Capital city

A city designated as the seat of government for a country or other political region. It may host central institutions without being the region’s largest or most populous city.

Seat of government: The place where a government conducts its official business. A capital city serves this function, though government offices can also be distributed elsewhere.
Primate city: A city that is disproportionately large and influential within its country’s urban system. A capital may be a primate city, but many capitals are smaller than the country’s dominant metropolis.
Washington, D.C.: The federal district that serves as the capital of the United States. Its separate status prevents the national seat of government from belonging to any one state.
Capital relocation: The transfer of a government’s seat from one city to another. Moving a capital can redistribute public investment and alter the balance between regions.
Royal court: The household and governing circle surrounding a monarch. In many monarchies, the ruler’s residence and court made a city the practical centre of government.
Constitution: The fundamental rules and principles that govern a political system. Constitutions and laws may designate a capital or establish where national institutions sit.
Largest city: The city with the greatest population within a specified region. The most populous city is not necessarily the capital, as shown by countries such as Australia and Brazil.
Canberra: Australia’s purpose-built national capital, established between Sydney and Melbourne. Its selection resolved rivalry between Australia’s two largest cities.
Planned city: A city designed and built according to an overarching plan, often before substantial settlement. Purpose-built capitals such as Brasília and Canberra are prominent examples of planned cities.
Itinerant court: A royal court that travels with the ruler instead of remaining in one permanent city. Before permanent capitals became common, government could move with the monarch.

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