In 1976, Nigeria's military government made plans for a new capital city. In 1991, it was moved from Lagos to provide a capital that was independent of the three major ethnic groups, the Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa-Fulani, in an area in the country's interior. A new capital granted relief to the congestion and overcrowding of Lagos.
Having served as the capital of the ancient Celtic state (280–64 BC) and Roman province of Galatia (25 BC–7th century), on 23 April 1920, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was established in Ankara. Ankara became the new Turkish capital on the establishment of the Republic on 29 October 1923, succeeding the former Turkish capital Constantinople, now known as Istanbul.
After Kazakhstan became independent following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the city's original name was restored in the modified form Akmola.[1] On 6 July 1994, the Supreme Council of Kazakhstan adopted the decree "On the transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan".[2] On 10 December 1997, the capital was moved to Akmola, which was then renamed Astana in 1998.[3] On 10 June 1998, Astana was proclaimed the capital.[4] On 16 July 1999, Astana was awarded the medal and title City of Peace by UNESCO.[2]
Victorious Abbasid rulers wanted their own capital to rule from. Choosing a site north of the defeated Sassanid's capital of Ctesiphon (and also just north of where ancient Babylon once stood), on 30 July 762 the caliph Al-Mansur commissioned the construction of the city.
In 1960, the capital was moved from Rio de Janeiro because of overcrowding, to encourage inland growth and to make the capital's location more regionally neutral (as was stated in the Brazilian constitution in 1891) and to eliminate the vulnerability to attacks by sea.
The federal constitution adopted in 1901 required a new capital to be situated within the state of New South Wales but at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney. This was a compromise between the claims of Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. The Australian Capital Territory was created in 1911 and Canberra was formally established in 1913; however it was not until 1927, with the relocation of federal parliament, that it was designated as the capital.
In 1960, the capital was temporarily shifted from Karachi to Rawalpindi, the move being completed in 1966. Once it was ready, Islamabad became the capital. It was created to diversify development across the country, rather than for it to be centered in the south, along the Arabian Sea coast.
In 2005, it was moved from Yangon (Rangoon) to have their military government more centrally located geographically, "so as to keep an eye on" rebel groups forming and training for coups in the jungles and away from the political activities of Yangon.
In 1912, the capital was moved from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to New Delhi, now part of the larger city of Delhi, which had previously served as the capital of the Mughal Empire.
After a fire devastated medieval Oslo in 1624, King Christian IV ordered the city to be rebuilt further west, closer to the fortress, and renamed Christiania. Beginning in 1859, the former site of Oslo has been included in the city's borders. The city re-adopted the name Oslo in 1925.
Pretoria was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius, a leader of the Voortrekkers, who named it after his father Andries Pretorius and chose a spot on the banks of the Apies rivier (Afrikaans for "Monkeys river") to be the new capital of the South African Republic (Dutch: Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek; ZAR).
In February 2001, Putrajaya was designated as the administrative capital of Malaysia, as the executive branch of government (Cabinet, federal ministries and agencies) was moved from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya. The seat of the judicial branch of government was also relocated to Putrajaya. However, Kuala Lumpur remains the official capital as well as the seat of the head of state and the legislative branch (Parliament of Malaysia).
Joseon's first King Taejo, planned the construction of the Hanyang city in October 1394, to replace Gaegyeong, old Goryeo's capital city. Government buildings were planned to be crowded along the street in front of the main palace Gyeongbokgung, to implement instructions from confucian ideology. This traditional city center of Hanyang is part of modern Downtown Seoul.
In 1863, it was proposed that the capital be moved to a location on the shores of Cook Strait to better unify the country and provide greater accessibility for the South Island. An independent tribunal visited several potential sites and ultimately selected Wellington due to its central location, sheltered harbor, and defensible position. The land in the region was purchased from Iwi for this purpose.
The Republic of Texas (1839–1847) had five temporary capitals and one official capital, Houston, before its second president Mirabeau B. Lamar moved the capital to the new city of Austin.
Established by PharaohAkhenaten of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Abandoned in 1332 BC, shortly after his death. Now known as "Amarna" from the name of the archaeological site.
Established by PharaohRamesses II of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The exact year in which the capital was moved is unclear, but it is known to have occurred before the end of Ramesses II's 66-year reign in 1213 BC. Remained capital through the Twentieth Dynasty; abandoned c. 1060 BC due to silting of the branch of the Nile on which it was situated. Exact site is unclear but usually linked to the archaeological site of Qantir.
Established by Cyrus the Great. The exact extent and function of the capital is unclear. Possibly abandoned after the establishment of Persepolis by Darius the Great.
Established by Darius the Great. The exact extent and function of the capital is unclear; its functions appear mostly ceremonial and it may have been occupied only seasonally. Nevertheless usually cited as capital of the Achaemenid Empire by most contemporary sources.
The city was created in 1939 by President Manuel L. Quezon. In 1948, the capital was moved from Manila to the new, neighbouring city. However, the capital was reverted to Manila in 1976.
Mandalay was built during 1857–1859 by King Mindon, and it was the last royal capital of the Burmese Kingdom. The site was chosen in accordance to a supposed prophecy by The Buddha. Mandalay is now the second largest city in Myanmar.
In March 2015, Egypt proposed building a New Administrative Capital, currently undergoing a naming process.[6] It is now under construction and lies east of the present capital Cairo. The city is projected to be home to more than 40 million people by 2050.[7]
In February 2011, the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan adopted a resolution to study moving the capital of the new Republic of South Sudan that was to be created in July of that year to a new, planned city. In September 2011, the government of South Sudan approved a project to build a new capital at Ramciel in Lakes state; it is projected that the project will take at least five years.
The town was largely destroyed during the Bougainville Civil War,[citation needed] resulting in the relocation of the capital to Buka, though there are plans to rebuild Arawa and make it the capital again.[12]
Little Bay is a town under construction in Montserrat, intended to replace the previous capital, Plymouth, which was destroyed by the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano in 1997.
Former proposals and attempts
This section needs expansion with: more details. You can help by adding to it. (April 2021)
Welthauptstadt Germania was the proposed renewal of Berlin, (Nazi Germany) as a planned "world capital", although only a small portion was built between 1937 and 1943. Many of the plans were designed by Albert Speer. Progress was halted by the failure of Operation Barbarossa during World War II.
Viedma, the capital of the Río Negro Province, was proposed by President Raúl Alfonsín as a new capital for Argentina in 1986, replacing Buenos Aires. The idea was to change the centralization in the port of Buenos Aires, and promote development in Patagonia. The economic collapse of the Alfonsín government halted the project that had been approved by Law.[14]
![[icon]](File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}