Saint Louis

An independent city of eastern Missouri on the Mississippi River just south of its confluence with the Missouri River. Settled by the French as a trading post in 1763-1764, it passed to Spain (1770), to France again (1800), and to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase (1803). The city has long been a major river port, railroad hub, and industrial center. It is the largest city in the state. Population: 347,000.

A city of northwest Senegal at the mouth of the Senegal River. The oldest French colonial settlement in Africa, it was founded as a trading base c. 1658. It was the capital of French West Africa from 1895 to 1902 and the capital of Senegal until 1958. Population: 154,000.