In 1908 Australia had a problem: Sydney and Melbourne, its two biggest cities, each wanted to be the capital. The answer was neither. Parliament picked a site between them and built a new city from scratch: Canberra. Ask a quiz table for Australia's capital today and someone will still say Sydney.
Australia is far from alone. All over the world, the capital is not the city you'd guess. This deck collects the best catches from around the world, apart from the US states, which have decks of their own.
Why the capital often isn't the biggest city
A few patterns explain most of them:
- A compromise between rivals. Canberra sits between Sydney and Melbourne. Ottawa, chosen by Queen Victoria in 1857, sits between the English-speaking and French-speaking parts of the old Province of Canada.
- A more central site. New Zealand moved its capital from Auckland to Wellington in 1865, partly to be nearer the middle of the country. Tanzania named Dodoma, inland, as its capital in the 1970s, though the government moved from Dar es Salaam only gradually.
- A fresh start. Some countries built a new capital to mark a new era or to move away from a crowded coast: Brasília (1960), Islamabad (1960s), Abuja (Nigeria's capital since 1991) and Naypyidaw (Myanmar, 2005).
- Safety. Belize moved its capital inland to Belmopan after Hurricane Hattie hit Belize City in 1961.
Meanwhile the old capitals and big port and trading cities kept growing. Istanbul, Karachi, Almaty, Yangon, Dubai and Ho Chi Minh City are all still bigger than the capitals of their countries.
Capitals that moved
Capitals do move, so lists go out of date. Turkey moved its capital to Ankara in 1923; Istanbul is still far bigger. Kazakhstan moved from Almaty to Astana in 1997, and Astana has changed its name twice since (Nur-Sultan from 2019, then back to Astana in 2022). Burundi made Gitega its political capital in 2019, with Bujumbura its economic capital. When a quiz answer surprises you, check the date of the source.
Split capitals
Some countries share capital duties between cities:
| Country | Capital | Where the catch is |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Government and parliament sit in The Hague |
| Bolivia | Sucre (constitutional capital) | Government sits in La Paz |
| South Africa | Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein | Three capitals for three branches of government |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | Colombo is the commercial capital |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Most federal offices are in Putrajaya |
Capitals with a catch
- Switzerland has no capital named in its constitution. Bern is the "federal city" and the seat of government.
- Nauru has no official capital at all; its government offices are in the Yaren District.
- The Philippines: Manila is the capital, but neighbouring Quezon City, in the same metro area, has more people.
- Palau moved its capital from Koror, the largest town, to Ngerulmud in 2006.
Easy ones to mix up
- Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates; Dubai is the bigger city.
- Astana and Almaty. Both in Kazakhstan, both start with A. Astana is the capital now; Almaty was the capital until 1997.
- Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Twin cities in Pakistan. Islamabad is the capital; Rawalpindi housed the government while Islamabad was built.
- Naypyidaw and Yangon. Yangon is Myanmar's biggest city and old capital; Naypyidaw is the capital now.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't Sydney the capital of Australia?
Sydney and Melbourne were rivals, so Australia chose a site between them and built Canberra as a new capital.
Is a country's capital always its largest city?
No. Many are, such as London, Paris and Tokyo, but Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Pakistan and Vietnam are among the many countries whose biggest city isn't the capital.
Which countries have more than one capital?
South Africa has three. Bolivia, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Malaysia split the role between a capital and another seat of government.
Which capitals were built from scratch?
Well-known examples are Canberra, Brasília, Islamabad, Abuja, Belmopan and Naypyidaw.
Try it
Cover the back of each card and say the capital before you flip it, then say the bigger city that people guess instead. Then open a map: where in the world would you find the capital that was moved inland after a hurricane?