Etymological list of capital city names

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This etymological list of capital city names is a supplement to the etymological list of country names .

Many capital names are more or less identical to the names of their state (e.g. Panama , Brasília ). Others are a program (e.g. Islamabad ) or refer to national heroes (e.g. Ulaanbaatar , Washington, DC ).

A.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Afghanistan Kabul The ancient city of Kabura was founded by Iranian tribes more than 2500 years ago in the valley of the Hindu Kush. It is named after the Khuba River, a tributary of the Indus.
Egypt Cairo Cairo (Arabic القاهرة, al-Qāhira - "the victorious")
The city is often referred to by Egyptians simply by the country name (مصر) - high Arabic Misru, Egyptian-Arabic Masr.
Albania Tirana Tiranë In
1614 a local feudal ruler built a mosque, baths and a market at the crossroads of two trade routes and named the place " Tehran ". The name of the city is etymologically related to the name of the Tuscany region and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Algeria Algiers Algiers (Arabic مدينة الجزائر, Madīnat al-Dschazā'ir, French Alger)
The name of the state is derived from the name of its capital, Algiers , from al-Jazā'ir = "the islands".
Andorra Andorra la Vella Andorra La Vella (literally The Old Andorra)
The name of the Pyrenees state probably comes from the Basque language.
Angola Luanda Luanda (also São Paulo de Luanda or Loanda)
Luanda is located in the province of Luanda north of the mouth of the Cuanza River. Luanda means tribute, tax (to the king of the Congo).
Antigua and Barbuda Saint John's Saint John's (Saint John)
Equatorial Guinea Malabo Malabo
The city was founded by Great Britain in 1827 as Port Clarence. When the island of Bioko returned to Spanish ownership in 1843, the city was renamed Santa Isabel. In 1973 the city was renamed Malabo as part of a campaign by then President Francisco Macías Nguema to replace European place names.
Argentina Buenos Aires Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires)
An earlier spelling was Buenos Ayres. The city is named after the patron saint of the seafarers Santa Maria del Buen Aire. Buenos Aires literally means "favorable winds".
Armenia Yerevan Armenian Երևան, transcribed: Yerevan
“Yerevan” is actually a colloquial Armenian term. A settlement called Erebuni has been around since 782 BC. Demonstrable. The name can be traced back to the Armenian word erevan (= appear, show).
Azerbaijan Baku Azerbaijani Bakı
In Turkish the city is called Bakü (Persian باکو). There are several theories about the origin of the name, the most popular being derived from the Persian bad kube, which means "city of winds".
Ethiopia Addis Ababa Addis Ababa; amharic for new flower
The old name Abyssinia is Amharic and goes back to the name Habescha , which means "highland dwellers".
Australia Canberra Since Australia was founded, the country's two main cities, Sydney and Melbourne, have been arguing over which should become the capital. First Melbourne became the capital, but a commission began a seven-year search for the location of a new capital. In 1908 there was a vote in which a narrow majority voted for a piece of land 300 kilometers from Sydney and 650 kilometers from Melbourne. The city got its name from the native inhabitants of the country. In the language of the Aborigines, Kamberra means something like " meeting place ".

B.

Country Capital Name in the local language Notes
Bahamas Nassau Nassau was founded in 1656 by British settlers and was initially named Charlestown, named after King Charles II. At the same time, pirates increasingly used the settlement and the surrounding islands as hiding places, so that the city was destroyed by a Spanish-French fleet in 1684. It was rebuilt in 1687 and was then named Nassau in 1689 in honor of the British King Wilhelm III. from the House of Orange-Nassau.
Bahrain Manama Manama (Arabic (المنامة) al-Manāma)
Al-Manama means "place of rest" and is derived from the Arabic word naumنوم for sleep.
Bangladesh Dhaka Dhaka (bengali: ঢাকা, Dhākā; formerly Dakka, Dacca)
Barbados Bridgetown Bridgetown means " bridge city " in German .
Belgium Brussels Name in the national languages: French Bruxelles or Dutch Brussel
The name Brussels is made up of the word components bruk and sel (la), as can be seen from the French form of the name Bruxelles. The first part of the name is explained with Old Dutch bruoc / nine Dutch: broek ("swamp", the "break") or with brug ("bridge"). For the meaning of the second part of the name, in addition to the old Dutch sella ("seat", "place of residence"), a corruption of the river name Senne is being considered. The city name can therefore mean "place of residence in the swamp" or "bridge over the Senne".
Belize Belmopan Belmopan is named after the Mopan River .
Benin Porto-Novo Porto Novo (New Port)
Porto Novo was formerly called Ajatche and was the capital of the Kingdom of Aja. It got its current name from the Portuguese, who set up a trading post there in the seventeenth century to ship African slaves to America.
Bhutan Thimphu
Bolivia Sucre Sucre is the nominal capital of Bolivia and the seat of the Supreme Court. The city has been named after the revolutionary leader Antonio José de Sucre since 1839 . Sucre was founded in 1539 as Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo and was briefly known as La Plata and Charcas and in Quechua as Chuquisaca.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo Name in the national languages: Sarajevo (Bosn./kroat. Sarajevo, Serb. Сарајево / Sarajevo, Turkish Saraybosna, German also Sarajewo)
The name is derived from the Turkish word seray (= palace, cf. Serail ). The original name was Sarayovas. Which means as much as, palace between the hills.
Botswana Gaborone Gaborone (formerly Gaberones)
The city was founded in 1890 by Gaborone Matlapin, a local chief. In 1965 the seat of government in Botswana (then Bechuanaland) was moved from Mafikeng, located in South Africa, to Gaborone.
Brazil Brasília The name Brazil came about through the trade in the wood Pau Brasil ( Brazil wood ), which has the color of red amber (Portuguese: brasil ).
Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (Malay for " port of the revered ruler ") was called Brunei like the sultanate until 1970.
Bulgaria Sofia Sofia (bulg: София)
Sofia is one of the oldest cities in Europe. During the 7th century BC A settlement of the Thracian Serds was established in today's city center. They gave the city the name of their tribe "Serdica". In 447 the Huns under the leadership of Attila sacked the city, in the time of Justinian I between 527 and 565 it was rebuilt (532 to 537 building of the Church of St. Sofija) and surrounded with strong walls and defensive towers. In 809 the city was taken by the army of the Bulgarian Khan Krum and since then has belonged to the First Bulgarian Empire. "Sredec" (center) is what the Slavs called them because of their central location on the Balkan Peninsula. Under Byzantine rule between 1018 and 1194 the city was called "Triadica". During the Second Bulgarian Empire it was strengthened further and in the 14th century it received its current name "Sofia" after the church "Sv. Sofija". This name is mentioned for the first time in the deed of gift of the Bulgarian ruler Ivan Shishman from 1329.
Burkina Faso Ouagadougou The city was founded in the 11th century by the Yonyonsé people under the name Kombemtinga, which means "city of warriors". In the 14th century it became the capital of the Mossi Empire. Oubri, the grandson of Ouédraogo, the progenitor of the Mossi, called the city Wogdgo, which means something like "Come to honor me". With this statement he affirmed his claim to power. Over the centuries, Wogdgo became Ouagadougou.
Burundi Bujumbura The city's name was changed from Usumbura to Bujumbura in 1962 when the country gained independence.

C.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Chile Santiago Santiago de Chile (Santiago of Sant Jago, German: Holy Jacob, Holy Jacob of Chile). The addition " de Chile " (from Chile) is necessary to distinguish the city from other cities of the same name, but above all from Santiago de Compostela .
China, People's Republic Beijing 北京 Běijīng (northern capital)
In contrast, the term for "Nánjīng" ( Nanjing ) is "southern capital" and "Dongjing" ( Tōkyō , Japan) is "eastern capital". During the Warring States' era , Beijing was the capital of the Yan, which is why the city was named Yanjing ("Capital of the Yan"). The Qin Dynasty emperors changed the name to Ji again. After the Jurchen conquest in 1153, Beijing became the capital of the Jin Dynasty and was expanded under the name Zhongdu ("Middle Capital"). In 1215 the armies of Genghis Khan took Beijing. Genghis Khan then had Dadu (the great capital) built on the ruins, also known as Khanbaliq ("City of Khan", Marco Polo "Kambaluk"). Zhu Yuanzhang , the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty , had his capital built on the Yangzi River near Nanjing (southern capital) and changed the name of Dadus to Beiping ("Northern Peace"). After his death, the city was renamed Beijing ("Northern Capital").
China, Republic - Nanjing ( de jure )
- Taipei ( de facto )

- Nanjing: "Southern capital"
- Taipei: (also Taipei; Chinese symbol: / traditional symbol: zeichen Táiběi) is in the north (北 běi) of the island of Taiwan (台灣 Taiwan, short form: tái).
Costa Rica San Jose The city of San José (German: Saint Joseph) was founded in 1736 as Villa Nueva (= new city).

D.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Denmark Copenhagen Copenhagen is the German variant of the Danish København (= "Kaufmannshafen"), Latin Hafnia = "Hafen", Swedish Köpenhamn.
Germany Berlin The name Berlin probably goes back to the Slavic syllable berl (swamp).
Dominica Roseau Roseau was formerly called Charlotte Town.
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo The city was founded in 1496 by Christopher Columbus ' brother Bartolomeo at the mouth of the Ozama River under the name La Nueva Isabela (= "the new Isabella"). The name means "Saint Dominic".
Djibouti Djibouti The name Djibouti (Arabic: جيبوتي, French: Djibouti) is probably derived from the Afar word gabouti , a mat woven from palm fibers. Another interpretation is the derivation of Tehuti , "Land of Thoth ".

E.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Ecuador Quito Until 1830 the state of Quito was called like its capital. The Quitu were an Indian tribe that is now extinct.
El Salvador San Salvador San Salvador (Spanish) means "Holy Redeemer", which means Jesus of Nazareth .
Ivory Coast Yamoussoukro Yamoussoukro is named after Yamousso, the chief of the village of N'Gokro.
Eritrea Asmara Asmara is Tigré and means " live in peace ".
Estonia Tallinn Tallinn originated as an Estonian settlement called Lindanise. In 1219 it was conquered by the Danes and turned into a city. It is not clear where the name Tallinn comes from. Either it comes from the old Estonian taani linna (Dänenburg), or from tali linna (winter castle). The name Reval is derived from an old Estonian name for the Rävala region.

F.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Fiji Suva
Finland Helsinki The city of Helsinki (Helsingin kaupunki) was founded in 1550 by Gustav Wasa under the Swedish name Helsingfors. The name is probably derived from a tribe.
France Paris The city developed from the middle of the 3rd century BC. From the Celtic settlement Lutuhezi of the tribe of the Parisians on the Seine island, which is now called Île de la Cité. The first component of the name comes from the Celtic root luta "swamp", so that the entire Celtic-Roman name Lutetia Parisiorum means "swamp plain of the Parisians". The reference to the swamp was lost over time.

G

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Gabon Libreville The city was officially founded in 1849 as a settlement for released slaves and was named Libreville (French: "free city") based on the model of Freetown .
Gambia Banjul Banjul means "bamboo island" in the Mandinka language .
Georgia Tbilisi Tbilisi in Georgian means თბილისი, Tbilisi. The Georgian word tbili means "warm" and refers to hot springs.
Ghana Accra The name goes back to the local word n'kran (= ant).
Grenada St. George's
Greece Athens The city of Athens (Greek Αθήνα = Athina) owes its name to the Greek goddess Athena .
Great Britain London There was once an insignificant Celtic settlement in today's urban area. Around the middle of the 1st century AD, it was conquered by the Romans and called "Londinium".
Guatemala Guatemala City Guatemala City (Spanish Ciudad de Guatemala, officially La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; informal: Guate)
Guinea Conakry The local word konakri means "above the water, on the other bank" and refers to the former island of Tombo , on which the original city center is located and which has now merged with the Kaloum peninsula.
Guinea-Bissau Bissau Bissau goes back to the name of the Bijuga people .
Guyana Georgetown Georgetown is named after the English King George III. The city was previously called Stabroek (= standing pond) in Dutch.

H

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Haiti Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince (= port of the prince) is named after a ship Prince that was held here. The settlement was founded in 1749 as L'Hôpital and was called Port Republicain (= republican port) during the French Revolution.
Honduras Tegucigalpa The area around Tegucigalpa was already settled before the appearance of the Spaniards in the mid-16th century, and the city already bore its current name. After the Spanish found silver in Tegucigalpa, the theory arose that the city's indigenous name could mean “Silver Mountain”. However, this is unlikely as the Lenca themselves did not mine silver. Other theories suggest that the name could mean “place where people meet” or “colored stones”.

I.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
India New Delhi New Delhi (Hindi नई दिल्ली, Naī Dillī) probably goes back to the Hindi word delhi (= threshold), the watershed between the Indus and Ganges rivers .
Indonesia Jakarta The former name of Jakarta (also Djakarta) under Dutch rule was Batavia . Jakarta is the abbreviation of Jayakarta (jaya = victory; karta = prosper, peaceful) and was given to the city by Prince Fatahilla in 1527.
Iraq Baghdad Baghdad (Persian for God's gift, Arabic بغداد Baghdād; sometimes also written Baghdad) was founded in 762 by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur as the new capital of the Islamic empire (name: Madīnat as-Salām مدينة السلام). It was created just a few kilometers east of the ancient capital of the Sassanid Empire, Ctesiphon and a few kilometers north of Babylon .
Iran Tehran Tehran also Tehran is written in Persian تهران (Tehrān). The name means either "flat, flat" or "pure, beautiful".
Ireland Dublin The Irish name is Baile Átha Cliath (Baile stands for big city or for village, and Átha Cliath for Dublin) (= city of the ford on the reed pile) is out of date Dubh Linn (= black pond or swamp).
Iceland Reykjavík The Icelandic name " Rauchbucht " (Icelandic "Reykjavík") probably comes from the steam from the hot springs in the area and is attributed to a misunderstanding of the first settler Ingólfur Arnarson .
Israel Jerusalem Jerusalem (Arabic: al-Quds (ash-Sharif), القدس; Hebrew: Yerushalayim, ירושלים) is the declared capital of Israel. The existence of Jerusalem as a Canaanite city-state is known by Egyptian sources since the 18th century BC. BC as "Uruschalim" attested. The name Uruschalim / Jerusalem (after the Bible before the conquest by David Salem or Jebus ) means "City of Shalim" or "City of Peace".
Italy Rome According to the founding legend, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC. Chr. Of Romulus founded. Romulus later killed his twin brother Remus.

J

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Jamaica Kingston Kingston (German: "Royal City") is named in honor of the English King George III.
Japan Tokyo Tokyo was originally a fishing port under its former name Edo (江 戸). The settlement gained importance in 1590 when it became the property of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu . In 1603 he made Edo the capital of the shogunate . In 1868 , at the instigation of Meiji Tennō ( Mutsuhito ), the imperial court was moved to Edo and the city was renamed Tōkyō ("Eastern Capital").
Yemen Sana'a Sana'a (Arabic: صنعاء / Sanaʿā ′ , German also Sanaa; formerly also Sana, written) was founded according to a legend by Noach's son Sem (Madinat Sem, the city of Sems), whereby the old name of the city Azal supposedly goes back to Uzal, a descendant of Sems.
Jordan Amman In the name of Amman (Arabic: عمان, after the Egyptian god Amun ) the memory of the Ammonite tribe mentioned in the Old Testament lives on. In ancient times, Amman was also called Philadelphia.

K

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Cambodia Phnom Penh The city takes its name from Wat Phnom Daun Penh (Hill Temple), which was built in 1373 on an artificial 27 m high hill to house five statues of Buddha.
Cameroon Yaoundé The city is named after the Yawonde - or Ewondo people.
Canada Ottawa The city of Ottawa is named after a river that takes its name from the Algonquian Indians, in whose language adawe means " great river ". Originally the city was named Bytown after John By .
Cape Verde Praia The Portuguese word Praia means "beach".
Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan The city was named on March 23, 2019 after the recently resigned long-time President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev . He made the city the new capital of the country in 1997 and renamed it “Astana” (Kazakh “Астана”, in German “Capital”) in 1998. Allegedly this name was chosen because it is historically and politically unencumbered, sounds good and is also appealing in its graphic representation - and not only in the state language, but in many languages ​​of the world. In addition, the earlier name "Aqmola" meant "White Grave" in German - which was felt to be rather inappropriate. Earlier names were “Akmolinsk” (1824–1961), “Zelinograd” (1961–1991) and “Aqmola” (1991–1998).
Qatar Doha Doha (الدوحة) comes from the high Arabic ad-Dauha, in the dialect ad-Dōha for "The Bay".
Kenya Nairobi The name of the city comes from the Maasai expression Engare Nyarobie, which roughly means " cool river ".
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek In Kyrgyz "Bishkek" or "Pishpek" means a vessel for the preparation of koumiss , fermented mare's milk. There are numerous legends that try to establish a connection between the city and such a vessel. More scientific explanations mean that the name arose from a folk etymological interpretation of an old word for place below the mountains.
Kiribati South Tarawa Located in the south of the Tarawa Atoll .
Colombia Bogotá Bogotá's full Spanish name is Santa Fe de Bogotá. Bogotá was officially re-founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada on August 6, 1538 at the site of the Chibcha city of Bacatá ("high altitude field"). He gave her the name Santa Fe, named after his hometown Granada (Spain). Shortly afterwards, "de Bogotá", derived from the original Indian Bacatá, was added, so that the final name of the city was Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Comoros Moroni Moroni (Arabic: موروني)
Congo, Democratic Republic Kinshasa The place was founded in 1881 by Henry Morton Stanley as a trading post and named Léopoldville in honor of the then Belgian King Leopold II . After Mobutu Sese Seko came to power in 1965 , Léopoldville was renamed in 1966 after the name of a former village of Kinshasa that was nearby.
Congo, Republic Brazzaville Brazzaville is named after the French Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza , who established a station in what was then the French Congo in 1883, from which the city developed.
Croatia Zagreb The city of Zagreb is also called Agram in German. The name Zagreb was first mentioned in 1094 when the Hungarian-Croatian King Ladislaus I founded the Zagreb diocese. Zagreb means “at the ditch”, from which the German “Agram” was later derived.
Cuba Havana Havana is officially called San Cristóbal de La Habana in Spanish.
Kuwait Kuwait City The name is derived from the Arabic word kūt for “fort”, al-Kuwait (Arabic: الكويت al-Kuwait, German also: Kuwait) literally means “the little fort”.

L.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Laos Vientiane Vientiane (also Vieng Chan) means "city of the moon" in German and is derived from vieng (= city) and chan (= moon).
Lesotho Maseru Maseru is the Sesotho plural of leseru and means " red sandstone ".
Latvia Riga Riga (Latvian Rīga) was founded in 1158 by German merchants on the lower reaches of the Daugava (German: Düna) on the Ridzene River (hence the name Riga).
Lebanon Beirut Beirut (Arabic بيروت Bairūt) was already an important city-state under the Phoenicians , its ancient name is Be'erot (dt. "Fountain").
Liberia Monrovia The name refers to the USA because it is derived from the name of the American President James Monroe .
Libya Tripoli Tripoli (Arabic طرابلس Tarābulus or طرابلس الغربية Tarābulus al-gharbiyya, formerly Oea). The city was founded in the 7th century BC. Chr. By the Phoenicians under the name Oea founded. Under the Sicilian Greeks it was grouped together with the neighboring cities of Sabratha and Leptis Magna under the name Tripoli (Greek: " three cities ").
Liechtenstein Vaduz The name Vaduz is of Romanesque origin (avadutg <water pipe>, from Latin aqueductus).
Lithuania Vilnius The city of Vilnius (Lithuanian Vilnius) has different names according to its multiethnic and multicultural character. The Lithuanians call it Vilnius; this name is gradually gaining ground in other languages. In Polish it is called Wilno, in Belarusian Вільня / Wilnja, in Yiddish Wilne, in Russian it was originally called Вильна / Wilna, but was only referred to as Вильнюс / Wilnjus from the Soviet era. A river of the same name, the Vilnia (often called Vilnelė in diminutive), flows through Wilna / Vilnius and flows into the Neris not far from the historic town center (Gediminas Hill).
Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg; Luxembourg (French); Grand Duchy of Lëtzebuerg (lux.)
Lëtzebuerg , originally just the name of the capital, comes from the Middle High German compound luzzil ("small", cf. English little ) and castle , which means "small castle".

M.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Madagascar Antananarivo Antananarivo (also Tana) means the city of a thousand (arivo = thousand).
Malawi Lilongwe
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (German "muddy river mouth"; Jawi: كوالا لمڤور) was founded in 1857 by miners (tin hunters) under the leadership of the Malay Rajas / Rajas Abdullah in the middle of the jungle.
Maldives Times
Mali Bamako Bamako comes from the Bambara of Bamo for "crocodile" and Ko for "swampy river arm".
Malta Valletta Valletta was founded in March 1566 by the Grand Master of St. John , Jean de la Vallette .
Morocco Rabat Rabat Arabic الربات, means "fortified place".
Marshall Islands Delap-Uliga-Darrit Delap-Uliga-Darrit, or officially DUD-Municipality, is the capital of the Marshall Islands, which is spread over three islands.
Mauritania Nouakchott The name of the city of Nouakchott is said to come from the Zenagui word wakchodh, which means " without ears ".
Mauritius Port Louis Port Louis (= Ludwigshafen) was named in 1715 by Dufresne d'Arsel after Louis XIV .
Macedonia Skopje Skopje / Скопје (Albanian Shkupi, Turkish Üsküb, Serbian Skoplje, Latin Scupi) was founded by the Romans and was called Scupi.
Mexico Mexico city The name comes from the name of the Aztec Mexica . This name comes from the Nahuatl word Metztlixithlico and means either "in the middle of the moon" ( metztli ("moon") and xictli ("navel") or simply "sun"). Others derive the name from the leader Mexitli.
Micronesia Palikir
Moldova Chișinău Chișinău (German Kischinau, Russian Кишинёв / Kischinjow; old Moldovan-Cyrillic spelling Кишинэу / Kischineu) official name of the city is Municipiul Chișinău (Munizipium Chișinău).
Monaco Monaco The name goes back to the Greek word monos ("only", "alone"). In the 5th century the Greeks built a temple for " Herakles Mono ikos" there.
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (Mong. Улаанбаатар; German = red hero; in Germany often also Ulan-Bator), until 1924 Örgöö (Mong. Өргөө; German = palace, headquarters; often also Urga).
Montenegro Podgorica
Mozambique Maputo Maputo, formerly Lourenço Marques , was founded by Portuguese colonial rulers at the end of the 18th century as Lourenço Marques (after the Portuguese trader who first explored the region in 1544).
Myanmar Naypyidaw Naypyidaw means 'seat of kings'.

N

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Namibia Windhoek official Afrikaans and English name Windhoek
Nauru Yaren Yaren means "morning" in Nauruan; the spelling varies between "yaren", "yoran", "iyoran" and "yoran", "jorran", "ijoran". This is due to the fact that there was a spelling reform in the Nauruan language last in 1939, which was also not enforced consistently enough that there is no standardized spelling today.
Nepal Kathmandu Kathmandu (nepali काठमांडौ, Kāthmāndau; old name: Kantipur) is derived from the two words kath (= made of wood) and mandu (= temple).
New Zealand Wellington The native name of Wellington in Māori is Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Poneke, derived from English.
Nicaragua Managua Managua in nahuati means “ where there is a large surface of water ” and refers to the large lakes and lagoons of the capital, which stretches along the south bank of Lake Xolotlan ( Lake Managua ) for about 20 km .
Netherlands Amsterdam Towards the end of the 12th century a small settlement was built around a dam in the river. The city ​​of Amsterdam owes its name to this dam in the Amstel .
Niger Niamey The name of the city of Niamey is supposedly derived from a chief who said to his slaves: "oua niam mané (= settle down here).
Nigeria Abuja The planned capital was built near the old city of Abuja, which was renamed Suleja . The name comes from Abu Ja, a king banished from Zaria , who became King Abujas in 1825. Abu is the abbreviation of his full name Abubakar.
North Korea Pyongyang The name Pyongyang ( Hangeul : 평양; Hanja : 平壤) means "flat land" or "cozy environment".
Norway Oslo In 1624 the city was devastated by fire and rebuilt under the name Christiania by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV . In 1877 the official spelling changed to Kristiania and it was not until 1925 that the city was given its original name Oslo. Oslo means translated "level of the gods". One nickname is Tigerstaden (Tiger City), based on a poem by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (“Sidste Sang”, 1870). In this poem, Oslo is described as a dangerous and ruthless city.

O

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Oman Muscat Muscat (Arabic مسقط Masqat; alternative spelling Muscat from English) is the capital of Oman. The name means place of fall, meant as an anchorage or because of the steep mountains.
Austria Vienna The name is derived from the river Vienna , Vedunia ("Wildbach", "Waldbach"), and after which the fourth district of the city of Wieden is also called. Evidently, the name has nothing to do with Vindobona , the name of a Celtic settlement in the area of ​​today's city, or with the word wine and viticulture in the northern part of the city.
East Timor Dili Dili (also Díli, Dilli, Dilly)

P

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Pakistan Islamabad Islamabad (Urdu: اسلام آباد) means city of Islam.
Palestine Gaza Gaza City (Phoen: zzh; Arabic: غزة Ghazza; Hebrew: Άzzā, עזה from the Semitic. Ğzz, "to be thorny") is the provisional capital of the Palestinian Territories.
Panama Panama City The name Panama (Spanish Ciudad de Panamá) comes from the Guarani language. Its origin is unclear.
Papua New Guinea Port Moresby In 1873 the British explorer John Moresby recognized the advantage that the harbor bay offered. When Great Britain declared the country a British colony of British New Guinea in 1884, Port Moresby became the capital and remains so to this day.
Paraguay Asunción Asunción (Spanish for Assumption), extensively Nuestra Señora de la Asunción ("Our Holy Lady of the Assumption"), (Portuguese Assumção). The city was founded on August 15th ( Assumption ) of the year 1537 by Juan de Salazar and Gonzalo de Mendoza.
Peru Lima The city of Lima got its name because of its indigenous roots; the name probably comes from the Aymara word lima - limac or limac - huayta, which means "yellow flower". A second possibility is that the name comes from the Quechua word rimac, which means "speaker".
Philippines Manila Manila (also: Maynilad / Maynila in Filipino) comes from the term maynilad, literally "Here there is Nilad." ("may" = "Here there is", Nilad is a white-flowered mangrove plant that grows en masse in the area).
Poland Warsaw Polish Warszawa (originally until 15-16th century Warszewa ) comes from Warsz , which is the short form of the male given name Warcisław .
Portugal Lisbon Lisbon (Portuguese Lisboa) was called Alis Ubo (dt. Liebl. Bay) by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians .
Puerto Rico San Juan In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement of Caparra, now the Pueblo Viejo district. In 1521 the place was renamed "San Juan" in honor of John the Baptist .

R.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Rwanda Kigali
Romania Bucharest Bucharest (Romanian Bucureşti, English Bucharest, Turkish Bükreş, French Bucarest, German also Freudenstadt, Romani Bucharest)
Russia Moscow Moscow (Russian Москва) is named after the Moskva River , on the banks of which it was founded.

S.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Solomon Islands Honiara Before the city was founded, a bloody battle of World War II raged here: the Battle of Guadalcanal . Today's harbor bay of the city got its name Iron Bottom Sound (German: Eisengrund Bay) after the 50 or so warships that were sunk here during the fighting between the Americans and the Japanese.
Zambia Lusaka Lusaka was founded in 1905 by European settlers on the site of an African village and named after its chief Lusakaa.
Samoa Apia
San Marino San Marino San Marino
The small state in Italian territory is named after the hermit Marinus , who died there in 301 .
Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome The name is derived from the Portuguese for "Saint Thomas". The island was discovered on December 21, 1471, on the day of St. Thomas.
Saudi Arabia Riad Riad comes from the Arabic الرياض, ar-Riyād (= the gardens). The city owes its origin to the Wadi Hanifa .
Sweden Stockholm Stockholm (stick = stick, tree trunk; holm = small island) was mentioned for the first time in 1252 as an exhibition location in two documents from Jarls Birger Magnusson , who is sometimes mentioned as the founder of the city.
Switzerland Bern The first settlements on the narrow peninsula in the La Tène period and the Gallo-Roman era were called Brenodor , as evidenced by the Bern zinc plate . The present city was founded in 1191 by Duke Berchthold V von Zähringen . According to a legend, he named the city Bern because he killed a bear there.
Senegal Dakar The place name Dakar comes from the Wolof language and comes from n'dakar (= tamarind ), because that's how the story goes. When the first researchers came to the area, they asked for the name of the area. the locals said they were asked about the tamarind trees on the coast.
Serbia Belgrade Belgrade (Serbian Beograd, Београд, German Belgrade or Weißenburg, Hungarian Belgrád, Latin Singidunum). Around 279 BC Singidun was first mentioned in writing. The name meant round fortress or round town. The Slavs called Singidunum white fortress or white city: Beograd, Belgrade, Beligrad, Biograd. Around 878 this name was first mentioned in writing in a papal bull. Since then, Belgrade has also been called Weissenburg, Alba Graeca, Nándorfehérvár or Castelbianco in Greek.
Seychelles Victoria Victoria is the Latin word for " victory ".
Sierra Leone Freetown Freetown (English: free city) was founded in 1787 by freed American slaves.
Zimbabwe Harare Harare (formerly Salisbury) was founded in 1890 as Fort Salisbury by Cecil Rhodes . Rhodes named the city after the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury. In 1923 it was given city status with the seat of the colonial government. Between 1953 and 1963 it was the capital of Rhodesia. After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, the name was changed to Harare after the people who originally lived here.
Singapore Singapore 新加坡 (Xinjiapo; Chinese)
Singapore (Engl.)
Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles , who kept the Sanskrit name of Simhapura Island , from simha (“lion”) and pure (“city”). The Malay name for the island was Tamasek and comes from the word tasik ("sea").
Slovakia Bratislava Bratislava [ˈbracɪslava] (Slovak until 1919 Prešporok / Prešporek, Czech until 1919 Prešpurk, German Pressburg (according to the old spelling: Pressburg), Hungarian Pozsony, Greek in the Middle Ages Istropolis, Slovak colloquial - possibly slightly derogatory - was abbreviated to Blava named after the Slavic prince Braslav .
Slovenia Ljubljana There are three different ways to explain the origin of the name for the name of the city of Ljubljana (Laibach in German). Either the name comes from ljubljena ("loved"), or from the Latin river name aluviana, another possibility would be a simple derivation from the German Laubach (today Laibach).
Somalia Mogadishu Mogadishu, also Mogadiscio (Somali: Muqdisho)
Spain Madrid In the years 852 to 886 a Moorish castle (alcázar) was built on the site of today's Madrid Royal Palace. The surrounding complex was called magerit, and from 939 Madschrít.
Sri Lanka Colombo Colombo (Sinhalese: Kolamba)
St. Kitts and Nevis Basseterre French for "Lower Country"
St. Lucia Castries Castries is named after Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix de Castries , marquis de Castries.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Kingstown English for "royal city"
South Africa Pretoria Today's Pretoria was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius, who named the city after his father Andries Pretorius . On March 7, 2005, the city council decided that the previous official name of Pretoria should be changed to Tshwane , as the name Pretoria was too reminiscent of the times of apartheid . Pretoria will then only be called the district with the government district. Nguni-speaking settlers, later known as Ndebele (derived from Sesotho: refugee), were probably the first residents to recognize and settle the fertility of the river valley, which later became the location of the city of Pretoria. The river was named Tshwane after one of its chiefs (from the Ndebé word for 'little monkey'), who was later given the Afrikaans name 'Apies-River'.
Sudan Khartoum Khartoum (Arabic: الخرطوم al-Chartūm, English spelling Khartoum, German: the elephant's trunk)
South Korea Seoul Main article: Name of Seoul
The Korean word Seoul simply meant "capital", but has not been used in this meaning for several decades, but only refers to today's Seoul, which has been the capital of Korea since November 26, 1394 . Presumably seoul is related to the word seobeol or seorabeo of the Silla dynasty . While most Korean place names were written with Hanja and at some point only pronounced in Sinocorean (e.g. Kor. Hanbat [한밭; "large field"] → Sinokor. Daejeon [大田; 대전; "large field"]), im Seoul's trap ( Hangeul : 서울) the city's last Sino- Korean names, Hanseong and Gyeongseong , out of use in the Korean language; therefore there is no hanja for "Seoul".
Suriname Paramaribo The name Paramaribo is probably derived from a Caribbean village, Parmirbo. In 1613 the two Dutchmen Dirck Cleaszoon van Sanen and Nicolaas Baliestel founded a small trading company near Parmirbo on the west bank of Suriname.
Swaziland Mbabane The city of Mbabane is named after the Mbabane River.
Syria Damascus Damascus [daˈmaskʊs] (Arabic: دمشق Dimaschq; French: Damas [daˈmas]), is often called الشام aš-Šām in Syria; in the rest of the Arab world, this name is often used for the country Syria. After the Egyptians conquered today's Syria, Damascus was first established as a city-state under the Pharaohs Thutmose III. and Amenhotep III. mentioned as Tamasqu (tmsq), later Duma_qu.

T

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Tajikistan Dushanbe Dushanbe grew out of a village where the weekly market was always held on Mondays (Monday in Tajik = Dushanbe).
Taiwan   See China, Republic
Tanzania Dodoma The city of Dodoma is named after the Dodoma mountain of the same name.
Thailand Bangkok Bangkok (in Thai Krung Thep - mostly translated as "City of Angels" - or officially Krung Thep Maha Nakhon; in Thai กรุงเทพฯ, กรุงเทพมหานคร) has the longest place name in the world. The official name of the city of Bangkok in Thai is (spaces inserted for better readability): Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit for reading: กรุงเทพมหานคร อมร รัตนโกสินทร์ ม หิน ท รา ยุ ธ ยา มหา ดิลก ภพ นพรัตน์ ราชธานี บุรี รมย์ อุดม ราช นิเวศน์ มหา สถาน อมร พิมาน อวตาร อวตาร สถิต สักกะ ทัต ติ ยะ วิษณุกรรม ประสิทธิ์. Approximate German meaning: "City of the Devas , great city [and] residence of the jewel Indras [ Emerald Buddha ], impregnable city of God, great capital of the world, adorned with nine precious stones, rich in enormous royal palaces, which are the heavenly home of the born again Like God, a city given by Indra and built by Vishvakarman . ”With 163 letters, it is the longest place name in the world. While Bangkok has become the common international name, Thai usually use the short form Krung Thep ("City of Devas"). Officially, for example on license plates, the name is Krung Thep Maha Nakhon.
Togo Lomé Lomé means something like " small market ".
Tonga Nuku'alofa The name of the city means either " the home of love " or simply "south".
Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain English for "Port of Spain"
Chad N'Djamena N'Djamena (formerly Fort Lamy) was founded by Émile Gentil at the time of French colonial rule on May 29, 1900 under the name Fort Lamy. The place was named after the commander Amédée-François Lamy , who had been killed in a battle a few days earlier. Until the country gained independence in 1960, this was the seat of the French administration. On November 6, 1973, the city was renamed N'Djamena, the Arabic name came from a small town nearby.
Czech Republic Prague Prague (Czech: Praha; derived from práh - Czech for "threshold")
Tunisia Tunis Tunis (Arabic: Tūnis تونس) perhaps goes back to the old word tunus ("to spend the night").
Turkey Ankara Ankara (formerly Ancyra, until March 28, 1930 Angora)
Turkmenistan Ashkhabad Ashgabat (Turkmen for lovely city; Persian عشق آباد, Russian Ашхаба́д, German Ashgabat) developed around a Russian military base, which was built in 1881 at the intersection of several caravan routes.
Tuvalu Vaiaku

U

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Uganda Kampala The name is derived from Kasozi K'Empala, which means antelope hill. The central Nakasero hill in Kampala is said to have been grazed by domesticated impala antelopes, which were owned by the King of Buganda, at the time the city was founded.
Ukraine Kiev According to Nestor's Chronicle , Kiev was founded by three brothers named Kyj, Shchek and Choriw and named after the oldest brother ("Kiev" = 'City of Kyj', Old Russian and Ukrainian: Kyiv). This is said to have happened no later than the beginning of the 6th century, since the name of the Slavic prince Kyj was mentioned in Byzantine chronicles at this time. Some medieval sources trace the founding of Kiev back to the years 430-460. There are also speculations that identify Kiev with the great Gothic city of Danapirstadir (= "city on the Dnepr ") mentioned by Jordanes .
Hungary Budapest The city consists of three formerly independent cities that were only united to form the municipality of Budapest in 1873. On the eastern, flat side of the Danube lies Pest, which takes up two thirds of the city area, on the western, mountainous side Buda (dt. Furnace) and Óbuda (dt. Old furnace) the remaining third of the city. Buda or Bleda was Attila's brother . Pest is derived from the Slavic word pescht (= grotto).
Uruguay Montevideo The name is said to come from Spanish nautical charts - Monte VI deo (the 6th mountain from east to west).
Uzbekistan Tashkent Tashkent (Uzbek Toshkent, formerly Cyrillic Тошкент; Russian Ташкент, Tashkent; formerly also Schasch or Binkent) is in the 3rd century BC. First mentioned. The original name was Tschotsch, later Toshkant, which means "stone" or "stone city" in Chinese. Tashkent means "stone city" or "stone city" in most of the Turkish languages .

V

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Vanuatu Port Vila
Vatican city Vatican city Vaticanae (Latin); Vaticano (ital.)
The name of the Vatican comes from the Latin mons Vaticanus , one of the hills of Rome. "Vatican" initially referred to a hill in Rome (mons vaticanus) on the right bank of the Tiber. The seers (Latin: vates ) were active here.
Venezuela Caracas The city was founded in 1567 by the Spanish conqueror Diego de Losada under the original name of Santiago de León de Carácas.
United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (or Abu Zabi; Arabic: أبو ظبي father of the gazelle)
United States of America Washington, DC The city does not belong to any state, but has a special status as the District of Columbia (DC). The first capital of the USA was New York. One of the President's duties was to find a permanent seat of government. As a compromise solution, Philadelphia was made the capital city for ten years in 1791. President George Washington selected the area that would become the capital.
Vietnam Hanoi Hanoi (Vietnamese Hà Nội, Chinese 河内) means within the rivers. The city is located at the entrance of the Red River (Sông Hồng) into its delta, about 60 km from the confluence with the Gulf of Tonking.

W.

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Belarus Minsk Minsk (Belarusian Менск or Мінск, Russian Минск) was first mentioned at the beginning of 1067 under the name Menesk. Legend has it that Minsk was founded by a giant named Menesk who ran a mill near the city. It is more likely, however, that the city is named after the Menka River, 20 kilometers away. The derivation of мена (miena = barter) is not very plausible either.

Z

Country Capital Name in the national language / notes
Central African Republic Bangui The city was founded in 1889 as the administrative center for the French colonial territory of Ubangi-Chari. It is located on the Ubangi River at a point where several rapids (Bobangui) restrict shipping.
Cyprus Nicosia Nicosia means Λευκωσία Lefkosía in Greek, Lefkoşa in Turkish, whereby the name Lefkosia is more common and modern. The German name Nicosia is derived from the Greek word νίκη níkē / níki (victory) and was given to the city by the Knights Templar .

See also

literature

  • André Cherpillod: Dictionnaire Étymologique des Noms Géographiques. 2nd Edition. Masson, Paris 1991, ISBN 2-225-82277-8