World map showing countries that have multiple capitals
The capital of a country is the center of its administrative machinery. In case of a monarchy, the capital is usually the city in which the regent resides and holds court. With the evolution of the three branches of administration – legislature, executive, and judiciary – it is not uncommon for different cities to be recognized as the seat of different branches.
A number of countries have multiple capitals. Here is the list of countries with multiple capitals –
| Country | Capital | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | Porto-Novo | Official Capital | Seat of Legislature |
| Cotonou | De facto Capital | Seat of Government | |
| Bolivia | Sucre | Official Capital | Constitutional Capital |
| La Paz | De facto Capital | Seat of Government | |
| Chile | Santiago | Official Capital | Seat of Government, Judiciary |
| Valparaiso | De facto Capital | Seat of Legislature | |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Yamoussoukro | Official Capital | Constitutional Capital |
| Abidjan | De facto Capital | Seat of Government | |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | Official Capital | Seat of Government |
| Kutaisi | De facto Capital | Seat of Legislature | |
| Honduras | Tegucigalpa | De facto Capital | Together make up Constitutional Capital |
| Comayagüela | Official Capital | ||
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Official Capital | Constitutional & Royal Capital |
| Putrajaya | De facto Capital | Seat of Government | |
| Montenegro | Podgorica | Official Capital | Seat of Government |
| Cetinje | Royal Capital | Palace of Head of State | |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Official Capital | Royal & Constitutional Capital |
| The Hague | De facto Capital | Seat of Government, Judiciary, Legislature | |
| South Africa | Pretoria | Official Capital | Seat of Government |
| Cape Town | Seat of Legislature | ||
| Bloemfontein | Seat of Judiciary | ||
| Sri Lanka | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | Official Capital | Seat of Government, Legislature |
| Colombo | De facto Capital | Seat of Judiciary, Commerce | |
| Eswatini | Mbabane | De facto Capital | Seat of Government |
| Lobamba | Official Capital | Royal & Legislative Capital | |
| Tanzania | Dodoma | Official Capital | Seat of Legislature |
| Dar es Salaam | De facto Capital | Seat of Government | |
| Western Sahara (SADR)* | Laayoune | Recognized Capital | |
| Tifariti | Temporary Capital | ||
| Yemen | Sana’a | Recognized Capital | |
| Aden | Temporary Capital |
*disputed territory
A number of countries such as Japan and Russia also claim to have multiple capitals. The Japanese, for example, consider Kyoto as important as Tokyo and the Russians consider St. Petersburg as important as Moscow. These cities are however, not recognized as capital cities.
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