Here are additional capital relocations that have occurred in approximately the last few centuries.

Asia

Since 1982, Sri Lankas Parliament has met in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, but some other government functions remain in Colombo. Malaysia moved some of its administrative functions to Putrajaya in 1999. The official capital remains Kuala Lumpur. Former capitals of Iran include Esfahan and Shiraz. It is now Tehran. A former capital of Thailand is Ayutthaya. It is now Bangkok. Hue was an ancient capital of Vietnam. It is now Hanoi. Pakistan from Karachi to Rawalpindi to Islamabad changes occurred in 1950s and 1960s. Laos from Luang Prabang to Vientiane 1975 Turkey from Istanbul to Ankara - 1923 The Philippines from Quezon City to Manila 1976 Japan from Kyoto to Tokyo 1868 Israel from Tel Aviv-Jaffo to Jerusalem 1950 Oman from Salalah to Muscat 1970 Saudi Arabia from Diriyah to Riyadh 1818 Indonesia from Yogyakarta to Jakarta 1949 Bhutan from Punakha (former winter capital) to Thimpu - 1907 Uzbekistan from Samarkand to Tashkent - 1930 Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul - 1776

Europe Former capitals of Italy include Turin, Florence, and Salerno. The current capital of Italy is Rome. Bonn was the capital of West Germany from 1949-1990. Reunified Germanys capital began as Bonn but was moved to Berlin in 1999. Kragujevac has served as the capital of Serbia several times. It is now Belgrade. Durres was briefly capital of Albania during World War I. It is now Tirana. Lithuania from Kaunas to Vilnius - 1939 Malta from Mdina to Valetta 16th century Poland from Krakow to Warsaw - 1596 Montenegro from Cetinje to Podgorica 1946 Greece from Nafplion to Athens 1834 Finland from Turku to Helsinki 1812

Africa

Ghana from Cape Coast to Accra 1877 Botswana from Mafeking to Gaborone - 1965 Guinea Bissau from Madina do Boe to Bissau - 1974 Cape Verde from Cidade Velha to Praia 1858 Togo from Aneho to Lome 1897 Malawi from Zomba to Lilongwe 1974

The Americas

Trinidad and Tobago from San Jose to Port of Spain 1784 Jamaica from Port Royal to Spanish Town to Kingston 1872 Barbados from Jamestown to Bridgetown 1628 Honduras from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa 1888

Oceania

New Zealand from Auckland to Wellington 1865 The Federated States of Micronesia from Kolonia to Palikir 1989 Palau from Koror to Ngerulmud 2006

The Number of Countries in the World

Updated March 23, 2012 A very frequent geographical question is "How many countries are in the world?" Different numbers pop up when one inquires or reads about the number of countries in the world. Each source you use often yields a different answer. Ultimately, the best answer is that there are 196 countries in the world. United Nations There are 193 members of the United Nations. Unfortunately, the number 193 is too often used to represent the number of countries in the world. Although this number represents almost all of the countries in the world, there are still independent countries such as the Vatican City and Kosovo, that are independent and are not members of the U.N. so 193 is not the number of countries in the world. U.S. Department of State The United States' State Department recognizes 195 independent countries around the world. Their list of 195 countries reflects the political agenda of the United States of

America and its allies. Missing from the State Department's list is one entity that may or may not be considered a country, depending on who you talk to. The One Outsider Taiwan meets the requirements of independent country or state status. However, due to political reasons, it fails to be recognized by the international community as independent. Nonetheless, it should be considered as independent. Taiwan was actually a member of the United Nations (and even the Security Council) until 1971, when mainland China replaced Taiwan in the organization. Taiwan continues to press for full recognition by other countries, to become "part of the club" and fully recognized worldwide but China claims that Taiwan is simply a province of China. Thus... Your Guide considers there to be 196 countries in the world, which is probably the best current answer to the question, "How many countries are in the world?" However... Recognize that there are dozens of territories and colonies that are sometimes erroneously called "countries" but don't count at all - they're governed by other countries. Places commonly confused as being countries include Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Palestine, Western Sahara, and even the components of the United Kingdom (such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England - they're not fully independent countries, states, or nation-states).

Official Listing of Countries by World Region

Matt Rosenberg's Official Eight Regional Groupings of the World

The countries of the world can be divided into various geographic regions. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) White House/Pete Souza Updated December 05, 2011 I have divided the 196 countries of the world into eight regions. These eight regions provide a clear division of the world's countries. Enjoy the list and if, however, you wish to question or challenge this list, please post them as a comment on the blog.

Asia
There are 27 countries in Asia; Asia stretches from former "stans" of the USSR to the Pacific Ocean. Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kyrgyzstan Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Tajikistan

Thailand Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam

Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia

The 23 countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia include some countries not traditionally part of the Middle East but their cultures cause their placement in this region (such as Pakistan). Afghanistan Algeria Azerbaijan* Bahrain Egypt Iran Iraq Israel** Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya Morocco Oman Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia Somalia Syria Tunisia Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen * The former republics of the Soviet Union are typically lumped into one region, even twenty years after independence. In this listing, they've been placed where most appropriate. ** Israel may be located in the Middle East but it is certainly an outsider and perhaps better belongs attached to Europe, like its seaward neighbor and European Union member state, Cyprus.

Europe
With 48 countries, there aren't many surprises on this list. However, this region stretches from North America and back to North America as it encompasses Iceland and all of Russia.

Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland* Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland** Vatican City * Iceland straddles the Eurasian plate and the North American plate so geographically it is halfway between Europe and North America. However, its culture and settlement is clearly European in nature. ** The United Kingdom is the country composed of the constituent entities known as England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

North America
Economic powerhouse North America only includes three countries but it is most of a continent and thus a region onto itself. Canada Greenland* Mexico United States of America * Greenland is not yet an independent country.

Central America and the Caribbean

There are no landlocked countries among these twenty countries of Central America and the Caribbean. Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Belize Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago

South America
Twelve countries occupy this continent that stretches from the equator to nearly the Antarctic Circle. Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela

Sub-Saharan Africa
There are 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This region of Africa is often called SubSaharan Africa but some of these countries are actually Intra-Saharan (within the Sahara Desert). Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Cote d'Ivoire Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho

Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe

Australia and Oceania

These fifteen countries vary widely in their cultures and occupy a large swath of the world ocean although (with the exception of the continent-country Australia), do not occupy much land. Australia East Timor* Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu

* While East Timor lies on an Indonesian (Asian) island, its eastern location requires that it be located with the Oceania nations of the world.

Capital City Relocation

Countries That Have Moved Their Capital Cities
Updated September 04, 2011 The capital of a country is often a very populated city where much history has been made due to the high-level political and economic functions that occur there. However, sometimes government leaders decide to move the capital from one city to another. Capital relocation has been done hundreds of times throughout history. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese changed their capital frequently. Some countries choose new capitals that are more easily defended in a time of invasion or war. Some new capitals are planned and built in previously undeveloped areas to spur development. New capitals are sometimes in regions deemed neutral to competing ethnic or religious groups as this could promote unity, security, and prosperity. Here are some notable capital moves throughout modern history.

United States
During and after the American Revolution, the United States Congress met in eight cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York City. The construction of a new capital city in a separate federal district was outlined in the United States Constitution (Article One, Section Eight), and President George Washington selected a site near the Potomac River. Virginia and Maryland donated land. Washington, D.C. was designed and built and became the United States capital in 1800. The site was a compromise involving southern slave-holding economic interests and northern states who wanted war debts repaid.

Russia
Moscow was the capital of the Russian Empire from the 14th century until 1712. It then moved to St. Petersburg to be closer to Europe so that Russia would become more western. The Russian capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918.

Canada
In the 19th century, the legislature of Canada alternated between Toronto and Quebec City. Ottawa became the capital of Canada in 1857. Ottawa was then a small town in a

largely undeveloped region, but was chosen to be the capital city because it was close to the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Australia
In the 19th century, Sydney and Melbourne were the two largest cities in Australia. They both wanted to become Australias capital, and neither would concede to the other. As a compromise, Australia decided to build a new capital city. After an extensive search and survey, a section of land was carved out of New South Wales and became the Australian Capital Territory. The city of Canberra was planned and became Australias capital city in 1927. Canberra is located about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne but it is not a coastal city.

India
Calcutta, in Eastern India, was the capital of British India until 1911. To better administer all of India, the capital moved by the British to the northern city of Delhi. The city of New Delhi was planned and built, and was proclaimed the capital in 1947.

Brazil
Brazils capital relocation from very overcrowded Rio de Janeiro to the planned, built city of Brasilia occurred in 1961. This capital change had been considered for decades. Rio de Janeiro was thought to be too far from many parts of this large country. To encourage the development of the interior of Brazil, Brasilia was built from 1956-1960. Upon its establishment as Brazil's capital, Brasilia experienced very rapid growth. Brazils capital change was considered very successful, and many countries have been inspired by Brazils capital relocation achievement.

Belize
In 1961, Hurricane Hattie badly damaged Belize City, the former capital of Belize. In 1970, Belmopan, an inland city, became the new capital of Belize to protect the governments functioning, documents, and people in case of another hurricane.

Tanzania
In the 1970s, Tanzanias capital moved from coastal Dar es Salaam to centrally located Dodoma, but even after many decades, the move is not complete.

Cote dIvoire
In 1983, Yamoussoukro became the capital of Cote dIvoire. This new capital was the hometown of the President of Cote dIvoire, Felix Houphouet-Boigny. He wanted to spur development in the central region of Cote dIvoire. However, many government offices and embassies remain in the former capital, Abidjan.

Nigeria
In 1991, the capital of Nigeria, Africas most populated country, was moved from Lagos because of overcrowding. Abuja, a planned city in central Nigeria, was deemed to be a

more neutral city regarding Nigerias many ethnic and religious groups. Abuja also had a less tropical climate.

Kazakhstan
Almaty, in southern Kazakhstan, was the Kazakh capital when the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Government leaders moved the capital to the northern city of Astana, formerly known as Aqmola, in December 1997. Almaty had little room to expand, could experience an earthquake, and was very close to other newly independent countries which could experience political turbulence. Almaty was also far from the region where ethnic Russians, who comprise about 25% of Kazakhstans population, live.

Myanmar
Myanmars capital was formerly Rangoon, also known as Yangon. In November 2005, government workers were suddenly told by the military junta to move to the more northern city of Naypyidaw, which had been constructed since 2002 but not publicized. The entire world still doesnt have a clear explanation why Myanmar's capital was relocated. This controversial capital change was possibly based on astrological advice and political fears. Yangon was the largest city in the country, and the restrictive government probably did not want crowds of people to protest against the government. Naypyidaw was also considered more easily defensible in case of a foreign invasion.

South Sudan
In September 2011, just a few months after independence, South Sudan's Council of Ministers approved a move of the new country's capital city from the initial temporary capital of Juba to Ramciel, located closer to the center of the country. The new capital will be a located within an independent capital territory not part of the surrounding Lake State. It is expected that the move will take approximately five years to complete.

Iran - Possible Future Capital Change

Iran is considering relocating its capital from Tehran, which lies on about 100 fault lines and could experience a catastrophic earthquake. If the capital were a different city, the government could better manage the crisis and reduce casualties. However, some Iranians believe that the government wants to move the capital to avoid protests against the government, similar to Myanmar. Political leaders and seismologists are studying regions near Qom and Isfahan as possible places to build a new capital, but this would probably take decades and an enormous amount of money to complete. See page two for a comprehensive listing of additional recent capital city relocations!

Capital Relocation Rationale

Finally, countries sometimes change their capital because they expect some type of political, social, or economic benefit. They hope and expect that the new capitals will surely develop into cultural gems and hopefully make the country a more stable place.

(Continued from Page 1) Here are additional capital relocations that have occurred in approximately the last few centuries.

Asia

Since 1982, Sri Lankas Parliament has met in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, but some other government functions remain in Colombo. Malaysia moved some of its administrative functions to Putrajaya in 1999. The official capital remains Kuala Lumpur. Former capitals of Iran include Esfahan and Shiraz. It is now Tehran. A former capital of Thailand is Ayutthaya. It is now Bangkok. Hue was an ancient capital of Vietnam. It is now Hanoi. Pakistan from Karachi to Rawalpindi to Islamabad changes occurred in 1950s and 1960s. Laos from Luang Prabang to Vientiane 1975 Turkey from Istanbul to Ankara - 1923 The Philippines from Quezon City to Manila 1976 Japan from Kyoto to Tokyo 1868 Israel from Tel Aviv-Jaffo to Jerusalem 1950 Oman from Salalah to Muscat 1970 Saudi Arabia from Diriyah to Riyadh 1818 Indonesia from Yogyakarta to Jakarta 1949 Bhutan from Punakha (former winter capital) to Thimpu - 1907 Uzbekistan from Samarkand to Tashkent - 1930 Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul - 1776

Europe Former capitals of Italy include Turin, Florence, and Salerno. The current capital of Italy is Rome. Bonn was the capital of West Germany from 1949-1990. Reunified Germanys capital began as Bonn but was moved to Berlin in 1999. Kragujevac has served as the capital of Serbia several times. It is now Belgrade. Durres was briefly capital of Albania during World War I. It is now Tirana. Lithuania from Kaunas to Vilnius - 1939 Malta from Mdina to Valetta 16th century Poland from Krakow to Warsaw - 1596 Montenegro from Cetinje to Podgorica 1946 Greece from Nafplion to Athens 1834 Finland from Turku to Helsinki 1812

Africa

Ghana from Cape Coast to Accra 1877 Botswana from Mafeking to Gaborone - 1965 Guinea Bissau from Madina do Boe to Bissau - 1974

Cape Verde from Cidade Velha to Praia 1858 Togo from Aneho to Lome 1897 Malawi from Zomba to Lilongwe 1974

The Americas

Trinidad and Tobago from San Jose to Port of Spain 1784 Jamaica from Port Royal to Spanish Town to Kingston 1872 Barbados from Jamestown to Bridgetown 1628 Honduras from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa 1888

Oceania

New Zealand from Auckland to Wellington 1865 The Federated States of Micronesia from Kolonia to Palikir 1989 Palau from Koror to Ngerulmud 2006