1. Babylonia: It is in present Iraq. It was the capital of Mesopotamian Civilization. The famous law-giver Hammurabi ruled from here. Nebuchadnezzar built the ‘ Hanging Gardens’. which was one of the Wonders of the Ancient World.

2. Athens: It is the present capital city of Greece. It was one of the City-States of Ancient Greek Civilization. The city was named after the Goddess Athena. The famous Parthenon Temple is located here.

After Greeks, Athens was ruled by the Romans. In 15th century C.E. it was captured by the Ottoman Turks. After the Greek war of Independence in the 19th century, Athens was chosen as the capital of the newly independent Greek state in 1834.

3. Alexandria: It is in northern Egypt. It was founded by Alexander the Great. It was intended to be the link between Greece and the rich Nile Valley. An Egyptian City, Rhakotis already existed on the shores and was later given the name Alexandria. In Egyptian, it means “That which is built up”. In the ancient times it had a Light house which was one of the Wonders of the World. 

4. Venice: It is in Italy. It was one of the centres of Trade and Commerce during Medieval Period. Famous travellers Marco Polo and Nicolo Polo belonged to this city. It is called as ‘The City of Canals’, as this beautiful city is basically a group of a lot of islands connected by bridges.

5. Constantinople: Presently called as Istanbul is in Turkey. Its original name was Byzantium, which was founded in 7th Century B.C.E. by a Greek King Byzas. Constantine the Great, made it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 4th century C.E. Then it came to be known as Constantinople which means ‘The City of Constantine’. Ottoman Turks captured it in 1453, which led to the need to discover new sea routes to India.

6. Lisbon: It is the capital of Portugal. Most of the Portuguese navigators, including Vasco-da- , Gama of the Age of discovery started their voyages from this city. 

7. Versailles: It is in France. In 1624 The French Ruler Louis XIII, constructed a hunting lodge at the village of Versailles. His successor Louis XIV expanded it to be the largest Palace and from 1682 established his court here. After World War I, in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was signed here between Germany and the Allied powers. 

8. Geneva: It is in Switzerland. It was one of the centres of Protestant movement. International organizations like ILO, WHO, WTO and GATT are located here.