What's In a Name? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Belgrade

The name of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, comes from the Slavic words "beo" (white) and "grad" (city, town, castle). Founded on the site of a prehistoric settlement at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava by a Celtic people that gave it the name of Singindun (Latinized by the Romans in Singindunum), Belgrade has had different names throughout its long, variegated history - all meaning "white city".

The other three choices are also capitals of Eastern European nations: Romania (Bucharest), Croatia (Zagreb) and Slovenia (Ljubljana).

Answer: Monrovia

Monrovia, the capital of the West African country of Liberia, was named in honour of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. Liberia was founded in 1822 to provide a home for freed US slaves (hence its name), and Monroe had been a strong supporter of that initiative.

Georgetown (the capital of Guyana) was named after King George III of England, Fort William (Scotland) after William of Orange (King William III of England, Ireland and Scotland), and Alexandria (Egypt) after Alexander the Great, king of Macedon and conqueror of the Persian Empire.

Answer: Ankara

The name of Ankara, the capital of Turkey, comes from "ankyra", the Greek word for "anchor". Located in central Anatolia, its origins probably go back to the Hittite empire; known in Europe as Angora (hence the reference to cats, goats and rabbits!), it became the capital of the Republic of Turkey when the latter was established in 1923.

Istanbul, of course, is the largest and most important Turkish city, though it hasn't been its capital for almost 100 years. The remaining two cities are capitals of neighbouring nations - Greece (Athens) and Cyprus (Nicosia).

Answer: Canberra

The name of Canberra, the capital of Australia, comes from "Kambera" in Ngunnawal, one of the many Aboriginal languages of the island continent. It was established in 1913, and - like Washington DC and Brasilia - is a planned city independent of any state.

Melbourne (also in Australia), Auckland and Wellington (New Zealand) were all named after people - Viscount Melbourne, the Earl of Auckland and the Duke of Wellington respectively.

Answer: Singapore

Singapore comes from the Malay word Singapura, in turn derived from Sanskrit Simhapuram ("Lion City"). A lion and a tiger (the latter representing Malaysia) appear on the city-state's coat of arms.

Indonesian capital Jakarta's name also comes from Sanskrit, and means "victorious deed". The origin of the name Bangkok (which is called Krung Thep in Thai) is unclear, while Kuala Lumpur (the capital of Malaysia) means "muddy confluence".

Answer: Nigeria

One of the largest cities in the world in terms of population, and the second-largest city in Africa, Lagos (Eko in Yoruba) was the capital of Nigeria from 1914 to 1991. The name Lagos was given to the city (built on the shores of a lagoon bordering the Atlantic Ocean) by the Portuguese settlers in the 15th century.

The other three nations' capitals - Kampala (Uganda), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Nairobi (Kenya) - have names of indigenous origin.

Answer: Reykjavík

Founded in 1786 as an official trading town on the site of a much older settlement, Reykjavík is the capital of Iceland. It is said to owe its name to the steam of the hot springs that abound in the surrounding region.

Copenhagen ("merchant haven"), Stockholm ("log islet") and Helsinki (from "Helsing", the name of a tribe of Swedish settlers) are respectively the capitals of Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Answer: Naples

The name Naples (Napoli in Italian) comes from the ancient Greek "Neapolis", meaning "new town". It was founded in the 6th century B.C. on a site that had been inhabited since the Neolithic era, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world.

The other three choices are all major Italian cities. Milan and Turin's names come from Latin, while Palermo's comes from Greek.

Answer: Valparaíso

Founded in 1563, Valparaíso is the second largest metropolitan area in Chile, and one of the most important seaports of the South Pacific. It was named after the native village of Juan de Saavedra, the commander of the Spanish ship that first reached the bay where the city now stands.

The other three choices are all major South American cities: Rio de Janeiro ("January river"), former capital of Brazil; Buenos Aires ("good airs"), the capital of Argentina; and Montevideo (etymology uncertain), the capital of Uruguay.

Answer: Dar-es-Salaam

Though in 1974 Dar-es-Salaam lost its official status as the capital of Tanzania, it remains its nation's largest and most important urban centre. The Swahili name of the original settlement was Mzizima; the Arabic name was given by Majid bin Said, Sultan of Zanzibar, to the city he built in the immediate vicinity in 1865/1866.

The other three names all come from Arabic. Khartoum (Sudan) and Mogadishu (Somalia) are still their countries' capitals. Mombasa, Kenya's second-largest city, was its capital from 1888 to 1895.