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Used to be the Capital Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Used to be the Capital Quizzes, Trivia

Used to be the Capital Trivia

Used to be the Capital Trivia Quizzes

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11 quizzes and 167 trivia questions.
1.
  No Longer the Capital    
Collection Quiz
 12 Qns
Countries are always changing their capitals around - probably just to confuse us Funtrivia players. (Just Kidding!) Can you identify these former capitals?
Average, 12 Qns, Joepetz, Oct 06 23
Average
Joepetz gold member
Oct 06 23
372 plays
2.
  A Capital Idea   best quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
All of these cities were capitals till somebody had the bright idea of shifting the seat of government. Can you match the former capitals to their current counterparts?
Easier, 10 Qns, zorba_scank, Apr 17 16
Easier
zorba_scank gold member
2120 plays
3.
  We're Moving Uptown!   great trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's politics. Here we have ten countries that relocated their capitals. Your task is to match the old and new capital cities.
Very Easy, 10 Qns, PDAZ, Sep 26 18
Recommended for grades: 5,6,7,8
Very Easy
PDAZ gold member
783 plays
4.
  No Longer Capitals    
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
This is a quiz about countries who have changed or renamed their capitals. I give you the name of the new capital and the country. You give me the name that the foregoing capital had at the time it was replaced by new.
Difficult, 25 Qns, author, Jul 24 24
Difficult
author
Jul 24 24
4753 plays
5.
  New Capitals    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
Many nations have throughout history decided to move their capitals, of some reason or another. This quiz is about these cities and topics related to them.
Difficult, 20 Qns, optigan, Oct 21 15
Difficult
optigan
6165 plays
6.
  These Capitals Are 'Old'    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Most of us know the various world capitals, but can we say what they were previously called? I'll give you the present name, you give me the old name. Good Luck.
Difficult, 10 Qns, Ikabud, Nov 16 10
Difficult
Ikabud
7364 plays
7.
  Once They Were a Capital    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
I give you ten cities that were once the capital of their country. Match them with the country, some of which no longer exist.
Average, 10 Qns, EnglishJedi, Apr 25 16
Average
EnglishJedi gold member
544 plays
8.
  And the Capital of ____ Was?   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
These are all former capital cities, but of which country or state?
Average, 10 Qns, Buzzwagon, Jun 27 17
Average
Buzzwagon
2011 plays
9.
  No Longer Capitals 2    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
In this quiz I want you to find some former capitals of countries all over the world.
Difficult, 20 Qns, author, Dec 08 13
Difficult
author
2708 plays
10.
  No Longer Capitals 3    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
Again I will test your knowledge about former capitals.
Very Difficult, 20 Qns, author, Oct 21 15
Very Difficult
author
6922 plays
11.
  No Longer Capitals 4    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
Again I will test your knowledge about former capitals or former names of present capitals.
Difficult, 20 Qns, author, Jan 08 21
Difficult
author
Jan 08 21
3640 plays

Used to be the Capital Trivia Questions
1. Of which country is Agra a former capital?

From Quiz And the Capital of ____ Was?

Answer: India

Agra is home to the world famous Taj Mahal and was the capital from 1526 until 1658.

2. In 1995, four years after its independence from the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan decided to move its capital. From what city to what city was the move carried out?

From Quiz New Capitals

Answer: Almaty to Astana

The city of Almaty was made the capital of Kazakh ASSR (Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic)in 1929. The name, formerly it was known as Alma Ata, means 'the father of apples'! It's known to be one of the most pleasant cities of the former Soviet union. Astana was founded as Akmolinsk, then renamed Tselinograd, the Aqmola after Kazakh independence and finally Astana after becoming the capital in 1991. Semey is a major city formerly known as Semipalatinsk, and was known for its proximity to the largest Soviet nuclear testing site. Qaraghandy, formerly Karaganda, is another major city in Kazakhstan. It actually consists of over 40 settlements scattered over a large area. Öskemen, Ust-Kamenogorsk, is yet another major, Kazakh city.

3. This city was capital of Burma from the 14th to the 18th century + 1823-27.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 4

Answer: Ava

Pegu was made capital in 825.

4. This city was capital of Cambodia from 9th to 14th century.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 3

Answer: Angkor

Angkor, or Angkor Thom, was capital of the first Khmer empire.

5. This city was capital of Romania 1859-62 and 1914-18.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 2

Answer: Iasi

Iasi (or Jassy) was the first capital of united Romania, before 1861 called Danubian Principalities. (Moldavia and Wallachia). It was also capital during World War I.

6. Austria's capital Vienna has an ancient name. Is it ?

From Quiz These Capitals Are 'Old'

Answer: Vindobona

Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement called Vindobona. It was taken over by the Romans in the 1st century BC.

7. Which city was capital of Japan until 1868?

From Quiz And the Capital of ____ Was?

Answer: Kyoto

Kyoto contains in excess of 2000 Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines.

8. This city was capital of Thailand ca.1450-1767.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 4

Answer: Ayuthia (Ayutthaya)

Also called Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. It was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.

9. This city was capital of Vietnam (Annam) 1428-1887.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 3

Answer: Hué

Hanoi was capital of French Indochina (including Vietnam) 1887-1946. Saigon was capital of South Vietnam 1954-75.

10. This city was capital of Bulgaria 1186-1394.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 2

Answer: Veliko Turnovo

Veliko Turnovo was capital during the second Bulgarian empire.

11. Sitka is the former capital of which place founded in 1799?

From Quiz And the Capital of ____ Was?

Answer: Alaska

Sitka was the capital of Alaska until 1906 when the seat of Government was transferred to Juneau. In 2005, Sitka had a population of 8986 making it the fourth largest city in Alaska by population!

12. The long-term president of the Ivory Coast, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, president from 1960 to 1993, moved the country's capital from Abidjan to where?

From Quiz New Capitals

Answer: Abidjan to Yamoussoukro

Yamoussoukro was Houphouët-Boigny's birthplace, and although it's been the capital for 20 years now, most administrative functions still remain in Abidjan. Daloa, Bouaké and Korhogo are all major cities in the country.

13. This city was capital of Indonesia 1945-49.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 4

Answer: Yogyakarta

14. This city was capital of Laos (Lan Xang) from 14th to 18th century.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 3

Answer: Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang means "one million elephants".

15. This city was capital of Moldova (Moldavian ASSR) 1924-29.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 2

Answer: Balta

The city is now situated in Ukraine.

16. Vilnius, Lithuania. became the capital after this city.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals

Answer: Kaunas

Kaunas (called Kovno until 1917) was capital 1920-40.

17. Paris, France also had an earlier name. Was it ?

From Quiz These Capitals Are 'Old'

Answer: Lutetia

A tribe of Celtic peoples called the 'Parisii' founded the city and gave it the name Lutetia around the middle of the 3rd century BC.

18. This city was the former capital of Poland from 1038 until 1596.

From Quiz And the Capital of ____ Was?

Answer: Krakow

In 1978, UNESCO made Krakow a World Heritage site. Pope John Paul II was archbishop of Krakow before becoming Pope.

19. Spending way too much money on the capital transfer, and making his city of birth a modern city, Houphouët-Boigny also erected a huge building in the city, modeled on a similar edifice in Europe. What European building influenced him?

From Quiz New Capitals

Answer: St. Peter's Basilica in Rome

The Basilica the Lady of Our Peace is 149 meters tall, a few meters taller than the original, and contains artwork depicting Houphouët-Boigny together with the disciples, clearly overrating his own significance; something not unusual, perhaps, among African dictators.

20. This city was capital of "Malaysia" 1826-36. Of course the name Malaysia didn´t exist then, but about the same area (minus North Borneo, plus Singapore) was called Staits Settlements from 1826, and later Malaya.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 4

Answer: Penang

Penang is also the name of an island Malaysian state. The city was also called George Town.

21. This city was capital of China 1625-44.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 3

Answer: Mukden

Mukden (now called Shenyang) became capital of China under Manchu rule.

22. This city was capital of Serbia 1878-1901.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 2

Answer: Nis

Nis, or Nish, was the first capital of Serbia after independence from Ottoman empire in 1878.

23. Moscow wasn't always the capital of Russia. What was the name of the city that was the capital before Moscow became capital?

From Quiz No Longer Capitals

Answer: Petrograd

Capital was moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow 1922. At the time (1914-24) the official name of the city was Petrograd. It was called Leningrad 1924-91. Hence both St. Petersburg and Leningrad would be wrong answers, as I ask for the name of the ex-capital at the time of the change. Novgorod by the way was capital of Russia in medieval times.

24. Turkey's capital, Ankara was known by another name. Was it ?

From Quiz These Capitals Are 'Old'

Answer: Angora

The Hittites occupied the site of Ankara since about 2000 BC.

25. Of which country was Winchester made the capital in A.D. 827?

From Quiz And the Capital of ____ Was?

Answer: England

Strictly speaking, it was the capital of the kingdom of Wessex, rather than England. Winchester later became the county town of Hampshire and is home to one of the largest cathedrals in England. It's also only 40 miles from where I live!

26. Another African country, Nigeria, moved its capital in 1991. The old capital of Lagos was a mess of poverty and crime, and the capital was consequently moved to this city... which city?

From Quiz New Capitals

Answer: Abuja

Abuja has a population of 339100 (1995 estimate), and is situated in the center of the country. Kano, Bauchi and Iwo are all large, Nigerian cities.

27. This city was capital of China in some periods from 247 BC to 907 AD. It was first called Hsien-yang, then under Han rule Changan, and again under Tang rule Siking. Marco Polo knew it as Kenzanfu. What is it called today?

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 4

Answer: Xian

Also called Hsian or Sian.

28. This city was capital of Brazil 1552-1763.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 3

Answer: Salvador

Bahia is the name of the state of which Salvador is the capital. The city is colloquially known as Bahia or Salvador da Bahia.

29. This city was capital of Montenegro 1878-1918.

From Quiz No Longer Capitals 2

Answer: Cetinje

Cetinje was the first capital of independent Montenegro after independence from Turkey 1878. Podgorica became capital 1918. The same year Monenegro joined Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to form Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, renamed Yugoslavia 1929. Podgorica was called Titograd 1946-92, but regained its old name 1992.

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Last Updated Nov 29 2025 5:52 AM
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