10. Dushanbe (formerly Stalinabad)
Dushanbe is the largest city in Tajikistan. In Tajik, the official language of Tajikistan, “Dushanbe” means Monday. He was known as Dyushambe until October 16, 1929, October 10, when he was renamed Stalinabad in honor of Joseph Stalin. On November 10, 1961, the city was renamed in Dushanbe. This is because, according to history, the city was born from a village whose market was popular and occurred on Monday. By 2016, Dushanbe was home to 802,700 people.
9. Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)
By population, it is the largest city in Vietnam. The city was called Saigon before 2nd July 1976 when it was officially renamed to its current name. It was after its merger with the neighboring province of Gia Dinh. Before the name change, Saigon was the capital of Cochinchina, a French colony. It later became the capital of South Vietnam, an independent republic from 1955 to 1975. Its name was changed to Ho Chi Minh after a deceased communist leader who gave the same name. However, the name Saigon is still widely used informally, the term referring mainly to the urban parts of Ho Chi Minh City. Although this city is the largest in number of inhabitants, it is not the capital of Vietnam (i.e. Hanoi).
8. Istanbul (formerly Constantinople)
Istanbul is the most populous city in Turkey. While the historic and commercial center of this city is located in Europe, about a third of its population lives in Asia. It is transcontinental, found in the Bosphorus Strait which separates Asia and Europe. It was called Byzantium after being founded in 660 BCE. When Constantine the Great made XINUMX CE the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, it was Constantinopolis (or Constantinople) which means “city of Constantine”. There is a lot of folklore that tells the origin of the name, some claiming that it was called “Islambol” to mean the “city of Islam” because of Islam as the main religion.
7. Kinshasha (formerly Leopoldville)
Kinshasa is the largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo which doubles as its capital. After Cairo and Lagos, Kinshasa ranks third in the largest urban areas in Africa, while it recently overtook Paris as the largest French-speaking conurbation. Located on the banks of the Congo River, Kinshasa was a place of fishing and commerce. It was formerly called Léopoldville but in 1966, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo at the time renamed it Kinshasa by “Africanizing” the names of places in the country. The name comes from “Kinchassa”, name of a village which was formerly near Kinshasa.
6. Mumbai (formerly Bombay)
The most populous city in India was called Bombay. It was until 1995 when the name officially changed to Mumbai. The current name comes from “Mumba”, a protective goddess called “Mumbadevi”, while “I” is “mother” in Marathi. In November, the city was renamed 1995 by the government, with arguments that “Bombay” was an English corruption of “Mumbai”.
5. New York (formerly New Amsterdam)
New York City has the highest population in the United States. It was founded in 1624 by Dutch settlers in Lower Manhattan. Two years later, it was called “New Amsterdam”. In 1664 however, the Dutch returned it to the English troops. The lands were granted to the brother of the Duke of York, Charles II of England, named “New York” after him.
4. Ottawa (formerly Bytown)
Ottawa was founded as Bytown in 1826. In 1855, it was incorporated into Ottawa. The name Ottawa comes from the Ottawa River, whose name also comes from “Odawa”, which means “to trade”. Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the permanent capital of the province of Canada (Canada was a British colony) on the eve of New Year’s Eve in 1857. She chose it because of its isolated location which made it less vulnerable to attack.
3. Oslo (formerly Kristiania)
The capital of Norway, Oslo, was founded in 1040. It was destroyed by fire in 1624 during the reign of King Christian IV. It was renamed Christiania in his honor and, after a reform of the spelling, it was baptized Kristiania from 1877 to 1925. The name “Oslo” is always of questionable origin because there is no clear explanation. The city is a municipality and a county and in addition to being the capital of Norway, it is also its most populous city.
2. Toronto (formerly York)
Toronto is the largest city in Canada by population. It was created by the British in 1793 before being later designated as the capital of Upper Canada. It was the site of the “Battle of York” which took place in 1812 and which, therefore, suffered heavy damage from American troops. In 1834, the city was renamed and incorporated as a city, the city of Toronto becoming the official capital of the province of Ontario when it was created in 1867.
1. Tallinn (formerly Reval)
Tallinn is the largest city in Estonia and also serves as the capital. Located towards the north of the country, Tallinn was first mentioned in 1219 but it was in 1248 when it received the rights of the city. Its oldest name was Kolyvan, which is said to have been derived from Kalev, a legendary Estonian. She was however called Lindanisa until the 12th century, a name derived from the mythical wife of Kalev, Linda. After 13, however, the city would be called Reval. This name was replaced in 1219 when Estonia became independent. At that time, Tallinna and Tallin would be used. The origin of the word is believed to be Taani-linna, which is Estonian for the Danish city.
