The map above shows all countries whose capital was not their largest city, based on population, in 2010.
This explains why South Sudan does not appear as a separate country, however if it did it would not be among the countries included (Juba is both the capital and largest city of South Sudan).
Here are a few of the more interesting facts about these countries and cities:
- 36 countries have a capital that is not their biggest city.
- 4 of the 5 most populous countries on earth have a capital that is not their biggest city (Indonesia is the one exception)
- Beijing at 22 million people is the largest city to appear on the list since Shanghai has roughly 1.2 million more inhabitants.
- Ngerulmud (capital of Palau) at 271 people, is both the smallest capital city on the list and the one with largest ratio between it and the largest city, Koror which has 11,200 people, making the latter 41 times larger.
- Almost all European countries, with the exceptions of Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, and Turkey have capital cities that are also their largest cities.
- While London is by far the largest city in the UK, the former British Dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan all have other cities that are bigger than their respective capitals.
- Several countries have purpose built national capitals including: Abuja (Nigeria), Brasília (Brazil), Canberra (Australia), Islamabad (Pakistan), and Washington, D.C. (United States)
You can find out the full list of countries here.
Note the table below shows data for cities proper and not the wider urban area. E.g. Brussels wider Urban area is larger than Antwerp.
| Country | Capital | Population | Largest city | Population | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Canberra | 426,704 | Sydney | 5,312,163 | 12.6 |
| Belgium | Brussels | 188,737 | Antwerp | 536,079 | 2.84 |
| Belize | Belmopan | 20,621 | Belize City | 61,762 | 3.07 |
| Benin | Porto-Novo | 264,320 | Cotonou | 761,100 | 3.4 |
| Bolivia | Sucre | 259,388 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 1,453,549 | 7.1 |
| Brazil | Brasília | 3,500,000 | São Paulo | 12,252,023 | 4.25 |
| Burundi | Gitega | 41,944 | Bujumbura | 1,092,859 | 26.06 |
| Cameroon | Yaoundé | 1,430,000 | Douala | 2,000,000 + | 1.4 |
| Canada | Ottawa | 1,017,449 | Toronto | 2,794,356 | 2.75 |
| China | Beijing | 22,000,000 | Shanghai (urban metropolitan area) | 30,484,300 | 1.39 |
| China | Beijing | 22,000,000 | Chongqing (city boundaries) | 32,054,159 | 1.46 |
| Ecuador | Quito | 1,763,275 | Guayaquil | 2,650,288 | 1.5 |
| Equatorial Guinea | Ciudad de la Paz | 2,000 | Malabo | 297,000 | 1.5 |
| Gambia | Banjul | 31,301 | Serrekunda | 337,000 | 10.77 |
| India | New Delhi | 249,998 | Mumbai | 12,442,373 | 49.77 |
| Israel | Jerusalem (limited recognition) | 363,095 (excluding East Jerusalem) | Tel Aviv | 460,613 | 1.2 |
| Ivory Coast | Yamoussoukro | 200,659 | Abidjan | 4,348,000 | 21.7 |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | 743,014 | Almaty | 1,450,095 | 1.95 |
| Liechtenstein | Vaduz | 5,109 | Schaan | 6,039 | 1.14 |
| Federated States of Micronesia | Palikir | 5,000 | Weno | 13,000 | 1.4 |
| Malta | Valletta | 5,827 | St. Paul's Bay | 29,097 | 6.62 |
| Morocco | Rabat | 627,000 | Casablanca | 4,150,000 | 6.62 |
| Myanmar | Naypyidaw | 925,000 | Yangon | 4,346,000 | 4.7 |
| New Zealand | Wellington | 209,800 | Auckland | 1,547,200 | 7.37 |
| Nigeria | Abuja | 778,567 | Lagos | 7,937,932 | 10.2 |
| Pakistan | Islamabad | 1,014,825 | Karachi | 14,910,352 | 14.69 |
| Palau | Ngerulmud | 0 | Koror | 11,200 | - |
| Palestine | Jerusalem (limited recognition) | 573,330 (East Jerusalem) | Gaza City | 590,481 | 5.67 |
| Philippines | Manila | 1,780,148 | Quezon City | 2,936,116 | 1.67 |
| San Marino | San Marino | 4,211 | Serravalle | 10,601 | 2.52 |
| South Africa | Pretoria | 2,345,908 | Johannesburg | 5,635,000 | 1.66 |
| Sudan | Khartoum | 1,410,858 | Omdurman | 1,849,659 | 1.31 |
| Syria | Damascus | 1,414,913 | Aleppo | 2,132,100 | 1.51 |
| Switzerland | Bern | 138,041 | Zürich | 397,698 | 2.88 |
| Taiwan | Taipei | 2,668,572 | New Taipei | 4,004,367 | 1.5 |
| Tanzania | Dodoma | 324,347 | Dar es Salaam | 2,497,940 | 7.7 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Port of Spain | 49,000 | Chaguanas | 67,400 | 1.37 |
| Turkey | Ankara | 5,150,072 | Istanbul | 14,377,018 | 3.4 |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | 896,751 | Dubai | 2,262,000 | 2.52 |
| United States | Washington, D.C. | 705,749 | New York City | 8,398,748 | 12.72 |
| Vietnam | Hanoi | 8,053,663 | Ho Chi Minh City | 8,993,082 | 1.1 |
Here’s another map:
and one focused just on Europe:
And South America:
Want to learn more? These books might help:
- Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC
- The Modernist City: An Anthropological Critique of Brasilia
- Canberra (The City Series)
- Ottawa Then and Now: A photographic guide to the hidden history, stories and architecture of the Canadian capital
Have a question or comment you’d like to share about this map? Please do using the comments below:
jemesouviens says
well either you don’t know Manila is the capital and the largest city in the country or you dont really know where Philippines is located on the map…
Brilliant Maps says
Not my map but Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Philippine_cities_and_municipalities_by_population – says that Quezon City is bigger than Manila
Someone says
it mean your wikipedia need improvement well.
insolito says
I’m not an expert and not pretending to be – at all – so please don’t anyone be offended but is the issue here that ‘Manila’ is now actually two things?
That is, isn’t there a ‘Manila metropolitan area’ that includes Manila, Quezon and Caloocan (among others) and so is of curse bigger than Quezon itself (in fact it has 10m people or so), but also the city of Manila itself which is the capital but actually smaller than Quezon?
Because Manila city has about 1.9m people and Quezon about 2.3m? I am genuinely asking – that was my understanding…
Brilliant Maps says
This is correct.
E J says
Actually 6 of the 7 most populous countries on earth have a capital that is not their biggest city.
AJ says
I think Philippines should’nt be included on this map because from Filipino perspective Quezon City “Kyusi” is also Manila “Maynila” like all other cities in Metro Manila which is the de facto capital of this country. You must not always rely on Wikipedia pls try other resources.
E S says
Belgium should be on here because Brussels proper is smaller than Antwerp proper (but the metropolitan area is larger)
phil allen says
Consider using La Wiphala–Bolivia’s other official flag–when vexillographically referring to that country ..