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List of purpose-built national capitals

This is a list of capital cities that were specially designed, planned, and built to be a national or regional capital.

Built

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Current national capitals

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City Country Date Notes
Abuja   Nigeria 1991 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.
Ankara[a]   Turkey 1923 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.
Astana[a]   Kazakhstan 1998 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]
Baghdad   Iraq 762 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.
Belmopan   Belize 1970 In 1970, the capital of Belize was moved to Belmopan after 1961's Hurricane Hattie caused extensive damage to the former capital Belize City.
Brasília   Brazil 1960 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.
Bridgetown   Barbados 1628 Moved from James Town to Bridgetown in 1628, due to better topography for a better shipping harbor.
Canberra   Australia 1927 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.
Dodoma[a]   Tanzania 1996 From 1996, moved from Dar es Salaam
Gaborone   Botswana 1964 In 1964, it moved from Mahikeng, South Africa, when Botswana became an independent country.[5]
Islamabad   Pakistan 1960 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.
Lima   Peru 1535 Moved in 1535. Cuzco had been the inland capital of the Inca Empire, but when the Spanish Empire took control of Peru, Lima was founded along the Pacific Ocean to be the capital. Francisco Pizarro founded Lima on the coast to take advantage of being closer to the Isthmus of Panama and the Spanish Empire's colonies in North America and more protected from the war-torn highlands of Peru.
Naypyidaw   Myanmar 2005 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.
New Delhi   India 1912 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.
Ngerulmud   Palau 2006 In 2006, the capital was moved from Koror City.
Nouakchott   Mauritania 1958 In 1958, the capital was moved from Saint-Louis, Senegal by President Moktar Ould Daddah.
Oslo (formerly Christiania)   Norway 1624 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.
Palikir   Federated States of Micronesia 1989 From 1989, moved from Kolonia
Pretoria   South Africa 1860 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).
Putrajaya   Malaysia 2002 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).
Seoul   South Korea 1394 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.
Valletta   Malta 1571 In 1571, as a result of the Great Siege of Malta six years earlier, the capital was moved from Birgu to Valletta. The new capital city was built on the Sciberras Peninsula between 1566 and 1571, and was named for the Grandmaster Jean Parisot de Valette.
Washington   United States 1800 In 1800, the capital of the United States was moved here from its temporary capital in Philadelphia, after years of construction in the federal District of Columbia. The U.S. Constitution had authorized the federal government to set aside a federal district as a national capital. The move was part of the Compromise of 1790 between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton allowing the U.S. Department of the Treasury to assume state governments' debts as a national debt in exchange for locating the capital in the South. Virginia and Maryland each ceded land for the capital.
Yamoussoukro[a]   Ivory Coast 1983 From 1983, moved from Abidjan

Subnational

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City Administrative unit Parental country Date Notes
Austin   Texas   United States 1839 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.


Historical

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City Country Date Notes
Itjtawy Ancient Egypt (Middle Kingdom) 1971 BC Established by Pharaoh Amenemhat I of the Twelfth Dynasty. Remained capital through the Thirteenth Dynasty; abandoned during or shortly after the reign of Merneferre Ay for unknown reasons. Exact site is unclear but usually linked to the archaeological site of Lisht.
Akhetaten Ancient Egypt (New Kingdom) 1346 BC Established by Pharaoh Akhenaten of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Abandoned in 1332 BC, shortly after his death. Now known as "Amarna" from the name of the archaeological site.
Pi-Ramesses Ancient Egypt (New Kingdom) 13th century BC Established by Pharaoh Ramesses 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.
Pasargadae   Achaemenid Empire 6th century BC 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.
Persepolis   Achaemenid Empire 6th century BC 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.
Ava (Inwa) Ava Kingdom 1365 Founded in 1365, Ava (Inwa) was the capital of successive Burmese kingdoms from the 14th to 19th centuries.
Ayutthaya   Ayutthaya Kingdom (  Thailand) 1350 Founded by Uthong after a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri in 1350
Constantinople   Roman Empire 330 Established by Constantine the Great to be a capital for the Eastern Roman Empire. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it became the only capital of the empire. Established on the site of old Byzantium, the new city almost completely replaced the old one. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 it became the capital of the Ottoman Empire until its dissolution after World War I, when the Republic of Turkey established its new capital in Ankara. It also served as the capital of the Latin Empire after the Fourth Crusade in the 13th century.
Fujiwara-kyō   Japan 694 In 694, the capital was moved there from Asuka, but moved out to Nara in 710.
Quezon City   Philippines 1948 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.
Kyoto   Japan 794 In 794, the capital was moved from Nagaokakyō to Kyoto, but it was moved again to Tokyo (Edo) in about 1868, when the Emperor of Japan moved during the Meiji Restoration and the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. (see article capital of Japan).
Karlsruhe   Baden-Durlach (modern-day   Germany) 1715 In 1715, it was moved from Durlach to Karlsruhe, which became the capital of the unified Baden in 1771. Karlsruhe remained the capital of the Grand Duchy of Baden after German unification following the Franco-Prussian War of 1871; it ceased being the capital of any territorial entity in 1945, at the end of World War II.
Mandalay   Burma 1859 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.
Pinya Pinya Kingdom 7 February 1313 Founded in 1313, Pinya was the capital of the central Burmese kingdom of Pinya from 1313 to 1365.
Pella Ancient Macedonia c. 400 BC Moved from Aigai due to more fertile land and suitable location for a port, connected to the sea by a navigable inlet.
Saint Petersburg   Russian Empire 1712 Built by Peter the Great in the beginning of 18th century on territory captured from Sweden in the Great Northern War, capital since 1712. The Bolsheviks finally settled on Moscow in 1918.
Victoria City   Hong Kong 1841 Stanley was the temporary administrative centre until the colonial government moved to the newly built Victoria City.

Currently proposed or under construction

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City Country Date Notes
Djibloho – Ciudad de la Paz   Equatorial Guinea TBA Djibloho is under construction and is expected to replace Malabo as Equatorial Guinea's capital city.
Little Bay   Montserrat TBA 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.
New Administrative Capital   Egypt TBA 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]
Nusantara   Indonesia
August 17, 2024 (Postponed)
 Nusantara is under construction since July 2022 and is expected to replace Jakarta as the capital of Indonesia on or before 16 August 2024.[8] For decades, Indonesia has mulled the relocation of its capital from Jakarta, which is overcrowded and subsiding rapidly. On 26 August 2019, President Joko Widodo announced that the future Indonesian capital will be carved from Penajam North Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies in East Kalimantan province.[9][10] The proposed capital was named Nusantara on 16 January 2022.[11]
Ramciel   South Sudan TBA 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.

Subnational

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City Administrative unit Parental country Date Notes
Arawa   Bougainville   Papua New Guinea TBA[b] 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]

Former proposals and attempts

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Modern parts of the city are placed beside or within old cities.
  2. ^ The city of Arawa was first built in 1970 (right before the Bougainville civil war incident).

References

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  1. ^ Pospelov, Evgeni M. (1993). Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь [City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary] (in Russian). Русские словари. pp. 24–25.
  2. ^ a b "Astana – the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan". e-history.kz. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Timeline: Kazakhstan". BBC News. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Astana – the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan". Official site of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  5. ^ Njeru, Purity (2009). "History of Gaborone". Nairobi, Kenya: The African Executive. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  6. ^ "مسابقة هوية مصر". www.egbranding.eg. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  7. ^ Kingsley, Patrick (16 March 2015). "A new New Cairo: Egypt plans £30bn purpose-built capital in desert". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  8. ^ Faris Mokhtar; Rieka Rahadiana (2 August 2022). "Indonesia Breaks Ground on Nusantara as Jakarta Sinks". Bloomberg.
  9. ^ "Indonesia plans to relocate its capital from Jakarta". SBS News. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  10. ^ Kusuma, Hendra (26 August 2019). "Resmi! Jokowi Putuskan Ibu Kota RI Pindah ke Kaltim". detikfinance (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Head Of Bappenas Suharso: Name Of The Capital City Of The Archipelago". VOI - Waktunya Merevolusi Pemberitaan. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  12. ^ The Report: Papua New Guinea 2016. Oxford Business Group. 19 September 2016. ISBN 9781910068649. Retrieved 1 September 2020 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Ibrahim Al Abed; Peter Hellyer (1 June 2001). United Arab Emirates: a new perspective. Trident Press Ltd. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-900724-47-0. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  14. ^ Santi, Matías Di (9 September 2010). "El traslado de la capital a Viedma". Chequeado (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 November 2021.
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