Africa
| Old capital city | Country, empire | From | Until | Change, reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha) | Cape Verde | 1462? | 1770 | moved to Praia |
| Grand Bassam | Côte d'Ivoire | 1893 | 1900 | moved to Bingerville |
| Bingerville | Côte d'Ivoire | 1900 | 1933 | moved to Abidjan |
| Abidjan | Côte d'Ivoire | 1933 | 1983 | moved to Yamoussoukro |
| Fez | Morocco | ? | 1912 | Moved to Rabat |
| Al-Fustat | Egypt | 641 | 750 | Moved to Al-Askar |
| Al-Askar | Egypt | 905 | 969 | Moved to Cairo |
| Otjimbingwe | German South-West Africa | 1886 | 1892 | moved to Windhoek |
| Cape Coast | Ghana (Gold Coast) | 1664 | 1877 | moved to Accra |
| Bolama | Guinea-Bissau | 1879 | 1941 | moved to Bissau |
| Boe | Guinea-Bissau | 1973 | 1974 | moved back to Bissau |
| Njimi | Kanem | fl. 11th Century | c.1396 | lost to Bulala invaders (eventually moved to Ngazargamu) |
| Ngazargamu | Kanem-Bornu Empire | c.1472 | 1808 | lost to Fulani invaders (eventually moved to Kukawa) |
| Kukawa | Kanem-Bornu Empire | 1814 | 1893 | Kingdom ceased to exist |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 1914 | 1976 | moved to Abuja |
| Igbo Ukwu | Kingdom of Nri | 1043 | 1911 | Nigeria |
| Aneho | Togo | 1880s | 1897 | moved to Lomé |
| Zomba | Malawi | 1880s | 1975 | moved to Lilongwe |
| Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | 1961 | 1996 | moved to Dodoma |
| Axum | Ethiopia | 50 AD | ? | city abandoned |
| Debre Berhan | Ethiopia | 1456 | mid-1470s | Emperor returned to custom of a moving capital |
| Gondar | Ethiopia | 1635 | late 19th century | moved to Addis Ababa |
See also List of Egyptian capitals.
Read more about this topic: List Of Former National Capitals
Famous quotes containing the word africa:
“In Africa, there is much confusion.... Before, there was no radio, or other forms of communication.... Now, in Africa ... the government talks, people talk, the police talk, the people don’t know anymore. They aren’t free.”
—Youssou N’Dour (b. 1959)
“For Africa to me ... is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.”
—Maya Angelou (b. 1928)
“What is Africa to me:
Copper sun or scarlet sea,
Jungle star or jungle track,
Strong bronzed men, or regal black
Women from whose loins I sprang
When the birds of Eden sang?”
—Countee Cullen (1903–1946)