The alleged French obsession with odd culinary dishes which earned its people the term "frog" in the English vernacular, has earned Paris the reputation as the world's gastronomic capital, even when other cities now arguably have equal claim to the title.

BBC: Rolling out the old cliches

One of the oldest cities in the world, Athens is the capital of Ancient and modern Greece and is considered the birthplace of Western civilisation.

BBC: Living in: Great cities for history and ancient ruins

Moalin had kept a house in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, one of the world's most embattled cities at the time.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Last time New York held the crown as the billionaire capital of the world was in 2009, when the U.S. had five cities in the top 10: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Los Angeles.

FORBES: Top 10 Billionaire Cities - Moscow Beats New York Again - Forbes

Rome may not be the capital of the world these days, but it is still one of the most historically-packed cities.

BBC: Lonely Planet's top 10 sights in Rome

While the country has slipped to seventh place in the league of world GDP, the capital is first, or second to New York, in most of the rankings of great cities.

ECONOMIST: London