Capital Chronicles: 35 Surprising Facts About World Capitals

In 2003, the smoke from large bushfires in Canberra, Australia formed a Cumulonimbus Flammagenitus. Essentially the fire created its own supercell storm, complete with lighting and forming an F3-rated fire tornado. The tornado and the associated fire killed 4 people and injured 492 others.

27. There is an ultra-modern hotel in Khartoum, Sudan nicknamed "Gaddafi's Egg", as he contributed 80 million Euros to its construction through the Libyan government and took 14 years to build.

28. While attending a forum in Manila in 1996, Bill Clinton had his motorcade rerouted in order to avoid crossing a bridge that had been rigged with explosives, a plot masterminded by Osama Bin Laden.

29. Ashgabat (capital of Turkmenistan) holds the Guinness World Records for having the highest concentration of white marble buildings than any other city in the world with 543 new buildings clad and a total of 4.5 million cubic meters of white marble.

30. The capital of Tajikistan is named Dushanbe, which literally translates to “Monday.” It was also briefly named Stalinabad (“Stalin’s Paradise”) during the reign of the USSR.

The residents of Sarajevo remembered those lost in the Bosnian War by filling in the scars in the concrete caused by mortar/rocket shells with red resin. These haunting memorials are called Sarajevo Roses.

32. Nicosia, Cyprus is the only capital city that has two time zones. Owing to the Turkish invasion and occupation of Northern Cyprus in 1974, the city has been split in half for over 40 years. Nicosia is also one of the very few capital cities in the world not served by an active airport.

33. The volcanic activity provides Reykjavík, Iceland with geothermal heating systems for both residential and industrial districts. In 2008, natural hot water was used to heat roughly 90% of all buildings in Iceland.

34. The citizens of Monaco are prohibited from entering the gaming rooms of Monte Carlo Casino. Identity is checked at the door to certify that all gamblers are foreigners.

35. The air quality in New Delhi in November 2016 was so bad that the city had to declare an emergency, shut down schools and take drastic industrial precautions. This was termed as the "Great Smog of Delhi."