Modern-day Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city after Sydney, was briefly named for John Batman, who founded the city in 1835. Other names used to describe the settlement at the time included Narr-m and Bearbrass. In 1837, Governor Richard Bourke renamed the city after British Prime Minister William Lamb, the Second Viscount of Melbourne.

Before he started work on his iconic tower in Paris, Gustave Eiffel completed Porto’s Maria Pia Bridge, which arches gracefully over the Douro River in Portugal’s second-most populous city. The bridge was completed in 1877 and named for Portugal’s Queen Maria Pia. Eiffel also was responsible for building the metal framework that supports the Statue of Liberty.

According to legend, a giant named Druon Antigonus once guarded the Scheldt River, demanding tolls from sailors, and cutting off the hands of any who could not pay. Roman soldier Silvius Brabo took on the giant, repaid the favor, and tossed his hand into the water, giving the Belgium’s second-largest city the name “Antwerp” which literally translates to “to throw a hand.”

Czar Peter I founded the city of St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1703. During World War I, the city’s name was changed to the more Russian-sounding “Petrograd,” and in January 1924, its name was again changed to Leningrad to honor the late Vladimir Lenin. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the name was reverted to the original St. Petersburg.

Ankara became the capital of Turkey in 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence and the creation of the new republic at the fall of the Ottoman Empire. After Istanbul, Ankara is the second-most populous city in Turkey, with a population of 4.5 million. The city is an important commercial and industrial center, serving as a central hub in the Turkish road and rail system.

Known as “the Father of Instant Noodles,” Momofuku Ando invented chicken ramen in 1958 and Cupnoodles in 1971. A museum in Yokohama, Japan’s second-largest city after Tokyo, explores the humble dish’s fascinating history and allows visitors to customize their own cup of instant noodles.

J.R.R. Tolkien grew up in and around Birmingham, England’s second-largest city, and many of the settings in “Lord of the Rings” were inspired by the city’s landmarks. Perrott’s Folly and the chimney of Edgbaston Pumping Station are said to have inspired the Two Towers of Gondor. Birmingham’s Sarehole Mill reporetedly inspired The Old Mill at Hobbiton.

Located nearly 5,000 feet above sea level in Aburrá Valley of the Andes mountains, Medellín is Colombia’s second largest city, home to 2.5 million people. Thanks to its geography, Medellin’s temperature remains steadily between the low 60s and low 80s Fahrenheit year round, which gives it its nickname of “the City of Eternal Spring.”

When you think of Chinatown, you probably picture red lanterns and gold Mandarin hanging over San Francisco or New York City. But the world’s first Chinatown actually originated in Manila, the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines. The Chinatown district of Binondo, situated along the Pasig River, has been around since 1594.

Founded in the 17th century, the Khari Baoli Market is the largest wholesale spice market in Asia. The market can be found in the Old Delhi neighborhood of India’s second-most populous city. Many of the spice shops in the market have been run by the same families for as many as 10 generations.

FC Barcelona plays in Camp Nou, Europe’s largest soccer stadium, which boasts a capacity of 99,354. Camp Nou translates to “new field,” which it was when it opened in 1957 at Barcelona’s annual festival of Mercé. The stadium expanded to its current size in preparation for the 1982 World Cup.

Marseille was founded by the Greeks in 600 BCE on the southern coast of modern-day France. The city takes its modern-day name for the original name of the settlement, Massalia. Today it is the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and home to around 870,000 people, second only to Paris among French cities.

A Portuguese sailor named Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to explore the area that is now Los Angeles, but the first colonial outpost in the region was established by the Spanish in 1769. After Mexico declared independence from Spain, California was left under Mexican control, but the U.S. annexed the territory after the Mexican-American War ended in 1848. Today, it is the second-most populous city in the U.S., after New York City.

Though it is Egypt’s second-largest city after Cairo, Alexandria is the most populous city along the Mediterranean Sea. The port city, home to around 5.2 million people, was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. It was formerly home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was the world’s tallest human-made structure at the time of its construction in 250 BCE.

New York City, Paris, London and Milan (Italy’s second-largest city) host the world’s “Big Four Fashion Weeks.” The official Fashion Weeks for women in Milan take place in September and February, while the fashion shows dedicated to men are hosted in June and January. The fashion weeks are spread throughout the year to showcase looks for every season.

China’s second-largest city behind Shanghai, Beijing has a population of over 22 million — nearly equaling that of Australia. Beijing first hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008, and when the 2022 Winter Olympics took place in the Chinese capital, it became the city to host both seasons of the games.

In 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, and the headquarters are still based in the city today. The organization began with the intent to function as a neutral committee to assist the wounded from any country in the event of war. The Red Cross logo is an inverse of the Swiss national flag.

Named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World in 2007, Christ the Redeemer is a monumental statue that towers over the precipice of Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second-largest city (behind São Paolo). Built in 1922, the statue stands 98 feet tall, and its arms span 92 feet wide.

While both English and French are widely spoken in Montreal, the passing of Bill 22 in 1974 made French the sole official language of Quebec, the province that is home to Canada’s second-largest city. In 2022, the province made moves to further promote French as the primary language, with Bill 96 requiring small businesses to operate in French.

The beloved hamburger’s name comes from Germany’s second-most populous city, Hamburg. In the 19th century, sailors in the port city cooked shredded beef with spices and placed it on a bun. German immigrants introduced the sandwich to the U.S., where it spread in popularity after it was featured at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.