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Question 59 of 72 · World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital of:

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Answer: Option B — Sri Lanka

Detailed Solution

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (usually called Kotte) is the legislative (administrative) capital of Sri Lanka, while Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city.

About Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte:

  • It is a suburb about 15 km south-east of central Colombo, within the Colombo metropolitan area.
  • The Parliament of Sri Lanka moved to a new building at Kotte, which was opened on 29 April 1982.

The Parliament building stands on an island in the Diyawanna Oya lake. It was designed by the famous Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, known for his "tropical modernism" style.

Kotte was declared the official capital of the country in 1982, under President J. R. Jayewardene; the name "Sri Jayawardenepura" means "resplendent city of growing victory".

Many government offices have been moved there, but several ministries and the President's office remain in Colombo.

Kotte's history:

  • It was the capital of the "Kingdom of Kotte" from the 15th century, established by Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467), who unified the island for the last time under a single Sinhala ruler.
  • When the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505, Kotte was the main kingdom on the western coast.
  • The capital was later abandoned in the 16th century.

Other countries with more than one capital:

  • South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial).
  • Bolivia: Sucre (constitutional) and La Paz (seat of government).
  • Netherlands: Amsterdam (constitutional capital) and The Hague (seat of government).
  • Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur (official capital) and Putrajaya (administrative centre).
  • Cote d'Ivoire: Yamoussoukro (official) and Abidjan (economic).

Capitals of India's neighbours:

  • Bangladesh: Dhaka.
  • Maldives: Male.
  • Myanmar: Naypyidaw.
  • Nepal: Kathmandu.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Bangladesh's capital is Dhaka.
  • ✗The Maldives' capital is Male.
  • ✗Myanmar's capital is Naypyidaw.

Quick tip

Remember: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte = legislative capital of Sri Lanka (Parliament since 1982, by Geoffrey Bawa); Colombo = commercial capital; South Africa = three capitals; Malaysia = Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

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World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers world GK: countries with their capitals, currencies and parliaments, national symbols, famous landmarks, the longest, largest and highest features of the world, and international boundary lines such as the Radcliffe, McMahon and Durand Lines. The most common questions match a country with its capital or currency, or a parliament with its name (such as the Knesset of Israel or the Diet of Japan). Revise countries continent by continent, giving extra attention to India's neighbours. Questions on boundary lines usually ask which two countries a line separates. Practise the world GK questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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