Despite Argentina's history of political and economic upheaval, the nation's capital Buenos Aires has remained relatively stable.
The capital of Taiwan is a young city undergoing rapid change and development within a fragile governmental framework.
Spain's second-largest city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, with around 30 million tourists visiting Barcelona each year.
Once considered the Paris of the Middle East, the ancient city of Beirut has survived brutal civil war, ongoing conflicts with Israel, political assassinations and endless bombings.
When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the United States' Gulf Region in 2005, killing over 1800 people, displacing over a million and causing over 151 billion dollars US in damages, New Orleans was caught in the eye of the storm.