Urban Scrawl

With 82% drawing traditional gondolas, Venice has the strongest identity of all the cities. These rowing boats have travelled along the city’s waterways and under its bridges for centuries. Today they’re still a distinctive part of Venetian life, despite there only being a few hundred left on the canals.

Cairo has one of the strongest identities of all the cities, with 81% of people drawing the pyramids. But Egypt’s more recent history also comes through in the pictures of Tahrir Square, which reference the political upheaval and anti-government protests in 2010.

The Eiffel Tower appears in 78% of the grid for Paris, making it the city’s defining symbol. And while tourist hotspots like the Arc Du Triomphe and the Louvre’s glass pyramid make an appearance, 14% associate the city with its food. Croissants, baguettes, wine, snails and frogs are all, apparently, on the menu.

Overall, 64% of people associate Rio De Janeiro with Christ the Redeemer, the statue which presides over the city. And while several Carnival headdresses make an appearance, Brazil’s cultural obsession with football (7%) and the beach (6%) are the second and third most drawn items.

Down Under, the Sydney Opera House stands out 66% of the time in people’s minds. But Australia’s indigenous wildlife - namely koalas and kangaroos - feature almost as often as the Harbour Bridge, even though you’re unlikely to find them roaming around Sydney itself.

Big Ben features in 33% of the grid for London. Other selfie-spots such as the London Eye and Tower Bridge follow close behind. Despite the city’s Royal connections, Buckingham Palace and the Queen appear just 6% of the time, along with the Underground, and the odd pint of beer.

The Statue of Liberty appears 31% of the time for New York, making it the city’s most symbolic landmark. Skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building came in a close second. But 12% of people also associate New York with its food: pizza, burgers, donuts, bagels or pretzels, to be exact.

26% of people associate this city with the Berlin Wall. Today, only a portion of the wall survives as an open-air art gallery, but the drawings show it as it once was: topped with barbed wire, covered in graffiti, or being torn down. The wall appears more often than Berlin’s other cultural landmarks: namely beer (16%), its UFO-like TV Tower (15%), and the Brandenburg Gate (12%).

At 19%, Dubai’s defining icon is the towering, 828 metre high Burj Khalifa. The tallest building in the world has fierce competition from the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, a luxury hotel shaped like a sail. Overall, skyscrapers make up 48% of the images, with many people also referencing the city’s rich, luxury appeal with dollar signs and shopping bags.

Tokyo has the most varied results of all the cities. Traditional food like sushi and ramen make up 22% of the grid, but street scenes also feature heavily. Shibuya crossing, one of the busiest intersections in the world, appears alongside the neon billboards and crowds that Tokyo is well known for.