Islamabad vs Vitoria-Gasteiz

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Islamabad (; Urdu: اسلام آباد, romanized: Islāmābād) is the capital city of Pakistan, and is administered within the Islamabad Capital Territory. Islamabad is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, while the bigger Islamabad--Rawalpindi metropolitan area is the country's fourth largest with a population of about 3.1 million. Constructed as a planned town in the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital, Islamabad is noted for its high standards of living, safety, and abundant greenery.The town's master plan, designed by Greek architect Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis, divides the city into eight zones, including administrative, diplomatic enclave, residential areas, educational industries, industrial industries, commercial areas, and green and rural areas that are administered by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation, supported by the Capital Development Authority.

The city is well known for the presence of several parks and forests, including the Margalla Hills National Park and the Shakarparian. The town is home to several landmarks, with the most notable one being the Faisal Mosque − the biggest mosque in South Asia and also the fourth largest in the world. Other landmarks include the Pakistan National Monument and Democracy Square.Islamabad is a Gamma + town as rated by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The town has the highest cost of living in Pakistan, and its population is dominated by middle and upper middle class citizens.The town is home to twenty schools, including Bahria University, Quaid-e-Azam University, PIEAS, COMSATS University and NUST. The city is among the safest in Pakistan, and has an expansive RFID-enabled surveillance system with almost 2000 CCTV cameras.

Source: Wikipedia

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Vitoria-Gasteiz (; Spanish: [βiˈtoɾja]; Basque: [ɡas̺teis̻]) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country and of the province of Araba/Álava in northern Spain. It holds the autonomous community's House of Parliament, the headquarters of the Government, and the Lehendakari's (Prime Minister's) official residency. The municipality—which comprises not only the city but also the mainly agricultural lands of 63 villages around—is the largest in the Basque Country, with a total area of 276.81 square kilometres (106.88 sq mi), and it has a population of 252,571 (May 2019). The dwellers of Vitoria-Gasteiz are called vitorianos or gasteiztarrak, while traditionally they are dubbed babazorros (Basque for 'bean sacks'). Vitoria-Gasteiz is a multicultural city with strengths in healthcare, aeronautics, vehicle industry, and gastronomy. It is consistently ranked as one of the 5 best places to live in Spain, it is the first Spanish municipality to be awarded the title of European Green Capital (in 2012) and it has been also recognized by the UN with the Global Green City Award (in 2019). The old town has some of the best preserved medieval streets and plazas in the region and it is one of very few cities with two cathedrals.

The city also holds well known festivals such as the Azkena rock festival, FesTVal, Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival, and the Virgen Blanca Festivities. Vitoria-Gasteiz's vicinity is home to world-renowned wineries such as Ysios (by Santiago Calatrava) and the Marqués de Riscal Hotel (by Frank Gehry); relevant heritage sites including the Neolithic remains of Aizkomendi, Sorginetxe and La chabola de la Hechicera; Iron Age remains such as the settlements of Lastra and Buradón; antique remains such as the settlement of La Hoya and the salt valley of Añana; and several medieval fortresses including the Tower of Mendoza and the Tower of Varona. Beethoven dedicated his Opus 91, often called the "Battle of Vitoria" or "Wellington's Victory", to one of the most famous events of the Napoleonic Wars: the Battle of Vitoria, in which a Spanish, Portuguese and British army under the command of General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army and nearly captured the puppet king Joseph Bonaparte. It was a pivotal point in the Peninsular War, and a precursor to the expulsion of the French army from Spain. A memorial statue can be seen today in Virgen Blanca Square.

Source: Wikipedia