We all attended geography class in school where we learned about capitals, most developed or largest cities, etc. I remember I was in the 6th grade when I had to learn by heart every single country from each continent, its location on the world or continent map and of course, its capital city. We even had express tests about this subject 😐
Anyway, no matter how much we learn in school, there are still cities around the globe that are commonly mistaken with capital cities. Why, you might ask… well, usually these are famous for something impressive or unique and are major tourist attractions or airport hubs.
Let’s see some examples and why the confusion.
- Romania – Bucharest, not Budapest
This is a very sensitive subject and please try to avoid it. Not only that you are mistaken it for another country’s capital city (we don’t mind if you say Cluj or Timișoara), but Budapest was the capital of an empire that ruled over more than one third of the Romania’s current territory for hundreds of years, until 1918. So next time you meet a Romanian, don’t say “Oh, I’ve been to your country. Budapest is a really nice city”. Trust me, unexpected behaviour can occur 😊 - Turkey – Ankara, not Istanbul
Of course, Istanbul is breathing history through all its pores, it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire, most important tourist attractions are here and it is a huuuge hub in terms of flights from Europe to Asia and Middle East, its airport being one of the biggest in the world in terms of number of passengers. But the actual capital is Ankara - United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi, not Dubai
As Dubai is probably one of the most known cities in the world, due to its luxury lifestyle, world record buildings – Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, futuristic places – Museum of the Future, the Frame and a skyline that is very easy to recognize, the capital city of the Emirates is Abu Dhabi. A city full of life, home of the beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Etihad Towers, Presidential Palace Qasr al-Watan and Yas Island theme parks (Ferrari, Waterworld, Warner Bros, Seaworld – the second largest after the one in Orlando, Florida) - New Zealand – Wellington, not Auckland
Auckland is by far the best known city of New Zealand, but the capital is actually Wellington, more laid back - Australia – Canberra, not Sydney or Melbourne
Of course, when we say Australia the first thing that comes to our mind is the famous Opera building from Sydney, one of the most instagrammed places on Earth. But its actual capital is Canberra - Brazil – Brasilia, not Rio de Janeiro
Well, we all heard and seen pictures and videos of Copacabana beach, Christ the Redeemer and of course, from the world wide famous Carnival from Rio. But the capital city of Brazil is Brasilia, located in the middle of the country and established as capital in the 1960s - Switzerland – Bern, not Zurich or Geneva
People are tempted to say that Zurich is the capital of Switzerland as it is filled with fancy banks and luxury watches stores and is also the biggest city. But the capital is actually Bern, Switzerland’s fifth most populated city but with a romantic vibe - United States of America – Washington D.C., not New York
Looking at the popularity of New York, the star of so many successful movies or TV shows (Home Alone, Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, etc), with its unmistaken skyline and iconic buildings no wonder people are tempted to say it’s the capital of USA. But it’s actually Washington D.C., located approx. 4hrs drive south of New York - Canada – Ottawa, not Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto or Quebec
All the cities that are mistakenly confused as Canada’s capital are either important financial centers or the largest metropolitan areas but the administrative center is in Ottawa - South Africa – Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein, not Johannesburg
Although Johannesburg is the largest city, South Africa actually has three capital cities: Pretoria (executive) – seat of Government and all foreign embassies, Cape Town (legislative) – seat of the Parliament (or law maker) and Bloemfontein (judicial) - Morocco – Rabat, not Casablanca or Marrakesh
As Casablanca and Marrakesh are popular tourist destinations and the first is the largest city and main port in Morocco and also its economic and business center, the capital city is Rabat. - Tanzania – Dodoma, not Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam is the biggest city and port in Tanzania, the main gate for Zanzibar island and an important hub for flights. But the capital of Tanzania is Dodoma. - Nigeria – Abuja, not Lagos
Lagos is the largest city and the most populous urban area on the African continent. To our excuse, it used to be the capital until 1991, when it was decided to move it to Abuja, in the center of the country. Today Abuja is and independent unit in Nigeria, as the country is a federal republic modelled after USA - Croatia – Zagreb, not Dubrovnik
The beautiful city of Dubrovnik, with its historical center being part of UNESCO World Heritage sites, was put on the “must see travel destinations” after it was used as a filming location for Game of Thrones, more exactly King’s Landing starting season two. No wonder most people tend to confuse it with the capital city of Croatia, which is actually Zagreb - Bolivia – Sucre, not La Paz
To be honest, I didn’t know about this until recently, while I was doing some research for entry requirements in Bolivia. The Constitution of 2009 recognized Sucre as capital city while the seat of government and the parliament remain in La Paz.
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