Four Historic Cities at River Mouths

Four major settlements founded at the mouths of rivers emptying into oceans:

1. Alexandria, Egypt – Nile River → Mediterranean Sea (founded 331 BC by Alexander the Great; famed for the Pharos lighthouse).
2. Basra, Iraq – Shatt al-Arab → Persian Gulf (founded 636 AD; major port and Islamic learning center).
3. Kolkata, India – Hooghly River → Bay of Bengal (founded 1690 by British East India Company; capital of British India).
4. Shanghai, China – Yangtze River → East China Sea (founded 11th century; now China's largest city and global financial hub).