Answers: Changing Capital Cities

This quiz is inspired by Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations on August 17 in its unfinished future capital of Nusantara.

Answers

1) Until 1955 which mountainous Asian country’s capital was Punakha?

Bhutan. The capital was shifted from Punakha to Thimphu in 1955.

2) The layout of which new city in Asia that became a capital in 1967 was planned by a Greek firm of architects led by Constantinos Doxiadis?

Islamabad. The southern port city of Karachi was the capital from the formation of Pakistan in 1947 until 1959. The site for the new capital was near Rawalpindi, the military headquarters. Rawalpindi was the interim capital from 1959 to 1967. More here, here, here, here and here.

3) This country opted for a new capital city built from scratch in the early 20th century to tide over a dispute between its two main cities over which one should be the capital. A town called Dalgety was chosen by the federal government as the capital in 1904 but lost out due to objections from one of the two main cities. Name the country and the city eventually chosen as the capital.

Australia and Canberra. The competing cities are Sydney and Melbourne. Bill Bryson’s scathing description in his travel book Down Under was the first account of Canberra that I read. As Bryson pointed out snarkily, Australia’s Prime Minister from 1996 to 2007, John Howard preferred to stay at the PM’s official residence in Sydney rather than Canberra. More on Canberra here, here, here and here.

4) This country unveiled a new capital in 2005 that includes a 20-lane highway which leads to the parliamentary complex. The name of the city literally means ‘royal city of the sun’ and is often interpreted as ‘seat of the king’. The then military ruler said the existing capital was too crowded. Name the country and capital.

Myanmar and Naypyidaw. More here, here and here. My earlier quiz on Myanmar below.

5) After reunification in 1990 two cities vied to be the capital of this country. A defeated B 338-320 in a close parliamentary vote in 1991. Name the country and the cities A and B.

Germany. Berlin (A) defeated Bonn (B). Berlin was the historical capital of the German Empire, Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany and became the capital of Communist East Germany during the Cold War. Bonn was the capital of West Germany during the Cold War.

6) This newly-independent Asian country changed its capital city to Akmola in 1997. A year later Akmola was renamed and the city got its present name, which means ‘capital city’ in the local language. Name the country and the city (Hint: from 2019 to 2022 the city was renamed after a former president only to revert to its current name)

Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital. The capital from 1991 to 1997 was Almaty, the country’s biggest city. Akmola was officially presented as Astana on July 6, 1998, also the birthday of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country’s President since independence in 1991. Nazarbayev’s successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced in 2019 that the capital would be renamed Nur-Sultan in honour of the ex-president. But the anti-government unrest in early 2022 that was accompanied by anger against Nazarbayev and his family shattered his reputation. Within months, the name Astana was back. The city has made it to the Guinness World Records for most name changes. I had published a quiz earlier on the five former Soviet states in Central Asia following the unrest in Kazakhstan.

7) The first president of this East African country announced the capital would be shifted from the coastal economic hub to a new city in 1973. But it took fifty years for the presidential palace to be inaugurated in the new capital. Name the country and city.

Tanzania and Dodoma.

8) Which African country moved its capital to Gitega in 2019? The opposition alleged that dwindling support for the government in the earlier capital was the reason behind the shift.

Burundi. The earlier capital was Bujumbura. More here, here and here. Bujumbura was the hub for protests in 2015 against then-President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term (Burundi’s constitution had barred the president from running for a third term). That changed in a controversial referendum in 2018. Nkurunziza though was prevented from running for another term in 2020 by opponents within his party and died suddenly in August 2020 amid suspicions he had contracted Covid-19.

9) Which capital city inaugurated in 1960 was designed by urban planner Lucio Costa, landscaper Roberto Burle Marx and architect Oscar Niemeyer?

Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. More here, here and here. Rio de Janeiro was the capital earlier. Brasilia was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1987. My earlier quiz on Brazil below.

10) Which Pacific island nation changed its capital from Koror to Ngerulmud in 2006? Ngerulmud is the least-populous capital city of a sovereign nation, with less than 400 residents. The city was built with financial support from Taiwan (Hint: one of a handful of countries that still recognise Taiwan and not China)

Palau. The Capitol building in Ngerulmud is modelled on the the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC. Palau was controlled by Spain, Germany until World War I, Japan until World War II and then the United States. Palau became independent in 1994 but maintains close ties with Washington. More here, here, here and here.

11) This country’s current capital is on an island off mainland Africa. Its longtime leader (since 1979) initiated the construction of a new capital city out of the jungle in the mainland, counting on oil revenues. The city has been named Ciudad de la Paz. Which country?

Equatorial Guinea. The current capital is Malabo, which is on the island of Bioko off the African mainland. The map below shows Malabo as well as Ciudad de la Paz.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been president since 1979. More about him in my quiz here on Political Dynasties. To find out the connection between thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, Equatorial Guinea and military coups, here’s my quiz on spy thrillers and geopolitics.

12) This African country's capital used to be a congested southwestern city that remains its largest city. Spurred by oil wealth following the energy crisis of the 1970s, the government announced the creation of a new capital in a more central location with a balanced ethnic and religious composition. The shift was completed in 1991. Name the country, the old capital and the current capital.

Nigeria, old capital is Lagos and the current one is Abuja. More here.

13) Which country has been building a new capital known as 'New Administrative Capital', 45 kilometres east of the current capital. The new capital site already has the tallest tower in Africa.

Egypt. More here, here, here, here and here.

14) Yamoussoukro has been this West African country’s official capital since 1983 but most institutions operate out of another city which is the main economic hub. Yamoussoukro was an effort to transform the village that was the birthplace of the president at the time. The largely empty city has the world's largest church. Which country?

Ivory Coast. Embassies and most institutions operate out of Abidjan. Yamoussoukro was built around the native village of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the country’s president from independence in 1960 until his death in 1993. V.S. Naipaul’s account of Yamoussoukro from 1984 here.