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Capitals & Cities Medium ⚡ 10 Questions ⏱️ ~7 Mins +100 XP

Capitals That Moved

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Moving a capital is one of the most expensive decisions a government can make, and it keeps happening. Ten relocations, past and in progress.

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Questions

~7m

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Medium

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+100

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About this topic

Relocating a capital costs a fortune and takes decades, so the reasons have to be serious. Overcrowding and sinking ground push governments out of coastal megacities. Regional rivalry pushes them towards the middle of the map. Occasionally a new government simply wants to be seen starting somewhere clean. This quiz covers ten moves, from Brasília in 1960 to the capitals being built in Indonesia and Egypt right now. If you want the pattern in one sentence: capitals move inland, and they move towards the centre.

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Capitals That Moved: all 10 questions and answers

Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.

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1Brazil moved its capital in 1960 away from which city?
- A Recife
- B Rio de Janeiro Correct
- C São Paulo
- D Salvador
Answer: B. Rio de Janeiro

Why: Rio de Janeiro had been the capital since 1763 and lost the role to the newly built Brasília. Salvador had been the capital before Rio.
2Nigeria moved its capital from Lagos to which city in 1991?
- A Abuja Correct
- B Kano
- C Ibadan
- D Port Harcourt
Answer: A. Abuja

Why: Abuja was chosen partly because it sits near the geographic centre of the country. Lagos had become severely overcrowded.
3Pakistan moved its capital from Karachi to which purpose-built city?
- A Lahore
- B Peshawar
- C Rawalpindi
- D Islamabad Correct
Answer: D. Islamabad

Why: Islamabad was built through the 1960s next to Rawalpindi, which served as the interim capital during construction. The northern site was considered more defensible and cooler than coastal Karachi.
4Kazakhstan moved its capital away from which city in 1997?
- A Aktobe
- B Oral
- C Almaty Correct
- D Shymkent
Answer: C. Almaty

Why: Almaty sat in a seismically active zone near the southern border, far from the Russian-speaking north. The move north was as much political as practical.
5Which country is building a new capital called Nusantara?
- A Thailand
- B Indonesia Correct
- C Malaysia
- D Philippines
Answer: B. Indonesia

Why: Nusantara is being built on Borneo to take over from Jakarta, which is overcrowded and sinking. Parts of Jakarta are subsiding by several centimetres a year.
6Egypt is currently building a new administrative capital east of which city?
- A Cairo Correct
- B Alexandria
- C Aswan
- D Port Said
Answer: A. Cairo

Why: The New Administrative Capital sits roughly 45 kilometres east of Cairo in the desert. It is intended to relieve one of the most densely populated cities on earth.
7Which city was the capital of the United States immediately before Washington, D.C.?
- A New York
- B Boston
- C Baltimore
- D Philadelphia Correct
Answer: D. Philadelphia

Why: Philadelphia served as capital from 1790 to 1800 while Washington was under construction. New York had held the role for the five years before that.
8Malaysia moved most of its government offices to which purpose-built city?
- A Ipoh
- B Melaka
- C Putrajaya Correct
- D Johor Bahru
Answer: C. Putrajaya

Why: Putrajaya was built in the 1990s to relieve congestion in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur remains the official capital and keeps the parliament.
9Tanzania designated which inland city as its capital in 1974?
- A Tanga
- B Dodoma Correct
- C Arusha
- D Mwanza
Answer: B. Dodoma

Why: Dodoma sits close to the centre of the country, unlike the coastal Dar es Salaam. Parliament moved there long before the rest of the government followed.
10Myanmar's government relocated to Naypyidaw in which decade?
- A 2000s Correct
- B 1980s
- C 1990s
- D 2010s
Answer: A. 2000s

Why: The move was announced abruptly in November 2005, with civil servants given days to relocate. The new capital was built inland, well away from the coast.

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