List of countries with multiple capitals

Some countries 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.

There are also cases where there is a single legally defined capital, but one or more other cities operate as the seat of government of some or all parts of the national government.

More than one capital at present edit

  More than one capital at present
  More than one capital in the past
CountryCapitalsDetails
 BeninPorto-NovoOfficial capital
CotonouDe facto administrative capital
 BoliviaSucreConstitutional capital
La PazDe facto executive capital
 Czech RepublicPragueOfficial capital
BrnoJudicial capital
 EswatiniMbabaneAdministrative capital
LobambaLegislative capital (parliament) and place of royal residence
 MalaysiaKuala LumpurConstitutional and legislative capital (parliament), seat of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
PutrajayaAdministrative centre and judicial capital; variously referred to as the administrative capital[1]
 NetherlandsAmsterdamOfficial capital
The HagueLegislative capital (parliament)
 South AfricaPretoriaAdministrative and executive capital
BloemfonteinJudicial capital
Cape TownLegislative capital (parliament)
 Sri LankaColomboExecutive and judicial capital
Sri Jayawardenepura KotteLegislative capital (parliament)

More than one capital in the past edit

These countries have had two cities that served as administrative capitals at the same time, for various reasons such as war, weather or partition. In some cases, the second capital is considered a temporary capital.

CountryYear(s)CapitalsDetails
Afghanistan1776–1818KabulSummer capital
PeshawarWinter capital
 British India1858–1947Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) (1858–1911)Administrative capital
New Delhi (1911–1947)
Shimla (formerly Simla)Summer capital
Austria-Hungary1873–1918ViennaCisleithania
BudapestKingdom of Hungary
 Republic of China1937–1945NanjingCapital of the Japanese-controlled puppet state
ChongqingProvisional capital of the Kuomintang-ruled Republic of China
1945–1991NanjingAdministrative, legislative, and judicial capital (claimed between the 1949 Retreat and the 1992 Consensus)
TaipeiProvisional capital of the Kuomintang-ruled Republic of China on Taiwan
 France1940–1944VichyDe facto administrative capital
ParisDe jure constitutional capital, also capital for the German military administration
 Kingdom of Italy1943–1944Brindisi (1943–Feb 1944)De facto provisional capital
Salerno (Feb–Jun 1944)
RomeDe jure capital until 1944 when it was liberated by the Allies
 Italian Social Republic1943–1944SalòDe facto capital until 1944 when it became the primary capital
RomeDe jure capital until 1944 when it was liberated by the Allies
 Laos1947–1975VientianeAdministrative capital
Luang PrabangRoyal capital
 Libya1951–1963TripoliOne of two official capitals of the Kingdom of Libya, then Bayda became the capital of Libya from 1963 to 1969
Benghazi
 Malawi1974–1994LilongweAdministrative and judiciary capital
ZombaLegislative capital
Netherlands-Indonesia Union1948–1956AmsterdamKingdom of the Netherlands
JakartaUnited States of Indonesia
 Norway1940OsloOfficial capital
HamarTemporarily one-day capital that seated the parliament[2]
 Philippines1948–1976Quezon CityOfficial capital
ManilaDe facto seat of government
1901–1976BaguioSummer capital (still known as summer capital, outside of political use)
 Serbia and Montenegro2003–2006BelgradeAdministrative and legislative capital
PodgoricaJudicial capital

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Putrajaya | Smart Putrajaya". smart.putrajaya.my. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. ^ Kongens nei - 9. april (Norwegian)