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Former Capitals

Can you guess these cities that were once the capital of an independent nation?
Quiz by
Quizmaster
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Last updated: April 7, 2021
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First submittedNovember 21, 2011
Times taken70,971
Average score58.3%
Rating4.88
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Years
Country
Capital
1948–2005
Burma (Myanmar)
Yangon
1993–1998
Kazakhstan
Almaty
1949–1990
West Germany
Bonn
1815–1982
Sri Lanka
Colombo
1914–1976
Nigeria
Lagos
1954–1975
South Vietnam
Saigon
1822–1960
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
1940–1944
France
Vichy
1928–1937
China
Nanjing
1453–1923
Ottoman Empire
Constantinople
1712–1918
Russia
St. Petersburg
1300s–1918
Bavaria
Munich
794–1868
Japan
Kyoto
Years
Country
Capital
1861–1865
Confederate States
of America
Richmond
1569–1860
Duchy of Tuscany
Florence
1790–1800
United States
Philadelphia
1785–1790
New York City
1504–1653
Mughal Empire
Agra
1296–1596
Poland
Kraków
1200s–1533
Incan Empire
Cuzco
802–1431
Khmer Empire
Angkor
1305–1378
Catholic Church
Avignon
515–331 (BC)
Persian Empire
Persepolis
2950–2180 (BC)
Egypt
Memphis
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80 Comments
tschutzer
+42
Level 93
Nov 21, 2011
The former capital of the Ottoman Empire was the former capital of the Byzantine Empire. Now it's the former capital of the Ottoman Empire not the former capital of the Byzantine Empire. Been a long time gone, former capital of the Byzantine Empire. Now it's Turkish Delight on a moonlit night.
Yossarian
+18
Level 62
Jul 6, 2012
Why they changed it, I can't say. I guess some folks liked it better that way.
postwaste
+16
Level 88
Nov 27, 2013
Even Old New York was once New Amsterdam
manchesterutd10
+10
Level 59
Jan 11, 2014
so take me back to constantinople, well you can't go back to constantinople, been a long time gone..
giuliano78
+14
Level 59
Jun 11, 2014
Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks'
pctjunkie
+12
Level 92
Sep 19, 2014
I love that there are more nerds out there than just me. :)
Ithabise
+1
Level 27
Nov 21, 2011
Huh?
dkuva
+13
Level 54
Sep 19, 2014
The song "Istanbul not Constantinople"
AlmostAGenius
+2
Level 89
Apr 21, 2023
Or just “Istanbul”
Yossarian
+5
Level 62
Nov 25, 2011
...I was thinking Lagos was still the capital. Stupid me.
Lemurlover3
+11
Level 39
Feb 21, 2012
I think Ho Chi Minh city should be accepted.
JamesC79
+15
Level 55
Apr 18, 2014
Ho Chi Minh was never the capital. The capital was Saigon. By the time it was Ho Chi Minh, it was no longer capital.
kalbahamut
+10
Level 79
Jun 10, 2014
And everybody still calls it Saigon anyway.
josedimaria237
+3
Level 77
Jun 10, 2023
Everybody??
SupBroDude
+1
Level 55
Mar 4, 2025
Yes. Almost all Vietnamese still call it by the cultural name Saigon instead of the official name of Ho Chi Minh.
jlbrill
+20
Level 68
Jun 3, 2016
Istanbul works as a type in for Constantinople so Ho Chi Minh should work as a type in for Saigon
tshalla
+1
Level 78
Jul 2, 2021
And South Vietnam was never a sovereign country.
Inferno46
+5
Level 54
Jul 14, 2022
It was a sovereign country.
FolgoreCZ
+1
Level 59
Aug 3, 2020
Should Leningrad be accepted for the Russian question as well? Probably not.
Yeoryios
+6
Level 71
Sep 16, 2020
But it's not called Leningrad today unlike Ho Chi Minh...
YellowJacket
+4
Level 80
Jun 30, 2021
It also wasn't Leningrad until 1924. From 1914-1924 St. Petersburg was Petrograd, so Petrograd should work (I didn't try it so I don't know if it does).
HighFidelity
+4
Level 59
Apr 11, 2012
Ho Chi Minh city should definitely not be accepted. When Saigon became Ho Chi Minh city, South Vietnam ceased to exist.
kalbahamut
+4
Level 79
Sep 19, 2014
Pretty easy. Don't know how I blanked on Nanjing, though...
MCdoesgeography
+9
Level 74
Jun 5, 2023
Who asked?
DIALKIA
+10
Level 71
Oct 23, 2023
I'm unsure what you think a comment section is for, if not to comment on the quiz. I swear, people go out of their way to criticise kalbahamut. Sure, there are plenty times when it is valid, but this comment is hardly one of them.
Brickster
+4
Level 27
Sep 19, 2014
Parsa should be accepted for Persepolis. Persepolis in just the Greek name for the Persian city. Its actual title in persian was Parsa.
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Sep 19, 2014
Parsa will work now.
ander217
+2
Level 74
Sep 19, 2014
Missed Khmer because I spelled it Ankor and when that didn't work I gave up. Somebody slap me silly.
ander217
+7
Level 74
Dec 8, 2017
At least I learned from the experience, and got it today.
ruudsje
+2
Level 68
Sep 19, 2014
Tried Accra, Acra, Akra, Akkra and then gave up. Oh well.
Tinu
+16
Level 41
Sep 22, 2014
A very good quiz! But I have one comment - Munich should not really be there. It is still the capital of Bavaria, as it has been for centuries. You might argue that Bavaria is not a sovereign country any more, but the fact is that it has, officially, practically never been one. It has almost always been a member state of some larger political entity, most prominently the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire (which periods are covered in your specification). During the latter, Bavaria's autonomy was not significantly larger than it is now in federal Germany (the obvious exception being that it still had its own king). If Munich 1914 counts as Bavaria's capital, then, so must Munich 2014.
Tinu
+13
Level 41
Sep 22, 2014
As an afterthought - this problem can be easily removed by changing the hint to Electorate/Kingdom of Bavaria (just like you did with the Duchy of Tuscany).
AllenY
+2
Level 68
Feb 19, 2016
Yep, this would be a good idea
Smoo
+5
Level 43
Nov 8, 2016
As far as I know Munich has been the captial of every body of land that was called Bavaria, and Bavaria did not simply stop existing, but kept being Bavaria.
dunkinggandalf2
+1
Level 72
Oct 23, 2025
You "might" argue that Bavaria is not a sovereign country? "Might"?
samwisegamgee
+3
Level 36
Mar 8, 2015
should add Tenochtitlan, maybe even Ecbatana
Henning
+3
Level 82
Aug 31, 2015
71% for Bonn! Nice to see my home town so well known, I was fearing a much lower percentage
JoeCrouchMMA
+1
Level 59
Jan 12, 2016
Khmer empire - Hariharalaya?
scipiobonaparte
+2
Level 92
Feb 13, 2016
Can you include Firenze (the name of the town in Italian) for Florence?
WeaselSweat12321
+2
Level 73
Nov 8, 2016
wasn't the former capital of south vietnam ho chi minh city?
Antofagasta
+1
Level 70
Jun 14, 2017
Different name. See above.
ander217
+2
Level 74
Dec 8, 2017
Nope, Ho Chi Minh City was never the name of a place in South Vietnam. Saigon was the capital until South Vietnam ceased to exist and the victors changed the name to celebrate "Uncle Ho".
FolgoreCZ
+1
Level 59
Aug 3, 2020
That's like saying that Leningrad should be accepted for the Russian question.
sheriL
+1
Level 72
Nov 8, 2016
Can you add Cracow as an alternative spelling for Krakow?
whoopiekhushion
+1
Level 82
Feb 26, 2017
Xi'an?
Raffles
+1
Level 81
Jun 5, 2023
The last time Xi’an (Chang’an) was capital was the Tang Dynasty 618~907 CE
fitheach
+4
Level 58
Apr 27, 2017
Clearly something wrong with my eye: I read Bavaria as Batavia and spent the whole time being confused as that's the old name for Jakarta!
brandybuck96
+3
Level 82
Jun 9, 2017
I misread it as Bohemia, so I guessed places that are incidentally quite close to Bavaria but not close enough.
Mustafa7
+1
Level 36
Jul 29, 2017
So close to type Bonn
Sealantmajor
+3
Level 55
Sep 29, 2017
What about Palau's former capital Koror?
Tramp
+1
Level 79
Dec 8, 2017
I had no idea certain cities (like Munich/Lagos/Krakow) were ever capitals, but I was able to guess them anyway. 20/24! I should've gotten Agra too though.
fitheach
+4
Level 58
Dec 8, 2017
Munich still is the capital, it's just not the capital of an independent sovereign state.
clivey
+2
Level 69
Dec 8, 2017
Wasn't Rio at one point the capital of Portugal also? That could be added here
Jacktheguy
+4
Level 93
Dec 8, 2017
Portugal's kind of a weird case. Rio was the capital from 1808-1821, then they moved it to Lisbon for about ten years. Then they moved it to Angra do Heroísmo in 1830. And then they moved it back to Lisbon.
Ampersandwich
+1
Level 61
Jun 6, 2023
Could u explain a bit more? You've got me interested, but idk where to start
Jacktheguy
+1
Level 93
Oct 23, 2025
I'll try my best, but Wikipedia's a pretty good place to start.

According to their articles, they moved the capital to Rio during the era of Napoleon, back when they still had control over Brazil. When Napoleon invaded Portugal, the royal family and government fled to Rio and started running the empire from there until the early 1820s, when Brazil declared independence and the leaders of Portugal moved back to Lisbon.

After the king died, there was a succession dispute that eventually led to the Liberal Wars, where at some point the capital was moved to Angra do Heroismo, which is part of the Azores islands, possibly due to it being strategically important to the wars. And then once those wars ended, they moved it back to Lisbon where I believe it has remained ever since.

SWATkun
+3
Level 59
Jan 27, 2018
Can you add Calcutta the capital of British India ?
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 78
Feb 4, 2020
Got Agra
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 78
Feb 4, 2020
Isnt Lagos still Nigeria's capital?
JohnnyYeet
+2
Level 66
May 11, 2020
Current Capital is Abuja
ing
+2
Level 73
Nov 4, 2020
Time to add Bujumbura! :)
CS
+1
Level 66
Dec 22, 2020
If Istanbul is accepted for Constantinople, Ho Chi Minh City should be accepted for Saigon.
ItzIngenious
+1
Level 66
Jul 2, 2021
Some are phone numbers
LuigiDood227
+1
Level 72
Aug 30, 2021
France's capital was Bordeaux temporarily during WWI.
RJG
+1
Level 63
Feb 16, 2023
correct I put Bordeaux too. Vichy was the Nazi occupied area of France, which is incorrect.
dunkinggandalf2
+1
Level 72
Oct 23, 2025
Until 1942, Vichy was actually in the non-occupied half of France, which didn't prevent Pétain's government from enthusiastically collaborating in the Nazis. After 1942, all of France was occupied, so the distinction is moot.

Also, while I don't object to Vichy being on this quiz, is was never really the "capital" of France, just the temporary seat of government - but that would require making the distinction between legal capitals, de-facto capitals, etc, and I get that it wouldn't really serve a purpose for this quiz.

hawksley
+5
Level 64
May 29, 2022
Avignon was never really the "capital" of the Roman Catholic Church. Even the popes who ruled from there talked about their court as the "Roman Court" and called themselves "Bishops of Rome." People still talked about "appealing to Rome" in these years. It was a court in self-imposed exile, but no one thought that the seat of the Catholic Church had really moved there.
sulfuratus
+1
Level 71
Oct 23, 2025
Moreover, the Catholic Church was not an independent country, at least not by that name. The quiz prompt should read Papal States, or maybe State of the Church, instead.
MalyJacus
+1
Level 60
Sep 30, 2022
Cool quiz. Been to Avignon, the palace of the popes is quite an amazing structure. The whole period of time reminded me of the false dimitryiads (time of sorrow) in Russian history.

Suggestions: easy -- Gniezno is another capital of Poland for a couple hundred years prior to Krakow. Harder -- when I lived on the east coast, I was told in addition to Philly and NYC that Baltimore and Annapolis were at some point considered a capital of the US. I think Baltimore is sketchy, temporary capital at best, but Annapolis has a decent claim: https://www.history.com/news/8-forgotten-capitals-of-the-united-states

RJG
+1
Level 63
Feb 16, 2023
17/24, not great
bigbywolf
+1
Level 56
Jun 5, 2023
24/24. All those hours playing Civilization or Europa Universalis finally payed off.
MCdoesgeography
+3
Level 74
Jun 5, 2023
It's redundant and fairly stupid to include Munich, since it's still Bavaria's capital.
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Jun 5, 2023
When in doubt, read the directions.

"Can you guess these cities that were once the capital of an independent nation?"

wormgod209
+1
Level 34
Jun 5, 2023
get em quizmaster
Ghawnada
+2
Level 59
Jun 6, 2023
Please add Calcutta as the Capital of India under the British Empire.
Ampersandwich
+1
Level 61
Jun 6, 2023
I got Persepolis solely bc of that INSANELY expensive party the Shah of Iran threw to celebrate it
Amilcar
+2
Level 73
Jun 8, 2023
Good quiz.

Aden, capital of the former state of South Yemen, and Dar es Salaam, the former capital of Tanzania, would work well too.

RoboquizM86
+1
Level 61
Nov 26, 2024
Wow this was hard, good quiz. I recognised a lot of them after finishing.
MDW
+1
Level 56
Oct 23, 2025
If a country builds some government buildings in a suburb of its capital city - THE CITY HASNT CHANGED. Colombo is still the capital of Sri Lanka.
betseg
+2
Level 58
Oct 23, 2025
why is istanbul accepted but not ho chi minh city?
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