Can you identify these cities at night from space?
We put together a fun little quiz of images of cities from space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured all these images. We’ve separated them into easy, medium and difficult categories. Only true geography buffs will get all 10. Good luck, and if you get stuck, scroll down for the answers.
Cities at night: Easy level



Cities at night: Medium level



Cities at night: Difficult level



I can see my house from here!

Answers for easy level
1) This city is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The most notable feature is the humanmade set of islands called Palm Jumeirah. They’re shaped like a palm tree and contain resorts and housing.
2) The second city is London, and the Thames River flows through its center. Hyde Park is the dark space near left center. The brightest bridge is Tower Bridge.
3) This oasis is Las Vegas in Nevada. The Las Vegas Strip is the bright area near center, which is reported to be the brightest spot on Earth.
Answers for medium level
4) “All roads lead to” … Rome! The other country in this view is Vatican City, which is to the upper left of Rome’s center.
5) This city is Cairo in Egypt. The top part of the city fans out, following the delta of the river Nile. And the southern portion of the city is narrower, staying close to the river’s banks.
6) This bright, bustling city is Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand has a big fishing industry, and the boats use lights to attract certain kinds of marine life.
Answers for difficult level
7) This is one of the most populous cities on Earth: Shanghai, China. Shanghai has a population around 30 million. The wide Yangtze river empties into the Yellow Sea just east of this image.
8) This is Montreal, the largest city in Canada’s province of Quebec. Montreal is surrounded by the St. Lawrence and Prairies Rivers.
9) This is Budapest. The Danube River runs through the city. The part of the city that spreads out was the old city of Pest, while the other side of the river, which is steep with fewer buildings, was the old city of Buda.
Answers for the bonus round
There are hundreds of cities in this view! The city at lower right is Omaha. East of it is Des Moines, with Minneapolis/St. Paul to the north of that. Toward the lower right is St. Louis. You can trace out the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan thanks to the Milwaukee/Chicago corridor. The white light in the direction of the northeastern U.S. is lightning.
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Bottom line: Take this fun quiz to see how many cities at night you can identify from images astronauts took aboard the International Space Station.
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