Timeline of country and capital changes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This timeline should inform readers what differences they can expect between political maps of two certain dates in history. It should also enable readers to tell how much information is outdated in a map from a certain year, or to date a certain map (or country factsheet) by the differences it has from today's maps. Besides, it should enable readers who learned a different political landscape of the world to update their knowledge.
The list can include renaming, creation, separation and unification of countries, extension or loss of their territories as well as renaming or relocation of their capitals.
Notes:
- Changes in political organization or government are not recorded in this list.
- Years refer to dates when a country border change was internationally recognized. Independence is counted when it is recognized, rather than declared.
- The timeline is reverse-ordered so that differences from the present time can be identified easier.
- Months and days are only mentioned if it's necessary to distinguish events of the same year.
- Description of changes should be as concise as possible, mentioning the old and the new name.
[edit] 2000s
- 2006, October 7: Capital of Palau is moved from Koror to Melekeok.
- 2006, Montenegro and Serbia become independent, thus dissolving the short-lived State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, after a successful independence referendum in Montenegro.
- 2005: Capital of Myanmar is moved from Yangon to near Pyinmana (formally named Naypyidaw in 2006).
- 2003: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is renamed and transformed into Serbia and Montenegro.
- 2002: East Timor becomes independent from Indonesia.
[edit] 1990s
- 1999, December 31: The Panama Canal is transferred from the U.S. to Panamanian control.
- 1999, December 20: Macau is transferred from Portugal to the PRC as a SAR
- 1998: The capital of Kazakhstan is moved from Almaty to Astana.
- 1997, July 4: Western Samoa is renamed Samoa.
- 1997, July 1: Hong Kong is transferred from the U.K. to the PRC as a SAR
- 1997, May 17: Zaire is renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 1996: Capital of Tanzania is moved from Dar-es-Salaam to Dodoma.
- 1994: Palau becomes independent from United Nations trusteeship.
- 1993, May 24: Eritrea becomes independent from Ethiopia.
- 1993, January 1: Czech Republic and Slovakia are formed from Czechoslovakia; Bratislava is made capital of Slovakia; Prague remains the capital of only the Czech Republic.
- 1992 April 28: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is created from Yugoslavia.
- 1992, April 6: Bosnia and Herzegovina is created from Yugoslavia
- 1992, January 15: Slovenia and Croatia are created from Yugoslavia.
- 1992: Alma-Ata, capital of Kazakhstan, is renamed Almaty.
- 1991, September 8: Republic of Macedonia is created from Yugoslavia.
- 1991: Georgia (April 9), Estonia (August 20), Latvia (August 21), Belarus (August 25), Moldova (August 27), Azerbaijan (August 30), Lithuania (September 6), Tajikistan (September 9), Armenia (September 21), Ukraine (December 1), Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (December 8), Kazakhstan (December 16), Kyrgyzstan (December 21) and Russia (December 26) become independent from the Soviet Union.
- 1990, October 3: Germany is united from West Germany and East Germany; Berlin is the capital again instead of Bonn.
- 1990, May 22: Yemen is united from North Yemen and South Yemen.
- 1990, March 21: Namibia becomes independent from South Africa.
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
