Following the French capture of Algeria (1833), that region saw several waves of Catalan-speaking settlers. People from the Spanish Alacant province settled around Oran, whereas Algiers received immigration from Northern Catalonia and Minorca. Their speech was known as patuet. By 1911, the number of Catalan speakers was around 100,000. After the declaration of independence of Algeria in 1962, almost all the Catalan speakers fled to Northern Catalonia (as Pieds-Noirs) or Alacant.

When did the French obtain Algeria?

Where did the Algiers immigrants come from?

Northern Catalonia and Minorca

What was the Catalan immigrant's speech called?

patuet

How many Catalan speakers lived in Algiers by 1911?

around 100,000

When did most Catalan speakers leave northern Catalonia?


Nowadays, France only recognizes French as an official language. Nevertheless, on 10 December 2007, the General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales officially recognized Catalan as one of the languages of the department and seeks to further promote it in public life and education.

What is the official language of France?

French

Where does the General Council want to promote Catalan?

in public life and education

Who recognized Catalan as a departmental language?

General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales

What language does the General Council want to promote?

Catalan


The decline of Catalan continued in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Catalan defeat in the War of Spanish Succession (1714) initiated a series of measures imposing the use of Spanish in legal documentation.

What declined in the 16th and 17th centuries?

Catalan

Where did Catalan experience defeat?

War of Spanish Succession

When was the war of Spanish Succession?

What did the war in 1714 mandate as the proper language in documentation?

Spanish

Who was defeated in the War of Spanish Succession?

Catalan


In parallel, however, the 19th century saw a Catalan literary revival (Renaixença), which has continued up to the present day. This period starts with Aribau's Ode to the Homeland (1833); followed in the second half of the 19th century, and the early 20th by the work of Verdaguer (poetry), Oller (realist novel), and Guimerà (drama).

What did the 19th century produce in Catalan literature?

revival

What is Renaixenca?

Catalan literary revival

When did Aribau write Ode to the Homeland?

When did this revival period begin?

In what century did Vedaguer, Oller, and Guimera wrte?

early 20th


Since the Spanish transition to democracy (1975–1982), Catalan has been institutionalizated as an official language, language of education, and language of mass media; all of which have contributed to its increased prestige. In Catalonia, there is no parallel of a large, bilingual, European, non-state speech community. The teaching of Catalan is mandatory in all schools, but it is possible to use Spanish for studying in the public education system of Catalonia in two situations, if the teacher assigned to a class chooses to use Spanish, or during the learning process of one or some recently arrived students.  There is also some intergenerational shift towards Catalan.

Since the transition what language has been proclaimed mandatory in schools?

Catalan

Where is the teaching of Catalan mandatory?

in all schools

Since the transition, what is the official language?

Catalan

Besides as an official  and an educational language, where else is Catalan the prefered language?

mass media


In Andorra, Catalan has always been the sole official language. Since the promulgation of the 1993 constitution, several Andorranization policies have been enforced, like Catalan medium education.

Where has Catalan always been the only language?

Andorra

When was the Andorran constitution produced?

What policies are the Andorrans enforcing?

Andorranization policies

What is an Andorran school policy?

Catalan medium education

What is the only language of Andorra?

Catalan


On the other hand, there are several language shift processes currently taking place. In Northern Catalonia, Catalan has followed the same trend as the other minority languages of France, with most of its native speakers being 60 or older (as of 2004). Catalan is studied as a foreign language by 30% of the primary education students, and by 15% of the secondary. The cultural association La Bressola promotes a network of community-run schools engaged in Catalan language immersion programs.

What kind of  shifts are taking place in Catalan speaking areas?

language shift processes

How old are most of the native language speakers in northern Catalonia?

60 or older

When was it determined that most native speakers in France are 60 or older?

What percentage of primary students study Catalan as a foreign language?

What do 15% of secondary school students study as a foreign language?

Catalan


In the Alicante province Catalan is being replaced by Spanish, and in Alghero by Italian. There are also well ingrained diglossic attitudes against Catalan in the Valencian Community, Ibiza, and to a lesser extent, in the rest of the Balearic islands.

What is Catalan being supplanted by in Alicante?

Spanish

What is Catalan being replaced by in Alghero?

Italian

What are the anti-Catalan attitudes in Valencia and Ibiza?

ingrained diglossic attitudes

What is another expression for bilingual attitudes?

diglossic attitudes

What is Spanish replacing in Alicante province?

Catalan


The ascription of Catalan to the Occitano-Romance branch of Gallo-Romance languages is not shared by all linguists and philologists, particularly among Spanish ones, such as Ramón Menéndez Pidal.

To what branch of Gallo-Romance languages is Catalan attributed?

Occitano-Romance

Who disagrees with putting Catalan in the Occitano-Romance branch?

linguists

What kind of linguists do not like placing Catalan in the Occitano-Romance category?

Spanish ones


Catalan bears varying degrees of similarity to the linguistic varieties subsumed under the cover term Occitan language (see also differences between Occitan and Catalan and Gallo-Romance languages). Thus, as it should be expected from closely related languages, Catalan today shares many traits with other Romance languages.

What is Catalan a variety of?

Occitan language

What are the degrees of similarity with Occitan and Gallo-Romance languages?

varying degrees

What are there besides degrees of similarity with Occitan?

differences

What does Catalan share with other Romance languages?

many traits

Why does Catalan share many traits with other Romance languages?

closely related


Catalan shares many traits with the other neighboring Romance languages (Italian, Sardinian, Occitan, and Spanish). However, despite being mostly situated in the Iberian Peninsula, Catalan has marked differences with the Ibero-Romance group (Spanish and Portuguese) in terms of pronunciation, grammar, and especially vocabulary; showing instead its closest affinity with Occitan and to a lesser extent Gallo-Romance (French, Franco-Provençal, Gallo-Italian).

What does Catalan share with nearby Romance languages?

many traits

Where is the Catalan language mostly located?

Iberian Peninsula

In pronunciation what is Catalan different from?

Ibero-Romance group

What are examples of Ibero-Romance languages?

Spanish and Portuguese

To what group is Catalan most closely related?

Occitan


According to Ethnologue, the lexical similarity between Catalan and other Romance languages is: 87% with Italian; 85% with Portuguese; 80% with Spanish; 76% with Ladin; 75% with Sardinian; and 73% with Romanian.

What is the similarity between Catalan and Italian?

Hoe similar is Catalan to Portuguese?

What is the percent relationship of Catalan to Spanish?

What is the relationship similarity to Ladin?

How related is Sardinian to Catalan?


During much of its history, and especially during the Francoist dictatorship (1939–1975), the Catalan language has often been degraded as a mere dialect of Spanish. This view, based on political and ideological considerations, has no linguistic validity. Spanish and Catalan have important differences in their sound systems, lexicon, and grammatical features, placing the language in a number of respects closer to Occitan (and French).

What has Catalan often been considered?

dialect of Spanish

During what dictatorship was Catalan considered a dialect?

Francoist


There is evidence that, at least from the a.d. 2nd century, the vocabulary and phonology of Roman Tarraconensis was different from the rest of Roman Hispania. Differentiation has arisen generally because Spanish, Asturian, and Galician-Portuguese share certain peripheral archaisms (Spanish hervir, Asturian/Portuguese ferver vs. Catalan bullir, Occitan bolir "to boil") and innovatory regionalisms (Sp novillo, Ast nuviellu vs. Cat torell, Oc taurèl "bullock"), while Catalan has a shared history with the Western Romance innovative core, especially Occitan.

What area was Roman Tarraconensis language different from?

rest of Roman Hispania

What language branch did Catalan share a history with?

Occitan

What is Occitan a branch of?

Western Romance


The Germanic superstrate has had different outcomes in Spanish and Catalan. For example, Catalan fang "mud" and rostir "to roast", of Germanic origin, contrast with Spanish lodo and asar, of Latin origin; whereas Catalan filosa "spinning wheel" and pols "temple", of Latin origin, contrast with Spanish rueca and sien, of Germanic origin.

What is the origin of language elements found in Catalan and not in Spanish?

Germanic

What is the origin of some Spanish words?

Latin origin

What has different results in Spanish and Catalan?

Germanic superstrate


The same happens with Arabic loanwords. Thus, Catalan alfàbia "large earthenware jar" and rajola "tile", of Arabic origin, contrast with Spanish tinaja and teja, of Latin origin; whereas Catalan oli "oil" and oliva "olive", of Latin origin, contrast with Spanish aceite and aceituna. However, the Arabic element in Spanish is generally much more prevalent.

What element in Spanish is more prominent than in Catalan?

Arabic element

What language loanwords are found in both Spanish and Catalan?

Arabic loanwords

In which language is the Arabic element stand out more?

Spanish

Where does the Catalan word alfabia come from?

of Arabic origin

What is the origin of the Spanish word teja?

Latin origin


Situated between two large linguistic blocks (Ibero-Romance and Gallo-Romance), Catalan has many unique lexical choices, such as enyorar "to miss somebody", apaivagar "to calm down somebody", or rebutjar "reject".

What are the linguistic blocks Catalan lies between?

Ibero-Romance and Gallo-Romance

What kind of linguistic choices does Catalan have?

unique

What type of unique choices does Catalan have?

lexical

What is the Catalan to miss somebody?

enyorar


These territories are sometimes referred to as the Països Catalans (Catalan Countries), a denomination based on cultural affinity and common heritage, that has also had a subsequent political interpretation but no official status. Various interpretations of the term may include some or all of these regions.

What are the Paisos Catalans

Catalan Countries

What is that determination based on?

cultural affinity and common heritage

What status does Catalan Countries have?

no official status

What is the interpretation of the term?

Various interpretations

What is the term for Catalan Countries?

Països Catalans


In contrast with other Romance languages, Catalan has many monosyllabic words; and those ending in a wide variety of consonants and some consonant clusters. Also, Catalan has final obstruent devoicing, thus featuring many couplets like amic "(male friend") vs. amiga ("female friend").

How is Catalan different from other Romance languages?

many monosyllabic words

What other type of endings do Catalan words have?

consonant clusters

What kind of final devoicing does the language have?

obstruent

What do many words feature?

couplets


Central Catalan is considered the standard pronunciation of the language. The descriptions below are mostly for this variety. For the differences in pronunciation of the different dialects, see the section pronunciation of dialects in this article.

What is the standard pronunciation of Catalan?

Central Catalan

What is Central Catalan?

standard pronunciation

What are the descriptions for?

standard pronunciation

Where do you look for the pronunciation of different dialects?

section pronunciation


Catalan has inherited the typical vowel system of Vulgar Latin, with seven stressed phonemes: /a ɛ e i ɔ o u/, a common feature in Western Romance, except Spanish. Balearic has also instances of stressed /ə/. Dialects differ in the different degrees of vowel reduction, and the incidence of the pair /ɛ e/.

Where does Catalan get its vowel system?

Vulgar Latin

How many stressed phenoms are there?

seven

Where is this a common feature?

Western Romance

What is the exception to this common characteristic?

Spanish

What differs in vowel reduction?

Dialects


In Central Catalan, unstressed vowels reduce to three: /a e ɛ/ > [ə]; /o ɔ u/ > [u]; /i/ remains distinct. The other dialects have different vowel reduction processes (see the section pronunciation of dialects in this article).

How many  reduced unstressed are vowels are there in Central Catalan?

three

What vowel stays distinct?

/i/

What kind of vowel processes do other dialects have?

different

Where do you find dialectic vowel reductions?

section pronunciation


Catalan sociolinguistics studies the situation of Catalan in the world and the different varieties that this language presents. It is a subdiscipline of Catalan philology and other affine studies and has as an objective to analyse the relation between the Catalan language, the speakers and the close reality (including the one of other languages in contact).

What field studies the placement of Catalan in the world?

Catalan sociolinguistics

What is the study of the differenet varieties of Catalan?

Catalan sociolinguistics

What is this a subdiscipline of?

Catalan philology

What does it want to do with the language, the speakers, and reality?

analyse the relation

What outside affects does this study include?

other languages in contact


The dialects of the Catalan language feature a relative uniformity, especially when compared to other Romance languages; both in terms of vocabulary, semantics, syntax, morphology, and phonology. Mutual intelligibility between dialects is very high, estimates ranging from 90% to 95%. The only exception is the isolated idiosyncratic Alguerese dialect.

What do the dialects of Catalan feature?

uniformity

In comparison to what are the dialects uniform?

other Romance languages

What is high among dialects?

intelligibility

What is the percentage of intelligibility between dialects?

90% to 95%

What dialect is the exception to intelligibility?

Alguerese


Catalan is split in two major dialectal blocks: Eastern Catalan, and Western Catalan. The main difference lies in the treatment of unstressed a and e; which have merged to /ə/ in Eastern dialects, but which remain distinct as /a/ and /e/ in Western dialects. There are a few other differences in pronunciation, verbal morphology, and vocabulary.

What is the major difference between the two blocks?

treatment of unstressed a and e

How are a and e in western dialects?

distinct

What have a and e done in eastern dialects?

merged


Western Catalan comprises the two dialects of Northwestern Catalan and Valencian; the Eastern block comprises four dialects: Central Catalan, Balearic, Rossellonese, and Alguerese. Each dialect can be further subdivided in several subdialects.

What two dialects does Western Catalan include?

Northwestern Catalan and Valencian

How many dialects are in the eastern group?

four

To what division does Central Catalan belong?

Eastern block

What other divisions can be made of dialects?

subdialects

What block does Northwestern Catalan and Valencian belong to?

Western Catalan


Central Catalan is considered the standard pronunciation of the language and has the highest number of speakers. It is spoken in the densely populated regions of the Barcelona province, the eastern half of the province of Tarragona, and most of the province of Girona.

What comprises the standard pronunciation of Catalan?

Central Catalan

Where are the most speakers found?

Central Catalan

In what densely populated area is it spoken?

Barcelona province

What part of the province of Tarragona is Central Catalan spoken?

eastern half


Catalan has inherited the typical vowel system of Vulgar Latin, with seven stressed phonemes: /a ɛ e i ɔ o u/, a common feature in Western Romance, except Spanish. Balearic has also instances of stressed /ə/. Dialects differ in the different degrees of vowel reduction, and the incidence of the pair /ɛ e/.

What is the vowel system of Catalan?

Vulgar Latin

How many stressed phonemes are there in Catalan?

seven

Where is this system common?

Western Romance

What language is the exception?

Spanish

What language form differs in the amount of vowel reduction?

Dialects


In Eastern Catalan (except Majorcan), unstressed vowels reduce to three: /a e ɛ/ > [ə]; /o ɔ u/ > [u]; /i/ remains distinct. There are a few instances of unreduced [e], [o] in some words. Alguerese has lowered [ə] to [a].

Where do unstressed vowels reduce to three?

Eastern Catalan

What is the exception to this reduction?

Majorcan

Which vowel remains distinct?

/i/


In Majorcan, unstressed vowels reduce to four: /a e ɛ/ follow the Eastern Catalan reduction pattern; however /o ɔ/ reduce to [o], with /u/ remaining distinct, as in Western Catalan.

In what language do unstressed vowels reduce to four?

Majorcan

What reduction pattern do some vowels follow?

Eastern Catalan

What other pattern do other vowels follow?

Western Catalan

What letter remains distinct?

/u/

/u/ remaining distinct is like what form of Catalan?

Western Catalan


In Western Catalan, unstressed vowels reduce to five: /e ɛ/ > [e]; /o ɔ/ > [o]; /a u i/ remain distinct. This reduction pattern, inherited from Proto-Romance, is also found in Italian and Portuguese. Some Western dialects present further reduction or vowel harmony in some cases.

What do unstressed vowels reduce to in Western Catalan?

five

Which letters remain distinct?

/a u i/

Where did this pattern come from?

Proto-Romance

In what other languages is this pattern found?

Italian and Portuguese

What do other Western dialects sometimes  offer?

further reduction


Central, Western, and Balearic differ in the lexical incidence of stressed /e/ and /ɛ/. Usually, words with /ɛ/ in Central Catalan correspond to /ə/ in Balearic and /e/ in Western Catalan. Words with /e/ in Balearic almost always have /e/ in Central and Western Catalan as well.[vague] As a result, Central Catalan has a much higher incidence of /e/.

What form has the same /e/ as Central and Western?

Balearic

What vowel does Central have a larger occurrence of?

/e/

What is the result of /e/ being the same in Central,  Western and Belearic?

higher incidence


In verbs, 1st person present indicative desinence is -e (∅ in verbs of the 2nd and 3rd conjugation), or -o.
E.g. parle, tem, sent (Valencian); parlo, temo, sento (Northwestern). In verbs, 1st person present indicative desinence is -o, -i or ∅ in all conjugations.
E.g. parlo (Central), parl (Balearic), parli (Northern), ('I speak').

What language is parle or tem ?

Valencian

What language  is parlo or temo ?

Northwestern

What language is parl?

Balearic

What language form is parli?

Northern


In nouns and adjectives, maintenance of /n/ of medieval plurals in proparoxytone words.
E.g. hòmens 'men', jóvens 'youth'. In nouns and adjectives, loss of /n/ of medieval plurals in proparoxytone words.
E.g. homes 'men', joves 'youth'.

Where do you find medieval plurals?

nouns and adjectives

What letter is lost in some words?

/n/

When homens loses /n/, it becomes what word?

homes

The medieval jovens becomes what what word?

joves

What kind of plural words lose /n/?

proparoxytone


Despite its relative lexical unity, the two dialectal blocks of Catalan (Eastern and Western) show some differences in word choices. Any lexical divergence within any of the two groups can be explained as an archaism. Also, usually Central Catalan acts as an innovative element.

What do the two blocks of Catalan display differences in?

word choices

How can you explain differences in the language groups?

as an archaism

What form is innovative?

Central Catalan

What are the two blocks of Catalan?

Eastern and Western

What does an archaism explain?

lexical divergence


Standard Catalan, virtually accepted by all speakers, is mostly based on Eastern Catalan, which is the most widely used dialect. Nevertheless, the standards of Valencia and the Balearics admit alternative forms, mostly traditional ones, which are not current in eastern Catalonia.

What is Standard based on?

Eastern Catalan

What form is excepted by most speakers?

Standard Catalan

What language forms are not now used in eastern Catalonia?

traditional ones


The most notable difference between both standards is some tonic ⟨e⟩ accentuation, for instance: francès, anglès (IEC) – francés, anglés (AVL). Nevertheless, AVL's standard keeps the grave accent ⟨è⟩, without pronouncing this ⟨e⟩ as /ɛ/, in some words like: què ('what'), or València. Other divergences include the use of ⟨tl⟩ (AVL) in some words instead of ⟨tll⟩ like in ametla/ametlla ('almond'), espatla/espatlla ('back'), the use of elided demonstratives (este 'this', eixe 'that') in the same level as reinforced ones (aquest, aqueix) or the use of many verbal forms common in Valencian, and some of these common in the rest of Western Catalan too, like subjunctive mood or inchoative conjugation in -ix- at the same level as -eix- or the priority use of -e morpheme in 1st person singular in present indicative (-ar verbs): jo compre instead of jo compro ('I buy').

What is jo compro changed to ?

jo compre

What common Valencian forms are used?

many verbal forms

What forms are also common in the rest of Western Catalan?

verbal forms


In the Balearic Islands, IEC's standard is used but adapted for the Balearic dialect by the University of the Balearic Islands's philological section. In this way, for instance, IEC says it is correct writing cantam as much as cantem ('we sing') but the University says that the priority form in the Balearic Islands must be "cantam" in all fields. Another feature of the Balearic standard is the non-ending in the 1st person singular present indicative: jo compr ('I buy'), jo tem ('I fear'), jo dorm ('I sleep').

Where is IEC's standard used?

the Balearic Islands

How is the standard used there?

adapted for the Balearic dialect

What is a first person singular  feature of the Balearic standard?

non-ending


In Alghero, the IEC has adapted its standard to the Alguerese dialect. In this standard one can find, among other features: the definite article lo instead of el, special possessive pronouns and determinants la mia ('mine'), lo sou/la sua ('his/her'), lo tou/la tua ('yours'), and so on, the use of -v- /v/ in the imperfect tense in all conjugations: cantava, creixiva, llegiva; the use of many archaic words, usual words in Alguerese: manco instead of menys ('less'), calqui u instead of algú ('someone'), qual/quala instead of quin/quina ('which'), and so on; and the adaptation of weak pronouns.

Where has the IEC adapted its standard to the Alguerese dialect?

Alghero

What definite article is found rather than el?

lo

What is -v- used for?

imperfect tense

What dialect employs many archaic words?

Alguerese

What type of pronouns has Alguerese adapted?

weak pronouns


In 2011, the Aragonese government passed a decree for the establishment of a new language regulator of Catalan in La Franja (the so-called Catalan-speaking areas of Aragon). The new entity, designated as Acadèmia Aragonesa del Català, shall allow a facultative education in Catalan and a standardization of the Catalan language in La Franja.

Where is the Catalan speaking part of Aragon?

La Franja

When did the government of Aragon  degree the establishment of a language regulator?

What language is the regulator meant to standardize?

Catalan

Where is the language to be regulated located?

La Franja


Valencian is classified as a Western dialect, along with the northwestern varieties spoken in Western Catalonia (provinces of Lleida and the western half of Tarragona). The various forms of Catalan and Valencian are mutually intelligible (ranging from 90% to 95%)

How is Valencian classified?

Western dialect

What kind of Valencan is spoken in Western Catalonia?

northwestern varieties

Where are the provinces of Lleida and Tarragona?

Western Catalonia

What forms are mutually intelligible?

Catalan and Valencian

What is the percentage of intelligibility between Catalan and Valencian?

90% to 95%


Linguists, including Valencian scholars, deal with Catalan and Valencian as the same language. The official regulating body of the language of the Valencian Community, the Valencian Academy of Language (Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua, AVL) declares the linguistic unity between Valencian and Catalan varieties.

How do linguists view Catalan and Valencian?

as the same language

How do Valencian scholars view Catalan and Valencian?

as the same language

What is the official regulating body of  Valencian?

the Valencian Academy of Language

Who says that there is linguistic unity between Catalan and Valencian?

Valencian Academy of Language


The AVL, created by the Valencian parliament, is in charge of dictating the official rules governing the use of Valencian, and its standard is based on the Norms of Castelló (Normes de Castelló). Currently, everyone who writes in Valencian uses this standard, except the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture (Acadèmia de Cultura Valenciana, RACV), which uses for Valencian an independent standard.

Who established the AVL?

Valencian parliament

Over what does the AVL  make rules governing?

use of Valencian

What is the AVL standard based on?

Norms of Castelló

Who uses this standard?

everyone who writes

Who is exempt from the standard and uses their own?

Royal Academy of Valencian Culture


Despite the position of the official organizations, an opinion poll carried out between 2001 and 2004 showed that the majority of the Valencian people consider Valencian different from Catalan. This position is promoted by people who do not use Valencian regularly. Furthermore, the data indicates that younger generations educated in Valencian are much less likely to hold these views. A minority of Valencian scholars active in fields other than linguistics defends the position of the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture (Acadèmia de Cultura Valenciana, RACV), which uses for Valencian a standard independent from Catalan.

What do most Valencian people think Valencian is in regards to Catalan?

different

When was an opinion poll done concerning Valencian?

between 2001 and 2004

Who is less likely to believe that Catalan and Valencian are different?

younger generations

Who uses a Valencian standard separate from Catalan?

Royal Academy of Valencian Culture

How many scholars outside of linguistics agree with the Royal Academy?

A minority


This clash of opinions has sparked much controversy. For example, during the drafting of the European Constitution in 2004, the Spanish government supplied the EU with translations of the text into Basque, Galician, Catalan, and Valencian, but the latter two were identical.

What has produced a great deal of controversy?

clash of opinions

When did the EU create the European Constitution?

Who gave the EU translations of the European Constitution?

Spanish government


Despite its relative lexical unity, the two dialectal blocks of Catalan (Eastern and Western) show some differences in word choices. Any lexical divergence within any of the two groups can be explained as an archaism. Also, usually Central Catalan acts as an innovative element.

As what can divergence in the groups be shown?

as an archaism

How does central Catalan behave with the groups?

as an innovative element

What are the two dialectical groups of Catalan?

Eastern and Western

What language has a lexical unity?

Catalan


Literary Catalan allows the use of words from different dialects, except those of very restricted use. However, from the 19th century onwards, there is a tendency of favoring words of Northern dialects in detriment of others, even though nowadays there is a greater freedom of choice.

What can use words from different dialects?

Literary Catalan

What kind of words are excepted from literary use?

restricted use

When did the preference of use of words from northern dialects begin?

19th century

What affect did this favoring of northern dialects have on other dialects?

detriment of others

What kind of choice is now available in word choice?

greater freedom of choice


Like other languages, Catalan has a large list of learned words from Greek and Latin. This process started very early, and one can find such examples in Ramon Llull's work. On the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries Catalan had a number of Greco-Latin learned words much superior to other Romance languages, as it can be attested for example in Roís de Corella's writings.

Where does Catalan get a lot of its learned words?

Greek and Latin

When did the process of acquiring words from Latin and Greek begin?

very early

In whose work can you find examples of acquired words?

Ramon Llull

When did Catalan have a greater number of Greco-Latin words than other Romance languages?

fourteenth and fifteenth centuries

Whose writings are a good example of learned words in Catalan?

Roís de Corella


The process of morphological derivation in Catalan follows the same principles as the other Romance languages, where agglutination is common. Many times, several affixes are appended to a preexisting lexeme, and some sound alternations can occur, for example elèctric [əˈlɛktrik] ("electrical") vs. electricitat [ələktrisiˈtat]. Prefixes are usually appended to verbs, for as in preveure ("foresee").

What is common in Romance languages?

agglutination

What kind of derivation in Catalan is similar to other languages?

morphological

What word additive is usually added to verbs?

Prefixes

What other word changes can occur in derivations?

sound alternations

What word supplement  can be put on an already existing word base?

affixes


In gender inflection, the most notable feature is (compared to Portuguese, Spanish or Italian), the loss of the typical masculine suffix -o. Thus, the alternance of -o/-a, has been replaced by ø/-a. There are only a few exceptions, like minso/minsa ("scarce"). Many not completely predictable morphological alternations may occur, such as:

What is the usual masculine suffix?

-o


Catalan has few suppletive couplets, like Italian and Spanish, and unlike French. Thus, Catalan has noi/noia ("boy"/"girl") and gall/gallina ("cock"/"hen"), whereas French has garçon/fille and coq/poule.

What kind of words does Catalan have few of?

suppletive couplets

What languages have more couplets than Catalan?

French

What languages are  similar to Catalan in numbers of  couplets?

Italian and Spanish

What language is not like Catalan in suppletive couplets?

French


There is a tendency to abandon traditionally gender-invariable adjectives in favour of marked ones, something prevalent in Occitan and French. Thus, one can find bullent/bullenta ("boiling") in contrast with traditional bullent/bullent.

What languages have a tendency to lose gender-invariable adjectives?

Occitan and French

What is ab example of a gender marked adjective?

bullent/bullenta

What would be the traditional form of a gender-invariable adjective?

bullent/bullenta


As in the other Western Romance languages, the main plural expression is the suffix -s, which may create morphological alternations similar to the ones found in gender inflection, albeit more rarely. The most important one is the addition of -o- before certain consonant groups, a phonetic phenomenon that does not affect feminine forms: el pols/els polsos ("the pulse"/"the pulses") vs. la pols/les pols ("the dust"/"the dusts").

What is the usual way to make a plural?

suffix -s

What can the addition of the suffix -s produce?

morphological alternations

To what are these morphological changes similar?

gender inflection

What is an important plural alternation?

addition of -o-


The inflection of determinatives is complex, specially because of the high number of elisions, but is similar to the neighboring languages. Catalan has more contractions of preposition + article than Spanish, like dels ("of + the [plural]"), but not as many as Italian (which has sul, col, nel, etc.).

What does the large number of omissions  make the determinatives?

complex

What is much like the neighboring languages?

inflection of determinatives

What language does Catalan have more contractions than?

Spanish

Catalan has less contractions than what language?

Italian

What type of word is added to the contraction of the preposition?

article


Central Catalan has abandoned almost completely unstressed possessives (mon, etc.) in favour of constructions of article + stressed forms (el meu, etc.), a feature shared with Italian.

What has Central Catalan mostly abandoned?

unstressed possessives

What other language shares this type of construction?

Italian

What is an example of an article +stressed forms?

el meu

What is an example of an unstressed possessive?

mon


The morphology of Catalan personal pronouns is complex, specially in unstressed forms, which are numerous (13 distinct forms, compared to 11 in Spanish or 9 in Italian).  Features include the gender-neutral ho and the great degree of freedom when combining different unstressed pronouns (65 combinations).

How many forms of personal pronouns are there in Catalan?

13 distinct forms

How many personal pronouns are there is Spanish?

What is the number of personal pronouns in Italian?

How many different combinations of unstressed pronouns are there?


Catalan pronouns exhibit T–V distinction, like all other Romance languages (and most European languages, but not Modern English). This feature implies the use of a different set of second person pronouns for formality.

What is this distinction similar to?

all other Romance languages

What modern language does not have a T-Y distinction?

English

What does this imply the use an extra group of pronouns for?

formality


This flexibility allows Catalan to use extraposition extensively, much more than French or Spanish. Thus, Catalan can have m'hi recomanaren ("they recommended me to him"), whereas in French one must say ils m'ont recommandé à lui, and Spanish me recomendaron a él. This allows the placement of almost any nominal term as a sentence topic, without having to use so often the passive voice (as in French or English), or identifying the direct object with a preposition (as in Spanish).

What languages use extrapositioning in sentences less than Catalan?

French or Spanish

What do you not need to use in Catalan?

passive voice

What languages use the passive voice more than Catalan?

French or English

What method does Spanish use to identify the object?

preposition


Like all the Romance languages, Catalan verbal inflection is more complex than the nominal. Suffixation is omnipresent, whereas morphological alternations play a secondary role. Vowel alternances are active, as well as infixation and suppletion. However, these are not as productive as in Spanish, and are mostly restricted to irregular verbs.

What is Catalan verbal inflection ?

more complex

What plays a primary part in Catalan?

Suffixation

What plays a secondary part in Catalan?

morphological alternations

How are vowel alternances in Catalan?

active


The Catalan verbal system is basically common to all Western Romance, except that most dialects have replaced the synthetic indicative perfect with a periphrastic form of anar ("to go") + infinitive.

What system is common to Western Romance?

Catalan verbal system

What have many dialects replaced?

synthetic indicative perfect

What is the Catalan verbal system common to?

all Western Romance


Catalan verbs are traditionally divided into three conjugations, with vowel themes -a-, -e-, -i-, the last two being split into two subtypes. However, this division is mostly theoretical. Only the first conjugation is nowadays productive (with about 3500 common verbs), whereas the third (the subtype of servir, with about 700 common verbs) is semiproductive. The verbs of the second conjugation are fewer than 100, and it is not possible to create new ones, except by compounding.

How are Catalan verbs grouped?

into three conjugations

Which conjugation has about 3500 verbs?

first conjugation

How many verbs are in the third conjugation?

Which conjugation has less than 100 verbs?

second


In Spain, every person officially has two surnames, one of which is the father's first surname and the other is the mother's first surname. The law contemplates the possibility of joining both surnames with the Catalan conjunction i ("and").

How many surnames does everyone in Spain have?

two

Which one of one's father's surnames is used?

first

What is Spain thinking of doing to the two surnames?

joining both surnames

What conjunction would be used to join a person's surnames?

in


Boston (pronounced i/ˈbɒstən/) is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Boston also served as the historic county seat of Suffolk County until Massachusetts disbanded county government in 1999. The city proper covers 48 square miles (124 km2) with an estimated population of 655,884 in 2014, making it the largest city in New England and the 24th largest city in the United States. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called Greater Boston, home to 4.7 million people and the tenth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the country. Greater Boston as a commuting region is home to 8.1 million people, making it the sixth-largest combined statistical area in the United States.

Which of the United States is Boston located in?

Massachusetts

How many square miles is the city proper of Boston?

The large metropolitan area of Boston is also called what?

Greater Boston

What is the estimated population of Greater Boston?

4.7 million people

What is the capital and largest city in Massachusetts?

Boston


One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon American independence from Great Britain, the city continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub, as well as a center for education and culture. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula. Its rich history attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing over 20 million visitors per year. Boston's many firsts include the United States' first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), and first subway system (1897).

What year was Boston founded?

What is the name of the peninsula Boston was founded on?

the Shawmut Peninsula

Bostons rich history attracts many what each year?

tourists

The Faneuil Hall draws over how many tourists to Boston each year?

20 million


The area's many colleges and universities make Boston an international center of higher education and medicine, and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation. Boston's economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, and government activities. Households in the city claim the highest average rate of philanthropy in the United States; businesses and institutions rank amongst the top in the country for environmental sustainability and investment. The city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States, though it remains high on world livability rankings.

Households in Boston claim the highest average rate of what in the United States?

philanthropy

Bostons businesses rank top in the country for what?

environmental sustainability and investment

Where does Boston rank as far as cost of living in the United States?

The city has one of the highest costs of living

How does Boston rank on world livability?

high

Boston is internationally known for education and medicine because of its many what?

colleges and universities


Boston's early European settlers had first called the area Trimountaine (after its "three mountains"—only traces of which remain today) but later renamed it Boston after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, the origin of several prominent colonists. The renaming, on September 7, 1630 (Old Style),[b] was by Puritan colonists from England, who had moved over from Charlestown earlier that year in quest of fresh water. Their settlement was initially limited to the Shawmut Peninsula, at that time surrounded by the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River and connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The peninsula is known to have been inhabited as early as 5000 BC.

What did Boston's early settlers call the area?

Trimountaine

What does Trimountaine mean?

three mountains

What year was the city renamed Boston?

Who named the city Boston?

Puritan colonists from England

What were the puritan colonists searching for when they came to Boston?

fresh water


In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony's first governor, John Winthrop, led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, a key founding document of the city. Puritan ethics and their focus on education influenced its early history; America's first public school was founded in Boston in 1635. Over the next 130 years, the city participated in four French and Indian Wars, until the British defeated the French and their native allies in North America. Boston was the largest town in British North America until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid 18th century.

What year was the Cambridge Agreement signed?

America's first public school was founded in Boston in what year?

Who was Massachusetts first governor?

John Winthrop

How many french and Indian wars did Boston participate in?

four

Who led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement?

John Winthrop


Many of the crucial events of the American Revolution—the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's midnight ride, the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and many others—occurred in or near Boston. After the Revolution, Boston's long seafaring tradition helped make it one of the world's wealthiest international ports, with rum, fish, salt, and tobacco being particularly important.

Boston became one of the wealthiest international ports after what war?

the American Revolution

What long held tradition helped make Boston a wealthy port?

seafaring tradition

Boston was the location of many important events of what war?

the American Revolution


The Embargo Act of 1807, adopted during the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812 significantly curtailed Boston's harbor activity. Although foreign trade returned after these hostilities, Boston's merchants had found alternatives for their capital investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the city's economy, and by the mid-19th century, the city's industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance. Until the early 20th century, Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers and was notable for its garment production and leather-goods industries. A network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region facilitated shipment of goods and led to a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a dense network of railroads furthered the region's industry and commerce.

What act was put in place during the Napoleonic wars and the war of 1812?

The Embargo Act of 1807

What act cut down on Boston's harbor activity?

The Embargo Act of 1807

What became an important part of the city's economy during the Napoleonic Wars and the war of 1812?

manufacturing

In what century was manufacturing more important to Boston than trade?

19th century

When did Boston stop being known for it's garment production and leather goods?

the early 20th century


During this period Boston flourished culturally as well, admired for its rarefied literary life and generous artistic patronage, with members of old Boston families—eventually dubbed Boston Brahmins—coming to be regarded as the nation's social and cultural elites.

What was the name given to old Boston families?

Boston Brahmins

Who came to be known as the nation's social elites?

Boston Brahmins

Boston was admired for what kind of life?

literary life

Boston improved culturally because of its generous what?

artistic patronage


Boston was an early port of the Atlantic triangular slave trade in the New England colonies, but was soon overtaken by Salem, Massachusetts and Newport, Rhode Island. Eventually Boston became a center of the abolitionist movement. The city reacted strongly to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, contributing to President Franklin Pierce's attempt to make an example of Boston after the Anthony Burns Fugitive Slave Case.

Boston was overtaken by Salem, Massachusetts in what type of trade?

slave trade

What movement did Boston become the center of after it stopped slave trade?

the abolitionist movement

What law involving slaves did the city react strongly to?

the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

What President attempted to make an example out of Boston due to it's view on the Anthony Burns Fugitive Slave Case?

Franklin Pierce


In 1822, the citizens of Boston voted to change the official name from "the Town of Boston" to "the City of Boston", and on March 4, 1822, the people of Boston accepted the charter incorporating the City. At the time Boston was chartered as a city, the population was about 46,226, while the area of the city was only 4.7 square miles (12 km2).

What was the City of Boston's name before it was the City of Boston?

the Town of Boston

What year was the name changes to the City of Boston?

Boston was chartered as what in 1822?

a city

What was the population of Boston in 1822?

about 46,226

How many square miles was the city in 1822?

4.7 square miles


In the 1820s, Boston's population grew rapidly, and the city's ethnic composition changed dramatically with the first wave of European immigrants. Irish immigrants dominated the first wave of newcomers during this period, especially following the Irish Potato Famine; by 1850, about 35,000 Irish lived in Boston. In the latter half of the 19th century, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, Germans, Lebanese, Syrians, French Canadians, and Russian and Polish Jews settled in the city. By the end of the 19th century, Boston's core neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants—Italians inhabited the North End, Irish dominated South Boston and Charlestown, and Russian Jews lived in the West End. Irish and Italian immigrants brought with them Roman Catholicism. Currently, Catholics make up Boston's largest religious community, and since the early 20th century, the Irish have played a major role in Boston politics—prominent figures include the Kennedys, Tip O'Neill, and John F. Fitzgerald.

How did Boston's population change in the 1820's?

Boston's population grew rapidly

The first Europen immigrants arrival changed what in Boston?

the city's ethnic composition

What was the estimated population of Irish people living in Boston in 1850?

about 35,000

What religion did Irish and Italian immigrants bring with them to Boston?

Roman Catholicism

What is Bostons largest religious group today?

Catholics


Between 1631 and 1890, the city tripled its area through land reclamation by filling in marshes, mud flats, and gaps between wharves along the waterfront. The largest reclamation efforts took place during the 19th century; beginning in 1807, the crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre (20 ha) mill pond that later became the Haymarket Square area. The present-day State House sits atop this lowered Beacon Hill. Reclamation projects in the middle of the century created significant parts of the South End, the West End, the Financial District, and Chinatown. After The Great Boston Fire of 1872, workers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront. During the mid-to-late 19th century, workers filled almost 600 acres (2.4 km2) of brackish Charles River marshlands west of Boston Common with gravel brought by rail from the hills of Needham Heights. The city annexed the adjacent towns of South Boston (1804), East Boston (1836), Roxbury (1868), Dorchester (including present day Mattapan and a portion of South Boston) (1870), Brighton (including present day Allston) (1874), West Roxbury (including present day Jamaica Plain and Roslindale) (1874), Charlestown (1874), and Hyde Park (1912). Other proposals, for the annexation of Brookline, Cambridge, and Chelsea, were unsuccessful.

What was used to fill a mill pond that became the Haymarket Square?

the crown of Beacon Hill

What sits on Beacon Hill today?

State House

What famous disaster happened in Boston in 1872?

The Great Boston Fire of 1872

What was the rubble from the Great Boston Fire used for?

as landfill along the downtown waterfront


By the early and mid-20th century, the city was in decline as factories became old and obsolete, and businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere. Boston responded by initiating various urban renewal projects under the direction of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), which was established in 1957. In 1958, BRA initiated a project to improve the historic West End neighborhood. Extensive demolition was met with vociferous public opposition.

During what century did businesses move out of Boston to find cheaper labor?

20th century

Projects to renew the city were put into place by what?

the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA)

How did the people of Boston react to the demolition of the West End?

with vociferous public opposition.


The BRA subsequently reevaluated its approach to urban renewal in its future projects, including the construction of Government Center. In 1965, the first Community Health Center in the United States opened, the Columbia Point Health Center, in the Dorchester neighborhood. It mostly served the massive Columbia Point public housing complex adjoining it, which was built in 1953. The health center is still in operation and was rededicated in 1990 as the Geiger-Gibson Community Health Center. The Columbia Point complex itself was redeveloped and revitalized into a mixed-income community called Harbor Point Apartments from 1984 to 1990. By the 1970s, the city's economy boomed after 30 years of economic downturn. A large number of high rises were constructed in the Financial District and in Boston's Back Bay during this time period. This boom continued into the mid-1980s and later began again. Hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's Hospital lead the nation in medical innovation and patient care. Schools such as Boston College, Boston University, the Harvard Medical School, Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory attract students to the area. Nevertheless, the city experienced conflict starting in 1974 over desegregation busing, which resulted in unrest and violence around public schools throughout the mid-1970s.

What year did the first community health center in the US open?

Where was Colombia Point Health Center located?

the Dorchester neighborhood

In 1990, the Colombia Point Health Center was renamed what?

Geiger-Gibson Community Health Center


Boston is an intellectual, technological, and political center but has lost some important regional institutions, including the acquisition of The Boston Globe by The New York Times, and the loss to mergers and acquisitions of local financial institutions such as FleetBoston Financial, which was acquired by Charlotte-based Bank of America in 2004. Boston-based department stores Jordan Marsh and Filene's have both been merged into the Cincinnati–based Macy's. Boston has experienced gentrification in the latter half of the 20th century, with housing prices increasing sharply since the 1990s. Living expenses have risen, and Boston has one of the highest costs of living in the United States, and was ranked the 129th most expensive major city in the world in a 2011 survey of 214 cities. Despite cost of living issues, Boston ranks high on livability ratings, ranking 36th worldwide in quality of living in 2011 in a survey of 221 major cities.

The New York Times bought what famous Boston newspaper?

The Boston Globe

Who bought FleetBoston Financial?

Bank of America

What year did Bank of America buy FleetBoston Fonancial?

Two Boston department stores merged to form what Cincinnati based department store?

Macy's

What department stores merged to form Macy's?

Jordan Marsh and Filene's


On April 15, 2013, two Chechen Islamist brothers exploded two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring roughly 264.

On what date did bombs go off at the Boston marathon?

April 15, 2013

At what point of the Marathon were the bombs exploded?

near the finish line

How many fatalities were there at the marathon?

three

About how many people were injured in the explosion?


Boston has an area of 89.6 square miles (232.1 km2)—48.4 square miles (125.4 km2) (54.0%) of land and 41.2 square miles (106.7 km2) (46.0%) of water. The city's official elevation, as measured at Logan International Airport, is 19 ft (5.8 m) above sea level. The highest point in Boston is Bellevue Hill at 330 feet (100 m) above sea level, and the lowest point is at sea level. Situated onshore of the Atlantic Ocean, Boston is the only state capital in the contiguous United States with an oceanic coastline.

What is the total area of Boston?

89.6 square miles

How many square miles of land is Boston?

48.4 square miles

How many square miles of water is Boston?

41.2 square miles

How many feet above sea level is the City of Boston?

19 ft

Boston is the only state capital in the contiguous US to have what type of coastline?

oceanic coastline


Boston is surrounded by the "Greater Boston" region and is contiguously bordered by the cities and towns of Winthrop, Revere, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, Newton, Brookline, Needham, Dedham, Canton, Milton, and Quincy. The Charles River separates Boston from Watertown and the majority of Cambridge, and the mass of Boston from its own Charlestown neighborhood. To the east lie Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (which includes part of the city's territory, specifically Calf Island, Gallops Island, Great Brewster Island, Green Island, Little Brewster Island, Little Calf Island, Long Island, Lovells Island, Middle Brewster Island, Nixes Mate, Outer Brewster Island, Rainsford Island, Shag Rocks, Spectacle Island, The Graves, and Thompson Island). The Neponset River forms the boundary between Boston's southern neighborhoods and the city of Quincy and the town of Milton. The Mystic River separates Charlestown from Chelsea and Everett, and Chelsea Creek and Boston Harbor separate East Boston from Boston proper.

What is the name of the region that surrounds Boston?

Greater Boston

What river seperates Boston from Charlestown?

The Charles River

What direction from Boston is Boston Harbor?

To the east

Calf Island and Green Island are considered part of what National Recreation Area?

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area


Boston is sometimes called a "city of neighborhoods" because of the profusion of diverse subsections; the city government's Office of Neighborhood Services has officially designated 23 neighborhoods.

What s Boston sometimes called?

city of neighborhoods

How many neighborhoods are in Boston?

23 neighborhoods

What division of the City Government designated the 23 neighborhoods?

Office of Neighborhood Services


More than two-thirds of inner Boston's modern land area did not exist when the city was founded, but was created via the gradual filling in of the surrounding tidal areas over the centuries, notably with earth from the leveling or lowering of Boston's three original hills (the "Trimountain", after which Tremont Street is named), and with gravel brought by train from Needham to fill the Back Bay. Downtown and its immediate surroundings consists largely of low-rise (often Federal style and Greek Revival) masonry buildings, interspersed with modern highrises, notably in the Financial District, Government Center, and South Boston. Back Bay includes many prominent landmarks, such as the Boston Public Library, Christian Science Center, Copley Square, Newbury Street, and New England's two tallest buildings—the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center. Near the John Hancock Tower is the old John Hancock Building with its prominent illuminated beacon, the color of which forecasts the weather. Smaller commercial areas are interspersed among areas of single-family homes and wooden/brick multi-family row houses. The South End Historic District is the largest surviving contiguous Victorian-era neighborhood in the US. The geography of downtown and South Boston was particularly impacted by the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (known unofficially as the "Big Dig"), which allowed for the removal of the unsightly elevated Central Artery and the incorporation of new green spaces and open areas.

How much of Inner Bostons land area did not exist when the city was founded?

More than two-thirds

The modern land area was created by the gradual filling in of surrounding what?

tidal areas

Tremont Street is named after what original hill in Boston?

Trimountain

A train full of gravel came from Needham to fill what?

the Back Bay

The Boston Public Library is located in what part of Boston?

the Back Bay


Boston has a continental climate with some maritime influence, and using the −3 °C (27 °F) coldest month (January) isotherm, the city lies within the transition zone from a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) to a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), although the suburbs north and west of the city are significantly colder in winter and solidly fall under the latter categorization; the city lies at the transition between USDA plant hardiness zones 6b (most of the city) and 7a (Downtown, South Boston, and East Boston neighborhoods). Summers are typically warm to hot, rainy, and humid, while winters oscillate between periods of cold rain and snow, with cold temperatures. Spring and fall are usually mild, with varying conditions dependent on wind direction and jet stream positioning. Prevailing wind patterns that blow offshore minimize the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. The hottest month is July, with a mean temperature of 73.4 °F (23.0 °C). The coldest month is January, with a mean of 29.0 °F (−1.7 °C). Periods exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) in summer and below freezing in winter are not uncommon but rarely extended, with about 13 and 25 days per year seeing each, respectively. The most recent sub-0 °F (−18 °C) reading occurring on February 14, 2016 when the temperature dipped down to −9 °F (−23 °C), the coldest reading since 1957. In addition, several decades may pass between 100 °F (38 °C) readings, with the most recent such occurrence on July 22, 2011 when the temperature reached 103 °F (39 °C). The city's average window for freezing temperatures is November 9 through April 5.[c] Official temperature records have ranged from −18 °F (−28 °C) on February 9, 1934, up to 104 °F (40 °C) on July 4, 1911; the record cold daily maximum is 2 °F (−17 °C) on December 30, 1917, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 83 °F (28 °C) on August 2, 1975.

Most of the city lies in which USDA plant hardiness zone?

What minimizes the influence of the Atlantic ocean on Bostons weather?

Prevailing wind patterns

What is the hottest month in Boston?

July

What is the coldest month in Boston?

January


Boston's coastal location on the North Atlantic moderates its temperature, but makes the city very prone to Nor'easter weather systems that can produce much snow and rain. The city averages 43.8 inches (1,110 mm) of precipitation a year, with 43.8 inches (111 cm) of snowfall per season. Snowfall increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city (especially north and west of the city)—away from the moderating influence of the ocean. Most snowfall occurs from December through March, as most years see no measurable snow in April and November, and snow is rare in May and October. There is also high year-to-year variability in snowfall; for instance, the winter of 2011–12 saw only 9.3 in (23.6 cm) of accumulating snow, but the previous winter, the corresponding figure was 81.0 in (2.06 m).[d]

On what coast is Boston located?

the North Atlantic

What type of weather systems in Boston can produce much snow and rain?

Nor'easter

What is the average rainfall in the City of Boston per year?

43.8 inches

What is the average snowfall per year in the City of Boston?

43.8 inches

When does most snowfall occur?

December through March


Fog is fairly common, particularly in spring and early summer, and the occasional tropical storm or hurricane can threaten the region, especially in late summer and early autumn. Due to its situation along the North Atlantic, the city often receives sea breezes, especially in the late spring, when water temperatures are still quite cold and temperatures at the coast can be more than 20 °F (11 °C) colder than a few miles inland, sometimes dropping by that amount near midday. Thunderstorms occur from May to September, that are occasionally severe with large hail, damaging winds and heavy downpours. Although downtown Boston has never been struck by a violent tornado, the city itself has experienced many tornado warnings. Damaging storms are more common to areas north, west, and northwest of the city. Boston has a relatively sunny climate for a coastal city at its latitude, averaging over 2,600 hours of sunshine per annum.

During what seasons is fog common in Boston?

spring and early summer

When can tropical storms and hurricanes threaten Boston?

late summer and early autumn

Sea breezes occur during what season?

late spring

What months do thunderstorms occur in Boston?

May to September

What is the average hours of sunshine per year in Boston?


In 2010, Boston was estimated to have 617,594 residents (a density of 12,200 persons/sq mile, or 4,700/km2) living in 272,481 housing units— a 5% population increase over 2000. The city is the third most densely populated large U.S. city of over half a million residents. Some 1.2 million persons may be within Boston's boundaries during work hours, and as many as 2 million during special events. This fluctuation of people is caused by hundreds of thousands of suburban residents who travel to the city for work, education, health care, and special events.

About what was the population of Boston in 2010?

How many housing units were there in Boston in 2010?

How many people are in Boston during work hours?

1.2 million

What can the population of Boston rech during special events?

2 million

What is the density of Boston's population?

12,200 persons/sq mile


In the city, the population was spread out with 21.9% at age 19 and under, 14.3% from 20 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. There were 252,699 households, of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 25.5% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.0% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.08.

What percentage of the City of Bostons population is 19 and under?

What percentage of the City of Boston's population is 20 to 24?

What percentage of the City of Bostons population is 25 to 44?

What percentage of the City of Bostons residents are 45 to 64?

What percentage of the City of Boston's residents are over 65?


The median household income in Boston was $51,739, while the median income for a family was $61,035. Full-time year-round male workers had a median income of $52,544 versus $46,540 for full-time year-round female workers. The per capita income for the city was $33,158. 21.4% of the population and 16.0% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 28.8% of those under the age of 18 and 20.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

What is the average household income in Boston?

What is the average family income in Boston?

What is the average income for a full time male worker?

What is the average income for a full time female worker?

What percent of families fall below the poverty line?


In 1950, whites represented 94.7% of Boston's population. From the 1950s to the end of the 20th century, the proportion of non-Hispanic whites in the city declined; in 2000, non-Hispanic whites made up 49.5% of the city's population, making the city majority-minority for the first time. However, in recent years the city has experienced significant gentrification, in which affluent whites have moved into formerly non-white areas. In 2006, the US Census Bureau estimated that non-Hispanic whites again formed a slight majority. But as of 2010, in part due to the housing crash, as well as increased efforts to make more affordable housing more available, the minority population has rebounded. This may also have to do with an increased Latino population and more clarity surrounding US Census statistics, which indicate a Non-Hispanic White population of 47 percent (some reports give slightly lower figures).

What percent of Boston's population was white in 1950?

In 2000, what percen tof the population were non hispanic and white?

What year did minorities become the majority of the population for the first time?

In recent years, the whote population has begun to move where?

formerly non-white areas

What year did non hispanic whites once again become the majority of the population?


People of Irish descent form the largest single ethnic group in the city, making up 15.8% of the population, followed by Italians, accounting for 8.3% of the population. People of West Indian and Caribbean ancestry are another sizable group, at 6.0%, about half of whom are of Haitian ancestry. Over 27,000 Chinese Americans made their home in Boston city proper in 2013, and the city hosts a growing Chinatown accommodating heavily traveled Chinese-owned bus lines to and from Chinatown, Manhattan. Some neighborhoods, such as Dorchester, have received an influx of people of Vietnamese ancestry in recent decades. Neighborhoods such as Jamaica Plain and Roslindale have experienced a growing number of Dominican Americans. The city and greater area also has a growing immigrant population of South Asians, including the tenth-largest Indian community in the country.

What people form the largest ethnic group in the city?

People of Irish descent

What percentage of the city's population is Irish?

What is the second largest ethnic group in the city?

Italians

What percentage of the citys population is italian?

How many Chinese Americans lived in Boston City proper in 2013?

Over 27,000


The city has a sizable Jewish population with an estimated 25,000 Jews within the city and 227,000 within the Boston metro area; the number of congregations in Boston is estimated at 22. The adjacent communities of Brookline and Newton are both approximately one-third Jewish.

How many Jewish people live in the City of Boston?

How many Jewish people live in the Boston Metro area?

What is the total number of congregations in Boston?

What adjascent communities also hold a high Jewish population?

Brookline and Newton

What is the estimated percentage of the population of Brookline and newton that are jewish?

one-third


The city, especially the East Boston neighborhood, has a significant Hispanic community. Hispanics in Boston are mostly of Puerto Rican (30,506 or 4.9% of total city population), Dominican (25,648 or 4.2% of total city population), Salvadoran (10,850 or 1.8% of city population), Colombian (6,649 or 1.1% of total city population), Mexican (5,961 or 1.0% of total city population), and Guatemalan (4,451 or 0.7% of total city population) ethnic origin. When including all Hispanic national origins, they number 107,917. In Greater Boston, these numbers grow significantly with Puerto Ricans numbering 175,000+, Dominicans 95,000+, Salvadorans 40,000+, Guatemalans 31,000+, Mexicans 25,000+, and Colombians numbering 22,000+.

What neighborhoos has a high rate of hispanics?

the East Boston neighborhood

How many hispanics live in the City of Boston?

How many Puerto Rican hispanics live in greater Boston?

How many Mexican hispanics live in greater Boston?

How many Colombians live in greater Boston?


According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 57% of the population of the city identified themselves as Christians, with 25% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant, and 29% professing Roman Catholic beliefs. while 33% claim no religious affiliation. The same study says that other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) collectively make up about 10% of the population.

In 2014, what percentage of the city identified as Christian?

In 2014, what percentage of the city identified as Protestant?

In 2014, what percent of the City of Boston was Catholic?

In 2014, what percentage of Bostons residents did not claim to belong to any religion?

In 2014, other religions mad eup what percentage of the citys population?


As of 2010 the Catholic Church had the highest number of adherents as a single denomination in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton Metro area, with more than two million members and 339 churches, followed by the Episcopal Church with 58,000 adherents in 160 churches. The United Church of Christ had 55,000 members and 213 churches. The UCC is the successor of the city's Puritan religious traditions. Old South Church in Boston is one of the oldest congregations in the United States. It was organized in 1669 by dissenters from the First Church in Boston (1630). Notable past members include Samuel Adams, William Dawes, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Sewall, and Phillis Wheatley. In 1773, Adams gave the signals from the Old South Meeting House that started the Boston Tea Party.

How many member attended the Catholic Church in the Boston area in 2010?

two million

How many Catholic churches were in the Boston area in 2010?

How many Episcopal churches were in the Boston Metro area in 2010?

What Boston church is one of the oldest congregations in the US?

Old South Church

What year was Old South Church organized?


A global city, Boston is placed among the top 30 most economically powerful cities in the world. Encompassing $363 billion, the Greater Boston metropolitan area has the sixth-largest economy in the country and 12th-largest in the world.

What rank does Boston hold as far as being an economically powerful city in the world?

among the top 30

What is the economy of Boston?

$363 billion

What ranking in the country does Greater Boston metro hold as far as economy?

sixth-largest

What ranking in the world does greater Boston metro hold as far as economy?


Boston's colleges and universities have a significant effect on the regional economy. Boston attracts more than 350,000 college students from around the world, who contribute more than $4.8 billion annually to the city's economy. The area's schools are major employers and attract industries to the city and surrounding region. The city is home to a number of technology companies and is a hub for biotechnology, with the Milken Institute rating Boston as the top life sciences cluster in the country. Boston receives the highest absolute amount of annual funding from the National Institutes of Health of all cities in the United States.

How many college students does Boston attract?

more than 350,000

Students from around the world contribute how much a year to Bostons economy?

$4.8 billion

Because of the number of tech companies, the city is a hub for what?

biotechnology

The Milken Institute rated Boston as the top what in the country?

life sciences cluster

Of all cities in the US, Boston received the highest amount of funding from where?

the National Institutes of Health


The city is considered highly innovative for a variety of reasons, including the presence of academia, access to venture capital, and the presence of many high-tech companies. The Route 128 corridor and Greater Boston continue to be a major center for venture capital investment, and high technology remains an important sector.

The city is innovative becaus eit has access to what type of capital?

venture capital

There is a  high presence of what type of company in the city?

high-tech companies

Route 128 and Greater Boston are centers for what type of investment?

venture capital investment

What remains an important sector?

high technology


Tourism also composes a large part of Boston's economy, with 21.2 million domestic and international visitors spending $8.3 billion in 2011; excluding visitors from Canada and Mexico, over 1.4 million international tourists visited Boston in 2014, with those from China and the United Kingdom leading the list. Boston's status as a state capital as well as the regional home of federal agencies has rendered law and government to be another major component of the city's economy. The city is a major seaport along the United States' East Coast and the oldest continuously operated industrial and fishing port in the Western Hemisphere.

A large part of Boston's economy is made up of what?

Tourism

How many tourists visited Boston in 2011?

21.2 million

How much did tourists spend in Boston in 2011?

$8.3 billion

What year did the number of Tourists from china and the UK top the list?


Other important industries are financial services, especially mutual funds and insurance. Boston-based Fidelity Investments helped popularize the mutual fund in the 1980s and has made Boston one of the top financial cities in the United States. The city is home to the headquarters of Santander Bank, and Boston is a center for venture capital firms. State Street Corporation, which specializes in asset management and custody services, is based in the city. Boston is a printing and publishing center — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is headquartered within the city, along with Bedford-St. Martin's Press and Beacon Press. Pearson PLC publishing units also employ several hundred people in Boston. The city is home to three major convention centers—the Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay, and the Seaport World Trade Center and Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on the South Boston waterfront. The General Electric Corporation announced in January 2016 its decision to move the company's global headquarters to the Seaport District in Boston, from Fairfield, Connecticut, citing factors including Boston's preeminence in the realm of higher education.

Mutual funds and insurance are what type of industry?

financial services

What Boston investment firm helped make mutual funds popular in the 1980's?

Fidelity Investments

What helped make Boston one of the top financial cities in the US?

Fidelity Investments

Boston is the center for what type of capital firms?

venture capital

In 2016, GE Corporation decided to move its global headquarters to where?

the Seaport District in Boston


The Boston Public Schools enrolls 57,000 students attending 145 schools, including the renowned Boston Latin Academy, John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science, and Boston Latin School. The Boston Latin School, established 1635, is the oldest public high school in the US; Boston also operates the United States' second oldest public high school, and its oldest public elementary school. The system's students are 40% Hispanic or Latino, 35% Black or African American, 13% White, and 9% Asian. There are private, parochial, and charter schools as well, and approximately 3,300 minority students attend participating suburban schools through the Metropolitan Educational Opportunity Council.

How many students are in Boston Public schools?

How many schools are in Boston?

145 schools

What is the oldest public high school in the US?

The Boston Latin School

What percentage of Bostons public students are African American?


Some of the most renowned and highly ranked universities in the world are located in the Boston area. Four members of the Association of American Universities are in Greater Boston (more than any other metropolitan area): Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, and Brandeis University. Hospitals, universities, and research institutions in Greater Boston received more than $1.77 billion in National Institutes of Health grants in 2013, more money than any other American metropolitan area. Greater Boston has more than 100 colleges and universities, with 250,000 students enrolled in Boston and Cambridge alone. Its largest private universities include Boston University (the city's fourth-largest employer) with its main campus along Commonwealth Avenue and a medical campus in the South End; Northeastern University in the Fenway area; Suffolk University near Beacon Hill, which includes law school and business school; and Boston College, which straddles the Boston (Brighton)–Newton border. Boston's only public university is the University of Massachusetts Boston, on Columbia Point in Dorchester. Roxbury Community College and Bunker Hill Community College are the city's two public community colleges. Altogether, Boston's colleges and universities employ over 42,600 people, accounting for nearly 7 percent of the city's workforce.

How many member of the Association of American Universities are in Boston?

four

How many students are enrolled in boston and Cambridge?

Who is the citys fourth largest employer?

Boston University


Smaller private schools include Babson College, Bentley University, Boston Architectural College, Emmanuel College, Fisher College, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Simmons College, Wellesley College, Wheelock College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, New England School of Law (originally established as America's first all female law school), and Emerson College.

Babson College is what type of institution?

Smaller private schools

What small private law school is located in Boston?

New England School of Law

What was the name of Americas first all female law school?

New England School of Law


Metropolitan Boston is home to several conservatories and art schools, including Lesley University College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Art, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, New England Institute of Art, New England School of Art and Design (Suffolk University), Longy School of Music of Bard College, and the New England Conservatory (the oldest independent conservatory in the United States). Other conservatories include the Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, which has made Boston an important city for jazz music.

Wher e is Lesley University College of Art and Desighn located?

Metropolitan Boston

What is another name for New Englans school of Art and Design

Suffolk University

What is the oldest independant conservatory in the US?

the New England Conservatory

What college plays an important role in making Boston known for Jazz?

Berklee College of Music


Several universities located outside Boston have a major presence in the city. Harvard University, the nation's oldest institute of higher education, is centered across the Charles River in Cambridge but has the majority of its land holdings and a substantial amount of its educational activities in Boston. Its business, medical, dental, and public health schools are located in Boston's Allston and Longwood neighborhoods. Harvard has plans for additional expansion into Allston. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which originated in Boston and was long known as "Boston Tech", moved across the river to Cambridge in 1916. Tufts University, whose main campus is north of the city in Somerville and Medford, locates its medical and dental school in Boston's Chinatown at Tufts Medical Center, a 451-bed academic medical institution that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and the Floating Hospital for Children.

What Univesity located outside of Boston still holds a large presence in the city?

Harvard University

What is the nations oldest college?

Harvard University

Where does Harvard plan to expand to?

Allston

What was MIT originally known as?

Boston Tech

In 1916, MIT moved across the river to what city?

Cambridge


Like many major American cities, Boston has seen a great reduction in violent crime since the early 1990s. Boston's low crime rate since the 1990s has been credited to the Boston Police Department's collaboration with neighborhood groups and church parishes to prevent youths from joining gangs, as well as involvement from the United States Attorney and District Attorney's offices. This helped lead in part to what has been touted as the "Boston Miracle". Murders in the city dropped from 152 in 1990 (for a murder rate of 26.5 per 100,000 people) to just 31—not one of them a juvenile—in 1999 (for a murder rate of 5.26 per 100,000).

Since the early 1990's, Boston has had less of what type of crime?

violent crime

Boston police and local groups make an effort toprevent youth from doing what?

joining gangs

The Boston Miracle is the name for the reduction in what crime from 1990 to 1999?

Murders

What was the murder rate in Boston in 1990?

26.5 per 100,000


In 2008, there were 62 reported homicides. Through December 20 each of 2014 and 2015, the Boston Police Department reported 52 and 39 homicides, respectively.

How many reported murders were there in 2008?

How many murders were there in 2014?

How many murders were there in Boston in 2015?


Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-rhotic Eastern New England accent known as Boston English, and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy products. Irish Americans are a major influence on Boston's politics and religious institutions. Boston also has its own collection of neologisms known as Boston slang.

Boston is culturally similar to what area?

greater New England

What is the Boston accent known as?

Boston English

Who influences Boston's politics and religion?

Irish Americans

What are Bostons neologisms more commonly known as?

Boston slang

Food with an emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy is an exaple of what?

regional cuisine


Boston has been called the "Athens of America" for its literary culture, earning a reputation as "the intellectual capital of the United States." In the nineteenth century, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller, James Russell Lowell, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in Boston. Some consider the Old Corner Bookstore, where these writers met and where The Atlantic Monthly was first published, to be "cradle of American literature. In 1852, the Boston Public Library was founded as the first free library in the United States. Boston's literary culture continues today thanks to the city's many universities and the Boston Book Festival.

Known for its literary culture, Boston has also been called what?

Athens of America

What century did Ralph Waldo Emerson write in?

the nineteenth century

What was the name of the bookstore the authors met in?

Old Corner Bookstore

Where was the Atlantic Monthly first published?

the Old Corner Bookstore

What year was the Boston Public Library founded?


Music is cherished in Boston. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the "Big Five," a group of the greatest American orchestras, and the classical music magazine Gramophone called it one of the "world's best" orchestras. Symphony Hall (located west of Back Bay) is home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, (and the related Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, which is the largest youth orchestra in the nation) and the Boston Pops Orchestra. The British newspaper The Guardian called Boston Symphony Hall "one of the top venues for classical music in the world," adding that "Symphony Hall in Boston was where science became an essential part of concert hall design." Other concerts are held at the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. The Boston Ballet performs at the Boston Opera House. Other performing-arts organizations located in the city include the Boston Lyric Opera Company, Opera Boston, Boston Baroque (the first permanent Baroque orchestra in the US), and the Handel and Haydn Society (one of the oldest choral companies in the United States). The city is a center for contemporary classical music with a number of performing groups, several of which are associated with the city's conservatories and universities. These include the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Boston Musica Viva. Several theaters are located in or near the Theater District south of Boston Common, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Citi Performing Arts Center, the Colonial Theater, and the Orpheum Theatre.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is a member of what?

Big Five

What classical music magazine called the Boston Symphony orchestra one of the worlds best orchestras?

Gramophone

What does Boston Symphony orchestra call home?

Symphony Hall

Where is Symphony Hall located?

west of Back Bay

Where is the theater District located?

south of Boston Common


There are several major annual events such as First Night, which occurs on New Year's Eve, the Boston Early Music Festival, the annual Boston Arts Festival at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, and Italian summer feasts in the North End honoring Catholic saints. The city is the site of several events during the Fourth of July period. They include the week-long Harborfest festivities and a Boston Pops concert accompanied by fireworks on the banks of the Charles River.

What event occurs on New Year's Eve?

First Night

Where is the annual Boston Arts festival?

Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park

Where are Italian Summer feasts held?

the North End

Whos is honored in the Italian Summer Feasts?

Catholic saints

How long are the Harbor-Fest festivities?

week-long


Because of the city's prominent role in the American Revolution, several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park. Many are found along the Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line of bricks embedded in the ground. The city is also home to several art museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The Institute of Contemporary Art is housed in a contemporary building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in the Seaport District. The University of Massachusetts Boston campus on Columbia Point houses the John F. Kennedy Library. The Boston Athenaeum (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States), Boston Children's Museum, Bull & Finch Pub (whose building is known from the television show Cheers), Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium are within the city.

What is preserved in the Boston national Historical Park?

several historic sites

What is marked by a line of red bricks in the ground?

the Freedom Trail

Where is the institute of contemporary Art located?

in the Seaport District

What is one of the oldest libraries in the US?

The Boston Athenaeum

Where is the New England Aquarium located?

within the city


Boston has been a noted religious center from its earliest days. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston serves nearly 300 parishes and is based in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (1875) in the South End, while the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, with the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (1819) as its episcopal seat, serves just under 200 congregations. Unitarian Universalism has its headquarters on Beacon Hill. The Christian Scientists are headquartered in Back Bay at the Mother Church (1894). The oldest church in Boston is First Church in Boston, founded in 1630. King's Chapel, the city's first Anglican church, was founded in 1686 and converted to Unitarianism in 1785. Other churches include Christ Church (better known as Old North Church, 1723), the oldest church building in the city, Trinity Church (1733), Park Street Church (1809), Old South Church (1874), Jubilee Christian Church and Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Mission Hill (1878).

How long has Boston been a religious center?

from its earliest days

How many Roman Catholic parishes are in Boston?

nearly 300

Where is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross located?

the South End

Where is the headquarters for the Christial Scientists?

Back Bay

What was the city's first Anglican church?

King's Chapel


Air quality in Boston is generally very good: during the ten-year period 2004–2013, there were only 4 days in which the air was unhealthy for the general public, according to the EPA.

How is the air quality in Boston?

generally very good

How many days between 2004 and 2013 was the air unhealthy?

4 days

Who determined that the air quality was unhealthy on those 4 days?

the EPA


Some of the cleaner energy facilities in Boston include the Allston green district, with three ecologically compatible housing facilities. Boston is also breaking ground on multiple green affordable housing facilities to help reduce the carbon footprint of the city while simultaneously making these initiatives financially available to a greater population. Boston's climate plan is updated every three years and was most recently modified in 2013. This legislature includes the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, which requires the city's larger buildings to disclose their yearly energy and water use statistics and partake in an energy assessment every five years. These statistics are made public by the city, thereby increasing incentives for buildings to be more environmentally conscious.

Allston Green District is an example of what?

cleaner energy facilities

How many green housing facilities does the Allston green District contain?

three

How often is Boston's climate plan updated?

every three years

When was the last time the climate plan was modified?

in 2013


Another initiative, presented by the late Mayor Thomas Menino, is the Renew Boston Whole Building Incentive, which reduces the cost of living in buildings that are deemed energy efficient. This, much like the green housing developments, gives people of low socioeconomic status an opportunity to find housing in communities that support the environment. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to enlist 500 Bostonians to participate in a free, in-home energy assessment.

Whos is the late Mayor of Boston?

Thomas Menino

Who came up with the Renew Boston Whole Building Incentive?

Mayor Thomas Menino

The incentive reduced the cost of what in buildings?

cost of living

The goal is to get how  many residents to sign up?

How much does the program cost?

free


Many older buildings in certain areas of Boston are supported by wooden piles driven into the area's fill; these piles remain sound if submerged in water, but are subject to dry rot if exposed to air for long periods. Groundwater levels have been dropping, to varying degrees, in many areas of the city, due in part to an increase in the amount of rainwater discharged directly into sewers rather than absorbed by the ground. A city agency, the Boston Groundwater Trust, coordinates monitoring of groundwater levels throughout the city via a network of public and private monitoring wells. However, Boston's drinking water supply, from the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs to the west, is one of the very few in the country so pure as to satisfy federal water quality standards without filtration.

Lots of older buildings are supported by what?

wooden piles

The piles begin to rot if exposed to what?

air

What has been happening to groundwater levels?

dropping

Where does the groundwater go instead of into the ground?

directly into sewers


Boston has teams in the four major North American professional sports leagues plus Major League Soccer, and has won 36 championships in these leagues, As of 2014[update]. It is one of six cities (along with Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia) to have won championships in all four major sports. It has been suggested that Boston is the new "TitleTown, USA", as the city's professional sports teams have won nine championships since 2001: Patriots (2001, 2003, 2004, and 2014), Red Sox (2004, 2007, and 2013), Celtics (2008), and Bruins (2011). This love of sports has made Boston the United States Olympic Committee's choice to bid to hold the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, but the city cited financial concerns when it withdrew its bid on July 27, 2015.

How many major North American sports leagues are there?

four

How many championships has Boston won in these leagues?

36 championships

How many championships have the sports leagues won since 2001?

nine

Why did the city turn down the chance to host the 2024 Olympic games?

financial concerns

When did Boston withdraw its bid for hosting the Olympic games?

July 27, 2015


The Boston Red Sox, a founding member of the American League of Major League Baseball in 1901, play their home games at Fenway Park, near Kenmore Square in the city's Fenway section. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional American sports leagues, encompassing Major League Baseball, the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League. Boston was the site of the first game of the first modern World Series, in 1903. The series was played between the AL Champion Boston Americans and the NL champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Persistent reports that the team was known in 1903 as the "Boston Pilgrims" appear to be unfounded. Boston's first professional baseball team was the Red Stockings, one of the charter members of the National Association in 1871, and of the National League in 1876. The team played under that name until 1883, under the name Beaneaters until 1911, and under the name Braves from 1912 until they moved to Milwaukee after the 1952 season. Since 1966 they have played in Atlanta as the Atlanta Braves.

Who plays their games at Fenway park?

The Boston Red Sox

Where is Fenway park?

near Kenmore Square

What year was the first game of the first world series played?

What year was fenway Park built?

What was the name of Bostons first baseball team?

Red Stockings


The TD Garden, formerly called the FleetCenter and built to replace the old, since-demolished Boston Garden, is adjoined to North Station and is the home of two major league teams: the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. The arena seats 18,624 for basketball games and 17,565 for ice hockey games. The Bruins were the first American member of the National Hockey League and an Original Six franchise. The Boston Celtics were founding members of the Basketball Association of America, one of the two leagues that merged to form the NBA. The Celtics have the distinction of having won more championships than any other NBA team, with seventeen.

What is the TD Gardens former name?

the FleetCenter

What was the FleetCenter built to replace?

Boston Garden

How many teams is TD garden the home to?

two

How many people can be seated in a basketball game at TD Garden?

How many people can be seated for an ice hockey game at TD Garden?


While they have played in suburban Foxborough since 1971, the New England Patriots of the National Football League were founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, changing their name after relocating. The team won the Super Bowl after the 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2014 seasons. They share Gillette Stadium with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. The Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer, which formed in 2009, play their home games at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville.

What league do the new England patriots belong to?

the National Football League

What year were the new England patriots founded in?

What was the original name of the new England patriots?

Boston Patriots

When dod the Boston patriots change their name?

after relocating

What stadium do the patriots play in?

Gillette Stadium


The area's many colleges and universities are active in college athletics. Four NCAA Division I members play in the city—Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. Of the four, only Boston College participates in college football at the highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision. Harvard participates in the second-highest level, the Football Championship Subdivision.

How many NCAA Division I members play in Boston?

four

Which college participates in college football at the highest level?

Boston College

What is the name of the highest level of college football?

the Football Bowl Subdivision

Who participates in the second highest level of college football?

Harvard

What is the name of the second highest level of college football?

Football Championship Subdivision


One of the best known sporting events in the city is the Boston Marathon, the 26.2-mile (42.2 km) race which is the world's oldest annual marathon, run on Patriots' Day in April. On April 15, 2013, two explosions killed three people and injured hundreds at the marathon. Another major annual event is the Head of the Charles Regatta, held in October.

What is one of the most famous sporting events in the city?

the Boston Marathon

When is the head of Charles Regatta held?

October

How many people were killed in the explosions at the Boston marathon?

three