As you know, the capital is the main city of the country, which is the administrative and political center of a particular state. The capitals of the countries of the world usually have all the main judicial, parliamentary and governmental institutions.
Most often, this territorial unit is considered a separate federal district, and its location is indicated in the constitution of almost every state.
How to choose the capitals of the world?
This question is generally quite difficult to answer unambiguously. There are several ways.
Sometimes a capital can be distinguished by status as an independent administrative or federal unit, and sometimes it can be considered, as they say, on a common basis. Usually it is the largest city in the country, but not always. There are countries where some cities are much larger than their capitals in terms of both geographical size and population.
And in history, there are cases when countries for a long time could not unambiguously choose a capital city between two or even three settlements, therefore this process was delayed for years and even decades.
What are the provisional capitals of the world?
It turns out that on the
political map of the world there are such territorial units. What is this, because, it turns out, even the capitals of large countries of the world may well have a similar status?
In general, this concept refers to the temporary location of capital functions in the city, which is the safest, first of all, in connection with the occupation of the country, with a military or some other threat to the current capital, or for other reasons.
The most famous temporary capitals of the world
- Kaunas It was founded in 1280. At the moment, this city in Lithuania occupies a solid second place, both in economic and territorial importance. Now it is the most important cultural and industrial center. Its population is 400 thousand people. Kaunas has seen a lot in its existence. In the XIII-XV centuries, it was considered a strong and important defense and stronghold in the fight against the Teutons, in the XV-XVI century it was formed as the largest commercial river center. And in 1920, during the Polish occupation of Vilnius, Kaunas was recognized as a temporary capital.
- Tel Aviv. This city is today one of the largest cultural and economic centers of the country. When the creation of Israel, an independent state, was proclaimed in 1948, Tel Aviv became its provisional capital.
- Bonn Those who are interested in the list of countries and capitals of the world cannot but recall such an amazing German city. Today it is a fairly large political center in Germany, having the status and powers of the federal. In 1949, Bonn was recognized as the provisional capital. She was her until 1991. And in 1991, after both Germany reunited, Berlin was again declared the capital.
The cultural capitals of Europe
It is unlikely that anyone will dare to challenge the fact that countries and capitals are primarily associated in our memory with their sights.
Looking into history, you can find out that, in principle, the initiative to determine the cultural capital of Europe belongs to the European Union. It consists in choosing a city as the cultural center of the continent every year. Thus, attention is drawn to the cultural progress of the region. What does this give? Honestly, a lot. In addition to fame, due to the fact that a city is chosen for this role, additional funding is allocated for it. And this is a good reason to significantly improve the state of cultural attractions, institutions and various kinds of infrastructure.
What was the first cultural capital of the planet?
In general, it should be noted that Athens was justly proclaimed such a city. This happened in 1983. Milina Mercury, who was then Minister of Culture of Greece, proposed this candidacy to the Council of the European Union.
What did you manage to do? Firstly, in the city, roads were repaired with the allocated money and traffic interchanges were established. For tourists, the problem of orienting on the terrain and moving around the Greek capital has disappeared. Signposts, maps and stands were installed at intersections and stops. Secondly, archaeologists continued to study the Acropolis, as a result of which the most important historical discoveries were made.
On what grounds can the capital be transferred?
The transfer of the capital should be understood as the transfer of functions of the main city of the state from one settlement to another. As a rule, the latter is built specifically for these purposes.
Usually this need arises for several reasons, among which I would like to separately note the following:
- Settlement of disputes between two or three cities.
- Overpopulation. As a rule, countries and Asian capitals face this problem .
- Equal grounds for governing the country.
- Military threat to a country or directly existing capital.
- Exemption from the old public life and traditions of government.
- Loss of dominance over the state of the existing capital.
Countries of the world with capitals that had to be moved
Let's consider several options. However, as an example, we suggest taking only those cities that have lost the status of the main city of the country according to purely economic or territorial criteria.
- Bergen (Norway). This city is world famous for its history and traditions. Today it has many cultural attractions, scenic spots. Also, modern city life is seething here. Norwegian Bergen is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the oldest state settlement in the Middle Ages.
- Philadelphia (USA). One of the oldest cities in America. It is on the list of political, economic and financial centers. In 1790, it became the first capital of the United States of America.
- Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan). We can say with confidence that today it is an economically developed city, like a European one, although it was created back in Soviet times. Here there are a huge number of shops, and streets lined up in rows, and, of course, cars standing in traffic jams during rush hour. And on the other hand, in our time, Alma-Ata remains the most charming creation of Central Asia. It turns out that the contrasts inherent in this region exist in the city itself.
New capitals of the world
- Brasilia is the capital, which is located in the very center of the country. When choosing the location of the construction of this city, the main point was to maintain a large distance between it and other major cities in Brazil - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A bird's-eye view of the city resembles a jet in motion. The territorial unit itself has a lot of unusual things. First of all, of course, this location and architecture. It is these characteristic features that cause the pride of local residents and the delight of tourists.
- Cetinje is the capital of Montenegro, a museum city founded in the 13th century. In the XV century, when there was a war with Turkey, the current capital was moved to Cetinje due to military danger. This city is located between the limestone mountains in the valley, where the views, respectively, are simply mesmerizing. And the oldest churches and monasteries add to the townspeople and travelers a special feeling - as if they had actually moved into the past. This city is not without reason called the embodiment of all Montenegro.
- Manila (Philippines) is a conglomerate consisting of 18 cities that form a metropolis. It combines ultramodern urban innovations. This is actually a magical place where glass skyscrapers rise above the horizon, and the beaches are almost untouched by man. There are many great places for diving, and five hundred year old monasteries and cathedrals will surely tell everyone about the history of this region.