Timeline of country and capital changes
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. This is a timeline of country and capital changes around the world. It includes dates of declarations of independence, changes in country name, changes of capital city or name, and significant changes in territory (viz. land annexation, cession or secession).
2000s 1900s 1800s 1700s 1600s 1500s 1400s 1300s 1200s 1100s 1000s
1st Millennium CE 1st Millennium BCE 2nd Millennium BCE 3rd Millennium BCE 4th Millennium BCE
| Africa | Asia | Europe | Oceania | North America | South America | Antarctica |
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Common Era
2010s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | July 15 | The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant declares its independence from Iraq and Syria. Ar-Raqqah is the capital. |
| March 21 | The Republic of Crimea accedes to the Russian Federation as two separate federal entities: the Republic of Crimea and the city of federal significance Sevastopol. Simferopol yields to Moscow as the federal capital. | |
| March 17 | The Russian Federation recognizes the independence of the Republic of Crimea from Ukraine. Ukraine itself, along with the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, and the international community maintain that Crimea and Sevastopol are illegally occupied by Russia and that both territories remain de jure integral parts of Ukraine. | |
| The Autonomous Republic of Crimea unilaterally proclaims its independence from Ukraine and changes its name to the Republic of Crimea. Crimea unilaterally subsumes the independent city of Sevastopol. Simferopol remains the capital. | ||
| 2013 | October 24 | The Republic of Cape Verde decrees the official English-language rendering of its name to be the Republic of Cabo Verde,[1] following precedents set by Côte d'Ivoire and Timor-Leste (neither of which use English as an official language). Praia remains the name of its capital. |
| January 7 | Libya changes its name to the State of Libya.[2] Tripoli remains the capital. | |
| 2012 | August 20 | The Somali Republic changes its name to the Federal Republic of Somalia. Mogadishu remains the capital. |
| July 12 | The State of Azawad capitulates and is reabsorbed by the Republic of Mali. Timbuktu yields to Bamako as the capital. | |
| April 6 | Azawad proclaims its independence from the Republic of Mali as the State of Azawad. Timbuktu is the capital. | |
| January 1 | The Republic of Hungary changes its name to Hungary. Budapest remains the capital. | |
| 2011 | September 16 | Libya supersedes the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Tripoli remains the capital. |
| July 9 | The Southern Sudan gains independence from Sudan as the Republic of South Sudan after a referendum the previous January. Juba is the capital. | |
| March 31 | The French Republic accepts Mayotte in the Comoro Islands as the Overseas Region of Mayotte. Mamoudzou is the capital. | |
| February 2 | The Republic of the Fiji Islands changes its name back to the Republic of Fiji. Suva remains the capital. | |
| 2010 | October 21 | The Union of Myanmar (Burma) changes its name to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Naypyidaw remains the capital. |
| October 10 | The Kingdom of the Netherlands dissolves the Netherlands Antilles and makes Curaçao and Sint Maarten two of its four constituent countries. Willemstad and Philipsburg are the respective capitals. Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius become special municipalities of the Netherlands. | |
| July 22 | The International Court of Justice rules that the independence of the Republic of Kosovo from the Republic of Serbia does not violate international law. Priština remains the capital. |
2000s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | September 1 | The United Kingdom changes the name of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena and Dependencies to Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Jamestown on Saint Helena remains the capital. |
| February 7 | The Republic of Bolivia changes its name to the Plurinational State of Bolivia. La Paz and Sucre remain the capitals. | |
| 2008 | August 27 | The Russian Federation recognizes the independence of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Republic of Abkhazia from Georgia. Tskhinval and Sukhumi are the capitals respectively. Georgia itself and much of the international community maintain that they are both illegally occupied by Russia and legally remain integral regions of Georgia. |
| May 28 | The State of Nepal changes its name to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. Kathmandu remains the capital. | |
| February 17 | The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija declares its independence from the Republic of Serbia as the Republic of Kosovo. Priština remains the capital. Serbia maintains that Kosovo remains a part of Serbia. | |
| 2007 | October 22 | The Republic of Montenegro changes its name to Montenegro. Podgorica remains the capital. |
| February 21 | The French Republic separates the Overseas Collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy and the Overseas Collectivity of Saint-Martin from the Overseas Region of Guadeloupe. Gustavia and Marigot are the capitals respectively. | |
| January 15 | The Kingdom of Nepal changes its name to the State of Nepal. Kathmandu remains the capital. | |
| 2006 | October 7 | The Republic of Palau moves its capital from Koror to Ngerulmud. |
| August 14 | The Federal Republic of Nigeria transfers sovereignty of Bakassi to the Republic of Cameroon. | |
| June 5 | The Republic of Serbia supersedes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Belgrade remains the capital. | |
| June 3 | Montenegro secedes from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro as the Republic of Montenegro. Podgorica remains the capital. | |
| 2005 | November 6 | The Union of Myanmar (Burma) moves its capital from Yangon to Naypyidaw. |
| 2004 | September 1 | The Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty administering Antarctica and all lands and waters south of the 60th parallel south establishes its headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
| February 27 | The French Republic elevates the Overseas Collectivity of French Polynesia to the Overseas Country of French Polynesia. Papeetē remains the capital. | |
| January 4 | The Islamic State of Afghanistan changes its name to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Kabul remains the capital. | |
| 2003 | May 26 | The Rwandese Republic changes its name to the Republic of Rwanda. Kigali remains the capital. |
| March 28 | The French Republic revises its constitution. New polities include: | |
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| February 4 | The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia changes its name to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Belgrade remains the capital. | |
| 2002 | May 21 | The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changes the title of each of its British Dependent Territories to that of a British Overseas Territory. The citizens of each British Overseas Territory gain full British citizenship. |
| May 20 | East Timor gains independence from the Portuguese Republic as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. East Timor was occupied by Indonesia in 1975, and was placed under United Nations administration in 1999. Dili remains the capital. | |
| March 10 | The Union of the Comoros reabsorbs the de facto independent State of Anjouan and the Democratic Republic of Mohéli. Mutsamudu and Fomboni yield to Moroni as the capital. | |
| February 14 | The State of Bahrain changes its name to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Manama remains the capital. | |
| 2001 | December 23 | The Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros changes its name to the Union of the Comoros. Moroni remains the capital. |
| November 13 | The Islamic State of Afghanistan supersedes the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Kabul remains the capital. | |
| July 1 | The "temporarily independent" Puntland State of Somalia adopts a new constitution explicitly identifying itself as part of the Somali Republic. Garowe yields to Mogadishu as the capital. | |
| January | Taloqan, the de facto capital of the Islamic State of Afghanistan government, falls to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The capital moves to Fayzabad. | |
| 2000 | July 16 | Somalia changes its name to the Somali Republic. Mogadishu remains the capital. |
| February 6 | The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria capitulates and is reabsorbed by the Russian Federation. Ƶovxar-Ġala yields to Moscow as the capital. |
1990s
1980s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | December 31 | The Polish People's Republic changes its name to the Republic of Poland. Warsaw remains the capital. |
| October 23 | The People's Republic of Hungary changes its name to the Republic of Hungary. Budapest remains the capital. | |
| September 26 | The Socialist Republic of Vietnam ends its occupation of the State of Cambodia. | |
| June 18 | The Union of Burma changes its name to the Union of Myanmar. Yangon remains the capital until 2005. | |
| The Federated States of Micronesia moves its capital from Kolonia to Palikir on Pohnpei. | ||
| May 1 | The State of Cambodia supersedes Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia). Phnom Penh remains the capital. | |
| February 15 | The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ends its occupation of the Republic of Afghanistan. | |
| 1988 | September 23 | The Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma changes its name to the Union of Burma. Yangon remains the capital. |
| 1987 | November 30 | The Republic of Afghanistan supersedes the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Kabul remains the capital. |
| October 7 | The Republic of Fiji supersedes the Dominion of Fiji. Suva remains the capital. | |
| 1986 | November 3 | The eastern Caroline Islands gain independence from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands as the Federated States of Micronesia. Kolonia on Pohnpei is the capital. |
| October 21 | The Marshall Islands gain independence from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands as the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Majuro is the capital. | |
| April | The Republic of Ivory Coast changes its name to the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire. Yamoussoukro remains the capital. | |
| January 1 | Aruba leaves the Netherlands Antilles to become one of three constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands following a change of the Charter for the Kingdom. Oranjestad is the capital. | |
| 1984 | August 15 | Bourkina-Fasso changes its name to Burkina Faso. Ouagadougou remains the capital. |
| August 4 | The Republic of Upper Volta changes its name to Bourkina-Fasso. Ouagadougou remains the capital. | |
| February 4 | The Republic of Cameroon supersedes the United Republic of Cameroon. Yaoundé remains the capital. | |
| January 1 | Brunei gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam). Bandar Seri Begawan remains the capital. | |
| 1983 | September 19 | The British Dependent Territory of Saint Christopher and Nevis gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis). Basseterre remains the capital. |
| March | The Republic of Ivory Coast moves its capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro. | |
| January 1 | The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changes the title of each of its Crown Colonies to that of a British Dependent Territory. | |
| 1982 | June 14 | The United Kingdom recaptures the Crown Colony of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) from the Argentine Republic. Britain restores the name of the capital Puerto Argentino to Stanley. |
| April 29 | The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka moves its capital from Colombo to Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte. | |
| April 18 | The Republic of Zimbabwe changes many colonial place names including that of its capital from Salisbury to Harare. | |
| April 2 | The Argentine Republic seizes the Islas Malvinas (the Crown Colony of the Falkland Islands) from the United Kingdom. Argentina renames Stanley the capital Puerto Argentino. | |
| 1981 | November 1 | Antigua and Barbuda gain independence from the United Kingdom. St. John's remains the capital. |
| September 21 | The Crown Colony of Belize gains independence from the United Kingdom. Belmopan remains the capital. | |
| 1980 | December 19 | The United Kingdom divides the Crown Colony of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla into the Crown Colony of Saint Christopher and Nevis and the Crown Colony of Anguilla. Basseterre remains the capital of Saint Christopher and Nevis, and The Valley becomes the capital of Anguilla. |
| July 30 | The New Hebrides gain independence from a British-French condominium as the Republic of Vanuatu. Port Vila remains the capital. | |
| April 18 | Southern Rhodesia gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Zimbabwe. Salisbury remains the capital. |
1970s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | December 25 | The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics occupies the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. |
| December 12 | The Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia is dissolved as the United Kingdom regains control of Southern Rhodesia. Salisbury remains the capital. | |
| October 27 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gain independence from the United Kingdom. Kingstown remains the capital. | |
| October 1 | The United States of America dissolves the Panama Canal Zone and returns sovereignty to the Republic of Panama. The United States and Panama will jointly operate the Panama Canal until December 31, 1999. | |
| September 20 | The Central African Empire changes its name back to the Central African Republic. Bangui remains the capital. | |
| July 12 | The Gilbert Islands gain independence from the United Kingdom as the Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati. South Tarawa remains the capital. | |
| June 1 | The Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia) supersedes the Republic of Rhodesia, although neither are recognized. Salisbury remains the capital. | |
| February 22 | Saint Lucia gains independence from the United Kingdom. Castries remains the capital. | |
| January 7 | The Socialist Republic of Vietnam occupies Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia). | |
| 1978 | November 3 | Dominica gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Commonwealth of Dominica. Roseau remains the capital. |
| October 1 | Tuvalu gains independence from the United Kingdom. Funafuti remains the capital. | |
| July 7 | The Solomon Islands gain independence from the United Kingdom. Honiara on Guadalcanal remains the capital. | |
| September 7 | The Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka changes its name to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Colombo remains the capital. | |
| April 30 | The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan supersedes the Republic of Afghanistan. Kabul remains the capital. | |
| 1977 | June 27 | The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas gains independence from the French Republic as the Republic of Djibouti. The city of Djibouti remains the capital. |
| March 2 | The Libyan Arab Republic changes its name to the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Tripoli remains the capital. | |
| 1976 | December 28 | The Socialist People's Republic of Albania supersedes the People's Republic of Albania. Tirana remains the capital. |
| December 4 | The Central African Republic changes its name to the Central African Empire. Bangui remains the capital. | |
| July 17 | The Republic of Indonesia declares that East Timor is the Indonesian Province of Timor Timur. | |
| July 2 | The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam unite to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City yields to Hanoi as the capital. | |
| July 1 | The French Republic elevates its Overseas Territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon to the Overseas Department of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Saint-Pierre remains the capital. | |
| June 29 | The Seychelles become independent from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Seychelles. Victoria remains the capital. | |
| June 24 | The Republic of the Philippines reinstates Manila as the capital. Quezon City, the capital from 1948, was incorporated with Manila and 15 surrounding suburbs to form Metro Manila. Baguio is no longer a summer capital. | |
| February | The Republic of Mozambique changes the name of its capital from Lourenço Marques to Maputo. | |
| January 5 | Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) supersedes the Khmer Republic. Phnom Penh remains the capital. | |
| 1975 | December 30 | The Malagasy Republic changes its name to the Democratic Republic of Madagascar. Antananarivo remains the capital. |
| December 7 | The Republic of Indonesia invades East Timor. | |
| December 2 | Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) supersedes the Kingdom of Laos. Vientiane remains the capital. | |
| November 30 | The Republic of Dahomey changes its name to the People's Republic of Benin. Porto-Novo remains the capital. | |
| November 28 | The Portuguese colony of East Timor declares its independence from the Portuguese Republic as the Democratic Republic of East Timor. Dili remains the capital. Portugal and most other nations refuse to recognize the new government. | |
| November 25 | Suriname (Dutch Guiana) gains full independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands as the Republic of Suriname. Paramaribo remains the capital. | |
| November 22 | The restored Kingdom of Spain supersedes the Spanish State. Madrid remains the capital. | |
| November 11 | The State of Angola gains independence from the Portuguese Republic as the People's Republic of Angola. Luanda remains the capital. | |
| September 16 | The Territory of Papua and New Guinea gains independence from the Commonwealth of Australia as the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. Port Moresby remains the capital. | |
| July 12 | São Tomé and Príncipe gain independence from the Portuguese Republic as the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. The city of São Tomé remains the capital. | |
| July 6 | The Comoros gain independence from the French Republic as the Union of the Comoros. Moroni on Grande Comore remains the capital. | |
| July 5 | Cabo Verde gains independence from the Portuguese Republic as the Republic of Cape Verde. Praia on Santiago remains the capital. | |
| June 25 | Mozambique gains independence from the Portuguese Republic as the Republic of Mozambique. Lourenço Marques remains the capital. | |
| April 30 | The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam supersedes the Republic of Vietnam. The name of the capital is changed from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City. | |
| 1974 | December 13 | The Republic of Malta supersedes the State of Malta. Valletta remains the capital. |
| September 10 | The Republic of Guinea changes its name to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and moves its capital from Madina do Boe to Bissau. The Portuguese Republic recognizes the independence of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. | |
| February 22 | The Islamic Republic of Pakistan recognizes the independence of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. | |
| February 7 | Grenada gains independence from the United Kingdom. St. George's remains the capital. | |
| January 4 | The Union of Burma changes its name to the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma. Yangon remains the capital until 2005. | |
| 1973 | September 24 | Portuguese Guinea declares its independence from the Portuguese Republic as the Republic of Guinea. Recognition is limited. Madina do Boe is the temporary capital. |
| July 17 | The Republic of Afghanistan supersedes the Kingdom of Afghanistan. Kabul remains the capital. | |
| July 10 | The Bahamas gain independence from the United Kingdom as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Nassau remains the capital. | |
| July 10 | The United Kingdom changes the name of its Crown Colony of British Honduras to the Crown Colony of Belize. Belmopan remains the capital. | |
| 1972 | June 2 | The United Republic of Cameroon supersedes the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Yaoundé remains the capital until 1982. |
| May 22 | The Dominion of Ceylon changes its name to the Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka. Colombo remains the capital until 1982. | |
| 1971 | December 2 | The Trucial States gain full independence from the United Kingdom as the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is the capital. |
| October 27 | The Democratic Republic of the Congo changes its name to the Republic of Zaire. Kinshasa remains the capital. | |
| September 3 | Qatar gains full independence from the United Kingdom as the State of Qatar. Doha remains the capital. | |
| September 1 | The Arab Republic of Egypt supersedes the United Arab Republic. Cairo remains the capital. | |
| August 16 | Bahrain gains full independence from the United Kingdom as the State of Bahrain. Manama remains the capital. | |
| March 26 | The People's Republic of Bangladesh declares its independence from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Dhaka is the capital. | |
| 1970 | December 1 | The People's Republic of South Yemen changes its name to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. Aden remains the capital. |
| October 9 | The Khmer Republic (Cambodia) supersedes the Kingdom of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is the capital. | |
| October 10 | Fiji gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Dominion of Fiji. Suva remains the capital. | |
| August 1 | The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of British Honduras from Belize City to Belmopan. | |
| July 4 | The Kingdom of Tonga gains full independence from the United Kingdom. Nukuʻalofa remains the capital. | |
| March 2 | Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia) unilaterally declares itself the Republic of Rhodesia. Salisbury remains the capital. | |
| January 15 | The Republic of Biafra capitulates and is reabsorbed by the military junta controlled Federal Republic of Nigeria. Enugu falls to Lagos. |
1960s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | September 1 | The Libyan Arab Republic supersedes the Kingdom of Libya. Tripoli remains the capital. |
| 1968 | October 12 | Spanish Guinea gains independence from the Spanish State as the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Malabo remains the capital. |
| September 6 | The Kingdom of Swaziland gains full independence from the United Kingdom. Mbabane is the capital. | |
| March 12 | Mauritius gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Mauritius. Port Louis remains the capital. | |
| January 31 | Nauru gains independence from a United Nations trusteeship jointly administered by the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom as the Republic of Nauru. Yaren remains the de facto capital. | |
| 1967 | November 7 | South Yemen declares its independence from the United Kingdom as the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. Aden is the capital. |
| May 30 | The Republic of Biafra secedes from the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Enugu is the capital. | |
| January 24 | The Republic of the United States of Brazil changes its name to the Federative Republic of Brazil. Brasilia remains the capital. | |
| 1966 | November 30 | Barbados gains independence from the United Kingdom. Bridgetown remains the capital. |
| November 28 | The Republic of Burundi supersedes the Kingdom of Burundi. Bujumbura remains the capital. | |
| October 4 | The Crown Colony of the Territory of Basutoland gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Kingdom of Lesotho. Maseru remains the capital. | |
| September 30 | Bechuanaland gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Botswana. Gaborone remains the capital. | |
| July 6 | Nyasaland gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Malawi. Lilongwe remains the capital. | |
| June 30 | The Democratic Republic of the Congo changes the name of its capital from Léopoldville to Kinshasa. | |
| May 26 | The Crown Colony of British Guiana gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Georgetown remains the capital. | |
| 1965 | November 11 | The Cabinet of Southern Rhodesia issues its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom as Rhodesia, which goes unrecognized. Salisbury remains the capital. |
| August 9 | The Republic of Singapore secedes from Malaysia. Singapore remains the capital. | |
| July 26 | The Maldives gain independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Maldives. Male remains the capital. | |
| February 18 | The Gambia gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of the Gambia. Banjul remains the capital. | |
| 1964 | November 1 | The United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar changes its name to the United Republic of Tanzania. Dar-es-Salaam remains the capital. |
| October 24 | Northern Rhodesia gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Zambia. Lusaka remains the capital. | |
| September 21 | The Crown Colony of Malta gains independence from the United Kingdom as the State of Malta. Valletta remains the capital. | |
| August 1 | The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Léopoldville) changes its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Léopoldville remains the capital. | |
| July 6 | Malawi gains independence from the United Kingdom. Lilongwe remains the capital. | |
| April 26 | The Republic of Tanganyika and the Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba unite to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Zanzibar City yields to Dar-es-Salaam as the capital. | |
| 1963 | December 12 | The Republic of Kenya gains independence from the United Kingdom. Nairobi remains the capital. |
| September 16 | The Federation of Malaya unites with the British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak, and British North Borneo (Sabah) to form Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur remains the capital. | |
| April 25 | The Kingdom of Libya supersedes the United Kingdom of Libya. Tripoli remains the capital. | |
| April 7 | The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia changes its name to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Belgrade remains the capital. | |
| The Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba gains independence from the United Kingdom. Zanzibar City remains the capital. | ||
| 1962 | October 9 | The Republic of Uganda gains independence from the United Kingdom. Kampala remains the capital. |
| September 27 | North Yemen declares its independence from the United Kingdom as the Yemen Arab Republic. San'a' becomes the capital. | |
| September 25 | Algeria becomes the People's Democratic Algerian Republic. Algiers remains the capital. | |
| August 31 | The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago gains independence from the United Kingdom. Port of Spain remains the capital. | |
| August 6 | The United Kingdom creates the Crown Colony of the Cayman Islands. George Town is the capital. | |
| The Crown Colony of Jamaica gains independence from the United Kingdom. Kingston remains the capital. | ||
| July 3 | The French overseas department of Algeria gains independence from the French Republic. Algiers remains the capital. | |
| July 1 | The Kingdom of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda become independent from the Kingdom of Belgium. Bujumbura and Kigali are the respective capitals. | |
| Western Samoa gains independence from New Zealand. Apia remains the capital. | ||
| 1961 | December 28 | The Syrian Arab Republic secedes from the United Arab Republic, leaving Egypt as the sole member of the federation. Cairo remains the capital of the UAR. Damascus is again the capital of Syria. |
| December 9 | The Republic of Tanganyika gains independence from the United Kingdom. Dar-es-Salaam remains the capital. | |
| October 1 | The southern portion of the British Cameroons gains independence from the United Kingdom and unites with the Republic of Cameroun to form the Republic of Cameroon. Yaoundé remains the capital. | |
| June 23 | The Antarctic Treaty System enters force to administer the continent of Antarctica and all lands and waters south of the 60th parallel south. | |
| June 19 | The State of Kuwait gains independence from the United Kingdom. Kuwait City remains the capital. | |
| May 31 | The Union of South Africa ceases to be a Commonwealth realm and changes its name to the Republic of South Africa. Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein remain the capitals. | |
| April 27 | The Republic of Sierra Leone gains independence from the United Kingdom. Freetown remains the capital. | |
| 1960 | November 28 | The Islamic Republic of Mauritania gains independence from the French Republic. Nouakchott remains the capital. |
| October 1 | The Federal Republic of Nigeria gains independence from the United Kingdom. Lagos remains the capital. | |
| September 22 | The Republic of Mali gains independence from the French Republic. Bamako remains the capital. | |
| August 20 | The Republic of Senegal gains independence from the French Republic. Dakar remains the capital. | |
| August 17 | The Gabonese Republic (Gabon) gains independence from the French Republic. Libreville remains the capital. | |
| August 16 | The Republic of Cyprus gains independence from the United Kingdom. Lefkosia remains the capital. | |
| August 15 | The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) gains independence from the French Republic. Brazzaville remains the capital. | |
| August 13 | The Central African Republic gains independence from the French Republic. Bangui remains the capital. | |
| August 11 | The Republic of Chad gains independence from the French Republic. N'Djamena remains the capital. | |
| August 7 | The Republic of Ivory Coast gains independence from the French Republic. Abidjan remains the capital. | |
| August 5 | The Republic of Upper Volta gains independence from the French Republic. Ouagadougou remains the capital. | |
| August 3 | The Republic of Niger gains independence from the French Republic. Niamey remains the capital. | |
| August 1 | The Republic of Dahomey gains independence from the French Republic. Porto-Novo remains the capital. | |
| July 11 | The Czechoslovak Republic changes its name to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Prague remains the capital. | |
| July 1 | The Somali Republic (Somalia) is created from a merger of the former colonies of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. Mogadishu is the capital. | |
| June 30 | The Belgian Congo gains independence from the Kingdom of Belgium as the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Léopoldville). Léopoldville remains the capital. | |
| June 26 | The Malagasy Republic (Madagascar) gains independence from the French Republic. Antananarivo remains the capital. | |
| April 27 | The Togolese Republic (Togo) gains independence from the French Republic. Lomé remains the capital. | |
| April 21 | The Republic of the United States of Brazil moves its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília. | |
| January 1 | The Republic of Cameroun gains independence from the French Republic. Yaoundé remains the capital. |
1950s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | October 15 | The Malagasy Republic (Madagascar) gains autonomy within the French Community. Antananarivo is the capital. |
| October 2 | The Republic of Guinea gains independence from the French Republic. Conakry is the capital. | |
| July 14 | The Republic of Iraq and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan are created from the dissolution of the Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan. Baghdad remains the capital of Iraq. Amman is again the capital of Jordan. | |
| February 14 | The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan unite to form the Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan. Amman yields to Baghdad as the capital. | |
| February 1 | The Egyptian Republic and the Syrian Arab Republic unite to form the United Arab Republic. Damascus yields to Cairo as the capital. | |
| 1957 | August 31 | The Federation of Malaya gains independence from the United Kingdom. Kuala Lumpur is the capital. |
| March 6 | The Republic of Ghana gains independence from the United Kingdom. Accra is the capital. | |
| 1956 | June 18 | The Egyptian Republic declares its complete independence from the United Kingdom. Cairo remains the capital. |
| March 23 | The Dominion of Pakistan declares its complete independence from the United Kingdom as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Karachi remains the capital. | |
| March 20 | The Tunisian Republic gains independence from the French Republic. Tunis is the capital. | |
| March 2 | The Kingdom of Morocco gains independence from the French Republic. Rabat is the capital. | |
| January 1 | The Republic of Sudan gains independence from the United Kingdom. Khartoum is the capital. Egypt relinquishes its claim to Sudan. | |
| 1955 | The Kingdom of Bhutan makes Thimphu the sole capital. | |
| May 15 | The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) regains its independence. Allied occupation ends. Vienna (German: Wien) is the capital. | |
| 1954 | December 20 | The French Republic recognizes the independence of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Phnom Penh remains the capital. |
| December 15 | The Kingdom of the Netherlands makes the Netherlands Territory of Curaçao one of its three constituent countries as the Netherlands Antilles. Willemstad on Curaçao remains the capital. | |
| The Kingdom of the Netherlands makes the Netherlands Territory of Surinam one of its three constituent countries as Suriname. Paramaribo remains the capital. | ||
| July 20 | The French Republic recognizes the independence of Vietnam divided between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). Hanoi and Saigon are the respective capitals. | |
| 1953 | November 9 | The Kingdom of Cambodia declares its independence from the French Republic. Phnom Penh is the capital. |
| October 22 | The Kingdom of Laos (Laos) gains independence from the French Republic. Vientiane is the capital. | |
| June 13 | The Egyptian Republic supersedes the Kingdom of Egypt. Cairo remains the capital. | |
| 1952 | July 25 | The Territory of Puerto Rico becomes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico upon ratification of the Constitution of Puerto Rico, choosing free association with the United States of America. San Juan remains the capital. |
| July 22 | The Republic of Poland changes its name to the Polish People's Republic. Warsaw remains the capital. | |
| 1951 | December 24 | The United Kingdom of Libya gains independence from a United Nations trusteeship, previously having been divided into the independent Emirate of Cyrenaica, British-administered Tripolitania and the French Military Territory of Fezzan-Ghadames. Tripoli is the capital. |
| February 15 | The Republic of Poland and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics exchange territory along their common border. | |
| 1950 | August 17 | The Republic of the United States of Indonesia becomes a unitary state and changes its name back to Republic of Indonesia. Jakarta remains the capital |
| January 26 | The Union of India declares its complete independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of India. New Delhi remains the capital. |
1940s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | December 8 | The government of the Republic of China leaves Mainland China for exile on Taiwan where Taipei becomes the de facto capital. |
| December 27 | The Republic of Indonesia becomes a federation as Republic of the United States of Indonesia and its independence is formally recognised by the Netherlands. The capital returns to Jakarta from Yogyakarta. | |
| December 5 | The State of Israel declares Jerusalem its official capital. Tel Aviv continues to serve as the de facto capital. | |
| October 7 | The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) is established in occupied eastern Germany. East Berlin is the capital. | |
| October 1 | Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China. Beijing is the capital. | |
| September 7 | The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) is established in occupied western Germany. Bonn is the capital. | |
| May 11 | The Kingdom of Siam changes its name back to the Kingdom of Thailand. Bangkok remains the capital. | |
| March 31 | The Dominion of Newfoundland joins Canada as the Province of Newfoundland following the Newfoundland referendums. St. John's yields to Ottawa as the capital. | |
| March 1 | The Emirate of Cyrenaica is created from part of the British Military Administration of Libya. The capital is Benghazi. | |
| 1948 | September 9 | Korea is divided between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Pyongyang and Seoul are the respective capitals. |
| July 17 | The Republic of the Philippines moves its capital from Manila to Quezon City. | |
| May 14 | The State of Israel declares its independence from the British Mandate for Palestine. Tel Aviv is the capital. | |
| February 4 | The Crown Colony of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) gains independence from the United Kingdom as the Dominion of Ceylon. Colombo remains the capital until 1982. | |
| January 4 | The Union of Burma gains independence from the United Kingdom. Yangon (British Rangoon) is the capital until 2005. | |
| 1947 | August 15 | The Union of India gains independence from the United Kingdom. New Delhi is the capital. |
| August 14 | The Dominion of Pakistan gains independence from the United Kingdom. Karachi is the capital. | |
| 1946 | September 15 | The People's Republic of Bulgaria supersedes the Tsardom of Bulgaria. Sofia is the capital. |
| July 4 | The Republic of the Philippines gains independence from the United States of America. Manila is the capital until 1948. | |
| May 25 | The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan gains independence from a British League of Nations Mandate. Amman is the capital. | |
| March 19 | The French Republic elevates its colonies of Algeria and Réunion to overseas departments. | |
| The French Republic elevates its colonies of Guadeloupe and Martinique to overseas departments. | ||
| The French Republic elevates its colony of Guyane (French Guyana) to an overseas department. | ||
| January 11 | The People's Republic of Albania supersedes the Kingdom of Albania. Tirana remains the capital. | |
| January 4 | The Republic of Indonesia moves its capital from Jakarta to Yogyakarta. | |
| 1945 | December 2 | The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia supersedes the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Belgrade remains the capital. |
| September 8 | The Kingdom of Thailand changes its name back to the Kingdom of Siam. Bangkok remains the capital. | |
| September 2 | The Democratic Republic of Vietnam declares its independence from the French Republic. Hanoi is the capital. | |
| The Empire of Japan surrenders to Allied Forces. | ||
| August 17 | The Republic of Indonesia declares its independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Jakarta is the capital. | |
| August 15 | Korea gains independence from the Empire of Japan. Seoul is the capital. | |
| May 8 | The Greater German Empire surrenders to Allied Forces. | |
| April 27 | The second Republic of Austria is established in occupied Austria. Vienna is the capital. The independence is recognised by the Allied Forces. | |
| 1944 | June 17 | The Kingdom of Iceland ends its personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark and becomes a republic. Reykjavík remains the capital. |
| 1943 | November 22 | The Lebanese Republic (Lebanon) gains independence from the French Republic. Beirut is the capital. |
| January | The French Military Territory of Fezzan-Ghadames is created when Free French forces from Chad invade southern Italian Libya. Sabha is capital. | |
| 1942 | November | The British Military Administration of Libya begins when British forces invade Cyrenaica from Egypt. |
1930s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | July 10 | The third German Empire changes its name to the Greater German Empire. Berlin remains as the capital. |
| June 23 | The Kingdom of Siam changes its name to the Kingdom of Thailand. Bangkok remains the capital. | |
| April 1 | The Spanish State supersedes the second Spanish Republic. Madrid remains the capital. | |
| 1938 | March 13 | The third German Empire absorbs the Federal State of Austria in Anschluss. Vienna yields to Berlin as the capital. |
| 1937 | The United Kingdom establishes the Crown Colony of Aden. The city of Aden becomes the capital. | |
| The Irish Free State changes its name to Ireland. Dublin remains the capital. | ||
| 1936 | The former colony of Curaçao and Dependencies is renamed the Territory of Curaçao following the implementation of several laws resulting from the 1922 abolition of colonies in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Willemstad on Curaçao remains the capital. | |
| 1935 | Reza Shah Pahlavi changes the name of Imperial State of Persia to the Imperial State of Iran. Tehran remains the capital. | |
| 1934 | The third German Empire supersedes the Weimar Republic. Berlin remains the capital. | |
| Italy creates Italian Libya with the merger of the colonies of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan. The capital is Tripoli. | ||
| 1932 | October 3 | The Iraqi Kingdom (Iraq) gains independence from the United Kingdom. Baghdad is the capital. |
| September 13 | The Socialist Republic of Chile changes its name back to the Republic of Chile. Santiago remains the capital. | |
| June 4 | The Republic of Chile changes its name to the Socialist Republic of Chile. Santiago remains the capital. | |
| 1931 | December 11 | By the Statute of Westminster 1931, Canada gains full control over its foreign policy and thus independence from the United Kingdom. Ottawa remains the capital. |
| April 14 | The second Spanish Republic supersedes the Monarchy of Spain. Madrid remains the capital. |
1920s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | October 3 | The Kingdom of Yugoslavia supersedes the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Belgrade remains the capital. |
| June 7 | The Holy See (Vatican) gains independence from the Kingdom of Italy. Vatican City itself is the capital. | |
| 1928 | December 29 | The Republic of China establishes Nanking as its official capital, later codified in the 1947 Chinese Constitution. |
| September 1 | The Kingdom of Albania supersedes the Republic of Albania. Tirana remains the capital. | |
| 1927 | May 9 | The Commonwealth of Australia moves its capital from Melbourne to Canberra. |
| April 12 | The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland changes its name to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. London remains the capital. | |
| 1926 | June 9 | Afghanistan becomes the Kingdom of Afghanistan. Kabul remains the capital. |
| The Kingdom of Belgium moves the capital of its colony of the Congo from Boma to Leopoldville. | ||
| 1925 | July 1 | The Republic of China relocates its provisional capital from Nanking to Canton. |
| January 22 | The Republic of Albania supersedes the Principality of Albania. Tirana remains the capital. | |
| January 1 | The Kingdom of Norway changes the name of its capital from Kristiania to Oslo. | |
| 1924 | November 26 | The Mongolian People's Republic is established. Ulan Bator is the capital. |
| 1923 | October 29 | The Republic of Turkey is established following the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Ankara is the capital. |
| 1922 | December 30 | The Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic unite to form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Tbilisi, Kharkov, and Smolensk yield to Moscow as the capital. |
| December 6 | The Irish Free State gains independence from the United Kingdom. Dublin is the capital. | |
| November 17 | The Ottoman Empire is dissolved. Its territories are mostly made protectorates of the victorious Allies of World War I. | |
| March 12 | The Socialist Conciliar Republic of Georgia, Azerbaijani Socialist Conciliar Republic, and the Armenian Socialist Conciliar Republic unite to form the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. Baku and Yerevan yield to Tbilisi as the capital. | |
| February 2 | The Kingdom of Egypt gains independence from the United Kingdom. Cairo is the capital. | |
| 1921 | November 22 | The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of Afghanistan. Kabul remains the capital. |
| February 25 | The Socialist Conciliar Republic of Georgia supersedes the Democratic Republic of Georgia. Tbilisi remains the capital until 1922. | |
| 1920 | November 29 | The Armenian Socialist Conciliar Republic supersedes the Democratic Republic of Armenia. Yerevan remains the capital until 1922. |
| April 28 | The Azerbaijani Socialist Conciliar Republic supersedes the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Baku remains the capital until 1922. |
1910s
1900s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | November 15 | King Leopold II of Belgium sells his private Congo Free State to the Kingdom of Belgium. The colony is renamed the Belgian Congo. Boma remains the capital. |
| August 5 | The Kingdom of Bulgaria gains independence from the Ottoman Empire. Sofia is the capital. | |
| 1907 | December 17 | Ugyen Wangchuck establishes the Kingdom of Bhutan. Punakha is the winter capital and Thimphu is the summer capital. |
| September 26 | New Zealand gains independence from the United Kingdom. Wellington is the capital. | |
| The border between the Republic of the United States of Brazil and the Republic of Colombia is defined by the Bogotá Treaty. Brazil gains lands on the margins of the Solimoes River, at the area known as Cabeça de Cachorro (The Dog's Head). | ||
| 1906 | The French Republic divides its colony of French Congo into the colonies of Gabon and Middle Congo. Libreville remains the capital of Gabon. Brazzaville becomes the capital of Middle Congo. | |
| 1905 | October 26 | The Kingdom of Sweden recognises the independence of the Kingdom of Norway. |
| June 7 | The Kingdom of Norway declares its independence from the Kingdom of Sweden through dissolution of the personal union. Kristiania is the capital. | |
| 1904 | The border between the Republic of the United States of Brazil and British Guiana is defined by arbitration. About half of the disputed land goes to each side. | |
| 1903 | November 18 | The new Republic of Panama grants the United States of America control of the Panama Canal Zone. Balboa is the administrative center. |
| November 11 | The Republic of Bolivia and the Republic of the United States of Brazil sign the Treaty of Petrópolis. Bolivia receives land in Mato Grosso from Brazil, and Brazil absorbes the Republic of Acre. | |
| November 3 | The Republic of Panama secedes from the Republic of Colombia. Panama City is the capital. | |
| January 27 | The third Republic of Acre declares its independence from Bolivia. The capital is Antimary. | |
| 1902 | May 20 | The Republic of Cuba gains independence from the United States of America. Havana is the capital. |
| 1901 | January 1 | The Commonwealth of Australia is established by federation of the British colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. Melbourne is the capital until 1927. |
| 1900 | March | The first Republic of Acre capitulates and is reabsorbed by the Republic of Bolivia. Later the same year, the second Republic of Acre is declared with Antimary as its capital, and it is again reabsorbed by Bolivia. |
| The border between the Republic of the United States of Brazil and the French colony of Guyane (French Guyana) is defined by arbitration. The French troops that advanced to the margins of Araguari River repair to the Oiapoque River. |
1890s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1899 | July 14 | The first Republic of Acre declares independence from Bolivia. The capital is Antimary. |
| April 11 | The Monarchy of Spain cedes the Captaincy General of Cuba and the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico to the United States of America with the Treaty of Paris at the conclusion of the Spanish–American War. Havana and San Juan are the respective capitals. | |
| The Monarchy of Spain cedes the Island of Guam to the United States of America with the Treaty of Paris at the conclusion of the Spanish–American War. | ||
| The Monarchy of Spain cedes the Captaincy General of the Philippines to the United States of America with the Treaty of Paris at the conclusion of the Spanish–American War. Manila is the Spanish capital. The Philippine Republic maintains its sovereignty with Malolos as it is the capital. | ||
| 1898 | The Republic of Bolivia moves its administrative capital from Sucre to La Paz. Sucre remains the constitutional and judicial capital. | |
| July 25 | The United States of America seizes control of Puerto Rico from the Spanish Empire during the Spanish–American War. San Juan remains the capital. | |
| July 7 | The United States of America annexes the Republic of Hawaii as the Territory of Hawaii. Honolulu remains the capital. | |
| June 12 | The Philippine Republic declares independence from Kingdom of Spain. Malolos is the capital. | |
| 1897 | The Joseon Dynasty becomes the Korean Empire. Hanseong remains the capital. | |
| 1895 | November 16 | The United Kingdom annexes the Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland to the Cape Colony. Vryburg yields to Cape Town as the capital. |
| October 23 | The Empire of Japan conquers the Republic of Formosa. Takasago Koku (Taiwan) becomes a Japanese colony. Taihoku (Taipei) is the capital. | |
| June | The Republic of Formosa moves its capital from Taipei to Tainan. | |
| May 23 | The Republic of Formosa declares independence from the Qing Dynasty of China. Taipei is its capital. | |
| The border between the Republic of the United States of Brazil and the Argentine Republic is defined. | ||
| 1894 | July 4 | The Republic of Hawaii supersedes the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Honolulu remains the capital. |
1880s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1889 | November 15 | The Republic of the United States of Brazil supersedes the Empire of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro remains the capital. |
| March 9 | Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia moves his capital to Addis Ababa. | |
| 1888 | The Republic of Honduras moves its capital from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa, ending a century of indecision as to the country's capital. | |
| 1886 | May 1 | King Leopold II of Belgium selects Boma as the capital of his Congo Free State. |
| 1885 | September 6 | The Principality of Bulgaria annexes Eastern Rumelia. Sofia remains the capital. |
| September 1 | The United Kingdom establishes the Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland. Vryburg is the capital. | |
| May 2 | King Leopold II of Belgium establishes his Congo Free State, a private government run by the International African Association. | |
| 1884 | The United Kingdom establishes the Crown Colony of the Territory of Basutoland. Maseru is the capital. | |
| 1882 | March 6 | The Kingdom of Serbia supersedes the Principality of Serbia. Belgrade remains the capital. |
| 1880 | The French Republic establishes the protectorate of French Congo. Brazzaville is the capital. |
1870s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1878 | July 13 | The Principality of Bulgaria moves its capital from Plovdiv to Sofia. |
| May 21 | The Principality of Romania gains independence from the Ottoman Empire. Bucharest is the capital. | |
| March 3 | The Principality of Bulgaria is established by the Treaty of San Stefano. Plovdiv is the capital. | |
| 1874 | December 29 | The restored Monarchy of Spain supersedes the first Spanish Republic. Madrid remains the capital. |
| 1873 | February 11 | The first Spanish Republic supersedes the Monarchy of Spain. Madrid remains the capital. |
| 1872 | The Empire of Brazil gains lands in the border with Republic of Paraguay after the Paraguayan War. | |
| 1871 | January 1 | The second German Empire supersedes the North German Confederation. Berlin remains the capital. |
| 1870 | September 4 | The third French Republic supersedes the second French Empire. Paris remains the capital. |
| July 20 | The Crown Colony of British Columbia joins the Dominion of Canada. |
1860s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1868 | October 10 | Cuba declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. |
| October 1 | The Bolivian Republic changes its name to the Republic of Bolivia. Sucre remains the capital until 1898. | |
| January 3 | Japan becomes the Empire of Greater Japan. Tokyo remains the capital. | |
| 1867 | October 18 | The Russian Empire sells Alaska to the United States of America. New Archangel (Novoarkhangelsk now Sitka) is the capital. |
| July 1 | The United Kingdom unites its colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada as the Dominion of Canada. Ottawa is the capital. | |
| The North German Confederation supersedes the German Confederation. Berlin remains the capital. | ||
| June 19 | The United Mexican States supersedes the Mexican Empire. México remains the capital. | |
| 1866 | August 2 | The United Kingdom unites the colonies of British Columbia and the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies as the Crown Colony of British Columbia. New Westminster yields to Victoria as the capital. |
| The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada from the city of Québec to Ottawa. | ||
| 1865 | April 11 | The Confederate States of America capitulates and is reabsorbed by the United States of America. The USA will readmit the 11 CSA states to full statehood between July 24, 1866, and July 15, 1870. |
| April 3 | The Confederate States of America moves its capital to Danville, Virginia. | |
| March 3 | The Dominican Republic regains its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Santo Domingo is the capital. | |
| 1864 | July | The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is conquered by the Qing Dynasty of China. |
| April 10 | The Mexican Empire supersedes the United Mexican States. México remains the capital. | |
| 1863 | June 20 | The Union-occupied northwestern counties of the Commonwealth of Virginia (which considered itself a part of the Confederate States of America) secede from the state and are admitted to the United States of America as the State of West Virginia. |
| 1862 | The United Kingdom creates the Crown Colony of British Honduras at the Settlement of Belize in the Bay of Honduras. The capital is Belize City. | |
| June 3 | The Province of Buenos Aires reunites with the Argentine Republic. The capital is moved from Paraná back to Buenos Aires. | |
| 1861 | The Dominican Republic returns to Spanish rule. | |
| May 29 | The Confederate States of America moves its capital from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond, Virginia. | |
| May 20 | The State of North Carolina secedes from the United States of America and joins the Confederate States of America. | |
| May 7 | The State of Tennessee secedes from the United States of America and joins the Confederate States of America. | |
| May 6 | The State of Arkansas secedes from the United States of America and joins the Confederate States of America. | |
| April 17 | The Commonwealth of Virginia secedes from the United States of America and joins the Confederate States of America. | |
| February 4 | The Confederate States of America, formed from the seven seceding states, declare their independence from the United States of America. Montgomery, Alabama, is the capital for three months. Four more slave states will join by May 20. | |
| February 1 | The State of Texas secedes from the United States of America, declaring itself the Republic of Texas. Austin remains the capital. | |
| January 26 | The State of Louisiana secedes from the United States of America, declaring itself the Republic of Louisiana. Baton Rouge remains the capital. | |
| January 19 | The State of Georgia secedes from the United States of America, as the independent State of Georgia. Milledgeville remains the capital. | |
| January 11 | The State of Alabama secedes from the United States of America, declaring itself the Alabama Republic. Montgomery remains the capital. | |
| January 10 | The State of Florida secedes from the United States of America, declaring itself the Republic of Florida. Tallahassee remains the capital. | |
| January 9 | The State of Mississippi secedes from the United States of America, declaring itself the Republic of Mississippi. Jackson remains the capital. | |
| 1860 | December 20 | The State of South Carolina secedes from the United States of America, declaring itself the Republic of South Carolina. Columbia remains the capital. Six more slave states will secede by February 1, 1861. |
| October 1 | The Argentine Republic supersedes the Argentine Confederation. Paraná remains the capital until 1862. |
1850s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1859 | The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada from the city of Québec back to Toronto. | |
| 1858 | The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada from Toronto back to the city of Québec. | |
| 1856 | The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada from the city of Québec back to Toronto. | |
| 1853 | March | The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom establishes its capital at Tianjing. |
| 1852 | December 2 | The second French Empire supersedes the second French Republic. Paris remains the capital. |
| September 11 | The Province of Buenos Aires secedes from the Argentine Confederation. The confederation moves its capital to Paraná. | |
| The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada from Toronto to the city of Québec. | ||
| 1851 | January 11 | The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom gains independence from the Qing Dynasty of China. |
1840s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1849 | The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada from Montréal to Toronto. | |
| 1848 | February 24 | The second French Republic supersedes the Kingdom of France. Paris remains the capital. |
| February 2 | The United Mexican States surrenders its northern territory to the United States of America with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War. | |
| 1847 | July 26 | The African American colony of Liberia declares its independence as the Republic of Liberia. Monrovia is the capital. |
| 1846 | August 22 | The United Mexican States supersedes the Mexican Republic. México remains the capital. |
| 1845 | December 29 | The Republic of Texas joins the United States of America as the State of Texas. Austin yields to Washington as federal capital while remaining capital of the state. |
| The Netherlands splits its colonial possessions in the Americas into two parts: Suriname and Curaçao and Dependencies. Paramaribo remains the capital of Suriname, while Willemstad on Curaçao becomes the capital of the six Caribbean islands. | ||
| The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi moves its capital from Lāhainā to Honolulu. | ||
| The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Falkland Islands from Port Louis to Stanley. | ||
| March 1 | The Riograndense Republic is reabsorbed by the Brazilian Empire as the province of Rio Grande do Sul again. | |
| 1844 | The United Kingdom moves the capital of the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada from Kingston to Montréal. | |
| April 25 | The Republic of Chile gains independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Santiago is the capital. | |
| February 27 | The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti. Santo Domingo is the capital. | |
| 1841 | February 10 | The United Kingdom unites Upper Canada and Lower Canada as the Crown Colony of the United Province of Canada. Kingston is the capital. |
| February 2 | The sole remnant of the Federal Republic of Central America changes its name back to the Republic of El Salvador. San Salvador remains the capital. |
1830s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1839 | November 17 | The Republic of Guatemala secedes from the Federal Republic of Central America. Guatemala City becomes the capital. |
| August 25 | The Peruvian Republic and the Bolivian Republic are formed from the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. Lima and Sucre (previously Chuquisaca) are the respective capitals. | |
| July 24 | The Juliana Republic declares independence from Brazil. Laguna is the capital. The Republic capitulates and is reabsorbed later in the year. | |
| The Principality of Serbia moves its capital from Kragujevac to Belgrade. | ||
| The Republic of Texas establishes its permanent capital at Austin. | ||
| 1838 | November 5 | The Republic of Costa Rica, the Republic of Nicaragua, and the Republic of Honduras secede from the Federal Republic of Central America. San José, Managua, and Comayagua are the respective capitals. |
| 1836 | October 28 | The Republic of North Peru, the Republic of South Peru, and the Bolivian Republic unite to form the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. Tacna is the capital. |
| September 6 | The Riograndense Republic declares independence from Brazil. Piratini is the first of five provisional capitals. | |
| August 11 | The Republic of North Peru supersedes the Peruvian Republic. Lima remains the capital. | |
| March 17 | The Republic of South Peru secedes from Peruvian Republic. Cusco is the capital. | |
| March 2 | The Republic of Texas declares its independence from México. Washington is the first of six cities that will serve as temporary capital until 1839. | |
| 1835 | October 23 | The Mexican Republic supersedes the United Mexican States. México remains the capital. |
| 1834 | The Federal Republic of Central America moves its capital from Guatemala City to San Salvador. | |
| The Kingdom of Greece moves its capital from Nafplio to Athens. | ||
| 1833 | January 3 | The United Kingdom seizes the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) from Spain. Port Louis becomes the capital. |
| 1831 | July 21 | Belgium becomes the Kingdom of Belgium. Brussels remains the capital |
| January 4 | The United Kingdom combines Essequibo-Demerara and Berbice as the Crown Colony of British Guiana. Georgetown is the capital. | |
| January 4 | The Argentine Confederation supersedes the United Provinces of the River Plate. Buenos Aires remains the capital until 1852. | |
| 1830 | October 4 | Belgium declares its independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Brussels is the capital. |
| May 13 | The Republic of Colombia, the Republic of Ecuador, and the Republic of Venezuela are created from the dissolution of Gran Colombia. Bogotá, Quito, and Caracas are the respective capitals. | |
| February 3 | The Ottoman Empire recognizes the independence of Greece. Nafplio is the capital. |
1820s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1828 | August 27 | The Eastern Republic of Uruguay gains independence from Argentina. Montevideo is the capital. |
| 1826 | July 9 | The Republic of Chile supersedes the State of Chile. Santiago remains the capital. |
| 1825 | November 15 | The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves changes its name back to the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves. Lisbon remains the capital. |
| August 29 | The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves recognizes the independence of the Empire of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro remains the capital. | |
| August 25 | The United Provinces of the River Plate supersedes the United Provinces in South America. Buenos Aires remains the capital. | |
| August 11 | The Bolivian Republic gains independence from the Monarchy of Spain at the conclusion of the Bolivian War of Independence. Chuquisaca (later Sucre) is the capital. | |
| The Netherlands administratively combines its three colonies of Suriname, Curaçao and Dependencies (the ABC islands), and Sint Eustatius and Dependencies (the SSS islands). The capital is Paramaribo. | ||
| 1824 | October 4 | The United Mexican States supersedes the Mexican Empire upon the execution of Emperor Maximilian I. México remains the capital. |
| July 2 | The Confederation of the Equator declares independence from Brazil. Recife is the capital, but the Confederation capitulates and is reabsorbed at the same year. | |
| 1823 | July | The Republic of Guatemala, the Republic of El Salvador, the Republic of Nicaragua, the Republic of Honduras, and the Republic of Costa Rica unite to form the Federal Republic of Central America. Guatemala City is the capital. |
| May 16 | The Republic of Costa Rica moves its capital from Cartago to San José. | |
| 1822 | December 19 | The Peruvian Republic supersedes the State of Peru. Lima remains the capital. |
| October 12 | The Empire of Brazil supersedes the Independent Kingdom of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro remains the capital. | |
| September 7 | The Independent Kingdom of Brazil declares its independence from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Rio de Janeiro is the capital. | |
| 1821 | September 21 | The Republic of Costa Rica gains independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Cartago is the capital. |
| September 15 | The Republic of Guatemala, the Republic of Honduras, the Republic of Nicaragua and the Republic of El Salvador become independent from the Monarchy of Spain. Guatemala City, Comayagua, Managua, and San Salvador are the respective capitals. | |
| August 24 | The Monarchy of Spain recognizes the independence of the Mexican Empire. México remains the capital. | |
| August 3 | Peru becomes the State of Peru. Lima remains the capital. | |
| July 28 | Peru declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Lima is the capital. | |
| July 3 | The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves returns the capital from exile in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Lisbon. | |
| March 25 | Greece declares its independence from the Ottoman Empire. Nafplion is the capital. | |
| The Argentine Republic (Argentina) gains independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Buenos Aires is the capital. | ||
| 1820 | October 8 | The Kingdom of Haiti collapses upon the suicide of King Henri I. Haiti is unified under the Republic of Haiti with its capital at Port-au-Prince. |
| The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi establishes its capital at Lāhainā. |
1810s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1819 | August 7 | The Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia) gains independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Bogotá is the capital. |
| 1818 | January 12 | The State of Chile again declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Santiago is the capital. |
| 1816 | July 9 | The United Provinces in South America (Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay) declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Buenos Aires remains the capital. |
| 1815 | December 16 | The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves supersedes the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves. Rio de Janeiro remains the capital-in-exile. |
| November 21 | Miloš Obrenović establishes the Principality of Serbia. Kragujevac is the capital. | |
| July 8 | The restored Kingdom of France supersedes the first French Empire. Paris remains the capital. | |
| June 20 | The Congress of Vienna establishes the German Confederation. Frankfurt is the capital. | |
| March 20 | The first French Empire supersedes the Kingdom of France. Paris remains the capital. | |
| March 16 | The United Kingdom of the Netherlands supersedes the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands. Amsterdam and Brussels are the joint capitals. | |
| Sir Robert Brownrigg establishes the Crown Colony of Ceylon. Colombo becomes the capital. | ||
| 1814 | October 2 | The Monarchy of Spain reconquers Chile. |
| April 6 | The restored Kingdom of France supersedes the first French Empire. Paris remains the capital. | |
| 1813 | December 2 | The Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands is created from the ruins of the first French Empire. Amsterdam is the capital. |
| October 19 | The Confederation of the Rhine dissolves. | |
| October 12 | Paraguay becomes the Republic of Paraguay. Asunción remains the capital. | |
| July 23 | The British Malta Colony supersedes the Malta Protectorate. Valletta remains the capital. | |
| 1811 | May 14 | Paraguay gains independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Asunción is the capital. |
| March 28 | The Kingdom of Haiti supersedes the State of Haiti. Cap-Haïtien is the capital. | |
| 1810 | September 18 | Chile declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. Santiago is the capital. |
| September 16 | México declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. | |
| July 20 | Colombia declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. | |
| July 13 | The Kingdom of Holland (Netherlands) is annexed by the first French Empire. | |
| May 25 | The United Provinces in South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay) is created from colonies of the Monarchy of Spain. Buenos Aires is the capital. | |
| April | Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Keali`ikui Kamehameha o `Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kunuiakea unifies the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. |
1800s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1808 | March 7 | The Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves removes the capital from Lisbon to exile in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. |
| 1806 | October 17 | The Empire of Haiti collapses upon the assassination of Emperor Jacques I. Haiti splits in two with the State of Haiti in the north with its capital at Milot, and the Republic of Haiti in the south with its capital at Port-au-Prince. |
| August 6 | Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, dissolves the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. | |
| July 25 | Napoleon I of France establishes the Confederation of the Rhine. Frankfurt is the capital. | |
| June 5 | The Kingdom of Holland (Netherlands) supersedes the Batavian Republic. Amsterdam remains the capital. | |
| January 8 | The United Kingdom establishes the Cape Colony. Cape Town is the capital. | |
| 1804 | September 22 | Jean-Jacques Dessalines establishes the Empire of Haiti. Port-au-Prince remains the capital. |
| May 18 | The first French Empire supersedes the first French Republic. Paris remains the capital. | |
| March 4 | The French Republic sells Louisiane to the United States of America. New Orleans (Nouvelle-Orléans) is the capital of the unorganized territory. | |
| January 1 | The French colony of Saint-Domingue on Hispaniola declares its independence from the French Republic as Haiti. Port-au-Prince remains the capital. | |
| 1801 | August 20 | The Gozitan Nation is annexed by the British protectorate of Malta. |
| June 6 | The Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal signs the Treaty of Badajoz. Spain cedes the South American Misiones Orientales to Portugal. | |
| The Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal signs the Treaty of Badajoz. Portugal cedes Olivenza to Spain. | ||
| January 1 | The Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland unite to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Dublin yields to London as the capital. | |
| 1800 | November 17 | The United States of America moves its capital from Philadelphia to its permanent location at Washington in the District of Columbia. |
| September 5 | French forces in Malta surrender to the British. The island becomes the British protectorate of Malta with Valletta as capital. |
1790s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1798 | October 28 | The Gozitan Nation gains de facto independence from Malta with Rabat as its capital. |
| June 11 | The Order of Saint John capitulates to French forces and Malta is under French occupation with Valletta remaining the capital. | |
| 1797 | April 17 | The House of Habsburg annexes the Republic of Venice. |
| 1795 | January 19 | The Batavian Republic supersedes the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Amsterdam is the capital. |
| 1792 | September 21 | The first French Republic supersedes the Kingdom of France. Paris remains the capital. |
| 1791 | March 4 | The Vermont Republic joins the United States of America as the State of Vermont. Windsor yields to Philadelphia as the federal capital. |
| 1790 | December 7 | The United States of Belgium capitulates to the House of Habsburg. |
| December 6 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from New York City to Philadelphia pending the construction of the new capital permitted by the new United States Constitution. | |
| January 11 | The United States of Belgium declares its independence from the House of Habsburg. Brussels is the capital. |
1780s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1785 | January 11 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from Trenton to New York City. |
| 1784 | November 1 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from Annapolis to Trenton. |
| 1783 | November 26 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from Princeton to Annapolis. |
| September 3 | The Kingdom of Great Britain signs the Treaty of Paris, recognizing the independence of the United States of America. Princeton remains the temporary capital. | |
| November 26 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from Philadelphia to Princeton. | |
| Province of Trinidad moves its capital from San José de Oruña to Puerto de España, its present location. | ||
| 1782 | April 21 | Siam moves its capital from Thonburi to Bangkok, its present location. |
1770s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1778 | July 27 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from York back to Philadelphia. |
| 1777 | October 1 | The Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal sign the First Treaty of San Ildefonso, confirming almost all the borders defined by the Treaty of Madrid, with the exception that Spain would rule both Colonia del Sacramento and the Misiones Orientales. |
| September 30 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from Lancaster to York. | |
| September 27 | United States of America moves its temporary capital from Philadelphia to Lancaster for one day, following the capture of Philadelphia by British forces. | |
| July 8 | The Republic of New Connecticut changes its name to the Vermont Republic. Windsor remains the capital. | |
| June 4 | The Republic of New Connecticut moves its capital to Windsor. | |
| March 4 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital back from Baltimore to Philadelphia. | |
| January 15 | The Republic of New Connecticut declares its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Westminster is the temporary capital. | |
| 1776 | December 20 | The United States of America moves its temporary capital from Philadelphia to Baltimore. |
| July 4 | The United States of America (including the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations) declares its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Philadelphia is the first of eight cities that will serve as a temporary capital until 1800. | |
| May 4 | Rhode Island and Providence Plantations declares its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Providence is the capital. | |
| 1775 | The Kingdom of Portugal reunites its South American colonies of the State of Brazil, the State of Great-Pará, and the State of Maranhão into the Colony of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is the capital. | |
| 1772 | The Kingdom of Portugal divides its colony of the State of Great-Pará and Maranhão into the State of Great-Pará (capital, Belém) and the State of Maranhão (capital, São Luis). | |
| Ayutthaya having been destroyed in 1767, the new capital of Siam is created in Thonburi. |
1760s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1768 | December 21 | Prithvi Narayan Shah unifies the Kingdom of Nepal. Kathmandu is the capital. |
| 1763 | February 12 | The Kingdom of Portugal moves the capital of its colony of the State of Brazil from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro. |
| 1761 | February 12 | The Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal sign the Treaty of El Pardo, nullifying the Treaty of Madrid. |
1750s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1751 | The Kingdom of Portugal changes the name of its colonial State of Maranhão to State of Great-Pará and Maranhão. | |
| 1750 | January 13 | The Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal signs the Treaty of Madrid. Based on the uti possidetis concept, Portugal gains lands on the actual south, central and north regions of Brazil. The treaty also stipulated that Spain would receive the Colonia del Sacramento and Portugal the Misiones Orientales. |
1730s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1737 | The Kingdom of Portugal moves the capital of its colonial State of Maranhão from São Luís to Belém. |
1710s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1715 | The Kingdom of Spain returns Colonia del Sacramento to the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
| 1713 | March and April | The Treaty of Utrecht is signed. The United Kingdom takes sovereigny over Gibraltar and Minorca from the Kingdom of Spain. Spain also ceded: Sicily and parts of the Duchy of Milan to Savoy; Spanish Netherlands, the Kingdom of Naples, Sardinia, and the bulk of the Duchy of Milan to Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor; lands in South America between Amazon River and Oiapoque River to the Kingdom of Portugal. |
1700s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1707 | May 1 | The Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland unite to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.[3] Edinburgh yields to London as the capital for all but judicial functions. |
1680s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1684 | The English Crown Colony of Bermuda supersedes the Somers Isles Company. Hamilton is the capital. |
1660s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1660 | May 27 | The Kingdom of Sweden cedes Trøndelag to the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway, the Wends and the Goths as part of the Treaty of Copenhagen. |
| April 4 | The restored Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland supersede the republican Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. London, Edinburgh, and Dublin are the respective capitals. |
1650s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1658 | February 26 | The Kingdom of Denmark and Norway, the Wends and the Goths cedes Skåne, Blekinge, Halland, Bornholm, Båhus and Trøndelag to the Kingdom of Sweden as part of the Treaty of Roskilde. |
| December 16 | The Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland supersedes the Commonwealth of England, the Kingdom of Scotland, and the Kingdom of Ireland. Edinburgh and Dublin yield to London as the capital. |
1640s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1649 | May 19 | The republican Commonwealth of England supersedes the Kingdom of England. London remains the capital. |
| 1645 | August 13 | The Kingdom of Denmark and Norway, the Wends and the Goths cedes Jämtland, Härjedalen, Idre & Särna, Gotland, Ösel and Halland, the latter for a period of 30 years, to the Kingdom of Sweden as part of the Treaty of Brömsebro. |
| 1644 | October 30 | The Qing Dynasty of China supersedes the Ming Dynasty. Beijing remains the capital. |
1630s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1636 | England establishes the Crown Colony of Connecticut. Hartford is the capital. | |
| 1635 | Fasilides makes Gondar the first permanent capital of Ethiopia since the fall of the Zagwe Dynasty |
1620s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1628 | The Colony of Barbados moves its capital from Saint James Town to Bridgetown. | |
| 1627 | The Kingdom of England establishes the Colony of Barbados with its capital at Saint James Town. | |
| 1621 | The Kingdom of Portugal divides the Colony of Brazil into the State of Brazil (capital, Salvador) and the State of Maranhão (capital, São Luis). |
1610s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1612 | The Kingdom of Portugal reunites North Brazil and South Brazil into the Colony of Brazil. The capital is Salvador. |
1600s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1608 | The Kingdom of Portugal divides the Colony of Brazil into North Brazil (capital, Salvador) and South Brazil (capital, Rio de Janeiro) for the second time. |
1590s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1594 | Virmadhalasuriya I of Sri Lanka moves the capital of the Kingdom of Sri Lanka to Kandy |
1580s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1581 | July 26 | The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands declares its independence from the Monarchy of Spain. |
1570s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1578 | The Kingdom of Portugal reunites North Brazil and South Brazil into the Colony of Brazil. The capital is Salvador. | |
| 1573 | The Kingdom of Portugal divides the Colony of Brazil into North Brazil (capital, Salvador) and South Brazil (capital, Rio de Janeiro). | |
| 1571 | March 18 | The Order of Saint John moves the capital of Malta from Birgu to Valletta. |
1560s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1569 | July 1 | The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania unite to form the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Vilnius yields to Kraków as the capital. |
1540s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1549 | The Kingdom of Portugal establishes a central government for its Colony of Brazil, with Salvador as the capital. | |
| 1542 | The Kingdom of Ireland supersedes the feudal Lordship of Ireland. Dublin remains the capital. | |
| The Kingdom of England annexes the Principality of Wales. |
1530s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1534 | The Kingdom of Portugal divides its Colony of Brazil into 15 independent captaincies. | |
| 1532 | The Kingdom of France annexes the Duchy of Brittany. | |
| 1530 | October 26 | The Order of Saint John annexes Malta and moves the capital from Mdina to Birgu. |
1520s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1529 | April 22 | Representatives of the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Spain sign the Treaty of Zaragoza, settling the countries' boundary of conquest in Asia and Oceania at a meridian about 144°40' west of Greenwich.) |
| 1521 | August 13 | The combined forces of Hernán Cortés conquer Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire. The Kingdom of Spain subsequently renames the region New Spain. The destroyed capital is rebuilt and renamed México. |
| King Mayadunne I moves the capital of the Kingdom of Sri Lanka to Sitawaka. |
1500s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1500 | April 22 | Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral arrives at the coast of Brazil and claims all land in South America east of the Tordesillas Meridian for the Kingdom of Portugal, thus establishing the Portuguese Colony of Brazil. |
1490s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1495 | June 7 | Representatives of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas, settling the countries' boundary of conquest in the Americas (and Africa and Asia) at a meridian about 46°0' west of Greenwich. |
| 1493 | May 4 | Spanish Pope Alexander VI issues the papal bull Inter caetera granting to the Crowns of Castile and Aragon (Spain) all newly discovered lands west of the meridian 100 leagues west of any of the islands of the Azores (approximately 38°11' west of Greenwich.) |
| 1492 | October 12 | While seeking a route to the East Indies, Genoese navigator Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus) lands on the island of Guanahani in the Lucayan Archipelago, which he mistakes for the Japanese Archipelago. Columbus claims the archipelago for his patrons the Crowns of Castile and Aragon (Spain), and subsequently explores and claims Cuba and Hispaniola. |
1450s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1453 | 29 May | The Byzantine Empire falls to the Ottoman Empire. The capital of the Ottoman Empire is moved to Constantinople, present day Istanbul. |
1420s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1421 | The Ming Dynasty of China moves its capital from Nanjing to Beijing. |
1410s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1412 | King Parakramabahu VI moves the capital of Kingdom of Sri Lanka to Kotte. |
1390s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1392 | The Joseon Dynasty succeed the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. Hanseong is the capital. |
1360s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1368 | The Ming Dynasty supersedes the Yuan Dynasty of China. Nanjing is the capital. |
1350s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1350 | With the foundation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, its capital is created in Ayutthaya, instead of the former Sukhothai. |
1320s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1325 | March 13 | The Mexicas (Aztecs) founded Tenochtitlan, the foundation of México. It is the oldest continuous capitol in the Americas. |
1280s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1287 | King Parakramabahu III moves the capital of the Kingdom of Sri Lanka back to Polonnaruwa. |
1270s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1279 | March 19 | The Song Dynasty is conquered by the Yuan Dynasty of China. |
| 1272 | The Yuan Dynasty of China moves its capital from Shangdu to Dadu. | |
| August 10 | Yekuno Amlak overthrows the Zagwe dynasty, establishing the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia. Lalibela ceases to be the capital, and the Emperor of Ethiopia rules from a continually moving encampment around his domains for the following centuries. |
1220s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1220 | King Vijayabahu III moves the capital of the Kingdom of Sri Lanka to Dambadeniya. |
1180s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1185 | The Second Bulgarian Empire gains independence from the Byzantine Empire under Peter IV of Bulgaria. |
1130s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1139 | The Kingdom of Portugal gains independence from the Kingdom of León. |
1120s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1127 | The Song Dynasty of China moves its capital from Bianjing to Lin'an. |
1090s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1097 | King William II moves the capital of the Kingdom of England to London. |
1050s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1055 | King Vijayabahu I moves the capital of the Kingdom of Sri Lanka to Polonnaruwa. |
980s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 987 | Hughe Capet confirmes Paris as the capital of the Kingdom of the West Franks (soon to become the Kingdom of France). |
960s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 962 | February 2 | Otto the Great re-establishes the Holy Roman Empire. Rome is the official capital. |
| 960 | January 3 | Emperor Taizu of Song establishes the Song Dynasty of China. Bianjing remains the capital. |
930s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 936 | Goryeo Dynasty unified the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. |
920s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 927 | July 12 | King Athelstan of Wessex establishes the Kingdom of England. Winchester is the capital. |
910s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 918 | King Taejo establishes Goryeo Dynasty on the Korean Peninsula. Gaegyeong is the official capital. |
840s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 843 | Charles the Bald, grandson of Emperor Charlemagne, made Paris the capital of the Kingdom of the West Franks, established as the result of the Treaty of Verdun. |
800s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 800 | December 25 | Charlemagne establishes the Holy Roman Empire. While Rome is the official capital of the empire, Aix-la-Chapelle is the de facto capital. |
690s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 690 | King Go establishes Balhae on the Manchuria and northern Korean Peninsula. |
680s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 681 | Khan Asparukh crosses the Danube Delta and settles in the Ongal area (Southern Bessarabia or northern Dobruja). Asparukh, with his Slav allies, defeats Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV and establishes the First Bulgarian Empire. Pliska is the capital. |
670s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 676 | Silla unified the Three Kingdoms of Korea. |
630s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 630 | January 11 | The Islamic prophet, Muhammad (Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh) conquers Mecca and unites Arabia. Medina is the capital. |
530s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 538 | The Baekje of Korea moves its capital from Ungjin to Sabi. |
500s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 508 | Frankish King Clovis the Frank makes Paris the capital of the Frankish Kingdom. |
470s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 476 | September 4 | Germanic General Odoacer forces Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus to abdicate, bringing the Western Roman Empire to an end. |
| 475 | The Baekje of Korea moves its capital from Wirye to Ungjin by pressure of Goguryeo. |
420s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 427 | The Goguryeo of Korea moves its capital from Gungnae City to Pyongyang. |
390s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 395 | January 17 | At his death, Roman Emperor Theodosius I (Flavius Theodosius) permanently splits the Roman Empire between his two sons. Arcadius (Flavius Arcadius) rules the Eastern Roman Empire from Constantinopolis (now Istanbul, Turkey), and Honorius (Flavius Honorius) rules the Western Roman Empire from Mediolanum (now Milan, Italy). |
330s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 330 | May 11 | Roman Emperor Constantine the Great builds a new capital for the Roman Empire at Byzantium which he renames Constantinopolis (now Istanbul, Turkey). |
320s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 324 | September 18 | Constantine the Great (Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus) reunites the Roman Empire. Nicomedia (now İzmit, Turkey) becomes the capital. |
290s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 293 | Roman co-emperors Diocletian and Maximian split the Roman Empire into a tetrarchy with capitals at Mediolanum (now Milan, Italy), Augusta Treverorum (now Trier, Germany), Nicomedia (now İzmit, Turkey), and Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia). |
280s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 286 | April 1 | Roman Emperor Diocletian (Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus) appoints Maximian (Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius) co-emperor, splitting the Roman Empire into a dyarchy with capitals at Mediolanum (now Milan, Italy) and Augusta Treverorum (now Trier, Germany). |
270s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 274 | Roman Emperor Aurelian conquers the Palmyrene Empire which is subsumed back into the Roman Empire. | |
| 273 | Roman Emperor Aurelian (Lucius Domitius Aurelianus) conquers the Gallic Empire which is subsumed back into the Roman Empire. |
260s
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 269 | The Palmyrene Empire conquers the Roman Province of Egypt. | |
| 260 | Syrian Queen Zenobia breaks from the Roman Empire and establishes the Palmyrene Empire. Palmyra is the capital. | |
| Postumus (Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus) breaks from the Roman Empire and establishes the Gallic Empire. Colonia Agrippina (now Cologne, Germany) is the capital. |
First decade
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | The Goguryeo of Korea moves its capital from Jolbon to Gungnae. |
Before the Common Era
Note: The common year numbering system follows the ordinal numbers rather than the cardinal numbers, thus there was no year "zero". The date January 1, 1 CE immediately followed the date December 31, 1 BCE. Thus, while the 2000s began on Saturday, January 1, 2000 CE, the official Third Millennium began on Monday, January 1, 2001 CE.
First Millennium BCE
Second Millennium BCE
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| about 1004 BCE | King David conquers the city of Jebus and makes the renamed City of David (now Jerusalem) the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. |
| about 1047 BCE | Shaul ben Qysh establishes the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. Gibeah is the capital. |
| about 1070 BCE | Pharaoh Nesbanebdjed I establishes the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt. Tanis becomes the capital. |
| about 1184 BCE | Greeks destroy the city-state of Troy. |
| about 1188 BCE | Pharaoh Setnakhte establishes the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. Pi-Ramesses Aa-nakhtu remains the capital. |
| about 1243 BCE | Ashur-nadin-apli of the Middle Assyrian Empire moves capital back to Assur. |
| about 1230 BCE | Pharaoh Ramesses II builds a new capital for the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt at the site of Avaris and names it Pi-Ramesses Aa-nakhtu. |
| about 1243 BCE | Tukulti-Ninurta I of the Middle Assyrian Empire moves capital to Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta. |
| about 1272 BCE | Mursili III of the Hittite empire moves capital back to Hattusa. |
| about 1293 BCE | Pharaoh Ramesses I establishes the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis remains the capital. |
| about 1295 BCE | Pharaoh Muwatalli II of the Hittite empire moves capital to Tarhuntassa. |
| about 1332 BCE | Pharaoh Tutankhamun of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt moves capital to Memphis. |
| about 1340 BCE | Ashur-uballit I establishes the Middle Assyrian Empire. Assur is the capital. |
| about 1345 BCE | Pharaoh Akhenaten of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt moves capital to Amarna (Akhetaton). |
| about 1400 BCE | Kurigalzu I a Kassite king in Mesopotamia moves the capital to Dur-Kurigalzu. |
| about 1534 BCE | Agum II establishes the rule of the Kassites in Mesopotamia. Babylon becomes the capital. |
| about 1534 BCE | Pharaoh Ahmose I establishes the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Thebes remains the capital. |
| about 1619 BCE | Rahotep Sekhenrewahkhaw establishes the Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt. Thebes remains the capital. |
| about 1620 BCE | Djehuti establishes the Sixteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Thebes is the capital. |
| about 1624 BCE | Salitis establishes the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Avaris is the capital. |
| about 1710 BCE | Nehesy establishes the Fourteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Xois is the capital. |
| about 1763 BCE | Hammurabi establishes the Babylonian Empire. Babylon remains the capital. |
| about 1778 BCE | Wegaf Khutawyre establishes the Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Amenemhat-itj-tawy remains the capital. |
| about 1810 BCE | Sumu-Epuh first attested king of the empire of Yamhad. Aleppo is the capital. |
| about 1894 BCE | Sumu-abum establishes the First Babylonian Dynasty. Babylon is the capital. |
| about 1900 BCE | Zulilu establishes the Old Assyrian Empire. Assur is the capital. |
| about 1983 BCE | Amenemhat I establishes the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt and builds Amenemhat-itj-tawy to be the new capital. |
Third Millennium BCE
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| about 2047 BCE | Ur-Nammu establishes the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur. Ur is the capital. |
| about 2130 BCE | Mentuhotep I establishes the Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt. Thebes becomes the capital of Upper Egypt. |
| Meryhathor establishes the Tenth Dynasty of Egypt. Henen-nesut remains the capital of Lower Egypt. | |
| about 2160 BCE | Meryibre Khety establishes the Ninth Dynasty of Egypt. Henen-nesut becomes the capital of Lower Egypt. |
| about 2165 BCE | Neferkare Pepiseneb establishes the Eighth Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis remains the capital. |
| about 2175 BCE | Netjerkare establishes the Seventh Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis remains the capital. |
| about 2270 BCE | Sargon of Akkad establishes the Sumerian First Dynasty of Akkad. Akkad is the capital. |
| about 2333 BCE | Dangun Wanggeom establishes Gojoseon on the Korean Peninsula. |
| about 2380 BCE | Ur-Nanshe establishes the Sumerian First Dynasty of Lagash. Lagash is the capital. |
| about 2336 BCE | Teti establishes the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis remains the capital. |
| about 2484 BCE | Userkaf establishes the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis remains the capital. |
| about 2580 BCE | Mesannepada establishes the First Dynasty of Ur. Ur becomes the de facto capital of Sumer. |
| about 2655 BCE | Sneferu establishes the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis remains the capital. |
| about 2727 BCE | Djoser establishes the Third Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis becomes the capital. |
| about 2860 BCE | Hotepsekhemwy establishes the Second Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis remains the capital. |
Fourth Millennium BCE
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| about 3080 BCE | Narmer (or Menes) unites Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt under the First Dynasty of Egypt. Memphis becomes the capital of all Egypt. |
| about 3200 BCE | The regional power centers of Thinis, Naqada, and Nekhen dominate Upper Egypt. |
| about 3200 BCE | The city-states of Eridu, Bad-tibira, Larsa, Sippar, and Shuruppak rise to prominence in Sumer. |
See also
| Lists of capitals |
|---|
Of countries
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| Of country subdivisions |
- List of countries by statehood
- List of extinct states
- List of sovereign states by formation date
- List of timelines
- List of world map changes
References
- ↑ Cape Verde changes name to "Cabo Verde"
- ↑ Libyan Parliament approves decision to give up Great Jamahiriya name
- ↑ Welcome parliament.uk, accessed 30 July 2009
External links
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