Historical Places

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Acropolis (Ancient Greece): The citadel of ancient Athens, which contained the Parthenon, the Erechtheum, etc.

Actium (Ancient Greece): Known for the battle of Actium, which established the victory of Octavian over Antony and Cleopatra (31 BC).

Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): Capital and biggest city. Name means ‘New Flower’. Hq. of African union, and UN Economic commission for Africa, Emperor Haile selassie I ruled the country for about 50 years until deposed in 1974.

Al Aqsa Mosqu (Jerusalem): Islam’s third holier place, after Mecca and Medina.

Alaska (USA): Bought by USA from Russian in 1867.

Albany (USA): Capital of N. York sate. Albany Congress (1754) was the US colonial gathering of proposed a plan of union for the British colonies.

Alexandria (Egypt): Cit founded by Alexander the Great.

Altamira (Spain): Site of palaeolithic cave paintings and engravings.

Amsterdam (The Netherlands): Capital, major European port.

Anatolia (another name for Asia Minor): Turkey’s Asian region that was part of the Ottoman Empire until republic of Turkey came into existence.

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Anchorage (USA): Alaskan city founded in 1915 as the headquarters for the building of the Alaska railway.

Angkor (Cambodia): It is the ancient Khmer capital and the temple complex. The greatest structure is Angkor Wat. The complex was destroyed by Thai invaders.

Annapolis (USA): Capital of Maryland; he site of he signing of the peace treaty ending American revolution. US Naval Academy here.

Antananarivo (Madagascar): Capital formerly Tananarive. Founded early 17th c. as a walled citadel.

Antioch (Turkey): New name is Antakya. City founded in 300 BC by seleucus1. Antioch was ‘the queen of the east’.

Antwerp (Belgium): Prominent trade centre in 15th century, Site of Europe’s first stock exchange (1460). Cathedral of Norte Dame (14th century). Bombed in WWII diamond cutting is well developed.

Apia (Western Samoa): Capital Vailima, the former home of R.L. Steven son, happened to be the residence of head of state.

Aqaba (Jordan): Seaport, captured from Turks in 1917 by T.E. Lawrence. Gulf of Aqaba had important role in Arab-Israeli wars.

Agadir (Morocco): Port, Town was destroyed in a major 1960 earthquake. The Portuguese named it Santa Cruz (1505-41).

Andes (S.America): Longest mountain range in the world.

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Arlington (USA): Location of the Pentagon. National Cemetery built in 1864, where prominent Americans have been buried.

Ashanti (Ghana): A kingdom of the Ashanti people annexed to the British colony of Gold Coast (Ghana) in 1901. Now a province with capital at Kumasi.

Astana (Kazakhstan): Capital of Kazakhstan. Its name was Akmola until 1961 and from 1994 to ’98. From 1961 to 1994 it was Tselinograd. Until 1998 the name was Alma Ata, Since 1998, present name.

Asti (Italy): Town known for its sparking white wine, Asti Spumante.

Aswan (Egypt): City on the bank of the Nile, Aswan High Dam was built (1960-1970) with Soviet aid.

Atacama Desert (Chile): The most arid region in the world, Stretches about 1000 km.

Atlanta (USA): Capital of Georgia. Founded in 1837, originally called Terminus, Marthasville in 1845, and Atlanta in 1947, Headquarters of Coca Cola. Hosted 1996 summer Olympic Games.

Auschwitz (Poland): Notorious as Nazi Germany’s largest concentration camp and extermination camp. Between 1m. and 2.5 m. people are believed to have died here.

Axum or Aksum (Ethiopia): Centre of N.Ethiopian empire, 1st-8th c. Kings converted to Christianity in 4th c. It is believed that the Arc of the covenant was brought here from Jerusalem and placed in church of St.Mary of Zion where the emperors of Ethiopia were crowned.

Babylon(Iraq): It was the capital of the Babylonian empire on the Euphrates river, ruler was Nebuchadnezzer (605-562 B.C). hanging gardens were on of the seven wonders. Babylon fell in 538 B.C.

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Baikonour (Kazakhstan): India’s first cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma was launched from this cosmodrome in 1984. Also launched IRI-IA (1988( and IRS-IC (1995).

Balaklava (Russia): Known for the British base at Balakiava and the battle of Balaklava in the early stages of the Crimean war, between Britain and Russia.

Bali (Indonesia): Mountainous Island. Stronghold of Hinduism.

Balkans (SE Europe): This area consists of Greece, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria, part of Romania and the European part of Turkey, Competition.between European powers for control of the Balkan resulted in WWI.I. All states (Expected Greece) became communist after WWI. The 1990s saw turmoil in the region with the breakup of Yugoslavia, Bosnian civil war and Kosovo conflict.

Bandung (Indonesia): The non aligned movement had its beginning in the Bandung conference, 1955 with 29 countries representing more than half the world attending.

Barcelona (Spain): Country’s second largest city. Venue of Olympics, 1992.

Bastille (France): A symbol of Bourbon despotism, this mediaeval fortess was stormed by a mob in 1789.

Bay of Pigs (SW coast of Cuba): Spanish name: Bahia de Cochinos. About 1500 Cuban exiles tried unsuccessfully to invade the country and overthrow Fidel Castro on Apr.17, 1961 at this bay.

Beijing (China). Capital, Formerly peking. Settled since ancient times. Tiananmen square, world’s largest public square is here. Venue of 2008 summer Olympics.

Beira (Mozambique): Chief port of Mozambique Zimbabwe and Malawi. Founded 1891. Under Portugal until 1942.

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Beirut (Lebanon): Capital. At the foot of Lebanon Mountains. It was the chief banking and cultural centre of the Middle East. Heavily damaged in civil war 1979-90.

Belgrade (E.Europe): Formerly capital of Yugoslavia and of the kingdom of Serbia, A important commercial centre in the Balkans. Suffered under Nazi occupation (’41-’44). Kosovo conflict hit Belgrade. Now, capital of Serbia-Montenegro.


Belitung or Billiton (Indonesia): An island in the Javasea, whose tin mines have attracted large Chinese community.

Belmopan (Belize): Made capital of Belize in 1970, following major hurricane damage to Belize city in 1961.

Belorussia (Central Europe): Modern name Belarus. Was part of USSR, now member, CIS.

Benin Kingdom (Africa): A historic kingdom (13th-19th C.) Trade centre for ivory and slaves. Later became part of British Nigeria.

Berchtesgaden (Germany): Aresort in the Bavarian Alps, the site of Hitler’s fortified mountain retreat, the Beghof.

Bering Sea (Pacific Ocean): Its islands include the Pribilofs, Aleutians, Nunivak, etc. Discovered by Danish explorer Vitus Bering, The Bering strait is said to have formed a land bridge by which on final inhabitants of N. America arrived from Asia.

Berlin (Germany): Capital. Founded 13th c., capital of Prussia of German empire (1871). In 1948 Soviet-controlled East Berlin and West Berlin (controlled by US, UK, France) were born. The airlift, following WWII, after Soviet attempts to isolate the city from the West is known as Berlin Airlift. The blocked was lifted in 1949. Berlin Wall was built by East German government (1961) to seal off E.Berlin from W.Berlin to prevent illegal migration. Wall was opened in 1989.

Bermuda (West Atlantic): A British overseas territory. Old name: Somers Islands. Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and the US coast make (Bermuda Triangle’, an area where aircraft are reported to have vanished mysteriously.

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Bethlehem (Now under Palestine): Birthplace of Jesus Christ. The early home of King David. Annexed by Jordan in 1950. Later, was part of West Bank Turned over Palestine in 1995.

Biafra (Nigeria). Under Col. Ojukuvu. The Igbo people of Biafra tried to break away from Nigeria. Civil war of 1967-70.

Bikini (Pacific) Atoll in the Marshall islands. Site of US nuclear tests, and first H-bomb test (1952).

Birmingham (U.K): Britain’s second largest city, developed rapidly in the industrial revolution.

Bloomsbury (U.K): Intellectuals who are known as Bloomsburry group (early years of 20th century) met here. E.M. Forster, Virginia Woolf and J.M Keynes were members.

Bonn (Germany): Capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990, when the two Germanys were unified. Beethoven was born here.

Borneo (Malay Archipelago): World’s third largest island. Thinly populated. Sabah and Sarawak are part of Malaysia, Brunei is independent, Kalimantan state belongs to Indonesia.

Bosnia (E.Europe): The international crisis that led to the outbreak of WWI had its roots here. Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina and trouble began. It has been in the news since 1990 as a scene of ethnic war. Now part of the country Bosnia-Herzegovinda.

Bosporus: The strait joining the black sea and the sea of Marmara. On its eastern shore is Istanbul.

Boston (USA): This Atlantic seaport, capital of Massachusetts, was focus of pre-revolution activity (Boston Massacre 1770, Boston Tea Party 1773, etc). Now an important manufacturing, financial and educational centre