Search results
- Some countries have divided their capital cities to balance power across regions or to accommodate the needs of different branches of government. Other countries may have multiple capitals due to historical circumstances, war, weather conditions, or partition. In some cases, the second capital may be considered temporary.
People also ask
Why do some countries have multiple capital cities?
How many countries have more than one capital city?
Can a country have multiple capitals?
Why do some countries have two capitals at the same time?
Why would a country choose a capital instead of a new one?
Why do countries choose a capital city?
Some countries can be considered to have multiple capitals. In some cases, one city is the capital for some purposes, and one or more others are capital for other purposes, without any being considered an official capital in preference to the others.
- Bolivia
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Israel
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Netherlands
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
The administrative capital of Bolivia is La Paz while the legislative and judicial (also known as constitutional) capital is Sucre.
In 1983, President Felix Houphouet-Boigny moved the capital of Cote d'Ivoire from Abidjan to his hometown of Yamoussoukro. This made the official capital Yamoussoukro but many government offices and embassies (including the United States) remain in Abidjan.
In 1950, Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as their capital city. However, all countries (including the United States) maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, which was Israel's capital from 1948 to 1950.
Malaysia has moved many administrative functions from Kuala Lumpur to a suburb of Kuala Lumpur called Putrajaya. Putrajaya is a new high-technology complex 25 km (15 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian government has relocated administrative offices and the Prime Minister's official residence. Nonetheless, Kuala Lumpur remains the official ...
On Sunday, November 6, 2005 civil servants and government officials were ordered to move immediately from Rangoon to a new capital, Nay Pyi Taw (also known as Naypyidaw) 200 miles north. While governmental buildings in Nay Pyi Taw had been under construction for more than two years, its construction was not widely publicized. Some report the timing...
Though the legal (de jure) capital of the Netherlandsis Amsterdam, the actual (de facto) seat of government and residence of the monarchy is The Hague.
The capital of Nigeria was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja in December 2, 1991 but some offices remain in Lagos.
South Africa is a very interesting situation as it has three capitals. Pretoria is the administrative capital, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the home of the judiciary.
Sri Lanka has moved the legislative capital to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, a suburb of the official capital in Colombo.
Tanzania officially designated its capital as Dodoma but only the legislature meets there, leaving Dar es Salaam as the de facto capital city.
- Matt Rosenberg
Jun 28, 2024 · Some countries, such as South Africa and Sri Lanka, have multiple capital cities for different branches of government. In South Africa, Pretoria is the administrative and executive capital, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.
- Tommy Soto
Many countries choose a geographically central capital in order to emphasize the equity of their government; this way, the capital isn’t as likely to be, or seem to be, biased toward one region or another.
- Meg Matthias
Oct 30, 2022 · Most nations have one official capital, functioning as the power seat where the government resides and rules. Countries with two or more capital cities often boast interesting back-stories and unique reasonings behind multiple capitals.
Jun 26, 2024 · Currently, there are twelve countries in the world that have dual capitals. These countries include South Africa, Sri Lanka, Benin, Bolivia, Netherlands, China, Myanmar, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Chile, Malaysia, and Belgium. Each of these countries has its own unique reasons for having multiple capitals.
Jun 21, 2024 · Several countries have multiple capital cities due to historical, political, or regional considerations. Some examples include Bolivia, Cote d’Ivoire, Israel, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Each of these countries has varying reasons for having more than one capital.
