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

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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).