Historical Places

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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

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Bougainville (PNG): Volcanic island in southwest Pacific Ocean. Scene of guerrilla warfare since 1980’s.

Brasilia (Brazil): Capital, laid out in the shape of an aircraft. Inaugurated in 1960.

Bratislava (Slovakia): Capital. It was the capital of Hungary from 1541 to 1784. In Czechoslovakia, it was the third largest city. Bratislava is in the river Danube. An industrial city.

Bretton Woods (USA). A 1944 international conference here led to the establishment of IMF.

Brindisi (Italy): A centre of the crusades in the middle ages. A naval base.

Brisbane (Australia): Founded as a penal colony. Town (1834) named after former governor of New South Wales, The country’s third largest city.

British East Africa: Former British territories in East Africa – Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika, Zanzibar.

British West Africa: Former name for Nigeria, Gabbia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast. Togoland, Cameroon.

Brno: The Czech industrial city where the Bren gun, a gas-operated light machine gun, was developed.


Broadway (USA): Principal theatre district located on or near the street broad way in New York.

Brunei (Southeast Asia): Sultanate. Sultan Bolkiah was world’s richest person for many years, In 16th c., Brunei ruled over the whole of Borneo and parts of the Philippines.

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Brunswick (Germany): It has the oldest technical university in Germany.

Brussels (Belgium): Capital. It was capital of the Spanish Netherlands in the middle ages. Hq. of EU and NATO.

Budapest (Hungary): Capital created in 1873 by merging the towns of Buda and pest, on the two sides of the Danube. It was one of the two capitals of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Bukhara(Uzbekistan): City one of the oldest cities and trading centres of Asia. It was the centre of powerful kingdom. Rapid growth after discovery of natural gas in the ‘50s.

Byblos (Ancient Phoenicia): Chief city of Phoenicia in 2nd millennium B.C., on the site of modern Jebeil. Famous for Papyrus, nicknamed biblos, from which the word ‘Bible’ is derived.

Caen (France): Port, tomb of William the Conqueror.

Cairo (Egypt): Largest African city. Pyramids are nearby.

Calabar (Nigeria): Port, centre of the slave trade in 18th $ 19th centuries.

California (USA): Most populous US state. Major towns: San Francisco, Los Angels, San Diego, Sacramento. Centre of micro electronics industry in Silicon Valley. Disneyland.

Calvary (Jerusalem, Golgotha in Hebrew): The hill outside the city of Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified.

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Cambridge (UK): City on River Cam. One of the world’s greatest universities. First college Peterhouse founded in 1284.

Cambridge (USA): Harvard University is the oldest (1636) US college. MIT moved from Boston, 1915.

Camp David (USA): The US president’s retreat in the Appalachian Mountains where the middle east peace treaty was signed by Sadat and Begin (1978) with president Carter mediating.

Campoformido (Italy): Treaty of Campo Formio of 1979 was signed here between Austria and France, after Austria was defeated by Napoleon.

Cana (Palestine): Northeast of Nazareth. Jesus Christ is believed to have his first miracle here.

Canaan (Is`rael): Ancient Palestine before it was occupied by the Jews was ‘Canaan’- referred to in the Bible as the land promised to the Israelites by God.

Canary Islands (Spain): Group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, of volcanic formation.

Cannes (France): Venue of the most prestigious international film festival.

Canterbury (England): City in east Kent, seat of the Archbishop of Anglican church. Famous for the cathedral where Thomas Becket was assassinated (1170).

Canton (China): Port, commercial centre of S. China. Focus of the first Opium War. Sun Yat Sen was born here.

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Canyon de Chelly (USA): National monument in Arizona, established in 1931 to protect Indian cliff dwellings dating from AD 350.

Cape Canaveral (USA): Known as Cap Kennedy, 1963-73. Launch site for US space programme.

Cape of good hope (S.Africa): Discovered by Bartolomeu Diaz in 1488. He called it the Cape of Storms.

Capernaum (Israel): Site of many biblical events, situated on the northern shore o the Seal of Galilee.

Cape Town (S. Africa): The oldest white settlement in S. Africa. Founded 1672, Country’s legislative capital, Venue of CHOGM summit of 1999.

Cape Verde (Senegal): The western most point of Africa.

Capitol (USA): Where the US congress meets in Washington.

Capri (Italy): Island, which was a favorite resort of Roman emperors. Today a big tourist attraction.

Cardiff (UK): Capital of Wales. Its Welsh name is Caerdydd.

Carthage (Tunisia): Ancient town founded by Phoenicians (1814 BC). Destroyed in Punic Wars. It was founded again by Caesar and Octavian, Arabs destroyed in (1698).

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Casablanca (Morocco): The port city where Churchill and F.D Roosevelt met for the Casablanca conference in 1943,

Catania (Italy): In Sicily. Often damaged by eruptions of Mt.Etna.

Cayenne (French Guinea): Capital and seaport. Founded in 1643 by the French, A penal colony.

Chaco (Paraguay-Bolvia): Chaco War (1932-35) between the two countries in the disputed Northern Chaco area. Paraguay was the winner.

Champagne (France): Noted for the production of champagne wine.

Changdu: Capital of China’s south west Sichuan province that was reduced to rubble in the 7.9 magnitude earthquake of May, 2008.

Changsha (China): Historic trade centre, capital of Kunan Province.

Channel Islands (US): Island group of the British Isles in the English Channel (Jersey, Guernsey, etc).

Chechnya (Russia): A constituent republic if Russia in north Caucasus. Resistance to Russian rule by Chechnya since 19th c. Chechen rebels keep carrying out attacks.

Chicago (USA): City on the shore of Lake Michigan. Devastated by fire in 1871. Transport, industrial, shipping, cultural centre. Largest rail terminal in the world. O’Hare is one of the busiest airports. World’s first skyscraper was built here in 1885-Sears tower.