Wikipedia

Capital city

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"Capital cities" redirects here. For the capital city of a county, seecounty seat.For other uses, seeCapital City (disambiguation).

Acapital cityor justcapitalis themunicipalityholding primary status in acountry,state,province,department,or othersubnational division,usually as itsseat of the government.A capital is typically acitythat physically encompasses the government's offices and meeting places; the status as capital is often designated by its law orconstitution.In somejurisdictions,including several countries, different branches of government are in different settlements, sometimes meaning multiple official capitals. In some cases, a distinction is made between the official (constitutional) capital and the seat of government, which is inanother place.

Tokyo,the capital ofJapan,and themost populous metropolitan areain the world

English-languagenews media often use the name of the capital city as an alternative name for the government of the country of which it is the capital, as a form ofmetonymy.For example, the "relations betweenLondonandWashington"refers to the"relations between the United Kingdom and the United States".[1]

Terminology and etymology

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Rome,as the capital of theRoman Empire,acquired the nickname ofCaput Mundi( "Capital of the world" ).

The wordcapitalderives from theLatinwordcaput(genitivecapitis), meaning 'head', later borrowed fromMedieval Latincapitālis('of the head').[2]TheLatinphraseRoma Caput Mundimeaning 'Rome capital of the world' (lit. 'head of the world') was already used by the poetOvidin1st century BC.[3]It originates out of aclassical Europeanunderstanding of theknown world:Europe,North Africa,andSouthwest Asia.The phrase is related to the enduring power of the city first as the capital of theRepublicand theEmpire,and later as the centre of theCatholic Church.[4][5][6]

In several English-speakingstates,the termscounty townandcounty seatare also used in loweradministrative divisions.In someunitary states,subnational capitals may be known as 'administrative centres'. The capital is often the largest city of its constituent, thoughnot always.

Origins

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Beijing,as the last of theFour Great Ancient CapitalsofChina,has served as the country's political centre for most of the past eight centuries.
Tehran,the capital ofIransince 1796 ofQajar Empire,and themost populous cityinWestern Asia.

Historically, the major economic centre of a state or region has often become the focal point of political power, and became a capital throughconquestorfederation.[7]Historical examples areancient Babylon,ancient Athens,ancient Rome,Abbasid Baghdad,Constantinople,Chang'an,andancient Cusco.The modern capital city has not always existed: in medieval Western Europe, anitinerant (wandering) governmentwas common.[8]

The capital city attracts politically motivated people and those whose skills are needed for efficientadministrationof national or imperial governments, such aslawyers,political scientists,bankers,journalists,andpublic policy makers.Some of these cities are or were alsoreligious centres,[9]e.g.Constantinople(more than one religion),Rome/Vatican City(theRoman Catholic Church),Jerusalem(more than one religion), Babylon, Moscow (theRussian Orthodox Church), Belgrade (theSerbian Orthodox Church), Paris, and Beijing. In some countries, the capital has been changed forgeopoliticalreasons;Finland's first city,Turku,which had served as the country's capital since the Middle Ages under the Swedish rule, lost its position during theGrand Duchy of Finlandin 1812, whenHelsinkiwas made the current capital of Finland by the Russian Empire.[10]

The convergence of political and economic or cultural power is by no means universal. Traditional capitals may be economically eclipsed by provincial rivals as is the case withNanjingbyShanghai,Quebec CitybyMontreal,and severalUS state capitals.Thedeclineof a dynasty or culture could also mean the extinction of its capital city, as occurred at Babylon[11]andCahokia."Political nomadism" was practiced inancient Near Eastto increase ties between the ruler and the subjects.[12]

Although many capitals are defined by constitution or legislation, many long-time capitals have no such legal designation, includingBern,Edinburgh,Lisbon,London,Paris,andWellington.They are recognized as capitals as a matter of convention, and because all or almost all the country's central political institutions, such as government departments, supreme court, legislature, embassies, etc., are located in or near them.

Modern capitals

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London,the capital ofEnglandand theUnited Kingdom,and the largestmetropolitan areainWestern Europe
Paris,the capital ofFrance,and one of themost populous citiesin theEuropean Union
Moscow,the capital ofRussia,and the former capital of theSoviet Union

Many modern capital cities are located near the centre of the country, so that they are more accessible to its population and have better protection from possible invasions.(See also§ Capitals in military strategy)The location may also be based on a compromise between two or more cities or other political divisions, historical reasons, or enough land was needed to deliberately build a newplanned cityfor the capital.[13]The majority of national capitals are also the largest city in their respective countries. Modern examples areBeijing,Berlin,Cairo,London,Madrid,Mexico City,Moscow,Paris,andTokyo.[citation needed]

Countiesin theUnited Kingdomhave historic county towns, which are often not the largest settlement within the county and often are no longer administrative centres, as many historical counties are now only ceremonial, and administrative boundaries are different. The number of new capitals in the world increased substantially since theRenaissanceperiod, especially with the founding of independent nation-states since the eighteenth century.[14]

InCanada,there is afederal capital,while the tenprovincesand threeterritorieseach have capital cities. The states of such countries asMexico,Brazil(including the famous cities ofRio de JaneiroandSão Paulo,capitals of their respective states), andAustraliaalso each have capital cities. For example, the six state capitals of Australia areAdelaide,Brisbane,Hobart,Melbourne,Perth,andSydney.In Australia, the term "capital cities" is regularly used to refer to those six state capitals plus the federal capitalCanberra,andDarwin,the capital of theNorthern Territory.Abu Dhabiis the capital city of theEmirate of Abu Dhabiand also of theUnited Arab Emiratesoverall.

In unitary states which consist of multiple constituent nations, such as theUnited Kingdomand theKingdom of Denmark,each will usually have its own capital city. Unlike infederations,there is usually not a separate national capital, but rather the capital city of one constituent nation will also be the capital of the state overall, such asLondon,which is the capital ofEnglandand of the United Kingdom. Similarly, each of theautonomous communities of Spainandregions of Italyhas a capital city, such asSevilleandNaples,whileMadridis the capital of theCommunity of Madridand of theKingdom of Spainas a whole andRomeis the capital ofItalyand of the region ofLazio.

In theFederal Republic of Germany,each of its constituentstates(orLänder,plural ofLand) has its own capital city, such asDresden,Wiesbaden,Mainz,Düsseldorf,Stuttgart,andMunich,as do all of the republics of theRussian Federation.The national capitals of Germany and Russia (theStadtstaatofBerlinand thefederal cityofMoscow) are also constituent states of both countries in their own right. Each of thestates of Austriaandcantons of Switzerlandalso have their own capital cities.Vienna,the national capital ofAustria,is also one of the states, whileBernis the (de facto) capital of bothSwitzerlandand of theCanton of Bern.

Planned capitals

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L'Enfant PlaninWashington, D.C.,the capital of theUnited States

Governing entities sometimes plan, design and build new capital cities to house the seat of government of apolityor of a subdivision. Deliberatelyplanned and designed capitalsinclude:

These cities satisfy one or both of the following criteria:

  1. A deliberatelyplanned citythat was built expressly to house theseat of government,superseding a capital city that was in an establishedpopulation center.There have been various reasons for this, including overcrowding in that major metropolitan area, and the desire to place the capital city in a location with a better climate (usually a less tropical one).
  2. A town that was chosen as a compromise among two or more cities (or other political divisions), none of which was willing to concede to the other(s) the privilege of being the capital city. Usually, the new capital is geographically located roughly equidistant between the competing population centres.

Compromise locations

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TheAustralian Parliamentopened in the small town ofCanberrain 1927 as a compromise between the largest cities,SydneyandMelbourne.

Some examples of the second situation (compromise locations) are:

Changes in a nation's political regime sometimes result in the designation of a new capital.Akmola(renamed Astana in 1998) became the capital ofKazakhstanin 1997, following thecollapse of the Soviet Unionin 1991.Naypyidawwas founded inBurma's interior as the former capital,Rangoon,was claimed to be overcrowded.[18]

Unusual capital city arrangements

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See also:List of countries with multiple capitals
TheSupreme Court,the seat ofSwitzerland's judiciary, is inLausanne,although the executive and legislature are located inBern.
Parliament HouseinSingapore;as acity-state,Singapore requires no specific capital.
TheBlue Palace,the official residence ofMontenegro's president, is inCetinje,although the executive and legislature are located inPodgorica.

A few nation-states have multiple capitals, and there are also several states that have no capital. Some have a city as the capital but with most government agencies elsewhere.

There is also aghost townwhich is currently thede jurecapital of a territory:PlymouthinMontserrat.

Capitals that are not the seat of government

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There are several countries where, for various reasons, the official capital and de factoseat of governmentare separated:

Some historical examples of similar arrangements, where the recognized capital was not the official seat of government:

Disputed capitals

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Capital as symbol

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Mariehamn,capital city ofÅland,ademilitarizedarchipelago withself-governance

With the rise of the modernnation-state,the capital city has become asymbolfor thestateand itsgovernment,and imbued with political meaning. Unlikemedievalcapitals, which were declared wherever amonarchheld his or her court, the selection, relocation, founding, or capture of a modern capital city is a highly symbolic event. For example:

Capitals in military strategy

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Constantinople,the capital of theByzantine Empire,was the final part of the empire to fall to theOttoman Turksdue to its strong defences.

The capital city is usually but not always a primary target in a war, as capturing it usually guarantees capture of much of the enemy government, victory for the attacking forces, or at the very least demoralization for the defeated forces.

Inancient China,where governments were massive centralized bureaucracies with little flexibility on the provincial level, adynastycould easily be toppled with the fall of its capital. In theThree Kingdomsperiod, bothShuandWufell when their respective capitals ofChengduandJianyefell. TheMing dynastyrelocated its capital fromNanjingtoBeijing,where they could more effectively control the generals and troops guarding the borders fromMongolsandManchus.The Ming was destroyed whenLi Zichengtook their seat of power, and this pattern repeats itself in Chinese history, until the fall of the traditionalConfucianmonarchy in the 20th century. After theQing dynasty's collapse, decentralization of authority and improved transportation and communication technologies allowed both theChinese NationalistsandChinese Communiststo rapidly relocate capitals and keep their leadership structures intact during the great crisis ofJapanese invasion.

National capitals were arguably less important as military objectives in other parts of the world, including the West, because of socioeconomic trends toward localized authority, a strategic modus operandi especially popular after the development offeudalismand reaffirmed by the development of democratic and capitalistic philosophies. In 1204, after the LatinCrusaderscaptured theByzantinecapital,Constantinople,Byzantine forces were able to regroup in several provinces; provincial noblemen managed to reconquer the capital after 60 years and preserve the empire for another 200 years after that. TheBritishforces sacked variousAmericancapitals repeatedly during theRevolutionary WarandWar of 1812,but American forces could still carry on fighting from the countryside, where they enjoyed support from local governments and the traditionally independent civilian frontiersmen. Exceptions to these generalizations include highly centralized states such asFrance,whose centralized bureaucracies could effectively coordinate far-flung resources, giving the state a powerful advantage over less coherent rivals, but risking utter ruin if the capital were taken.

See also

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Further reading

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  • Andreas Daum,"Capitals in Modern History: Inventing Urban Spaces for the Nation", inBerlin – Washington, 1800–2000: Capital Cities, Cultural Representation, and National Identities,ed. Andreas Daum and Christof Mauch. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp. 3–28.
  • Capital Cities: International Perspectives – Les capitales: Perspectives internationales,ed. John Taylor, Jean G. Lengellé and Caroline Andrew. Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1993,ISBN978-0-7735-8496-9.

References

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