| Former capital city
|
Country, empire
|
Since
|
Until
|
Change, reason
|
| Kandahar
|
Afghanistan
|
1748
|
1772
|
moved to Kabul
|
| Vlorë
|
Albania
|
1912
|
1920
|
moved to Tirana
|
| Paraná
|
Argentine Confederation
|
1853
|
1861
|
moved to Buenos Aires
|
| Melbourne
|
Australia
|
1901
|
1927
|
moved to Canberra - interim capital only while Canberra developed
|
| Karlsruhe
|
Baden
|
1771
|
1918
|
Baden became part of the German Empire in 1871, and lost sovereignty fully in 1918. Karlsruhe remained the capital of the German state of Baden until 1945.
|
| St. George
|
Bermuda
|
1612
|
1815
|
moved to Hamilton
|
| Salvador da Bahia
|
Brazil
|
1549
|
1763
|
moved to Rio de Janeiro
|
| Belize City
|
British Honduras
|
1638
|
1970
|
moved to Belmopan
|
| Pliska
|
Bulgaria (Old Great Bulgaria
|
681
|
893
|
moved to Preslav
|
| Preslav
|
Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire)
|
893
|
972
|
moved to Ohrid
|
| Ohrid
|
Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire)
|
990
|
1015
|
Empire ceases to exist after the Byzantine conquest
|
| Veliko Tarnovo
|
Bulgaria (Second Bulgarian Empire)
|
1185
|
1396
|
Empire ceases to exist after the Ottoman conquest
|
| Plovdiv
|
Eastern Rumelia
|
1878
|
1885
|
annexed as part of the Unification of Bulgaria
|
| Kingston
|
Canada
|
1841
|
1843
|
moved to Montreal
|
| Quebec City
|
Canada
|
1859
|
1865
|
moved to Ottawa
|
| Chan Santa Cruz
|
Chan Santa Cruz
|
c.1852
|
1901
|
became part of Mexico
|
| Anyang
|
China (Shang Dynasty)
|
c.1600 BC
|
c.1046 BC
|
moved to Chang'an - end of Shang Dynasty
|
| Xianyang
|
China (Qin Dynasty)
|
221 BC
|
206 BC
|
moved back to Chang'an - fall of Qin Dynasty
|
| Luoyang
|
China (Han Dynasty)
|
25
|
220
|
fall of the Han Dynasty marking the beginning of the Six Dynasties period
|
| Chang'an
|
China (Tang Dynasty)
|
618
|
907
|
fall of the Tang Dynasty marking the beginning of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
|
| Kaifeng
|
China (Song Dynasty)
|
960
|
1127
|
moved to Hangzhou
|
| Hangzhou
|
China (Song Dynasty)
|
1127
|
1279
|
Kublai Khan integrates China into the Mongol Empire
|
| Nanjing
|
China
|
1928
|
1937
|
moved to Chongqing
|
| Chongqing
|
China
|
1937
|
1945
|
moved back to Nanjing
|
| Nanjing
|
China
|
1945
|
1949
|
moved to Beijing - After the proclamation of the People's Republic of China
The Republic of China government flees to Taiwan and made Taipei the provisional capital. However, Nanjing remains the official capital.
|
| Montgomery
|
Confederate States of America
|
February 4, 1861
|
May 29, 1861
|
Moved to Richmond
|
| Richmond
|
Confederate States of America
|
May 29, 1861
|
April 3, 1865
|
Moved to Danville
|
| Danville
|
Confederate States of America
|
April 3, 1865
|
April 10, 1865
|
Confederate States forced to rejoin the United States following the surrender of General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in Appomattox, Virginia
|
| Cartago
|
Costa Rica
|
1562
|
1823
|
moved to San José
|
| Grand Bassam
|
Côte d'Ivoire
|
1893
|
1900
|
moved to Bingerville
|
| Bingerville
|
Côte d'Ivoire
|
1900
|
1933
|
moved to Abidjan
|
| Varaždin
|
Croatia
|
1756
|
1776
|
Moved back to Zagreb,when a fire destroyed most of the city.
|
| Santiago de Cuba
|
Cuba
|
1522
|
1589
|
moved (after 1607 in Havana)
|
| Roskilde
|
Denmark
|
c.1020
|
1443
|
moved to Copenhagen
|
| Winchester
|
Wessex/Kingdom of England
|
519
|
1066
|
moved to London
|
| Åbo
|
Finland, Grand Duchy of
|
1809
|
1812
|
moved to Helsinki
|
| Vaasa
|
Finland
|
January 29, 1918
|
May 3, 1918
|
moved by White Guards from Helsinki because of Finnish Civil War
|
| Al-Fustat
|
Egypt
|
641
|
969
|
moved to Cairo (see also: Capital of Egypt)
|
| Levuka
|
Fiji
|
1874
|
1877
|
moved to Suva
|
| Vichy
|
France
|
1940
|
1944
|
capital of Vichy France régime
|
| Otjimbingwe
|
German South-West Africa
|
1886
|
1892
|
moved to Windhoek
|
| East Berlin
|
Germany, East
|
1949
|
1990
|
Berlin, country ceased to exist after re-unification of Germany
|
| Bonn
|
Germany, West
|
1949
|
1990
|
moved to Berlin after re-unification of Germany
|
| Cape Coast
|
Ghana (Gold Coast)
|
1664
|
1877
|
moved to Accra
|
| Granada
|
Granada, Kingdom of
|
1250
|
1492
|
Kingdom ceases to exist after the Reconquista and incorporated into Castile
|
| Nafplion
|
Greece
|
1821
|
1836
|
moved to Athens
|
| Bolama
|
Guinea-Bissau
|
1879
|
1941
|
moved to Bissau
|
| Boe
|
Guinea-Bissau
|
1973
|
1974
|
moved back to Bissau
|
| Lahaina
|
Hawaiʻi, Kingdom of
|
1820
|
1845
|
moved to Honolulu
|
| Honolulu
|
Hawaiʻi, Kingdom of
|
1845
|
1893
|
became seat of Provisional Government of Hawaiʻi after overthrow of the Hawaiʻian monarchy
|
| Székesfehérvár and Esztergom
|
Hungary
|
972 (or 973)
|
1361
|
moved to Buda for the first time
|
| Buda
|
Hungary (as part of Austro-Hungarian Empire
|
1867
|
1873
|
united with Óbuda and Pest to become Budapest
|
| Cuzco
|
Inca Empire
|
fl.13th Century
|
c.1533
|
moved to Lima after the Spanish conquest
|
| Calcutta
|
India (British)
|
1772
|
1912
|
moved to New Delhi
|
| Simla
|
India (British)
|
fl.1850
|
1947
|
Summer capital
|
| Yogyakarta
|
Indonesia
|
1946
|
1948
|
Allied invasion, moved to Bukittinggi
|
| Bukittinggi
|
Indonesia
|
1948
|
1949
|
moved to Jakarta
|
| Ecbatana
|
Iran (Median Empire)
|
7th century BC
|
550 BC
|
captured by Cyrus the Great
|
| Pasargadae, Persepolis, and Susa
|
Iran (Persian Empire)
|
550 BC
|
330 BC
|
captured by Alexander the Great and incorporated into Macedonian Empire
|
| Seleucia on the Tigris
|
Iran (Seleucid Empire}
|
305 BC
|
240 BC
|
moved to Antioch
|
| Antioch
|
Iran (Seleucid Empire)
|
240 BC
|
64 BC
|
conquered by Parthia
|
| Ctesiphon
|
Iran (Parthian and Sassanid Empires)
|
c. 64 BC
|
637
|
fell in Islamic conquest of Persia
|
| Nishapur
|
Iran {Tahirid dynasty)
|
821
|
873
|
conquered by Saffarid dynasty
|
| Shiraz
|
Iran (Saffarid dynasty)
|
861
|
900
|
conquered by Samanid
|
| Bukhara, Samarqand, and Herat
|
Iran (Samanid)
|
875
|
999
|
conquered by Karakhanids
|
| Tabriz
|
Iran (Safavid Dynasty)
|
1501
|
1548
|
moved to Qazvin
|
| Qazvin
|
Iran (Safavid Dynasty)
|
1548
|
1598
|
moved to Isfahan
|
| Isfahan
|
Iran (Safavid Dynasty)
|
1598
|
1736
|
moved to Mashhad
|
| Mashhad
|
Iran {Afsharid dynasty)
|
1736
|
1750
|
moved to Shiraz
|
| Shiraz
|
Iran (Zand dynasty)
|
1750
|
1794
|
moved to Tehran in the Qajar dynasty
|
| Hill of Tara
|
Ireland (under the High Kings
|
6th century
|
12th century
|
Ireland conquered by England
|
| Hebron
|
Israel, Kingdom of
|
c.1007 BC
|
c.1000 BC
|
moved to Jerusalem when the kingdom is reunited under King David
|
| Tel Aviv
|
Israel, State of
|
May 1948
|
Dec 1948
|
moved to Jerusalem after 1948 Arab-Israeli War because Jerusalem was under siege.
|
| Florence
|
Italy
|
1865
|
1871
|
moved to Rome
|
| Spanish Town
|
Jamaica
|
1534
|
1872
|
moved to Kingston
|
| Heijo-kyo (Nara)
|
Japan (Nara Period)
|
710
|
784
|
moved to Nagaoka-kyo (Nagaoka)
|
| Nagaoka-kyo (Nagaoka)
|
Japan (Nara Period)
|
784
|
794
|
moved to Kyoto
|
| Kyoto
|
Japan
|
794
|
1868
|
moved to Tokyo (see also: Capital of Japan)
|
| Acre
|
Jerusalem, Kingdom of
|
1187
|
1291
|
Kingdom ceases to exist
|
| Njimi
|
Kanem
|
fl. 11th Century
|
c.1396
|
lost to Bulala invaders (eventually moved to Ngazargamu)
|
| Ngazargamu
|
Kanem-Bornu Empire
|
c.1472
|
1808
|
lost to Fulani invaders (eventually moved to Kukawa)
|
| Kukawa
|
Kanem-Bornu Empire
|
1814
|
1893
|
Kingdom ceases to exist
|
| Alma-Ata
|
Kazakhstan
|
1992
|
1993
|
renamed Almaty
|
| Kaunas
|
Lithuania
|
1922
|
1940
|
moved back to Vilnius
|
| Mdina
|
Malta
|
|
1566
|
moved to Valletta
|
| Czersk
|
Masovia
|
1313
|
1413
|
moved to Warsaw
|
| Modena
|
Modena, Duchy of
|
1452
|
1860
|
became part of united Italy
|
| Iaşi
|
Moldavia
|
1351
|
1862
|
unified with Wallachia to form Romania
|
| Cetinje
|
Montenegro
|
1482
|
1946
|
moved to Podgorica
|
| Yangon
|
Myanmar
|
1948
|
2005
|
moved to Naypyidaw
|
| Bacolod
|
Federal Republic of Negros
|
1898
|
1899
|
absorbed by the Philippines.
|
| St. John's
|
Newfoundland
|
1855
|
1949
|
entered confederation with Canada
|
| Russell
|
New Zealand
|
1840
|
1841
|
moved to Auckland
|
| Auckland
|
New Zealand
|
1841
|
1865
|
moved to Wellington
|
| Lagos
|
Nigeria
|
1914
|
1976
|
moved to Abuja
|
| Trondheim
|
Norway
|
997
|
1070
|
moved to Bergen
|
| Bergen
|
Norway
|
1070
|
1299
|
moved to Oslo
|
| Christiania
|
Norway
|
1624
|
1924
|
renamed Oslo
|
| Bursa
|
Ottoman empire
|
1335
|
1365
|
moved to Edirne
|
| Edirne
|
Ottoman empire
|
1365
|
1453
|
moved to Istanbul (Constantinople)
|
| Rawalpindi
|
Pakistan
|
1959
|
1967
|
moved to Islamabad
|
| Heidelberg
|
Palatinate
|
14th century
|
1720
|
moved to Mannheim
|
| Mannheim
|
Palatinate
|
1720
|
1777
|
Palatinate inherited by the Electors of Bavaria.
|
| Parma
|
Parma, Duchy of
|
1545
|
1860
|
Became part of united Italy.
|
| Cebu City
|
Philippines
|
1562 (?)
|
1578 (?)
|
First Spanish settlement in the country. Moved to Manila (Formerly Maynilad) after capture.
|
| Malolos
|
Philippines
|
1898
|
1899
|
|
| Quezon City
|
Philippines
|
1948
|
1976
|
|
| Gniezno
|
Poland
|
10th century
|
1038
|
moved to Krakow
|
| Płock
|
Poland
|
1079
|
1138
|
moved to Kraków
|
| Poznań
|
Poland
|
1290
|
1296
|
moved to Krakow
|
| Kraków
|
Poland
|
1296
|
1596
|
moved to Warsaw
|
| Lublin
|
Poland
|
1944
|
1945
|
de facto capital
|
| Łódź
|
Poland
|
1945
|
1947
|
de facto capital
|
| Guimarães
|
Portugal
|
1095
|
1131
|
moved to Coimbra
|
| Coimbra
|
Portugal
|
1131
|
1255
|
moved to Lisbon
|
| Rio de Janeiro
|
Portugal
|
1808
|
1821
|
moved to Lisbon
|
| Vladimir
|
Russia (Vladimir-Suzdal)
|
1169
|
1327
|
moved to Moscow
|
| Yaroslavl
|
Russia (Muscovite)
|
1611
|
1612
|
de facto
|
| Dariyah
|
Saudi Arabia
|
1744
|
1818
|
moved to Riyadh after the Turks destroyed the city
|
| Dresden
|
Saxony
|
1485
|
1918
|
Saxony became part of the German Empire in 1871, and Saxony lost its independence fully in 1918. Dresden remains the capital of the German state of Saxony.
|
| Perth
|
Scotland
|
846
|
1452
|
moved to Edinburgh
|
| Tulaghi
|
Solomon Islands
|
1896
|
1942
|
moved to Honiara
|
| Aden
|
South Yemen
|
1967
|
1990
|
San'a, country ceased to exist after unification of Yemen
|
| Valladolid
|
Spain
|
1600
|
1606
|
moved to Madrid
|
| Aarau
|
Switzerland (Helvetic Republic)
|
1798
|
1798
|
moved to Lucerne
|
| Lucerne
|
Switzerland (Helvetic Republic)
|
1798
|
1803
|
Helvetic Republic abolished
|
| Valencia
|
Spain
|
1936
|
1939
|
Government of the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War
|
| Columbia, Texas
|
Republic of Texas
|
1836
|
1837
|
moved to Houston, Texas
|
| Austin, Texas
|
Republic of Texas
|
1839
|
1845
|
Texas annexed by United States
|
| Ayutthaya
|
Thailand
|
1350
|
1767
|
moved to Thonburi after the Burmese destroyed the city
|
| Thonburi
|
Thailand
|
1767
|
1782
|
moved to Bangkok after King Taksin was declared mad
|
| Aneho
|
Togo
|
1880s
|
1897
|
moved to Lomé
|
| Trieste
|
Trieste, Free Territory of
|
1947
|
1954
|
Territory dissolved, integrated into Italy and Yugoslavia
|
| San Jose de Oruña
|
Trinidad
|
1592
|
1783
|
moved to Port of Spain
|
| Naples
|
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
|
1816
|
1861
|
became part of unified Italy
|
| Chyhyryn
|
Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate)
|
1648
|
1669
|
moved to Baturyn
|
| Hlukhiv
|
Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate)
|
1727
|
1734
|
Cossack Hetmanate lost its sovereignty
|
| Baturyn
|
Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate)
|
1750
|
1764
|
Cossack Hetmanate lost its sovereignty
|
| Kharkiv
|
Ukraine (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic)
|
1919
|
1934
|
moved to Kyiv (Kiev)
|
| Lancaster, Pennsylvania
|
United States
|
1777
|
1777
|
moved to York after one day
|
| York, Pennsylvania
|
United States
|
1777
|
1778
|
moved back to Philadelphia
|
| Princeton
|
United States
|
1783
|
1783
|
moved to Annapolis
|
| Annapolis
|
United States
|
1783
|
1784
|
moved to Trenton
|
| Trenton
|
United States
|
1784
|
1785
|
moved to New York
|
| Samarkand
|
Uzbekistan (SSR)
|
1925
|
1930
|
moved to Tashkent
|
| Venice
|
Venice, Republic of
|
fl. 9th century
|
1797
|
annexed by Austria
|
| Machynlleth
|
Wales
|
1404
|
1416
|
seat of Owain Glyndŵr's parliament until was Wales was annexed by England - capital moved to Cardiff in 1955
|
| Câmpulung
|
Wallachia
|
fl.13th Century
|
fl.15th Century
|
moved to Târgovişte
|
| Târgovişte
|
Wallachia
|
1396
|
1698
|
moved to Bucharest
|
| Taiz
|
Yemen
|
1948
|
1962
|
moved to San'a
|
| Mérida
|
Yucatán
|
1840
|
1847
|
reunited with Mexico
|
