Cities · Puzzle #34 · Monday, November 2
Cities: the board
Eight items, eight categories, one place each. Here is the board with every figure and where it comes from, and the best way to place them. Play today's Cities.
The categories
- High altitude: 1 pt per 500 ft above sea level
- Sprawl: 1 pt per doubling over 2 square miles
- Packed in: 1 pt per doubling over 40 people per square mile
- Old town: 1 pt per doubling over 2 years old
- Rainy: 1 pt per 8 inches of rain a year
- Down south: 10 pts if south of the equator
- Seaside: 10 pts if on a sea or ocean
- Most looked-up: 1 pt per 150,000 Wikipedia views in 2025
The best board
The best board is hidden while some of these items are still in play: they're on a board again within 14 days.
The lineup, figure by figure
Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia
Photo: Zazaa Mongolia, CC BY-SA 4.0 Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Luxor
Egypt
Photo: Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0 Luxor was founded in 3200 BC, 5,226 years ago, so its best fit on this board was Old town, worth 10.0. Its weakest was Rainy, worth 0.0, since it gets 0.1 inches of rain a year.
- High altitude
- sits 292 ft above sea level (0.6) Source: Wikidata Q130514, P2044
- Sprawl
- covers 161 square miles (6.3) Source: Wikidata Q130514, P2046
- Packed in
- packs in 1,259 people per square mile (5.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Old town
- was founded in 3200 BC, 5,226 years ago (10.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Rainy
- gets 0.1 inches of rain a year (0.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Down south
- is in the Northern Hemisphere (0.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Seaside
- isn't on the coast (0.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Most looked-up
- its Wikipedia article was read 276,004 times in 2025 (1.8) Source: Wikimedia page views
Nairobi
Kenya
Photo: Daryona, CC BY-SA 3.0 Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Seattle
Washington, USA
Photo: Spicypepper999, CC0 Seattle is on the coast, so its best fit on this board was Seaside, worth 10.0. Its weakest was Down south, worth 0.0, since it is in the Northern Hemisphere.
- High altitude
- sits 131 ft above sea level (0.3) Source: Wikidata Q5083, P2044
- Sprawl
- covers 143 square miles (6.2) Source: Wikidata Q5083, P2046
- Packed in
- packs in 5,167 people per square mile (7.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Old town
- was founded in 1851, 175 years ago (6.5) Source: Wikipedia
- Rainy
- gets 49 inches of rain a year (6.1) Source: Wikipedia
- Down south
- is in the Northern Hemisphere (0.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Seaside
- is on the coast (10.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Most looked-up
- its Wikipedia article was read 1.61 million times in 2025 (10.0) Source: Wikimedia page views
Kathmandu
Nepal
Photo: Royonx, CC0 Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Antananarivo
Madagascar
Photo: Sascha Grabow www.saschagrabow.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 Antananarivo gets 94 inches of rain a year, so its best fit on this board was Rainy, worth 10.0. Its weakest was Seaside, worth 0.0, since it isn't on the coast.
- High altitude
- sits 4,186 ft above sea level (8.4) Source: Wikidata Q3915, P2044
- Sprawl
- covers 34 square miles (4.1) Source: Wikidata Q3915, P2046
- Packed in
- packs in 37,531 people per square mile (9.9) Source: Wikipedia
- Old town
- was founded in 1625, 401 years ago (7.6) Source: Wikipedia
- Rainy
- gets 94 inches of rain a year (10.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Down south
- is in the Southern Hemisphere (10.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Seaside
- isn't on the coast (0.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Most looked-up
- its Wikipedia article was read 263,855 times in 2025 (1.8) Source: Wikimedia page views
Cairns
Queensland, Australia
Photo: Donaldytong, Public domain Cairns is in the Southern Hemisphere, so its best fit on this board was Down south, worth 10.0. Its weakest was High altitude, worth 0.0, since it sits 23 ft above sea level.
- High altitude
- sits 23 ft above sea level (0.0) Source: Wikidata Q189133, P2044
- Sprawl
- covers 189 square miles (6.6) Source: Wikidata Q189133, P2046
- Packed in
- packs in 779 people per square mile (4.3) Source: Wikipedia
- Old town
- was founded in 1876, 150 years ago (6.2) Source: Wikipedia
- Rainy
- gets 76 inches of rain a year (9.5) Source: Wikipedia
- Down south
- is in the Southern Hemisphere (10.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Seaside
- is on the coast (10.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Most looked-up
- its Wikipedia article was read 245,083 times in 2025 (1.6) Source: Wikimedia page views
Dubrovnik
Croatia
Photo: Zysko serhii, CC BY-SA 4.0 Dubrovnik is on the coast, so its best fit on this board was Seaside, worth 10.0. Its weakest was Down south, worth 0.0, since it is in the Northern Hemisphere.
- High altitude
- sits 33 ft above sea level (0.1) Source: Wikidata Q1722, P2044
- Sprawl
- covers 55 square miles (4.8) Source: Wikidata Q1722, P2046
- Packed in
- packs in 755 people per square mile (4.2) Source: Wikipedia
- Old town
- was founded in 700, 1,326 years ago (9.4) Source: Wikipedia
- Rainy
- gets 49 inches of rain a year (6.2) Source: Wikipedia
- Down south
- is in the Northern Hemisphere (0.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Seaside
- is on the coast (10.0) Source: Wikipedia
- Most looked-up
- its Wikipedia article was read 463,228 times in 2025 (3.1) Source: Wikimedia page views
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