No matter where you point at the world map, every country is likely to have a city that hosts its government – its capital city. But did you know there are places around the world where it has more than one capital city within a single country?
Click start to play the Weekend Crossword and identify all the capital cities.
Back in the 1900s, only 40 nations had official capital cities, according to the book Planning Twentieth Century Capital Cities by Canadian academic David Gordon. By 2000, the world had more than 200 capital cities, as new countries emerged from the collapse of British and French colonisation, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.
While most countries chose a single capital city, which serves as a dedicated place for politicians to meet, pass laws, and hold the administrative centre of the country, others decided not to hold back, and have more than one capital. Here are a few that might surprise you, and aid you enormously in your next Trivial Pursuit game night:
1. Bolivia: La Paz and Sucre
La Paz (pictured above) is all glitz and glamour. Cocooned in the snowy summits of the Andes, it is full of history and culture, and is the administrative capital of Bolivia. But its constitutional capital is in the city of Sucre, hundreds of kilometres away. Sucre was once the centre of the country’s silver mining industry, during the colonial era, and was a force to be reckoned with. While a burgeoning tin industry in La Paz put it on the map, Sucre still remains the seat of the country’s government.
2. Czech Republic: Prague and Brno
Prague draws tourists from around the world to its gothic spires, riverside serenity and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco)-listed heritage sites. The 9th century Prague Castle remains the official office of the Czech Republic’s president. But its Supreme Court is in the less-known second capital city of Brno, which is known to be a university city where students mingle at trendy cafes, and beautiful modernist buildings line the streets.
3. Tanzania: Dar es Salaam and Dodoma
The Tanzanian government decided to move from the coastal capital of Dar es Salaam to the more central city of Dodoma in 1973. But despite wider streets and grander buildings in Dodoma, many key administrative and government functions remain in Dar es Salaam. In October 2019 though, Dodoma became firmly established as the main capital when the country’s president, John Magufuli, moved his office there.
Did you know about these countries with double capitals? Play the Weekend Crossword and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
