Names and Places (I)

If you ask most people who are somewhat conversant with US geography the capitals of the following states:

- Illinois;

- Florida;

- Michigan;

- New York;

- California;

- Texas;

- Pennsylvania;



you might probably get the following answers:

- Chicago;

- Miami;

- Detroit;

- New York;

- Los Angeles (or San Francisco);

- Houston;

- Philadelphia;



And every one of those answers would be wrong. The answers are below in random order: see if you can match the state to the capital.

- Albany

- Austin

- Harrisburg

- Lansing

- Sacramento

- Springfield

- Tallahassee



In fact, America has a very strange habit of making relatively unknown towns the capitals of its states. I asked about this once, and I was told that the idea was to remove government as far as possible from the 'corrupting influence' of businessmen (who were likely to reside in the big cities).

I guess Nigerian leaders must have been thinking of that when they decided to move the capital of Nigeria to Abuja. But power has an irresistible scent... even if you dig a hole a mile deep in the middle of Antarctica and put the capital of Nigeria there, businessmen looking for favours and contracts would still troop to the place.