10 Countries Where The Capital Isn’t The City That You’d Expect

The vast majority of East Asian countries adhere to the principle of having their most populous and/or commercially and socially important city as their capital – Tokyo in Japan, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Seoul in South Korea, Bangkok in Thailand and so on and so forth. China is one exception, though Beijing is far more well-known and significant than Chonqqing (albeit maybe not Shanghai). Burma (otherwise known as Myanmar) is another.

Historically it was not, however, with Yangon (Rangoon) serving as the capital until 2006. With 7 million inhabitants contributing to more than 20% of the country’s gross domestic product, nobody would’ve suspected it was in line to be replaced any time soon when the spontaneous decision was made by the government to relocate to the new city of Naypyidaw.

Burma has been one of the world’s most unstable countries since its independence from British colonial rule in 1948. It has been in a state of civil war since 1962, ruled by a military junta (until 2010) that rendered it impoverished and underdeveloped.

The supposed reasons for moving the capital were varied, from wanting a more central location to wanting to be further away from areas of turmoil caused by this conflict and present a better image to the outside world. Few people have followed the government, with Naypyidaw being one of the sparsely populated cities in the world, exemplified by the empty 20-lane highway showcased on Top Gear’s tour across the country.