the Ruhnama: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhnama :dizzy2:

[Duke John]

The 'City of Love' it is!

I thought that 6 days was enough for a submission, and since people didn't seem to be able to analyze from the photo which city it was I gave some more hints.

[Charge]

Paris? That's really surprise...

[Myrddraal]

I guess I was kinda along the right lines from the first clue...

[Riedquat]

I has been exploring every arabig city too ;) Please, someone post a pic, I can't upload pictures from work.:sweatdrop:

[CountArach]

Paris? That's really surprise...
No not Paris, the answer was Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.

[Charge]

No not Paris, the answer was Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.aa, just I never heard that Ashgabat is a city of love... :shame:

[Duke John]

According to Wikipedia:

Another explanation is that the name is a dialect version of the Persian عشق (eshq meaning "love") and آباد (ābād meaning "cultivated place" or "city"), and hence loosely translates as "the city of love."

[Makanyane]

erm, Riedquat said he couldn't post anything, is anyone else volunteering or can you face another one of mine?

[Duke John]

Any city is better than none, so go ahead.

[Makanyane]

Any city is better than none, so go ahead.
you've not seen my efforts before then? :laugh4:

here goes anyway:
https://img150.imageshack.us/img150/634/googleagainls9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

[Myrddraal]

Tricky shadows again... :wink:

[Duke John]

From the park in the middle lower part I think this photo is taken in the winter/autumn.

The housing blocks with the courtyards together with the red tiling indicates Spain. There is a white bridge which reminds of the work of the spanish architect [hidden as it is too good a clue]... and I found it. Too easy for me as I recognized the designer of that bridge. Under the arrows in the top left is another very famous building which is probably what made this city known around the world.

[Charge]

Can it be Bilbao?

edit: ~D

[Makanyane]

OK, that was way too easy sorry!

Duke John obviously got it but Charge was actually the one to come out and name city, so he should put up next (hopefully less obvious) city....


And yep the thing hiding under the arrows is
http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/ingles/home.htm

[Charge]

Yeah, it was hard not to name the city after his clues..
All I have to do is google 'bridge spanish architector' and 'bilbao famous buildings' :D

did anyone have an answers-list, or I should search whole thread ? ((oh my!! even without pics ..)
.. or it's ok if city was already?

[Myrddraal]

It's ok :smile:

[Charge]

OK, here's new one (I hope it's not so obvious :) )

https://img128.imageshack.us/img128/5417/lamerey1.jpg

this city isn't big (total pop. less than 100k) but it's one of the largest cities in it's country (and capital of it's own county);

let's see how far it'll go...

[Duke John]

No harbour, so I guess this river is far inland and not near a sea. Still quite a large river. A train station at the end of the track. A modern layout with no apparent historic centre. I don't see any landmark so it is too early to look in Google Maps or make a guess.

[Myrddraal]

Also to note: The river flows westwards. There is a harbour, but a very small one so I'd agree with the inland idea. The terraced housing looks English to me, but it could be anywhere I guess. It's clearly a small town.

[scotchedpommes]

On the subject of an answer list, I have one saved in my notepad, but it could
easily be missing one or two from roughly the last ten pages. [Kukri's original
with several added.]

[Duke John]

Assuming that the county is not a province, the following countries have counties and fit the 'theme' of the photo:
Austria
Denmark
Hungary
Ireland
Lithuania
Norway
Poland
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Sweden
United Kingdom

Hmm, is that white building in the left middle an (I guess Orthodox as I see three spires) church? And in the top middle an university? Or at least an high school with fields for sports. There also seems to be a stadium under the arrows.

[Makanyane]

On the subject of an answer list, I have one saved in my notepad, but it could
easily be missing one or two from roughly the last ten pages. [Kukri's original
with several added.]
I haven't got anywhere with this one, but re: a possible answer list, how about sticking it as a page on the Wiki (https://forums.totalwar.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page)? So long as you say what date /post its up to, then other people could help keep it up-to-date.

[Charge]

more:
https://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8279/gogglenew2et1.jpg
https://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2403/googlenew1hw4.jpg

And in the top middle an university?
Univercity here...

[Myrddraal]

Is that an American football pitch top right? I don't know the line layout...

[Charge]

I guess yes, it is..

(not an expert myself + no 100% information on hands)

[Louis VI the Fat]

There once was a Louis the Fat
guessed many a city he had

by staring at maps
avoiding all traps

never clues he needed for that

[Myrddraal]

It's a hockey pitch, not an American Football pitch.

So we have a hockey pitch, soccer pitch and a running track, presumably in the grounds of a university (unless univercity is a clue of some kind).

We have a small town that's the capital of it's 'county' with a large east to west flowing river.


Hmmm

@Louis: Does that mean you've got it already?

[Riedquat]

(unless univercity is a clue of some kind).

We have a small town that's the capital of it's 'county' with a large east to west flowing river.

And something more, the name of the first picture, "lamerey"... Lamerey diagrams perhaps?

[Charge]

And something more, the name of the first picture, "lamerey"... Lamerey diagrams perhaps?
:laugh4:
no no..

[Riedquat]

:laugh4:
no no..

:wall: Why the name then?

[Myrddraal]

Could just be 'lame' with the random characters imageshack adds to filenames..

[Riedquat]

Bah! What a waste of work time following the lamerey track!
:embarassed:

[Charge]

What? Nothing so far?

https://img410.imageshack.us/img410/8122/yterfyhrexb3.jpg

[Myrddraal]

Limerick, Ireland it is.

Actually I don't know why we didn't get that sooner...

[Charge]

yep :balloon2:
this is what last pic was about:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Ollscoil_Luimni.JPG/240px-Ollscoil_Luimni.JPG

[Duke John]

New entry?

[Myrddraal]

Sorry, I'll look for a decent one, but if anyone has one ready please go ahead and post. I have nothing in mind yet.

[Psiloi]

OK guys i will retake this thread, i havn't seen most od the cities posted so sorry if repeated.

Wich is this city? I will give a clue: Western Hemisphery :book:

https://img356.imageshack.us/img356/3263/twjvp0.jpg

[Makanyane]

oops, I missed that this had re-started, thanks Psiloi....

looks interesting but I've no ideas yet. There's something very fortified looking about western tip though, hmmm

[Psiloi]

Sorry Makanyane, i thought that anybody was interested in the game. Well, good detail, the north western portion have an strong fortification but, if you look carefully most of the territory is covered by a wall...

[Duke John]

A fortified harbour with the waves rolling in from the north. There are no walls on the south side so I guess that this piece of land is on the right side of the opening into a protected harbour with a sea in the north.

The fortifications seems extensive which means the harbour was very important. They also look like something from renaissance to early 19th century with the arrival of massed cannons requiring those starlike walls. The housing itself looks Spanish, Portuguese or possibly Italian.

Portugal has no large harbours northwards. The northcoast of Spain has no fitting bays. Creta, Malta (another good contender for a large fortified harbour) aren't correct either. Italy has the wrong orientation for the coast and bays. So then we will need to look at the colonies of I'm guessing Spain and Portugal. That means the caribean. I thought that Puerto Rico was pretty important so that was my first look and indeed its capital is the city asked:

San Juan!

[Psiloi]

That's right!! Very good research Duke John and fine analysis, althought i give a clue very important that you didn't watch: western hemisphery :sweatdrop: San Juan of Puerto Rico, the fortress of the right side is "El Morro". Wasn't an easy task, there are a lot of city-harbours similar to this one like La Habana, Cartagena de Indias...

This is the adress in Google Earth

18 27 11.40 N 16 06 40.97 W


Your time Duke John.

[Duke John]

That was indeed a fairly important clue :wink:

I don't have internet until january so I'll refrain from posting a new entry as I won't be able to give hints. Feel free to place a new entry in my place. Otherwise I will post my own after the holidays.

Merry Christmas everybody!

[Duke John]

New entry:
https://img518.imageshack.us/img518/571/preciousuz2.jpg

[Makanyane]

Oh good....

....and oh GAH! its got one of those needle type buildings again - if only I could remember all the wrong answers I found when I was searching for the last one! :wall:

[Riedquat]

To easy!!

But its true it has a very distinctive type of building, a precious one. :clown:

[mrdun]

'Cisco!