Trivia These Three Countries Are Moving Their Capital Cities

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In case you didn’t know, the Philippines once moved its capital city from Manila to Quezon City. In the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s, President Manuel L. Quezon wanted to build a new city that would not only decongest the old capital but also become a showcase for the country. Named in honor of the President, the city was the country’s capital from 1949 until 1976, when it reverted to Manila.


Nowadays, most countries in the world have capital cities that have existed for many years. However, there are a few nations that are in the process of moving their capital cities for a variety of reasons, most commonly geographic or political.

In case you didn’t know, these countries are in the process of moving their capital cities:

1| Indonesia​

From Jakarta to Nusantara​

Jakarta officially became the capital city of our Southeast Asian neighbor Indonesia after the country achieved independence from Dutch colonists in 1949, although it has served as the commercial, political, and cultural center of the country for decades before that. Today it is a megacity that is home to around 11 million people and is the seat of power of Indonesia.


In 2019, however, President Joko Widodo announced the government’s plan to move the capital to Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. The President cited things like overpopulation, development inequality, and environmental and geographical issues as reasons for the move.

Kalimantan was chosen because it was more centrally located relative to Indonesia as an archipelagic nation, and met all the other requirements for a few new capital city, including being free from natural calamities caused by volcanoes and earthquakes. Estimates vary as to how much the planned move of the capital is going to cost, with the most recent from the National Development Planning Ministry around $32.7 billion. About 19 percent of the cost will be shouldered by the national government, with the remainder coming from public-private partnerships and direct investment by both state-owned enterprises and the private sector.


In January 2022, Indonesia’s government announced that the new capital will be called Nusantara. Design and construction of the new capital is well underway, with a target inauguration in August 2024.

2| Egypt​

From Cairo to New Administrative Capital​

With a population of about 10 million (about 22 million when you include Greater Cairo), Cairo is the largest city in Egypt. It has been the country’s capital city for over 1,000 years, which would make it the world’s longest-running capital city.

Plans to move Cairo’s capital were first made public in 2015, mainly to relieve severe congestion. The New Administrative Capital (there hasn’t been an official name yet, but suggestions like Masr, Kemet, and Al Salam have been proposed) is located about 45 kilometers east of the city center and measures about 700 square kilometers. It’s a planned city that will have skyscrapers and residential, open spaces, a cultural district, places of worship, a theme park, and electric railway link.


Egyptian officials say much of the government offices and institutions like the parliament, presidential palace, ministries and embassies will be relocated to this new city, and many of them have already done so over the past year. Once completed the new administrative center will house as many as seven million residents.

3| Equatorial Guinea​

From Malabo to Ciudad de la Paz-Djibloho​

The capital of the African country of Equatorial Guinea is Malabo, which is located north of the island of Bioko. As of the latest census, the city had a population of about 300,000. Besides being the oldest city in the country, Malabo is also the country’s commercial and financial center and offers tourism attractions such as the Ilachi waterfalls and the Pico Basile, the highest mountain in Equatorial Guinea.


One issue about Malabo is that it is not located in the mainland, where over 70 percent of the population live. This is one reason why government officials have initiated steps to relocate the capital to the town of Ciudad de la Paz or Djibloho. Located between the cities of Bata and Mongomo, Djibloho’s other distinct advantages over Malabo include its climate, security and proximity to energy sources, including oil.

Measuring about 81 square kilometers, the city will house administrative offices like the headquarters of the president, police and military leadership and up to 200,000 residents, or about a quarter of the country’s total population.

Although plans to move the capital city to Djibloho started in 2017, as of 2022, construction is still ongoing, with only a few government buildings, hotels, and churches completed.

FROM: ESQUIRE PHILIPPINES