A country’s capital city is the economic and political hub of the nation, attracting millions of people to live and work there.
But while in most countries the title of capital is reserved for just one city, there are some nations where this is not necessarily the case.
There are 13 countries that have more than one capital city, including one country that has three.
Many of these countries are in Africa, but there are also some in Europe, Asia, and South America.
The full list of countries with more than one capital is: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Benin, Bolivia, Chile, Cote d’Ivoire, Georgia, Malaysia, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Swaziland, Yemen, and Tanzania.
South Africa’s biggest and most recognisable city is Johannesburg, but despite this, it is not one of the three capital cities.
Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein are the three capitals, with Pretoria being the administrative and executive hub, Cape Town the legislative centre, and Bloemfontein the judicial capital.
Sri Lanka’s administrative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, while Colombo is the judicial capital.
In Benin, west Africa, Porto Novo is the official capital, while Cotonou is seen as the judicial hub.
Bolivia’s capital is Sucre, while La Paz is the executive and the legislative capital.
Chile, also in South America, has Santiago as its official capital but Valparaiso is considered the country’s legislative capital.
Cote D’Ivoire’s official capital is Yamoussoukro, while Abidjan is the executive capital.
Tbilisi is known widely as Georgia’s capital city. But Kutaisi is the country’s legislative capital.
Kuala Lumpur is one of the biggest cities in Asia and is therefore Malaysia’s main city. But Putrajaya is the country’s administrative capital.
In Montenegro, Podgorica is the main city. However, Cetinje is the city where the head of state lives.
Amsterdam is widely known as the Dutch capital, famous for its canals and culture. But The Hague is the administrative capital and the seat of the National legislature. The International Court of Justice is also located here.
Swaziland, also known as Eswatii, is located in southern Africa. Its capital cities are Mbabane and Lobamba, the latter being a legislative and royal capital.
Yemen’s two capital cities are Sana and Aden.
Tanzania’s legislative capital is Dodoma, while Dar es Salaam is the judicial capital.
