Q 01/05

Lisbon lies on the northern shore of which river, near where it meets the Atlantic?

A) The Tagus

B) The Douro

C) The Guadiana

D) The Mondego

Answer · why

A) The Tagus

It is the westernmost capital of mainland Europe, and Cabo da Roca in its metro area is the continent's westernmost point.

Q 02/05

Lisbon is described as the second-oldest capital city in Europe after which?

A) Rome

B) Athens

C) Paris

D) Madrid

Answer · why

B) Athens

Phoenician traders were present by around 1000 BC, and Julius Caesar made the town a municipium called Felicitas Julia.

Q 03/05

According to a persistent legend repeated by classical authors, Lisbon was founded by which mythical hero?

A) Hercules

B) Aeneas

C) Ulysses

D) Jason

Answer · why

C) Ulysses

Pomponius Mela wrote the name as Ulyssippo; the more likely origin is a Celtic word such as Olisippo.

Q 04/05

Lisbon's common abbreviation 'LX' comes from what?

A) A Roman numeral

B) A tram route number

C) Its airport code

D) An old spelling, Lixbõa

Answer · why

D) An old spelling, Lixbõa

The spelling has vanished from modern Portuguese but the shorthand survives on shopfronts and in slang.

Q 05/05

Which king conquered Lisbon from the Moors in 1147 with the help of crusader knights?

A) Denis the Farmer

B) Sancho the Populator

C) Afonso Henriques

D) John of Aviz

Answer · why

C) Afonso Henriques

The city then held about 154,000 people; mosques were converted into churches and Arabic quickly died out.