Chapter 1 of 10All chapters
Chapter 1 of 10
What a capital is
Seat of government.
Definition
A capital is where the government sits, which need not be the largest or most famous city. Turkey, Brazil, Australia and Canada all separate the two.
- Largest city and capital coincide less often than people assume.
- Some constitutions name the capital; others leave it to practice.
Multiple capitals
South Africa splits executive, legislative and judicial functions across three cities. Bolivia, the Netherlands and Malaysia each divide the role differently.