List of national capitals explained

This is a list of national capitals, including capitals of territories and dependencies, non-sovereign states including associated states and entities whose sovereignty is disputed.

The capitals included on this list are those associated with states or territories listed by the international standard ISO 3166-1, or that are included in the list of states with limited recognition.

Sovereign states and observer states within the United Nations are shown in bold text.

List

The column headings may cover the first row when the letter links are used.

City/Town	Country/Territory	Continent	Notes
	(Côte d'Ivoire)	Africa	Abidjan is the largest city in Ivory Coast and is officially designated as the economic capital.
		Asia
		Africa	Lagos was the capital from 1914 to 1991.
		Oceania	British Overseas Territory.
		Africa
		Asia	Yemen is in a state of civil war, and Sanaa has been occupied by Houthi rebels since September 2014. Aden, the former capital of South Yemen, is Yemen's acting capital.
		Asia	British Overseas Territory.
		Africa
		Oceania	Self-governing in free association with New Zealand. Government offices are spread across both Alofi North and Alofi South.
		Asia
		Europe	The Dutch government is situated in The Hague, which also hosts the monarch, government ministries, judiciary and diplomatic missions. See also Capital of the Netherlands.
		Asia	Ankara became capital of the newly-formed Republic of Turkey in 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence. The capital of Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, was Constantinople.
		Africa
		Oceania
		Asia
		Africa
		Asia	Astana was named Nur-Sultan from 2019 to 2022. Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1997 and its predecessor the Kazakh SSR from 1929 to 1991.
		South America
		Europe
		Oceania	Self-governing in free association with New Zealand. The capital is sometimes incorrectly stated as Rarotonga, the island on which Avarua is located.
		Asia
		Africa
		Asia
		Africa
		North America
		Asia	See also: Historical capitals of China.
		Europe
		North America	Belize City was the capital of Belize's predecessor, British Honduras.
		Europe	Bonn was the capital of West Germany and remained the seat of government for reunified Germany until 1999, and is still the primary seat of six ministries. See also Capital of Germany.
		Asia
		Africa
		South America
		North America	British Overseas Territory. Plymouth was abandoned after the Soufrière Hills volcano erupted in 1997. Since then, government offices have been moved to Brades, which is in northwestern Montserrat. A new capital, Little Bay, is currently under construction.
		South America	Rio de Janeiro was the capital until 1960. See also: Capitals of Brazil.
		Europe
		Africa
		North America
		Europe	Brussels also serves as de facto capital of the European Union.[1]
			See also: List of historical capitals of Hungary.
		South America
Cairo		Africa	A new capital is being built at the New Administrative Capital. It might be named Egypt. See also: List of historical capitals of Egypt.
Canberra		Oceania	Planned city built to mitigate the rivalry between Melbourne (de facto capital at the time) and Sydney (economic capital and most populous city), both of which were put forward as potential capitals in the Australasia Federation Conventions of the 1890s. Section 125 of the Constitution gives basic details about the location of the capital, size of the encompassing territory and so forth, while the Seat of Government Act 1908 specified its precise location.
Caracas		South America
		North America
			Territory of the United States.
		Europe
		North America	British Overseas Territory.
		Asia	Until 1982, the capital was Colombo, where many governmental institutions remain; it is still designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. See also: Capital of Sri Lanka.
			Also known as Kotte, the city is a suburb of Colombo.
		Africa
		Europe
		Africa
		Asia
		Africa
Dodoma			Dar es Salaam, the former capital and largest city, still hosts some government ministries, the judiciary, and diplomatic missions.
		Asia
		Europe	British Crown Dependency.
		Asia
			Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
			External territory of Australia.
		Africa
			Overseas territory of France. The French Southern and Antarctic Lands do not have an official capital. The territory is administered from Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
		Oceania
		Africa
		North America	British Overseas Territory.
			Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
		South America
		Europe	British Overseas Territory and city-state.
		Africa	Bujumbura was the capital from 1962 to 2018.
		North America
			Overseas collectivity of France.
		Oceania	Territory of the United States.
		North America	British Overseas Territory.
		Asia	See also: List of historical capitals of Vietnam.
		Africa
		Africa	De facto independent state, deemed by the UN to be de jure part of Somalia.
		North America
		Europe
		Oceania	Honiara is a settlement on the island of Guadalcanal.
		Asia	Karachi served as the first capital of Pakistan from 1948. A planned capital, Islamabad, was then designated, and in 1958, as an interim measure, the capital was shifted to Rawalpindi, near to the future capital. Islamabad became capital in 1967 when its construction was completed.
Jakarta			The capital will soon be moved to Nusantara on Borneo. See also: Capital of Indonesia.
			Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
Jerusalem		Asia	The Jerusalem Law states that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel" and the city serves as the seat of the Israeli government and its institutions. United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 declared the Jerusalem Law "null and void" and called on member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem. Nearly all countries currently have their embassies in and around Tel Aviv. Defying the UN,[2] the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital and moved its embassy there in May 2018.[3] Many countries officially adhere to the proposal that Jerusalem should have international status, as called for in the 1947 Partition Plan.[4]
		Asia
		Africa
		Asia
		Africa
		Asia
		Africa
			British Overseas Territory.
		North America
		Oceania	External territory of Australia.
		North America
		Africa
		Asia
		Asia
		Europe
		South America	La Paz is the highest administrative capital (3,650 m) in the world, higher than Quito.
		Africa	The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), recognized by UN member states and South Ossetia, claims the mostly Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. Moroccan-controlled territory includes Laayoune and Morocco claims all Sahrawi-controlled territory. Tifariti is the current temporary capital of the SADR (previously Bir Lehlou). Some government and military buildings reside in exile in Tindouf, Algeria.[5] See also: Politics of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
		South America	Cusco is declared the "historical capital" (es|capital histórica), by Article 49 of the Peruvian Constitution, a merely symbolic statement. Arequipa is deemed the "legal capital" as it is the seat of the Constitutional Court.
		Europe
		Africa
		Europe	Prior to the Acts of Union in 1707, London was the capital of England only; Edinburgh was the capital of the Kingdom of Scotland. The United Kingdom also includes the subdivisions of (capital London), (capital Edinburgh), (capital Cardiff), (capital Belfast).
		Asia	British Overseas Territory. Officially, the British Indian Ocean Territory is administered from London,[6] though some consider the capital to be Diego Garcia.[7]
		Africa
		Europe
		Oceania	Self-governing in free association with the United States. The seat of government is at Delap-Uliga-Djarrit, a settlement on the atoll of Majuro.
		Africa	Ciudad de la Paz is currently under construction and will become the new capital when complete.[8]
		Asia
		North America
		Asia
		Africa
		Europe	Autonomous region of Finland.
		North America	Overseas collectivity of France.
		Africa
		Oceania	Overseas collectivity of France.
		North America
		Europe
		Africa
		Europe	City-state. Monaco does not have a capital designated in its constitution; however, the Commune of Monaco, the country's only commune, is coterminous with the nation, making it the de facto capital.[9] [10]
		Africa
		South America
		Africa
		Europe
		Asia
		Africa
		North America
		Asia	Yangon was the capital until 2006.[11] See also: List of capitals of Myanmar.
		Africa
		Asia	Calcutta was the capital of India until 1911 during the British Raj.
		Oceania	Self-governing in free association with the United States. Koror City was the capital until 2006.
		Africa
		Asia	Nicosia is a divided capital, split between Cyprus, which claims the whole city, and the internationally unrecognized breakaway state of Northern Cyprus.
		Africa
		Oceania	Overseas territory of France.
		North America	Self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark.
		South America	Self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
		Europe	See also: List of historical capitals of Norway.
		North America
		Africa
		Oceania	Territory of the United States.
			Self-governing in free association with the United States. Kolonia is the former capital and Australia, China, Japan and the United States retain embassies there.
		North America
		Oceania	Overseas collectivity of France.
		South America
		Europe	See also: List of Capitals of France.
		North America	Self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
		Asia
Podgorica		Europe	Cetinje has been designated the "Old Royal Capital" and is the present seat of the President.
		Africa
		Oceania
		South America
		Oceania
		North America
		Europe	The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic is located in Brno.[12]
		Africa
		Europe	De facto independent state that is recognized by UN member states, Taiwan, the Cook Islands and Niue. Claimed in whole by Serbia as part of its Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Kosovo has de facto control over most of the territory, with limited control in North Kosovo.
		Asia
		South America	Highest official capital (2,850 m).[13]
		Africa
		Europe
		Asia
		North America	British Overseas Territory.
		Europe
		North America
		Antarctica	British Overseas Territory
		Oceania	Territory of the United States. The seat of government is at Capitol Hill, a settlement on the island of Saipan.
		North America
			Territory of the United States.
		Europe
		North America
Santiago		South America	The National Congress of Chile is located in Valparaíso.
		North America
		Africa
		Europe
		Asia	On 2 July 2012, some government functions moved to Sejong City, which became the de facto administrative capital.
			City-state.
		Europe
		Oceania	South Tarawa is a settlement on the atoll of Tarawa.
		North America
		Europe	British Crown Dependency.
		North America
		Europe	British Crown Dependency.
		North America	Overseas collectivity of France.
		South America	British Overseas Territory.
		Europe
		Asia/Europe	De facto independent state recognized by Russia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria. Claimed in whole by Georgia as the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia.
		Oceania
		Asia	Officially the Republic of China, it has been competing for recognition with the People's Republic of China as the sole Chinese government since 1949. Taiwan controls the island of Taiwan and the associated islands Quemoy, Matsu, the Pratas, and part of the Spratly Islands.[14] Its territory is claimed in whole by the People's Republic of China.[15] The Republic of China participates in the World Health Organization and a number of non-UN international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the International Olympic Committee and others under a variety of pseudonyms, most commonly Chinese Taipei.
		Europe
		Asia
		Asia/Europe	From 2012 to 2018, Kutaisi served as Georgia's legislative capital. Additionally, Mtskheta is sometimes called an "ancient capital" of Georgia.[16] [17]
		North America	Comayagüela is declared in the Honduran Constitution as co-official capital with Tegucigalpa.[18] The cities have since merged into a single urban area.
Comayagüela
		Asia
		Europe
			De facto independent state, not recognized by any UN member, only by Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Claimed in whole by Moldova as the autonomous territorial unit of Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester
		Asia	See also: Capital of Japan.
		Europe	Self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark.
		Africa
		Asia/Europe	De facto independent state recognized by Russia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria. Claimed in whole by Georgia as the Provisional Administration of South Ossetia.
		Africa
		Asia
		Europe
		North America	British Overseas Territory.
		Europe	City-state.
		Africa
		Europe
		Asia
		Europe
			Former capitals listed in .
		North America	The capital of the United States has moved several times. See also: National capitals of the United States.
		Oceania	Since 1865. Wellington is New Zealand's third capital. See also: Capital of New Zealand.
			External territory of Australia.
			Self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
		Africa
		Oceania	Nauru has no official capital; however, the government offices are in Yaren.
		Asia
		Europe

See also

• List of countries with multiple capitals
• List of purpose-built national capitals

Notes and References

1. Book: Cybriwsky, Roman Adrian . Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture . . 2013 . 978-1-61069-248-9 . [{{GBurl|id=qb6NAQAAQBAJ|p=64}} 64] . Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is considered to be the de facto capital of the EU.
2. https://press.un.org/en/2017/ga11995.doc.htm
3. See the CIA Factbook and Map of Israel
4. Book: Sharkansky, Ira . Ira Sharkansky . Governing Jerusalem: Again on the world's agenda . 23 . Wayne State University Press . 1996 . 0-8143-2592-0 .
5. Web site: CIA - The World Factbook -- Western Sahara. June 12, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070612210735/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wi.html. 2007-06-12.
6. Web site: Governance British Indian Ocean Territory . 2023-09-03 . www.biot.gov.io.
7. Web site: British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) . Island Studies . University of Prince Edward Island.
8. Web site: Fortin . Jacey . 19 December 2012 . Poverty-Stricken Equatorial Guinea Builds Expensive Capital City In The Middle Of Nowhere. .
9. Web site: Constitution of the Principality . Gouvernement Princier Principauté de Monaco . Principauté de Monaco . 28 February 2020 . en . 17 December 1962.
10. Web site: Monaco . Britannica . 28 February 2020 . en.
11. Web site: Nay Pyi Taw national capital, Myanmar Britannica . 2022-05-29 . www.britannica.com . en.
12. Web site: 2022-10-30 . Countries With More Than One Capital City . 2023-09-03 . WorldAtlas . en-US.
13. News: Amazonia or Bust! . Jacobs . Frank . New York Times . 19 June 2012 . 28 June 2012.
14. Sovereignty over the Spratly Islands is disputed by the PRC, the ROC, Vietnam, the Philippines (part), Malaysia (part), and Brunei (part).
15. In 1949, the Republic of China government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) lost the Chinese Civil War to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and set up a provisional capital in Taipei. The CCP established the People's Republic. As such, the political status of the ROC and the legal status of Taiwan (alongside the territories under ROC jurisdiction) are in dispute. In 1971, the United Nations gave the China seat to the PRC instead of the ROC: most states recognize the PRC to be the sole legitimate representative of all China, and the UN classifies Taiwan as "Taiwan, Province of China". The ROC has de facto relations with most sovereign states. A significant political movement within Taiwan advocates Taiwan independence.
16. Web site: Mtskheta Ancient Capital, UNESCO Site Britannica . 2023-09-03 . www.britannica.com . en.
17. Web site: Georgia marks day of ancient capital Mtskheta, Svetitskhoveli UNESCO monument . 2023-09-03 . Agenda.ge.
18. Web site: 2010-07-05 . Constitution of Honduras . 2022-11-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100705043950/http://congreso.gob.hn/constituciones/CONSTITUCION%201982%20DECRETO%20131-82.pdf . 2010-07-05 . es.