A tale of two (very different) cities

MANCHESTER, NORTH-WEST ENGLAND

POPULATION: 14,417

WEATHER: Mild summers, with July average of 21C (70F), and cool winters, often just above freezing

RAINFALL: Known for its rain, it gets an average 32 inches a year

EARLIEST SETTLEMENT: The Roman fort of Mamucium or Mancunium, established in around 79AD

KNOWN FOR: Became the world’s first industrialised city after a boom in textiles manufacturing

MUSIC: Rich heritage of world-conquering bands, from The Smiths and Oasis to Take That

SPORTS: Rivals Manchester City and Manchester United are two of the world’s top football teams, and the city hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2002

FAMOUS FIGURES: Actor Sir Ian McKellen, former prime minister David Lloyd George and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst

SHIRAZ, SOUTH-WEST IRAN

POPULATION: 1,4 ,073

WEATHER: Hot summers, with July average of 39C (102F), and cooler winters, often dipping below freezing

RAINFALL: Fairly dry, with just 12 inches of rainfall a year

EARLIEST SETTLEMENT: The first reference to the city was found on clay tablets dated to 2000BC

KNOWN FOR: As one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia, it is famous for poets, literature, wine and flowers

MUSIC: Not known for producing global pop acts, but held an international arts festival in the 1970s

SPORT: Two football teams, a top-flight basketball team and a female rugby club

FAMOUS FIGURES: Singer Tooji, who represented Norway in the 2012 Eurovision song contest, Valerie Jarrett, an adviser to President Obama, and Islamic philosopher Mulla Sadra