Which Countries Have More Than One Capital City?

Quick quiz: what's the capital of South Africa?

If you said Pretoria, you're right. If you said Cape Town, you're also right. And if you said Bloemfontein — still right. South Africa is the world's most famous example of a country with three capital cities, and it's far from the only nation that refuses to put all its government in one place.

Around a dozen countries officially or effectively operate with more than one capital. Here's the complete rundown — starting with the record-holder — and the surprisingly practical reasons behind each split.

The Three-Capital Country: South Africa

South Africa divides its government across three cities, one for each branch:

• Pretoria — the executive capital, home to the President and the cabinet
• Cape Town — the legislative capital, seat of Parliament
• Bloemfontein — the judicial capital, home to the Supreme Court of Appeal

Why? It's a compromise baked into the country's founding. When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, it merged four colonies that had recently been at war with each other. Rather than let one city win, the negotiators split the capital functions among the capitals of three of the former colonies. Johannesburg — South Africa's largest city — famously got nothing, making "What's the capital of South Africa?" one of geography's best trick questions on multiple levels.

Countries With Two Capitals

Bolivia: Sucre and La Paz

Sucre is Bolivia's constitutional capital and seat of the judiciary, but the government and legislature moved to La Paz after a civil war in 1899. La Paz gets an extra superlative: at around 3,600 meters above sea level, it's the highest administrative capital city in the world.

Netherlands: Amsterdam and The Hague

Amsterdam is the constitutional capital — the Dutch constitution names it — but virtually the entire government lives in The Hague: the parliament, the supreme court, the King's working palace, and the foreign embassies. The Hague is also home to the International Court of Justice, making it a capital of international law even though it isn't technically the capital of its own country.

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya

Kuala Lumpur remains Malaysia's official capital and seat of parliament, but in the 1990s the country built Putrajaya, a planned city 25 kilometers south, and moved the government's administrative and judicial functions there to relieve KL's congestion. Putrajaya is one of the world's newest capital-function cities — a useful reminder that capitals aren't fixed in stone.

Sri Lanka: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Colombo

Sri Lanka's official legislative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte — a strong contender for the longest capital name most people have never heard of — while Colombo, which surrounds it, remains the commercial center and de facto seat of much of the government. If a quiz asks for Sri Lanka's capital, Kotte is the technically correct answer.

Benin: Porto-Novo and Cotonou

Porto-Novo is Benin's official capital under the constitution, but the seat of government, most ministries, and the country's main port and airport are in Cotonou. It's a classic case of the official capital and the functional capital being different cities.

Côte d'Ivoire: Yamoussoukro and Abidjan

Yamoussoukro became the official capital in 1983 — largely because it was the birthplace of then-president Félix Houphouët-Boigny — but nearly all government institutions and embassies remain in Abidjan, the economic hub. Yamoussoukro's claim to fame: the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, one of the largest churches in the world, rising out of the savanna.

Eswatini: Mbabane and Lobamba

Africa's last absolute monarchy splits its capital between Mbabane, the administrative capital, and Lobamba, the legislative and royal capital where the parliament and the royal residences are located.

Burundi: Gitega and Bujumbura

In 2019, Burundi moved its political capital from Bujumbura to Gitega, a smaller city closer to the country's geographic center. Bujumbura, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, remains the economic capital. Burundi is a good example of how capital lists go stale — many quizzes and textbooks still say Bujumbura alone.

Chile: Santiago and Valparaíso (Sort Of)

Chile has one official capital — Santiago — but its National Congress sits in Valparaíso, on the Pacific coast about 115 kilometers away. Depending on how strictly you define "capital," Chile either has one capital or one-and-a-bit; either way, it's a great tiebreaker question.

Tanzania: Dodoma and Dar es Salaam

Tanzania designated centrally located Dodoma as its capital back in the 1970s, but the move took decades — for years, most government business stayed in the coastal metropolis of Dar es Salaam. The transfer has largely been completed, but Dar es Salaam remains the commercial capital and the answer many people still give by reflex.

Montenegro: Podgorica and Cetinje

Podgorica is Montenegro's official capital, but the constitution grants Cetinje — the historic royal capital nestled in the mountains — the status of "Old Royal Capital," and it still houses the country's presidency. A two-capital arrangement rooted purely in history and honor.

Honorable Mentions and Edge Cases

• Germany: Berlin is the capital, but several federal ministries retain their primary seat in Bonn, the former West German capital — a leftover from reunification.
• Israel designates Jerusalem as its capital, while most foreign embassies historically located in Tel Aviv — a case where geography and international politics diverge.
• United States (historical): before Washington, D.C. was built, the capital moved among cities including Philadelphia and New York — proof that even single-capital countries often have multi-capital pasts.

Related: Countries That Moved Their Capital Entirely

Splitting a capital is one solution; moving it outright is another. Several countries have simply built or designated a brand-new capital, and these make excellent companion trivia:

• Brazil moved its capital from coastal Rio de Janeiro to the purpose-built Brasília in 1960, planting the government in the country's interior. The city's airplane-shaped street plan is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Nigeria replaced Lagos with centrally located Abuja in 1991, for reasons of neutrality among regions as much as geography.
• Kazakhstan moved from Almaty to Astana in 1997 — a city that has since changed its own name multiple times, briefly becoming Nur-Sultan before reverting to Astana in 2022. Capital names can be as unstable as capital locations.
• Myanmar built the vast, famously empty Naypyidaw and transferred its government there from Yangon in 2005.
• Indonesia is in the middle of the newest chapter: relocating its capital from sinking, overcrowded Jakarta on Java to Nusantara, a new city under construction on the island of Borneo.

The lesson for quiz-takers: capital cities are moving targets. A list memorized a decade ago will already contain errors — which is exactly what makes capitals such a rewarding category to keep re-testing.

Why Do Countries Split Their Capitals?

Across all these cases, the same few motives repeat:

1. Political compromise — balancing rival regions or former states (South Africa, Bolivia)
2. Congestion relief — building a new administrative city when the old capital gets overcrowded (Malaysia, Tanzania)
3. Centrality — moving government closer to the geographic middle of the country (Burundi, Tanzania)
4. History and prestige — honoring an old royal or constitutional capital while governing from a practical one (Montenegro, Netherlands)

Quick Reference Table

Country	Capitals	Split
South Africa	Pretoria / Cape Town / Bloemfontein	Executive / Legislative / Judicial
Bolivia	Sucre / La Paz	Constitutional / Seat of government
Netherlands	Amsterdam / The Hague	Constitutional / Seat of government
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur / Putrajaya	Official / Administrative
Sri Lanka	Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte / Colombo	Legislative / Commercial & executive
Benin	Porto-Novo / Cotonou	Official / Seat of government
Côte d'Ivoire	Yamoussoukro / Abidjan	Official / De facto
Eswatini	Mbabane / Lobamba	Administrative / Legislative & royal
Burundi	Gitega / Bujumbura	Political / Economic
Tanzania	Dodoma / Dar es Salaam	Official / Commercial
Montenegro	Podgorica / Cetinje	Official / Old Royal Capital
Chile	Santiago (+ Valparaíso)	Capital / Seat of Congress