There are a total of 195 countries in the world today, with each country having its capital city from which the country’s administration is overseen. But there are some countries like the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Bolivia which have not one but multiple capitals. These countries have either divided their administrative and legislative responsibilities among various capita cities or judicial and executive responsibilities. Let’s check which are those countries that have multiple capitals.
List of Countries with Multiple Capitals
There are a total of 13 countries in the world that have multiple capitals, the list of which is given below:
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Benin
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Cote d’ Ivory
- Georgia
- Malaysia
- Montenegro
- The Netherlands
- Swaziland
- Yemen
- Tanzania
Now let’s get ahead and learn more about the multiple capitals of these countries.
Multiple Capital Cities
- South Africa (Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein): South Africa, a country located in the continent of Africa has three capital cities. Pretoria is the administrative and executive capital, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is its judicial capital.
- Sri Lanka (Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Colombo): An island nation with small demography, Sri Lanka has its administrative capital situated at Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and Colombo is termed its commercial and judicial capital.
- Benin (Porto- Novo and Cotonou): A small country located in the Western Africa region that shares its border with countries like Niger and Burkina Faso. Porto Novo is considered the official capital of Benin, while Cotonou is termed as its judicial capital.
- Bolivia (Sucre and la Paz): Bolivia, is a country situated in the South American Continent sharing its boundaries with countries like Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Sucre is termed the official capital of Bolivia, while la Paz is the executive and the legislative capital of Bolivia.
- Chile (Santiago and Valparaiso): Chile, a South American country, shares its boundaries with countries like Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Santiago has considered the official capital of Chile, whereas Valparaiso is considered to be its legislative capital.
- Cote D’ Ivory (Yamoussoukro and Abidjan): A country situated in the region of Western Africa, it shares its borders with neighbouring African countries such as Liberia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Mali. Yamoussoukro is considered to be its official capital. Abidjan is termed its executive capital.
- Georgia (Tbilisi and Kutaisi): A country situated in the region of Eastern Europe, Georgia was one of the republics of the soviet union till 1991. Sharing its boundaries with countries like Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey, Georgia’s official capital is Tbilisi, whereas Kutaisi is its legislative capital.
- Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya): An island country located in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is divided into two halves, namely the Malacca Strait, which is located on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula region, while located on the eastern coast is the South China sea. Kuala Lumpur is termed the official capital of Malaysia, whereas Putrajaya is termed to be its Administrative Capital.
- Montenegro (Podgorica and Cetinje): It is a Balkan country sharing its boundaries with countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo. Podgorica is the official capital and the seat of the government, while Cetinje is where the head of the state resides.
- The Netherlands (Amsterdam and The Hague): The Netherlands, a country located in Europe, has multiple capital cities. It shares its boundaries with countries like Belgium and Germany. Amsterdam is the official and the Royal capital of The Netherlands, while The Hague is the administrative capital and the seat of the National legislature. The International court of justice is also located in The Hague, which is why The Hague is considered as a key conjuncture of administration and legislation in the Netherlands.
- Swaziland (Mbabane and Lobamba): Swaziland is an African country sharing its boundaries with countries like South Africa and Mozambique. While Mbabane is termed as its administrative capital, Lobamba is its legislative and royal capital.
- Yemen (Sana and Aden): A relatively small country in terms of landmass situated in Central Asia, Yemen shares its borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman. While Sana is termed the official capital of Yemen, Aden is referred to as its executive capital.
- Tanzania (Dodoma and Dar es Salaam): An east African country sharing its boundaries with Uganda, Kenya, Congo, and Rwanda, Tanzania has Dodoma as its official and legislative capital and Dar es Salaam as the seat of judicial bodies.
Conclusion
In this blog, we learned about the number of countries that have multiple capital cities, what are they named (Example: The Netherlands, Malaysia) etc., and what are their capital cities. Still, some doubts may remain, and to solve all the queries, here is a dedicated FAQ section to solve all doubts that may arise.
