1) Which are the largest cities in the world?

Okay, okay, I know that one can argue this one - which suburbs should be included, which not, what sources of data should we accept, and so on. And yes, I know the information is out of date before it is even printed - but hey, in the greater scheme of things, it really doesn't matter, which is why it's such wonderfully useless information.

Anyway, to simplify things, I settled on one and the same source for all of the information: if you have an argument with it, take it up with Britannica CD 97 (the 1997 version of the Encyclopedia Britannica on CD-ROM).

So, which are the largest cities in the world, and in what order? Here it is...

Rank

1

São Paulo (Greater)

Brazil

15,416,416

2

Bombay (Greater)

India

12,596,243

3

Buenos Aires (Greater)

Argentina

12,582,321

4

Calcutta (Greater)

India

11,021,915

5

Seoul

Korea (South)

10,612,577

6

Mexico City

Mexico

9,815,795

7

Rio de Janeiro (Greater)

Brazil

9,796,498

8

Paris (Greater)

France

9,060,257

9

Moscow

Russia

8,570,200

10

Delhi (Greater)

India

8,419,084

11

Jakarta

Indonesia

8,259,266

12

Tokyo

Japan

8,021,943

13

Shanghai

China

7,496,509

14

New York

USA

7,333,253

15

Istanbul

Turkey

7,331,927

16

London (Greater)

UK

6,933,000

17

Cairo

Egypt

6,849,000

18

Tehran

Iran

6,475,527

19

6,200,000

20

Dhaka

Bangladesh

6,105,160

21

Peking

China

5,769,607

22

Lima (Greater)

Peru

5,706,127

23

Bangkok

Thailand

5,620,591

24

Madras (Greater)

India

5,421,985

25

Santafé de Bogotá, D.C.

Colombia

5,237,635

26

Karachi

Pakistan

5,208,132

27

Kinshasa

Zaire

4,655,313

28

Santiago (Greater)

Chile

4,628,320

29

Tientsin

China

4,574,689

30

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

4,322,300

31

St. Petersburg

Russia

4,320,900

32

Hyderabad (Greater)

India

4,253,759

33

Bangalore (Greater)

India

4,130,288

34

Baghdad (Greater)

Iraq

4,044,000

35

Toronto

Canada

3,893,046

36

Pusan

Korea (South)

3,798,113

37

Sydney

Australia

3,738,500

38

Shen-yang

China

3,603,712

39

Berlin

Germany

3,471,000

40

Los Angeles

USA

3,448,613

41

Belo Horizonte (Greater)

Brazil

3,431,755

42

Alexandria

Egypt

3,382,000

43

Ahmadabad (Greater)

India

3,312,216

44

Yokohama

Japan

3,300,513

45

Wu-han

China

3,284,229

46

Melbourne

Australia

3,198,200

47

Montreal

Canada

3,127,242

48

Pôrto Alegre (Greater)

Brazil

3,026,029

49

Singapore

Singapore

2,989,000

50

Lahore

Pakistan

2,952,689

51

Casablanca

Morocco

2,943,000

52

Canton

China

2,914,281

53

Madrid

Spain

2,909,792

54

Recife (Greater)

Brazil

2,871,261

55

Chicago

USA

2,731,743

56

Rome

Italy

2,723,327

57

Ankara

Turkey

2,719,981

58

Taipei

Taiwan

2,652,685

59

Kiev

Ukraine

2,645,000

60

Osaka

Japan

2,575,042

61

Yangôn (Rangoon)

Myanmar

2,513,023

62

Pune (Greater)

India

2,493,987

63

Salvador (Greater)

Brazil

2,493,224

64

Harbin

China

2,443,398

65

Surabaya

Indonesia

2,421,016

66

P'yongyang

Korea (North)

2,355,000

67

Cape Town

South Africa

2,350,157

68

Fortaleza (Greater)

Brazil

2,303,645

69

Chungking (Chongqing)

China

2,266,772

70

Taegu

Korea (South)

2,229,040

71

Havana

Cuba

2,175,995

72

Abidjan

Cote d'Ivoire

2,168,000

73

Hanoi

Vietnam

2,154,900

74

Nagoya

Japan

2,153,293

75

al-Jizah

Egypt

2,144,000

76

Tashkent

Uzbekistan

2,119,900

77

Nanking

China

2,090,204

78

Bucharest

Romania

2,066,723

79

Chittagong

Bangladesh

2,040,663

80

Kanpur (Greater)

India

2,029,889

81

Bandung

Indonesia

2,026,893

82

Curitiba (Greater)

Brazil

1,998,807

83

Budapest

Hungary

1,995,696

84

Sian

China

1,959,044

85

Izmir

Turkey

1,920,807

86

Johannesburg

South Africa

1,916,063

87

Manila

Philippines

1,894,667

88

Caracas

Venezuela

1,822,465

89

Inch'on

Korea (South)

1,817,919

90

Riyadh (ar-Riyad)

Saudi Arabia

1,800,000

91

Jiddah

Saudi Arabia

1,800,000

92

Mashhad

Iran

1,759,155

93

Sapporo

Japan

1,744,806

94

Dakar

Senegal

1,729,823

95

Ta-lien (Dalian)

China

1,723,302

96

Cali

Colombia

1,718,871

97

Ch'eng-tu

China

1,713,255

98

Hamburg

Germany

1,706,000

99

Houston

USA

1,702,086

100

Medan

Indonesia

1,685,972

101

Ch'ang-ch'un

China

1,679,270

102

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia

1,673,060

103

Minsk

Belarus

1,671,000

104

Lucknow (Greater)

India

1,669,204

105

Nagpur (Greater)

India

1,664,006

106

Guadalajara

Mexico

1,650,042

107

Warsaw

Poland

1,642,700

108

Quezon City

Philippines

1,627,890

109

Barcelona

Spain

1,623,542

110

Medellín

Colombia

1,621,356

111

Vancouver

Canada

1,602,502

112

Kharkiv

Ukraine

1,599,000

113

Brasília (Greater)

Brazil

1,598,415

114

Aleppo

Syria

1,591,400

115

Damascus

Syria

1,549,932

116

Vienna

Austria

1,539,848

117

T'ai-yüan

China

1,533,884

118

Philadelphia

USA

1,524,249

119

San Salvador (Greater)

El Salvador

1,522,126

120

Kobe

Japan

1,518,982

121

Guayaquil

Ecuador

1,508,844

122

Algiers

Algeria

1,507,241

123

Nairobi

Kenya

1,504,900

124

Tsinan

China

1,480,915

125

Ch'ing-tao (Qingdao)

China

1,459,195

126

Brisbane

Australia

1,454,800

127

Kyoto

Japan

1,448,377

128

Nizhny Novgorod

Russia

1,424,600

129

Novosibirsk

Russia

1,418,200

130

Kao-hsiung

Taiwan

1,416,160

131

Dar es Salaam

Tanzania

1,360,850

132

Milan

Italy

1,358,627

133

Lagos

Nigeria

1,347,000

134

Yekaterinburg

Russia

1,347,000

135

Copenhagen (Greater)

Denmark

1,342,679

136

Belém (Greater)

Brazil

1,332,723

137

Montevideo

Uruguay

1,311,976

138

Ibadan

Nigeria

1,295,000

139

Yerevan

Armenia

1,283,000

140

Fukuoka

Japan

1,275,165

141

T'bilisi

Georgia

1,270,000

142

Lyon (Greater)

France

1,262,223

143

Munich

Germany

1,256,300

144

Ciudad Netzahualcóyotl

Mexico

1,255,456

145

Maracaibo

Venezuela

1,249,670

146

Perth

Australia

1,239,400

147

Marseille (Greater)

France

1,231,082

148

Samara

Russia

1,222,500

149

Rabat

Morocco

1,220,000

150

Prague

Czech Republic

1,217,000

151

An-shan (Anshan)

China

1,203,986

152

Fu-shun

China

1,202,388

153

Kawasaki

Japan

1,202,069

154

Lan-chou

China

1,194,640

155

Harare

Zimbabwe

1,184,169

156

Córdoba

Argentina

1,179,067

157

Dnipropetrovsk

Ukraine

1,176,000

158

Belgrade

Yugoslavia

1,168,454

159

Guatemala City

Guatemala

1,167,495

160

Omsk

Russia

1,161,200

161

Cheng-chou

China

1,159,679

162

Almaty (Alma-Ata)

Kazakhstan

1,156,200

163

San Diego

USA

1,151,977

164

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

1,145,075

165

Kwangju

Korea (South)

1,139,003

166

Tzu-po (Zibo)

China

1,138,074

167

Durban

South Africa

1,137,378

168

Luanda

Angola

1,134,000

169

K'un-ming

China

1,127,411

170

Esfahan

Iran

1,127,030

171

Chelyabinsk

Russia

1,124,500

172

Donetsk

Ukraine

1,114,000

173

Sofia

Bulgaria

1,113,674

174

Hiroshima

Japan

1,106,367

175

Faisalabad

Pakistan

1,104,209

176

Quito

Ecuador

1,100,847

177

Beirut

Lebanon

1,100,000

178

Kazan

Russia

1,092,300

179

Ufa

Russia

1,091,800

180

Tabriz

Iran

1,088,985

181

Perm

Russia

1,086,100

182

Baku

Azerbaijan

1,080,500

183

Pretoria

South Africa

1,080,187

184

Rosario

Argentina

1,078,374

185

Adelaide

Australia

1,076,400

186

Odessa

Ukraine

1,073,000

187

Naples

Italy

1,071,744

188

Monterrey

Mexico

1,068,996

189

Barranquilla

Colombia

1,064,255

190

Antananarivo

Madagascar

1,052,835

191

Phoenix

USA

1,048,949

192

Rostov-na-Donu

Russia

1,023,200

193

Dallas

USA

1,022,830

194

Kita-Kyushu

Japan

1,019,372

195

Birmingham

UK

1,012,400

196

Adana

Turkey

1,010,363

197

Puebla

Mexico

1,007,170

198

Manaus (Greater)

Brazil

1,005,634

199

Semarang

Indonesia

1,005,316

2) Speaking of things geographical...

... what do all the continents (Africa, America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, and Europe) have in common (well, at least typographically)?

Answer: They all begin and end with the same letter (in English, at any rate).

Gee, that was worth noting, wasn't it?

3) a) Okay, now for something completely different - a few words from the French language which are really quite commonly used in English (depending on your métier, of course):

à la carte

coup de grâce

garçon

nom de plume

à propos

coup d'état

gauche

nouveau riche

agent provocateur

crèche

genre

objet d'art

aide de camp

croissant

gourmet

pâté

art nouveau

cul-de-sac

grand prix

pension (boardinghouse)

au naturel

de luxe

gruyère

pièce de résistance

avant-garde

décolleté

honi soit qui mal y pense

pot-pourri

bon appétit

déjà vu

idiot savant

prêt-a-porter

bon voyage

dénouement

jargon

raison d'être

bourgeois

double entente

joyeux Noël

résumé

brassière

en masse

laissez faire

rien ne vas plus

buffet

en passant

maison

salon

casserole

escargot

malaise

séance

chauffeur

esprit

mardi gras

table d'hôte

communiqué

faux pas

mémoire

tête-à-tête

concierge

femme fatale

ménage à trois

touché

coq au vin

foie gras

misère

tour de force

cordon-bleu

gaffe

noblesse oblige

voyeur

à la mode

c'est la guerre

en bloc

mon ami(e)

à votre santé

c'est la vie

ennui

mon cher

amour

c'est l'amour

entre nous

mon chéri

ancien régime

chéri(e)

gourmand

mon Dieu

avec plaisir

contretemps

grande dame

nom de guerre

beau geste

crème

guerre

nouvelle vague

belle époque

de rigeur

idée

poseur

belles-lettres

demi

ingénue

rapprochement

bête noire

dernier cri

j'accuse

sacrebleu

bon mot

éclat

joie de vivre

savoir-faire

bon mot

élan

ma chère

très bien

bonhomie

émigré

mal de mer

tristesse

cause célèbre

éminence grise

malheur

vin (wine)

zut alors