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This entry gives the name of the seat of government, its geographic coordinates, the time difference relative to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the time observed in Washington, DC, and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special time zone note has been added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones. Finally, etymology explains how the capital acquired its name.

  • Afghanistan

    name: Kabul

    geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E

    time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time

    etymology: named for the Kabul River, but the river's name is of unknown origin

  • Akrotiri

    name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia)

    geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: "Episkopi" means "episcopal" in Greek and stems from the fact that the site previously served as the bishop's seat of an Orthodox diocese

  • Albania

    name: Tirana (Tirane)

    geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name Tirana first appears in a 1418 Venetian document; the origin of the name is unclear, but may derive from Tirkan Fortress, whose ruins survive on the slopes of Dajti mountain and which overlooks the city

  • Algeria

    name: Algiers

    geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derives from the Arabic "al-Jazair" meaning "the islands" and refers to the four islands formerly off the coast but joined to the mainland since 1525

  • American Samoa

    name: Pago Pago

    geographic coordinates: 14 16 S, 170 42 W

    time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    note: pronounced pahn-go pahn-go

  • Andorra

    name: Andorra la Vella

    geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 31 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: translates as "Andorra the Old" in Catalan

  • Angola

    name: Luanda

    geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 13 13 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time

    etymology: originally named "Sao Paulo da Assuncao de Loanda" (Saint Paul of the Assumption of Loanda), which over time was shortened and corrupted to just Luanda

     

  • Anguilla

    name: The Valley

    geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 03 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derives from the capital's location between several hills

  • Antigua and Barbuda

    name: Saint John's

    geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after Saint John the Apostle

  • Argentina

    name: Buenos Aires

    geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 22 W

    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name translates as "fair winds" in Spanish and derives from the original designation of the settlement that would become the present-day city, "Santa Maria del Buen Aire" (Saint Mary of the Fair Winds)

  • Armenia

    name: Yerevan

    geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E

    time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name likely derives from the ancient Urartian fortress of Erebuni established on the current site of Yerevan in 782 B.C. and whose impressive ruins still survive

  • Aruba

    name: Oranjestad

    geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: translates as "orange town" in Dutch; the city is named after William I (1533-1584), Prince of Orange, the first ruler of the Netherlands

  • Australia

    name: Canberra

    geographic coordinates: 35 16 S, 149 08 E

    time difference: UTC+10 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends first Sunday in April

    time zone note: Australia has four time zones, including Lord Howe Island (UTC+10:30)

    etymology: the name is claimed to derive from either Kambera or Camberry, which are names corrupted from the original native designation for the area "Nganbra" or "Nganbira"

  • Austria

    name: Vienna

    geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the origin of the name is disputed but may derive from early Celtic settlements of the area; a possible reconstructed Celtic name from several centuries B.C. is Vedunia (meaning "forest stream"); under Roman settlement, beginning around 15 B.C., the name became Vindobona (likely from the Celtic windo, meaning "white, fair, or bright" and bona meaning "base, fortification, or settlement" to give a connotation of "white settlement" or "white fort"); archeological remains of the latter survive at many sites in the center of Vienna

  • Azerbaijan

    name: Baku (Baki, Baky)

    geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 52 E

    time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time

    etymology: the name derives from the Persian designation of the city "bad-kube" meaning "wind-pounded city" and refers to the harsh winds and severe snow storms that can hit the city

    note: at approximately 28 m below sea level, Baku's elevation makes it the lowest capital city in the world

  • Bahamas, The

    name: Nassau

    geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

    etymology: named after William III (1650-1702), king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, who was a member of the House of Nassau

  • Bahrain

    name: Manama

    geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derives from the Arabic "al-manama" meaning "place of rest" or "place of dreams"

  • Bangladesh

    name: Dhaka

    geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E

    time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the origins of the name are unclear, but some sources state that the city's site was originally called "dhakka," meaning "watchtower," and that the area served as a watch-station for Bengal rulers

  • Barbados

    name: Bridgetown

    geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after a bridge constructed over the swampy area (known as the Careenage) around the Constitution River that flows through the center of Bridgetown

  • Belarus

    name: Minsk

    geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the origin of the name is disputed; Minsk may originally have been located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka River; remnants of a 10th-century settlement on the banks of the Menka have been found

  • Belgium

    name: Brussels

    geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: may derive from the Old Dutch bruoc/broek, meaning "marsh" and sella/zele/sel signifying "home" to express the meaning "home in the marsh"

  • Belize

    name: Belmopan

    geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W

    time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the decision to move the capital of the country inland to higher and more stable land was made in the 1960s; the name chosen for the new city was formed from the union of two words: "Belize," the name of the longest river in the country, and "Mopan," one of the rivers in the area of the new capital that empties into the Belize River

  • Benin

    name: Porto-Novo (constitutional capital); Cotonou (seat of government)

    geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name Porto-Novo is Portuguese for "new port"; Cotonou means "by the river of death" in the native Fon language

  • Bermuda

    name: Hamilton

    geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 47 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

    etymology: named after Henry HAMILTON (ca. 1734-1796) who served as governor of Bermuda from 1788-1794

  • Bhutan

    name: Thimphu

    geographic coordinates: 27 28 N, 89 38 E

    time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the origins of the name are unclear; the traditional explanation, dating to the 14th century, is that thim means "dissolve" and phu denotes "high ground" to express the meaning of "dissolving high ground," in reference to a local deity that dissolved before a traveler's eyes, becoming a part of the rock on which the present city stands

  • Bolivia

    name: La Paz (administrative capital); Sucre (constitutional [legislative and judicial] capital)

    geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: La Paz is a shortening of the original name of the city, Nuestra Senora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace); Sucre is named after Antonio Jose de SUCRE (1795-1830), military hero in the independence struggle from Spain and the second president of Bolivia

    note: at approximately 3,630 m above sea level, La Paz's elevation makes it the highest capital city in the world

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina

    name: Sarajevo

    geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name derives from the Turkish noun saray, meaning "palace" or "mansion," and the term ova, signifying "plain(s)," to give a meaning of "palace plains" or "the plains about the palace"

  • Botswana

    name: Gaborone

    geographic coordinates: 24 38 S, 25 54 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after GABORONE (ca. 1825-1931), a revered kgosi (chief) of the Tlokwa tribe, part of the larger Tswana ethnic group

  • Brazil

    name: Brasilia

    geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W

    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: Brazil has four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands

    etymology: name bestowed on the new capital of Brazil upon its inauguration in 1960; previous Brazilian capitals had been Salvador from 1549 to 1763 and Rio de Janeiro from 1763 to 1960

  • British Virgin Islands

    name: Road Town

    geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 64 37 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name refers to the nautical term "roadstead" or "roads," a body of water less sheltered than a harbor but where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor sheltered from rip currents, spring tides, or ocean swells

  • Brunei

    name: Bandar Seri Begawan

    geographic coordinates: 4 53 N, 114 56 E

    time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named in 1970 after Sultan Omar Ali SAIFUDDIEN III (1914-1986; "The Father of Independence") who adopted the title of "Seri Begawan" (approximate meaning "honored lord") upon his abdication in 1967; "bandar" in Malay means "town" or "city"; the capital had previously been called Bandar Brunei (Brunei Town)

  • Bulgaria

    name: Sofia

    geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: named after the Saint Sofia Church in the city, parts of which date back to the 4th century A.D.

  • Burkina Faso

    name: Ouagadougou

    geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Ouagadougou is a Francophone spelling of the native name "Wogodogo," meaning "where people get honor and respect"

  • Burma

    name: Rangoon (aka Yangon, continues to be recognized as the primary Burmese capital by the US Government); Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital

    geographic coordinates: 16 48 N, 96 10 E

    time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Rangoon/Yangon derives from the Burmese words yan and koun, which mean "enemies" and "expelled" respectively and provide the meaning of "end of strife"; Nay Pyi Taw translates as: "Great City of the Sun" or "Abode of Kings"

  • Burundi

    name: Gitega (political capital), Bujumbura (commercial capital); note - in January 2019, the Burundian parliament voted to make Gitega the political capital of the country while Bujumbura would remain its economic capital; as of 2022, the government's move to Gitega remains incomplete

    geographic coordinates: 3 25 S, 29 55 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the naming origins for both Gitega and Bujumbura are obscure; Bujumbura's name prior to independence in 1962 was Usumbura

  • Cabo Verde

    name: Praia

    geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W

    time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the earlier Portuguese name was Villa de Praia ("Village of the Beach"); it became just Praia in 1974 (prior to full independence in 1975)

  • Cambodia

    name: Phnom Penh

    geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 55 E

    time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Phnom Penh translates as "Penh's Hill" in Khmer; the city takes its name from the present Wat Phnom (Hill Temple), the tallest religious structure in the city, whose establishment, according to legend, was inspired in the 14th century by a pious nun, Daun PENH

  • Cameroon

    name: Yaounde

    geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: founded as a German colonial settlement of Jaunde in 1888 and named after the local Yaunde (Ewondo) people

  • Canada

    name: Ottawa

    geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 42 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

    time zone note: Canada has six time zones

    etymology: the city lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River, from which it derives its name; the river name comes from the Algonquin word "adawe" meaning "to trade" and refers to the indigenous peoples who used the river as a trade highway

  • Cayman Islands

    name: George Town (on Grand Cayman)

    geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after English King GEORGE III (1738-1820)

  • Central African Republic

    name: Bangui

    geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: established as a French settlement in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River; the Ubangi itself was named from the native word for the "rapids" located beside the outpost, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville

  • Chad

    name: N'Djamena

    geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 15 02 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name taken from the Arab name of a nearby village, Nijamina, meaning "place of rest"

  • Chile

    name: Santiago; note - Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature

    geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W

    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in August; ends second Sunday in May; note - Punta Arenas observes DST throughout the year

    time zone note: Chile has three time zones: the continental portion at UTC-3; the southern Magallanes region, which does not use daylight savings time and remains at UTC-3 for the summer months; and Easter Island at UTC-5


    etymology: Santiago is named after the biblical figure Saint James (ca. A.D. 3-44), patron saint of Spain, but especially revered in Galicia; "Santiago" derives from the local Galician evolution of the Vulgar Latin "Sanctu Iacobu"; Valparaiso derives from the Spanish "Valle Paraiso" meaning "Paradise Valley"

  • China

    name: Beijing

    geographic coordinates: 39 55 N, 116 23 E

    time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: China is the largest country (in terms of area) with just one time zone; before 1949 it was divided into five

    etymology: the Chinese meaning is "Northern Capital"

  • Christmas Island

    name: The Settlement (Flying Fish Cove)

    geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E

    time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: self-descriptive name for the main locus of population

  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands

    name: West Island

    geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 50 E

    time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

  • Colombia

    name: Bogota

    geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: originally referred to as "Bacata," meaning "enclosure outside of the farm fields," by the indigenous Muisca

  • Comoros

    name: Moroni

    geographic coordinates: 11 42 S, 43 14 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Moroni derives from "mroni," which means "at the river" in Shingazidja, the Comorian language spoken on Grande Comore (N'gazidja)

  • Congo, Democratic Republic of the

    name: Kinshasa

    geographic coordinates: 4 19 S, 15 18 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: the DRC has two time zones

    etymology: founded as a trading post in 1881 and named Leopoldville in honor of King LEOPOLD II of the Belgians, who controlled the Congo Free State, the vast central African territory that became the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960; in 1966, Leopoldville was renamed Kinshasa, after a village of that name that once stood near the site

  • Congo, Republic of the

    name: Brazzaville

    geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after the Italian-born French explorer and humanitarian, Pierre Savorgnan de BRAZZA (1852-1905), who promoted French colonial interests in central Africa and worked against slavery and the abuse of African laborers

  • Cook Islands

    name: Avarua

    geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W

    time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: translates as "two harbors" in Maori

  • Costa Rica

    name: San Jose

    geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W

    time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named in honor of Saint Joseph

  • Cote d'Ivoire

    name: Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative capital); note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative capital as well as the officially designated economic capital; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan

    geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 16 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Yamoussoukro is named after Queen YAMOUSSOU, who ruled in the village of N'Gokro in 1929 at the time of French colonization; the village was renamed Yamoussoukro, the suffix "-kro" meaning "town" in the native Baoule language; Abidjan's name supposedly comes from a misunderstanding; tradition states that an old man carrying branches met a European explorer who asked for the name of the nearest village; the man, not understanding and terrified by this unexpected encounter, fled shouting "min-chan m’bidjan," which in the Ebrie language means: "I return from cutting leaves"; the explorer, thinking that his question had been answered, recorded the name of the locale as Abidjan; a different version has the first colonists asking native women the name of the place and getting a similar response

  • Croatia

    name: Zagreb

    geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name seems to be related to "digging"; archeologists suggest that the original settlement was established beyond a water-filled hole or graba and that the name derives from this; za in Slavic means "beyond"; the overall meaning may be "beyond the trench (fault, channel, ditch)"

  • Cuba

    name: Havana

    geographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting

    etymology: the sites of Spanish colonial cities often retained their original Taino names; Habana, the Spanish name for the city, may be based on the name of a local Taino chief, HABAGUANEX

  • Curacao

    name: Willemstad

    geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 55 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after Prince WILLIAM II of Orange (1626-1650), who served as stadtholder (Dutch head of state) from 1647 to 1650, shortly after the the Dutch captured Curacao from the Spanish in 1634

  • Cyprus

    name: Nicosia (Lefkosia/Lefkosa)

    geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: a mispronunciation of the city's Greek name Lefkosia and its Turkish name Lefkosa, both of which mean "White City"; the Greek name may derive from the Greek phrase "leuke ousia" ("white estate")

  • Czechia

    name: Prague

    geographic coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name may derive from an old Slavic root "praga" or "prah", meaning "ford", and refer to the city's origin at a crossing point of the Vltava (Moldau) River

  • Denmark

    name: Copenhagen

    geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October; note - applies to continental Denmark only, not to its North Atlantic components

    etymology: name derives from the city's Danish appellation Kobenhavn, meaning "Merchant's Harbor"

  • Dhekelia

    name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia); located in Akrotiri

    geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: "Episkopi" means "episcopal" in Greek and stems from the fact that the site previously served as the bishop's seat of an Orthodox diocese

  • Djibouti

    name: Djibouti

    geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the origin of the name is disputed; multiple descriptions, possibilities, and theories have been proposed

  • Dominica

    name: Roseau

    geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name is French for "reed"; the first settlement was named after the river reeds that grew in the area

  • Dominican Republic

    name: Santo Domingo

    geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after Saint Dominic de GUZMAN (1170-1221), founder of the Dominican Order

  • Ecuador

    name: Quito

    geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: Ecuador has two time zones, including the Galapagos Islands (UTC-6)

    etymology: named after the Quitu, a Pre-Columbian indigenous people credited with founding the city; the name is also a combination of two Tsafiki words: quitso (meaning "center" or "half") + to or tu ("the world"); the combination roughly translates as "center of the world" and reflects the fact that native peoples recognized that at the two annual equinoxes, the overhead sun in that area (only about 20 km (12 mi) north of the equator) did not display any shade and thus must be in the middle of the world

  • Egypt

    name: Cairo

    geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: from the Arabic "al-Qahira," meaning "the victorious"

  • El Salvador

    name: San Salvador

    geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W

    time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Spanish for "Holy Savior" (referring to Jesus Christ)

  • Equatorial Guinea

    name: Malabo; note - Malabo is on the island of Bioko; in 2017, some governmental offices began to move to a new capital of Ciudad de la Paz (formerly referred to as Oyala) on the mainland near Djibloho, but a lack of funds has halted progress on construction 

    geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after King MALABO (Malabo Lopelo Melaka) (1837–1937), the last king of the Bubi, the ethnic group indigenous to the island of Bioko; the name of the new capital, Ciudad de la Paz, translates to "City of Peace" in Spanish

  • Eritrea

    name: Asmara

    geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name means "they [women] made them unite," which according to Tigrinya oral tradition refers to the women of the four clans in the Asmara area who persuaded their menfolk to unite and defeat their common enemy; the name has also been translated as "live in peace"

  • Estonia

    name: Tallinn

    geographic coordinates: 59 26 N, 24 43 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the Estonian name is generally believed to be derived from "Taani-linn" (originally meaning "Danish castle", now "Danish town") after a stronghold built in the area by the Danes; it could also have come from "tali-linn" ("winter castle" or "winter town") or "talu-linn" ("home castle" or "home town")

  • Eswatini

    name: Mbabane (administrative capital); Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)

    geographic coordinates: 26 19 S, 31 08 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after a Swati chief, Mbabane KUNENE, who lived in the area at the onset of British settlement

  • Ethiopia

    name: Addis Ababa

    geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name in Amharic means "new flower" and was bestowed on the city in 1889, three years after its founding

  • European Union

    name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg, Frankfurt (Germany); note - the European Council, a gathering of the EU heads of state and/or government, and the Council of the European Union, a ministerial-level body of 10 formations, meet in Brussels, Belgium, except for Council meetings held in Luxembourg in April, June, and October; the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France, and has administrative offices in Luxembourg; the Court of Justice of the European Union is located in Luxembourg; and the European Central Bank is located in Frankfurt, Germany

    geographic coordinates: (Brussels) 50 50 N, 4 20 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: the 27 European Union countries spread across three time zones; a proposal has been put forward to do away with daylight savings time in all EU member states

  • Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    name: Stanley

    geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 51 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after Edward SMITH-STANLEY (1799-1869), the 14th Earl of Derby, a British statesman and three-time prime minister of the UK who never visited the islands

  • Faroe Islands

    name: Torshavn

    geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 6 46 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the meaning in Danish is "Thor's harbor"

  • Fiji

    name: Suva (on Viti Levu)

    geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E

    time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name means "little hill" in the native Fijian (iTaukei) language and refers to a mound where a temple once stood

  • Finland

    name: Helsinki

    geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name may derive from the Swedish helsing, an archaic name for "neck" (hals), and which may refer to a narrowing of the Vantaa River that flows into the Gulf of Finland at Helsinki; fors refers to "rapids," so helsing fors meaning becomes "the narrows' rapids"

  • France

    name: Paris

    geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: applies to metropolitan France only; for its overseas regions the time difference is UTC-4 for Guadeloupe and Martinique, UTC-3 for French Guiana, UTC+3 for Mayotte, and UTC+4 for Reunion

    etymology: name derives from the Parisii, a Celtic tribe that inhabited the area from the 3rd century B.C., but who were conquered by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.; the Celtic settlement became the Roman town of Lutetia Parisiorum (Lutetia of the Parisii); over subsequent centuries it became Parisium and then just Paris

  • French Polynesia

    name: Papeete (located on Tahiti)

    geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W

    time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name means "water basket" and refers to the fact that the islanders originally used calabashes enclosed in baskets to fetch water at a spring in the area

  • Gabon

    name: Libreville

    geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: original site settled by freed slaves and the name means "free town" in French; named in imitation of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone

  • Gambia, The

    name: Banjul

    geographic coordinates: 13 27 N, 16 34 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Banjul is located on Saint Mary's Island at the mouth of the Gambia River; the Mandinka used to gather fibrous plants on the island for the manufacture of ropes; "bang julo" is Mandinka for "rope fiber"; mispronunciation over time caused the term became the word Banjul

  • Georgia

    name: Tbilisi

    geographic coordinates: 41 41 N, 44 50 E

    time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name in Georgian means "warm place," referring to the numerous sulfuric hot springs in the area

  • Germany

    name: Berlin

    geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the origin of the name is unclear but may be related to the old West Slavic (Polabian) word "berl" or "birl," meaning "swamp"

  • Ghana

    name: Accra

    geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name derives from the Akan word "nkran" meaning "ants," and refers to the numerous anthills in the area around the capital

  • Gibraltar

    name: Gibraltar

    geographic coordinates: 36 08 N, 5 21 W

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: from the Spanish derivation of the Arabic "Jabal Tariq," which means "Mountain of Tariq" and which refers to the Rock of Gibraltar

  • Greece

    name: Athens

    geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: Athens is the oldest European capital city; according to tradition, the city is named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom; in actuality, the appellation probably derives from a lost name in a pre-Hellenic language

  • Greenland

    name: Nuuk (Godthaab)

    geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W

    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: Greenland has four time zones

    etymology: "nuuk" is the Inuit word for "cape" and refers to the city's position at the end of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord

  • Grenada

    name: Saint George's

    geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the 1763 Treaty of Paris transferred possession of Grenada from France to Great Britain; the new administration renamed Ville de Fort Royal (Fort Royal Town) to Saint George's Town, after the patron saint of England; eventually the name became simply Saint George's

  • Guam

    name: Hagatna (Agana)

    geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 44 E

    time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name is derived from the Chamoru word "haga," meaning "blood", and may refer to the bloodlines of the various families that established the original settlement

  • Guatemala

    name: Guatemala City

    geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W

    time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the Spanish conquistadors used many native Americans as allies in their conquest of Guatemala; the site of their first capital (established in 1524), a former Maya settlement, was called "Quauhtemallan" by their Nahuatl-speaking Mexican allies, a name that means "land of trees" or "forested land", but which the Spanish pronounced "Guatemala"; the Spanish applied that name to a re-founded capital city three years later and eventually it became the name of the country

  • Guernsey

    name: Saint Peter Port

    geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: Saint Peter Port is the name of the town and its surrounding parish; the "port" distinguishes this parish from that of Saint Peter on the other side of the island

  • Guinea

    name: Conakry

    geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 13 42 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: according to tradition, the name derives from the fusion of the name Cona, a Baga wine and cheese producer who lived on Tombo Island (the original site of the present-day capital), and the word nakiri, which in Susu means "the other bank" or "the other side"; supposedly, Baga's palm grove produced the best wine on the island and people traveling to sample his vintage, would say: "I am going to Cona, on the other bank (Cona-nakiri)," which over time became Conakry

  • Guinea-Bissau

    name: Bissau

    geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the meaning of Bissau is uncertain, it might be an alternative name for the Papel people who live in the area of the city of Bissau

  • Guyana

    name: Georgetown

    geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 09 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: when the British took possession of the town from the Dutch in 1812, they renamed it Georgetown in honor of King GEORGE III (1738-1820)

  • Haiti

    name: Port-au-Prince

    geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

    etymology: according to tradition, in 1706, a Captain de Saint-Andre named the bay and its surrounding area after his ship Le Prince; the name of the town that grew there means, "the Port of The Prince"

  • Holy See (Vatican City)

    name: Vatican City

    geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the term "Vatican" derives from the hill Mons Vaticanus on which the Vatican is located and which comes from the Latin "vaticinari" (to prophesy), referring to the fortune tellers and soothsayers who frequented the area in Roman times

  • Honduras

    name: Tegucigalpa; note - article eight of the Honduran constitution states that the twin cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela, jointly, constitute the capital of the Republic of Honduras; however, virtually all governmental institutions are on the Tegucigalpa side, which in practical terms makes Tegucigalpa the capital

    geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W

    time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

    etymology: while most sources agree that Tegucigalpa is of Nahuatl derivation, there is no consensus on its original meaning

  • Hungary

    name: Budapest

    geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the Hungarian capital city was formed in 1873 from the merger of three cities on opposite banks of the Danube: Buda and Obuda (Old Buda) on the western shore and Pest on the eastern; the origins of the original names are obscure, but according to the second century A.D. geographer, Ptolemy, the settlement that would become Pest was called "Pession" in ancient times; "Buda" may derive from either a Slavic or Turkic personal name

  • Iceland

    name: Reykjavik

    geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name means "smoky bay" in Icelandic and refers to the steamy, smoke-like vapors discharged by hot springs in the area

  • India

    name: New Delhi

    geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E

    time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the city's name is associated with various myths and legends; the original name for the city may have been Dhilli or Dhillika; alternatively, the name could be a corruption of the Hindustani words "dehleez" or "dehali" - both terms meaning "threshold" or "gateway" - and indicative of the city as a gateway to the Gangetic Plain; after the British decided to move the capital of their Indian Empire from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, they created a new governmental district south of the latter designated as New Delhi; the new capital was not formally inaugurated until 1931

  • Indonesia

    name: Jakarta; note - Indonesian lawmakers on 18 January 2022 approved the relocation of the country’s capital from Jakarta to a site in East Kalimantan, a jungle area of Borneo; the move to Nusantara, the name of the new capital, will take several years

    geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 49 E

    time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: Indonesia has three time zones

    etymology: "Jakarta" derives from the Sanscrit "Jayakarta" meaning "victorious city" and refers to a successful defeat and expulsion of the Portuguese in 1527; previously the port had been named "Sunda Kelapa"

  • Iran

    name: Tehran

    geographic coordinates: 35 42 N, 51 25 E

    time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins fourth Wednesday in March; ends fourth Friday in September

    etymology: various explanations of the city's name have been proffered, but the most plausible states that it derives from the Persian words tah meaning "end or bottom" and ran meaning "[mountain] slope" to signify "bottom of the mountain slope"; Tehran lies at the bottom slope of the Elburz Mountains

  • Iraq

    name: Baghdad

    geographic coordinates: 33 20 N, 44 24 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: although the origin of the name is disputed, it likely has compound Persian roots with bagh and dad meaning "god" and "given" respectively to create the meaning of "bestowed by God"

  • Ireland

    name: Dublin

    geographic coordinates: 53 19 N, 6 14 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: derived from Irish dubh and lind meaning respectively "black, dark" and "pool" and which referred to the dark tidal pool where the River Poddle entered the River Liffey; today the area is the site of the castle gardens behind Dublin Castle

  • Isle of Man

    name: Douglas

    geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: name derives from the Dhoo and Glass Rivers, which flow through the valley in which the town is located and which in Manx mean the "dark" and the "light" rivers respectively

  • Israel

    name: Jerusalem; note - the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty

    geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October

    etymology: Jerusalem's settlement may date back to 2800 B.C.; it is named Urushalim in Egyptian texts of the 14th century B.C.; uru-shalim likely means "foundation of [by] the god Shalim", and derives from Hebrew/Semitic yry, "to found or lay a cornerstone", and Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk and the nether world; Shalim was associated with sunset and peace and the name is based on the same S-L-M root from which Semitic words for "peace" are derived (Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew); this confluence has thus led to naming interpretations such as "The City of Peace" or "The Abode of Peace"

  • Italy

    name: Rome

    geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: by tradition, named after Romulus, one of the legendary founders of the city and its first king

  • Jamaica

    name: Kingston

    geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name is a blending of the words "king's" and "town"; the English king at the time of the city's founding in 1692 was WILLIAM III (r. 1689-1702)

  • Japan

    name: Tokyo

    geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E

    time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: originally known as Edo, meaning "estuary" in Japanese, the name was changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital," in 1868

  • Jersey

    name: Saint Helier

    geographic coordinates: 49 11 N, 2 06 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: named after Saint HELIER, the patron saint of Jersey, who was reputedly martyred on the island in A.D. 555

  • Jordan

    name: Amman

    geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in February; ends last Friday in October

    etymology: in the 13th century B.C., the Ammonites named their main city "Rabbath Ammon"; "rabbath" designated "capital," so the name meant "The Capital of [the] Ammon[ites]"; over time, the "Rabbath" came to be dropped and the city became known simply as "Ammon" and then "Amman"

  • Kazakhstan

    name: Astana

    geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E

    time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: Kazakhstan has two time zones

    etymology: the name means "capital city" in Kazakh


    note: on 17 September 2022, Kazakhstan changed the name of its capital city from Nur-Sultan back to Astana; this was not the first time the city had its name changed; founded in 1830 as Akmoly, it became Akmolinsk in 1832, Tselinograd in 1961, Akmola (Aqmola) in 1992, Astana in 1998, and Nur-Sultan in 2019; the latest name change occurred just three and a half years after the city was renamed to honor a long-serving (28-year) former president, who subsequently fell out of favor

  • Kenya

    name: Nairobi

    geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name derives from the Maasai expression meaning "cool waters" and refers to a cold water stream that flowed through the area in the late 19th century

  • Kiribati

    name: Tarawa

    geographic coordinates: 1 21 N, 173 02 E

    time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: Kiribati has three time zones: the Gilbert Islands group at UTC+12, the Phoenix Islands at UTC+13, and the Line Islands at UTC+14

    etymology: in Kiribati creation mythology, "tarawa" was what the spider Nareau named the land to distinguish it from "karawa" (the sky) and "marawa" (the ocean)

  • Korea, North

    name: Pyongyang

    geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E

    time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: on 5 May 2018, North Korea reverted to UTC+9, the same time zone as South Korea

    etymology: the name translates as "flat land" in Korean

  • Korea, South

    name: Seoul; note - Sejong, located some 120 km (75 mi) south of Seoul, serves as an administrative capital for segments of the South Korean Government

    geographic coordinates: 37 33 N, 126 59 E

    time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name originates from the Korean word meaning "capital city" and which is believed to be derived from Seorabeol, the name of the capital of the ancient Korean Kingdom of Silla

  • Kosovo

    name: Pristina (Prishtine, Prishtina)

    geographic coordinates: 42 40 N, 21 10 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name may derive from a Proto-Slavic word reconstructed as "pryshchina," meaning "spring (of water)"

  • Kuwait

    name: Kuwait City

    geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name derives from Arabic "al-Kuwayt" a diminutive of "kut" meaning "fortress," possibly a reference to a small castle built on the current location of Kuwait City by the Beni Khaled tribe in the 17th century

  • Kyrgyzstan

    name: Bishkek

    geographic coordinates: 42 52 N, 74 36 E

    time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: founded in 1868 as a Russian settlement on the site of a previously destroyed fortress named "Pishpek"; the name was retained and overtime became "Bishkek"

  • Laos

    name: Vientiane (Viangchan)

    geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E

    time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the meaning in Pali, a Buddhist liturgical language, is "city of sandalwood"

  • Latvia

    name: Riga

    geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: of the several theories explaining the name's origin, the one relating to the city's role in Baltic and North Sea commerce is the most probable; the name is likely related to the Latvian word "rija," meaning "warehouse," where the 'j' became a 'g' under the heavy German influence in the city from the late Middle Ages to the early 20th century

  • Lebanon

    name: Beirut

    geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: derived from the Canaanite or Phoenician word "ber'ot," meaning "the wells" or "fountain," which referred to the site's accessible water table

  • Lesotho

    name: Maseru

    geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: in the Sesotho language the name means "[place of] red sandstones"

  • Liberia

    name: Monrovia

    geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after James MONROE (1758-1831), the fifth president of the United States and supporter of the colonization of Liberia by freed slaves; one of two national capitals named for a US president, the other is Washington, D.C.

  • Libya

    name: Tripoli (Tarabulus)

    geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: originally founded by the Phoenicians as Oea in the 7th century B.C., the city changed rulers many times over the successive centuries; by the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. the region around the city was referred to as Regio Tripolitana by the Romans, meaning "region of the three cities" - namely Oea (i.e., modern Tripoli), Sabratha (to the west), and Leptis Magna (to the east); over time, the shortened name of "Tripoli" came to refer to just Oea, which derives from the Greek words tria and polis meaning "three cities"

  • Liechtenstein

    name: Vaduz

    geographic coordinates: 47 08 N, 9 31 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: may be a conflation from the Latin vallis (valley) and the High German diutisk (meaning "German") to produce Valdutsch ("German valley"), which over time simplified and came to refer specifically to Vaduz, the town

  • Lithuania

    name: Vilnius

    geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: named after the Vilnia River, which flows into the Neris River at Vilnius; the river name derives from the Lithuanian word "vilnis" meaning "a surge"

  • Luxembourg

    name: Luxembourg

    geographic coordinates: 49 36 N, 6 07 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name derives from the Celtic lucilem (little) and the German burg (castle or fortress) to produce the meaning of the "little castle"; the name is actually ironic, since for centuries the Fortress of Luxembourg was one of Europe's most formidable fortifications; the name passed to the city that grew around the fortress

  • Madagascar

    name: Antananarivo

    geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name, which means "City of the Thousand," was bestowed by 17th century King ADRIANJAKAKING to honor the soldiers assigned to guard the city

  • Malawi

    name: Lilongwe

    geographic coordinates: 13 58 S, 33 47 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after the Lilongwe River that flows through the city

  • Malaysia

    name: Kuala Lumpur; note - nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not the capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur

    geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E

    time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the Malay word for "river junction or estuary" is kuala and lumpur means "mud"; together the words render the meaning of "muddy confluence"

  • Maldives

    name: Male

    geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 30 E

    time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: derived from the Sanskrit word "mahaalay" meaning "big house"

  • Mali

    name: Bamako

    geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name in the Bambara language can mean either "crocodile tail" or "crocodile river" and three crocodiles appear on the city seal

  • Malta

    name: Valletta

    geographic coordinates: 35 53 N, 14 30 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: named in honor of Jean de VALETTE, the Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (crusader knights), who successfully led a defense of the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565

  • Marshall Islands

    name: Majuro; note - the capital is an atoll of 64 islands; governmental buildings are housed on three fused islands on the eastern side of the atoll: Djarrit, Uliga, and Delap

    geographic coordinates: 7 06 N, 171 23 E

    time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Majuro means "two openings" or "two eyes" and refers to the two major northern passages through the atoll into the Majuro lagoon

  • Mauritania

    name: Nouakchott

    geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 15 58 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: may derive from the Berber "nawakshut" meaning "place of the winds"

  • Mauritius

    name: Port Louis

    geographic coordinates: 20 09 S, 57 29 E

    time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after LOUIS XV, who was king of France in 1736 when the port became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning stop for French ships traveling between Europe and Asia

  • Mexico

    name: Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico)

    geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W

    time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: Mexico has four time zones

    etymology: named after the Mexica, the largest and most powerful branch of the Aztecs; the meaning of the name is uncertain

  • Micronesia, Federated States of

    name: Palikir

    geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 09 E

    time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: Micronesia has two time zones

    note: Palikir became the new capital of the country in 1989, three years after independence; Kolonia, the former capital, remains the site for many foreign embassies; it also serves as the Pohnpei state capital

  • Moldova

    name: Chisinau in Moldovan (Kishinev in Russian)

    geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 51 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: origin unclear but may derive from the archaic Romanian word chisla ("spring" or "water source") and noua ("new") because the original settlement was built at the site of a small spring

    note: pronounced KEE-shee-now (KIH-shi-nyov)

  • Monaco

    name: Monaco

    geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century B.C., the name derives from two Greek words monos (single, alone) and oikos (house) to convey the sense of a people "living apart" or in a "single habitation"

  • Mongolia

    name: Ulaanbaatar

    geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 55 E

    time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September

    time zone note: Mongolia has two time zones - Ulaanbaatar Time (8 hours in advance of UTC) and Hovd Time (7 hours in advance of UTC)

    etymology: the name means "red hero" in Mongolian and honors national hero Damdin SUKHBAATAR, leader of the partisan army that with Soviet Red Army help, liberated Mongolia from Chinese occupation in the early 1920s

  • Montenegro

    name: Podgorica; note - Cetinje retains the status of "Old Royal Capital"

    geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name translates as "beneath Gorica"; the meaning of Gorica is "hillock"; the reference is to the small hill named Gorica that the city is built around

  • Montserrat

    name: Plymouth; note - Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, the de facto capital, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat

    geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: now entirely deserted because of volcanic activity, the city was originally named after Plymouth, England; de jure, Plymouth remains the capital city of Montserrat; it is therefore the only ghost town that serves as the capital of a political entity

  • Morocco

    name: Rabat

    geographic coordinates: 34 01 N, 6 49 W

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derives from the Arabic title "Ribat el-Fath," meaning "stronghold of victory," applied to the newly constructed citadel in 1170

  • Mozambique

    name: Maputo

    geographic coordinates: 25 57 S, 32 35 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: reputedly named after the Maputo River, which drains into Maputo Bay south of the city

  • Namibia

    name: Windhoek

    geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 05 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April

    etymology: may derive from the Afrikaans word "wind-hoek" meaning "windy corner"

  • Nauru

    name: no official capital; government offices in the Yaren District

    time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

  • Nepal

    name: Kathmandu

    geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E

    time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derives from the Kasthamandap temple that stood in Durbar Square; in Sanskrit, kastha means "wood" and mandapa means "pavilion"; the three-story structure was made entirely of wood, without iron nails or supports, and dated to the late 16th century; it collapsed during a 2015 earthquake

  • Netherlands

    name: Amsterdam; note - The Hague is the seat of government

    geographic coordinates: 52 21 N, 4 55 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, for the constituent countries in the Caribbean, the time difference is UTC-4

    etymology: the original Dutch name, Amstellerdam, meaning "a dam on the Amstel River," dates to the 13th century; over time the name simplified to Amsterdam

  • New Caledonia

    name: Noumea

    geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E

    time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: established in 1854 as Port-de-France, the settlement was renamed Noumea in 1866, in order to avoid any confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique; the New Caledonian language of Ndrumbea (also spelled Ndumbea, Dubea, and Drubea) spoken in the area gave its name to the capital city, Noumea, as well as to the neighboring town (suburb) of Dumbea

  • New Zealand

    name: Wellington

    geographic coordinates: 41 18 S, 174 47 E

    time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April

    time zone note: New Zealand has two time zones: New Zealand standard time (UTC+12) and Chatham Islands time (45 minutes in advance of New Zealand standard time; UTC+12:45)

    etymology: named in 1840 after Arthur WELLESLEY, the first Duke of Wellington and victorious general at the Battle of Waterloo

  • Nicaragua

    name: Managua

    geographic coordinates: 12 08 N, 86 15 W

    time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: may derive from the indigenous Nahuatl term "mana-ahuac," which translates as "adjacent to the water" or a site "surrounded by water"; the city is situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Managua

  • Niger

    name: Niamey

    geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: according to tradition, the site was originally a fishing village named after a prominent local tree referred to as "nia niam"

  • Nigeria

    name: Abuja

    geographic coordinates: 9 05 N, 7 32 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Abuja is a planned capital city, it replaced Lagos in 1991; situated in the center of the country, Abuja takes its name from a nearby town, now renamed Suleja

  • Niue

    name: Alofi

    geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W

    time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

  • Norfolk Island

    name: Kingston

    geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E

    time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends first Sunday in April

    etymology: the name is a blending of the words "king's" and "town"; the British king at the time of the town's settlement in the late 18th century was GEORGE III

  • North Macedonia

    name: Skopje

    geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 21 26 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: Skopje derives from its ancient name Scupi, the Latin designation of a classical era Greco-Roman frontier fortress town; the name may go back even further to a pre-Greek, Illyrian name

  • Northern Mariana Islands

    name: Saipan

    geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E

    time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the entire island of Saipan is organized as a single municipality and serves as the capital; according to legend, when the first native voyagers arrived in their outrigger canoes they found an uninhabited island; to them it was like an empty voyage, so they named the island saay meaning "a voyage," and peel meaning "empty"; over time Saaypeel - "island of the empty voyage" - became Saipan

  • Norway

    name: Oslo

    geographic coordinates: 59 55 N, 10 45 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the medieval name was spelt "Aslo"; the as component refered either to the Ekeberg ridge southeast of the town ("as" in modern Norwegian), or to the Aesir (Norse gods); lo refered to "meadow," so the most likely interpretations would have been either "the meadow beneath the ridge" or "the meadow of the gods"; both explanations are considered equally plausible

  • Oman

    name: Muscat

    geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E

    time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name, whose meaning is uncertain, traces back almost two millennia; two 2nd century A.D. scholars, the geographer PTOLEMY and the historian ARRIAN, both mention an Arabian Sea coastal town of Moscha, which most likely referred to Muscat

  • Pakistan

    name: Islamabad

    geographic coordinates: 33 41 N, 73 03 E

    time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: derived from two words: Islam, an Urdu word referring to the religion of Islam, and -abad, a Persian suffix indicating an "inhabited place" or "city," to render the meaning "City of Islam"

  • Palau

    name: Ngerulmud

    geographic coordinates: 7 30 N, 134 37 E

    time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the Palauan meaning is "place of fermented 'mud'" ('mud' being the native name for the keyhole angelfish); the site of the new capitol (established in 2006) had been a large hill overlooking the ocean, Ngerulmud, on which women would communally gather to offer fermented angelfish to the gods

    note: Ngerulmud, on Babeldaob Island, is the smallest national capital on earth by population, with only a few hundred people; the name is pronounced en-jer-al-mud; Koror, on Koror Island, with over 11,000 residents is by far the largest settlement in Palau; it served as the country's capital from independence in 1994 to 2006

  • Panama

    name: Panama City

    geographic coordinates: 8 58 N, 79 32 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: according to tradition, the name derives from a former fishing area near the present capital - an indigenous village and its adjacent beach - that were called "panama" meaning "an abundance of fish"

  • Papua New Guinea

    name: Port Moresby

    geographic coordinates: 9 27 S, 147 11 E

    time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    time zone note: Papua New Guinea has two time zones, including Bougainville (UTC+11)

    etymology: named in 1873 by Captain John MORESBY (1830-1922) in honor of his father, British Admiral Sir Fairfax MORESBY (1786-1877)

  • Paraguay

    name: Asuncion

    geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March

    etymology: the name means "assumption" and derives from the original name given to the city at its founding in 1537, Nuestra Senora Santa Maria de la Asuncion (Our Lady Saint Mary of the Assumption)

  • Peru

    name: Lima

    geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the word "Lima" derives from the Spanish pronunciation of "Limaq," the native name for the valley in which the city was founded in 1535; "limaq" means "talker" in coastal Quechua and referred to an oracle that was situated in the valley but which was eventually destroyed by the Spanish and replaced with a church

  • Philippines

    name: Manila

    geographic coordinates: 14 36 N, 120 58 E

    time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: derives from the Tagalog "may-nila" meaning "where there is indigo" and refers to the presence of indigo-yielding plants growing in the area surrounding the original settlement

  • Pitcairn Islands

    name: Adamstown

    geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W

    time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after John ADAMS (1767–1829), the last survivor of the Bounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in January 1790

  • Poland

    name: Warsaw

    geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the origin of the name is unknown; the Polish designation "Warszawa" was the name of a fishing village and several legends/traditions link the city's founding to a man named Wars or Warsz

  • Portugal

    name: Lisbon

    geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: Portugal has two time zones, including the Azores (UTC-1)

    etymology: Lisbon is one of Europe's oldest cities (the second oldest capital city after Athens) and the origin of the name is lost in time; it may have been founded as an ancient Celtic settlement that subsequently maintained close commercial relations with the Phoenicians (beginning about 1200 B.C.); the name of the settlement may have been derived from the pre-Roman appellation for the Tagus River that runs through the city, Lisso or Lucio; the Romans named the city "Olisippo" when they took it from the Carthaginians in 205 B.C.; under the Visigoths the city name became "Ulixbona," under the Arabs it was "al-Ushbuna"; the medieval version of "Lissabona" became today's Lisboa

  • Puerto Rico

    name: San Juan

    geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 66 07 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name dates to 1521 and the founding of the city under the name "Ciudad de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico" (City of Saint John the Baptist of Puerto Rico)

  • Qatar

    name: Doha

    geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: derives from the Arabic term "dohat," meaning "roundness," and refers to the small rounded bays along the area's coastline

  • Romania

    name: Bucharest

    geographic coordinates: 44 26 N, 26 06 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: related to the Romanian word "bucura" that is believed to be of Dacian origin and whose meaning is "to be glad (happy)"; Bucharest's meaning is thus akin to "city of joy"

  • Russia

    name: Moscow

    geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 36 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time (DST)

    time zone note: Russia has 11 time zones, the largest number of contiguous time zones of any country in the world; in 2014, two time zones were added and DST dropped

    etymology: named after the Moskva River; the origin of the river's name is obscure but may derive from the appellation "Mustajoki" given to the river by the Finno-Ugric people who originally inhabited the area and whose meaning may have been "dark" or "turbid"

  • Rwanda

    name: Kigali

    geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 03 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the city takes its name from nearby Mount Kigali; the name "Kigali" is composed of the Bantu prefix ki and the Rwandan gali meaning "broad" and likely refers to the broad, sprawling hill that has been dignified with the title of "mount"

  • Saint Barthelemy

    name: Gustavia

    geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named in honor of King Gustav III (1746-1792) of Sweden during whose reign the island was obtained from France in 1784; the name was retained when in 1878 the island was sold back to France

  • Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

    name: Jamestown

    geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 43 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: founded in 1659 and named after James, Duke of York, who would become King JAMES II of England (r. 1785-1788)

  • Saint Kitts and Nevis

    name: Basseterre

    geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the French name translates as "low land" in English; the reference is to the city's low-lying location within a valley, as well as to the fact that the city is on the leeward (downwind) part of the island, and is thus a safe anchorage

  • Saint Lucia

    name: Castries

    geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 61 00 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: in 1785, the village of Carenage was renamed Castries, after Charles Eugene Gabriel de La Croix de CASTRIES (1727-1801), who was then the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies

  • Saint Martin

    name: Marigot

    geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: marigot is a French term referring to a body of water, a watercourse, a side-stream, or a tributary rivulet; the name likely refers to a stream at the site of the city's original founding

  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon

    name: Saint-Pierre

    geographic coordinates: 46 46 N, 56 11 W

    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

    etymology: named after Saint Peter, the patron saint of fisherman

  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

    name: Kingstown

    geographic coordinates: 13 08 N, 61 13 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: an earlier French settlement was renamed Kingstown by the British in 1763 when they assumed control of the island; the king referred to in the name is GEORGE III (r. 1760-1820)

  • Samoa

    name: Apia

    geographic coordinates: 13 49 S, 171 46 W

    time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derives from the native village around which the capital was constructed in the 1850s; the village still exists within the larger modern capital

  • San Marino

    name: San Marino (city)

    geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: named after Saint MARINUS, who in A.D. 301 founded a monastic settlement around which the city and later the state of San Marino coalesced

  • Sao Tome and Principe

    name: Sao Tome

    geographic coordinates: 0 20 N, 6 44 E

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after Saint Thomas the Apostle

  • Saudi Arabia

    name: Riyadh

    geographic coordinates: 24 39 N, 46 42 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name derives from the Arabic word "riyadh," meaning "gardens," and refers to various oasis towns in the area that merged to form the city

  • Senegal

    name: Dakar

    geographic coordinates: 14 44 N, 17 38 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the Atlantic coast trading settlement of Ndakaaru came to be called "Dakar" by French colonialists

  • Serbia

    name: Belgrade (Beograd)

    geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the Serbian "Beograd" means "white fortress" or "white city" and dates back to the 9th century; the name derives from the white fortress wall that once enclosed the city

  • Seychelles

    name: Victoria

    geographic coordinates: 4 37 S, 55 27 E

    time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: founded as L'etablissement in 1778 by French colonists, the town was renamed in 1841 by the British after Queen VICTORIA (1819-1901); "victoria" is the Latin word for "victory"

  • Sierra Leone

    name: Freetown

    geographic coordinates: 8 29 N, 13 14 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derived from the fact that the original settlement served as a haven for free-born and freed African Americans, as well as for liberated Africans rescued from slave ships

  • Singapore

    name: Singapore

    geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E

    time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: name derives from the Sanskrit words simha (lion) and pura (city), thus creating the city's epithet "lion city"

  • Sint Maarten

    name: Philipsburg

    geographic coordinates: 18 1 N, 63 2 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: founded and named in 1763 by John PHILIPS, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy

  • Slovakia

    name: Bratislava

    geographic coordinates: 48 09 N, 17 07 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name was adopted in 1919 after Czechoslovakia gained its independence and may derive from later transliterations of the 9th century military commander, Braslav, or the 11th century Bohemian Duke BRETISLAV I; alternatively, the name may derive from the Slovak words brat (brother) and slava (glory)

  • Slovenia

    name: Ljubljana

    geographic coordinates: 46 03 N, 14 31 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: likely related to the Slavic root "ljub", meaning "to like" or "to love"; by tradition, the name is related to the Slovene word "ljubljena" meaning "beloved"

  • Solomon Islands

    name: Honiara

    geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E

    time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name derives from "nagho ni ara," which in one of the Guadalcanal languages roughly translates as "facing the eastern wind"

  • Somalia

    name: Mogadishu

    geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 20 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: several theories attempt to explain the city's name; one of the more plausible is that it derives from "maq'ad-i-shah" meaning "the seat of the shah," reflecting the city's links with Persia

  • South Africa

    name: Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)

    geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Pretoria is named in honor of Andries PRETORIUS, the father of voortrekker (pioneer) leader Marthinus PRETORIUS; Cape Town reflects its location on the Cape of Good Hope; Bloemfontein is a combination of the Dutch words bloem (flower) and fontein (fountain) meaning "fountain of flowers"

  • South Sudan

    name: Juba

    geographic coordinates: 04 51 N, 31 37 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name derives from Djouba, another name for the Bari people of South Sudan

  • Spain

    name: Madrid

    geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: Spain has two time zones, including the Canary Islands (UTC 0)

    etymology: the Romans named the original settlement "Matrice" after the river that ran through it; under Arab rule it became "Majerit," meaning "source of water"; in medieval Romance dialects (Mozarabic) it became "Matrit," which over time changed to "Madrid"

  • Sri Lanka

    name: Colombo (commercial capital); Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)

    geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 79 50 E

    time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Colombo may derive from the Sinhala "kolon thota," meaning "port on the river" (referring to the Kelani River that empties into the Indian Ocean at Colombo); alternatively, the name may derive from the Sinhala "kola amba thota" meaning "harbor with mango trees"; it is also possible that the Portuguese named the city after Christopher COLUMBUS, who lived in Portugal for many years (as Cristovao COLOMBO) before discovering the Americas for the Spanish crown in 1492 - not long before the Portuguese made their way to Sri Lanka in 1505; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte translates as "Resplendent City of Growing Victory" in Sinhala

  • Sudan

    name: Khartoum

    geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: several explanations of the name exist; two of the more plausible are that it is derived from Arabic "al-jartum" meaning "elephant's trunk" or "hose," and likely referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles; alternatively, the name could derive from the Dinka words "khar-tuom," indicating a "place where rivers meet"

  • Suriname

    name: Paramaribo

    geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W

    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name may be the corruption of a Carib (Kalina) village or tribe named Parmirbo

  • Svalbard

    name: Longyearbyen

    geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 38 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name in Norwegian means Longyear Town; the site was established by and named after John LONGYEAR, whose Arctic Coal Company began mining operations there in 1906

  • Sweden

    name: Stockholm

    geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: stock and holm literally mean "log" and "islet" in Swedish, but there is no consensus as to what the words refer to

  • Switzerland

    name: Bern

    geographic coordinates: 46 55 N, 7 28 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: origin of the name is uncertain but may derive from a 2nd century B.C. Celtic place name, possibly "berna" meaning "cleft," that was subsequently adopted by a Roman settlement

  • Syria

    name: Damascus

    geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins midnight on the last Friday in March; ends at midnight on the last Friday in October

    etymology: Damascus is a very old city; its earliest name, Temeseq, first appears in an Egyptian geographical list of the 15th century B.C., but the meaning is uncertain

  • Taiwan

    name: Taipei

    geographic coordinates: 25 02 N, 121 31 E

    time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the Chinese meaning is "Northern Taiwan," reflecting the city's position in the far north of the island

  • Tajikistan

    name: Dushanbe

    geographic coordinates: 38 33 N, 68 46 E

    time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: today's city was originally at the crossroads where a large bazaar occurred on Mondays, hence the name Dushanbe, which in Persian means Monday, i.e., the second day (du) after Saturday (shambe)

  • Tanzania

    name: Dar es Salaam (de facto administrative capital), Dodoma (national capital); note - Dodoma, designated the national capital in 1996, serves as the meeting place for the National Assembly and is thus the legislative capital; Dar es Salaam (the original national capital) remains the de facto capital, the country's largest city and commercial center, and the site of the executive branch offices and diplomatic representation

    geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Dar es Salaam was the name given by Majid BIN SAID, the first sultan of Zanzibar, to the new city he founded on the Indian Ocean coast; the Arabic name is commonly translated as "abode/home of peace"; Dodoma, in the native Gogo language, means "it has sunk"; supposedly, one day during the rainy season, an elephant drowned in the area; the villagers in that place were so struck by what had occurred, that ever since the locale has been referred to as the place where "it (the elephant) sunk"

  • Thailand

    name: Bangkok

    geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E

    time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Bangkok was likely originally a colloquial name, but one that was widely adopted by foreign visitors; the name may derive from bang ko, where bang is the Thai word for "village on a stream" and ko means "island," both referencing the area's landscape, which was carved by rivers and canals; alternatively, the name may come from bang makok, where makok is the name of the Java plum, a plant bearing olive-like fruit; this possibility is supported by the former name of Wat Arun, a historic temple in the area, that used to be called Wat Makok;

    Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, the city's Thai name, means "City of Angels, Great City" or simply "Great City of Angels" and is a shortening of the full ceremonial name: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit; translated the meaning is: "City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra's behest"; it holds the world's record as the longest place name (169 letters); Krung Thep is used colloquially

  • Timor-Leste

    name: Dili

    geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E

    time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

  • Togo

    name: Lome

    geographic coordinates: 6 07 N, 1 13 E

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Lome comes from "alotime" which in the native Ewe language means "among the alo plants"; alo trees dominated the city's original founding site

  • Tokelau

    time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

    note: there is no designated, official capital for Tokelau; the location of the capital rotates among the three atolls along with the head of government or Ulu o Tokelau

  • Tonga

    name: Nuku'alofa

    geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W

    time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in November; ends second Sunday in January

    etymology: composed of the words nuku, meaning "residence or abode," and alofa, meaning "love," to signify "abode of love"

  • Trinidad and Tobago

    name: Port of Spain

    geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name dates to the period of Spanish colonial rule (16th to late 18th centuries) when the city was referred to as "Puerto de Espana"; the name was anglicized following the British capture of Trinidad in 1797

  • Tunisia

    name: Tunis

    geographic coordinates: 36 48 N, 10 11 E

    time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: three possibilities exist for the derivation of the name; originally a Berber settlement (earliest reference 4th century B.C.), the strategic site fell to the Carthaginians (Phoenicians) and the city could be named after the Punic goddess Tanit, since many ancient cities were named after patron deities; alternatively, the Berber root word "ens," which means "to lie down" or "to pass the night," may indicate that the site was originally a camp or rest stop; finally, the name may be the same as the city of Tynes, mentioned in the writings of some ancient authors

  • Turkey (Turkiye)

    name: Ankara

    geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: Ankara has been linked with a second millennium B.C. Hittite cult center of Ankuwash, although this connection is uncertain; in classical and medieval times, the city was known as Ankyra (meaning "anchor" in Greek and reflecting the city's position as a junction for multiple trade and military routes); by about the 13th century the city began to be referred to as Angora; following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the city's name became Ankara

  • Turkmenistan

    name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)

    geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E

    time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: derived from the Persian words eshq meaning "love" and abad meaning "inhabited place" or "city," and so loosely translates as "the city of love"

  • Turks and Caicos Islands

    name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)

    geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after Sir Francis COCKBURN, who served as governor of the Bahamas from 1837 to 1844

  • Tuvalu

    name: Funafuti; note - the capital is an atoll of some 29 islets; administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet

    geographic coordinates: 8 31 S, 179 13 E

    time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the atoll is named after a founding ancestor chief, Funa, from the island of Samoa

  • Uganda

    name: Kampala

    geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 33 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the site of the original British settlement was referred to by its native name as Akasozi ke'Empala ("hill of the impala" [plural]); over time this designation was shortened to K'empala and finally Kampala

  • Ukraine

    name: Kyiv (Kiev)

    geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    etymology: the name is associated with that of Kyi, who along with his brothers Shchek and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid, are the legendary founders of the medieval city of Kyiv; Kyi being the eldest brother, the city was named after him

    note: pronounced KAY-yiv

  • United Arab Emirates

    name: Abu Dhabi

    geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E

    time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: in Arabic, abu means "father" and dhabi refers to "gazelle"; the name may derive from an abundance of gazelles that used to live in the area, as well as a folk tale involving the "Father of the Gazelle," Shakhbut BIN DHIYAB AL NAHYAN, whose hunting party tracked a gazelle to a spring on the island where Abu Dhabi was founded

  • United Kingdom

    name: London

    geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 05 W

    time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

    time zone note: the time statements apply to the United Kingdom proper, not to its crown dependencies or overseas territories

    etymology: the name derives from the Roman settlement of Londinium, established on the current site of London around A.D. 43; the original meaning of the name is uncertain

  • United States

    name: Washington, DC

    geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W

    time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time)

    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

    time zone note: the 50 United States cover six time zones

    etymology: named after George WASHINGTON (1732-1799), the first president of the United States

  • Uruguay

    name: Montevideo

    geographic coordinates: 34 51 S, 56 10 W

    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name "Montevidi" was originally applied to the hill that overlooked the bay upon which the city of Montevideo was founded; the earliest meaning may have been "[the place where we] saw the hill"

  • Uzbekistan

    name: Tashkent (Toshkent)

    geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 69 15 E

    time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: tash means "stone" and kent means "city" in Turkic languages, so the name simply denotes "stone city"

  • Vanuatu

    name: Port-Vila (on Efate)

    geographic coordinates: 17 44 S, 168 19 E

    time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: there are two possibilities for the origin of the name: early European settlers were Portuguese and "vila" means "village or town" in Portuguese, hence "Port-Vila" would mean "Port Town"; alternatively, the site of the capital is referred to as "Efil" or "Ifira" in native languages, "Vila" is a likely corruption of these names

  • Venezuela

    name: Caracas

    geographic coordinates: 10 29 N, 66 52 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named for the native Caracas tribe that originally settled in the city's valley site near the Caribbean coast

  • Vietnam

    name: Hanoi (Ha Noi)

    geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E

    time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the city has had many names in its history going back to A.D. 1010 when it first became the capital of imperial Vietnam; in 1831, it received its current name of Ha Noi, meaning "between the rivers," which refers to its geographic location

  • Virgin Islands

    name: Charlotte Amalie

    geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W

    time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: originally called Taphus in Danish - meaning "tap house" or "beer house" because of its many beer halls - the town received a more dignified name in 1691 when it was named Charlotte Amalie in honor of Danish King CHRISTIAN V’s wife, Charlotte AMALIE of Hesse-Kassel (1650–1714)

  • Wallis and Futuna

    name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)

    geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W

    time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

  • World

    time difference: there are 21 World entities (20 countries and 1 dependency) with multiple time zones: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, France, Greenland (part of the Danish Kingdom), Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Russia, Spain, United States

    note 1: in some instances, the time zones pertain to portions of a country that lie overseas

    note 2: in 1851, the British set their prime meridian (0° longitude) through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England; this meridian became the international standard in 1884 and thus the basis for the standard time zones of the world; today, GMT is officially known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and is also referred to as "Zulu time"; UTC is the basis for all civil time, with the world divided into time zones expressed as positive or negative differences from UTC

    note 3: each time zone is based on 15° starting from the prime meridian; in theory, there are 24 time zones based on the solar day, but there are now upward of 40 because of fractional hour offsets that adjust for various political and physical geographic realities; see the Standard Time Zones of the World map included with the World and Regional Maps

    daylight saving time: some 67 countries - including most of the world's leading industrialized nations - use daylight savings time (DST) in at least a portion of the country; China, Japan, India, and Russia are major industrialized countries that do not use DST; Asia and Africa generally do not observe DST and it is generally not observed near the equator, where sunrise and sunset times do not vary enough to justify it; some countries observe DST only in certain regions; for example, only southeastern Australia observes it; in fact, only a minority of the world's population - about 20% - uses DST

  • Yemen

    name: Sanaa

    geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E

    time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: the name is reputed to mean "well-fortified" in Sabaean, the South Arabian language that went extinct in Yemen in the 6th century A.D.

  • Zambia

    name: Lusaka; note - a proposal to build a new capital city in Ngabwe was announced in May 2017

    geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after a village called Lusaka, located at Manda Hill, near where Zambia's National Assembly building currently stands; the village was named after a headman (chief) LUSAKASA

  • Zimbabwe

    name: Harare

    geographic coordinates: 17 49 S, 31 02 E

    time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

    etymology: named after a village of Harare at the site of the present capital; the village name derived from a Shona chieftain, NE-HARAWA, whose name meant "he who does not sleep"