- For alternative meanings see capital
(disambiguation)
In politics a capital (also called capital
city or political capital) is located by the following:
- Usually a capital of a country or other political entity is the city or town that contains the government.
- Usually the location of the capital is stated in law.
- Often a capital is a center of important activity.
- In a monarchy, often a capital is wherever a king's court is (which can move from palace to palace).
A country or political entity may have more than one official capital at any given point in time. It may
consist of or be separate from the actual seat of government.
It also may move about seasonally.
In South Africa, for example, the administrative capital is Pretoria, the legislative capital is Cape
Town, while the judicial capital is Bloemfontein. This is the legacy of
a compromise reached between most of the different provinces when the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910.
In Chile, the national Congress moved
from Santiago, the capital, to the city of Valparaiso.
Specific capital cities
Lists of capitals
History
In the past, often a capital was the place where the various economic forms of capital were concentrated for easier protection.
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