The World's Most Overshadowed Capital Cities

[@XiongBearTravel]

Abu Dhabi in the UAE is always overshadowed by Dubai, some think Dubai is the capital city or even its own country.

[@rohankishibe8259]

Only Amaricans would think Dubai is a country since they're already dumb enough to think Africa is a country 😂😂

[@Jeffrey-yp9gd]

To Be Honest, I Think Dubai Could Survive By Itself.

[@reubenpsolomon5707]

Dubai is just a facade. It's the public face and influencer kindoff city. But the real kingmaker is Abhu Dhabi. They are the engine behind all this..

[@rohankishibe8259]

@@reubenpsolomon5707 no body asked

[@reubenpsolomon5707]

@@rohankishibe8259 Just saying that's all..

[@terryomalley1974]

The reason Ottawa was chosen as Canada's capital city is because thevtwo largest cities, and the leading cities of English- and French-Canada, respectively--Toronto and Montreal, both wanted to be the capital. So, Ottawa was roughly halfway between its two larger metropolises, and further from the US border, so better protected against an American invasion after the War of 1812. Basically, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the compromise solution.

[@sydhenderson6753]

Same for Canberra because of the rivalry of Sydney and Melbourne.

[@randymoyan7871]

Ottawa is not halfway between Toronto and Montreal. Ottawa is an hour and half drive from Montreal whereas Toronto is 4 and half hours away.

[@martinc.720]

@@randymoyan7871 As they said... "roughly halfway" Also... driving 90 minutes from Ottawa doesn't get you to Montreal.

[@bevanml]

@@randymoyan7871 Canberra is also about 3x closer to Sydney than it is to Melbourne. Not exactly in the middle. But to appease the Melburnians they allowed Melbourne to be the de-facto capital city while the site for Canberra was being chosen and developed.

[@Rancid-Jane]

I thoufght Queen Victoria got the job of choosing the capital city and she sort of just poked a pin in a map right on Ottawa.

[@martinschalken7583]

You didn’t mention that Canberra, like Brasilia, is a designed city constructed to serve as the capital. Its location was chosen as a geographical compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, the latter serving as the country’s original capital until Canberra was completed.

[@LeCommieBoi]

Same with Ottawa

[@geostat12]

Some additional thoughts: *Missing in this list* a) New Zealand, whose capital is my hometown Wellington (urban area pop. ~220,000) is always overshadowed by Auckland (pop. ~1.5M). Auckland was capital of New Zealand though from 1840-1864, then it was transferred to the more centrally located Wellington in 1865. The largest city in the South Island (and the second largest), Christchurch, is more populous than Wellington at ~380,000 (urban area pop). b) Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, is the country's 9th largest city at ~1.01M, but is overshadowed by the country's two biggest cities Karachi (~15M) and Lahore (~11.2M). Karachi is also one of the most iconic cities in the Indian subcontinent. *Capitals that are iconic on its own but are still overshadowed by bigger cities* c) The capital of the United States, Washington, DC is, though iconic on its own, is overshadowed by the likes of New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Miami (DC's population of ~720,000 does not even get to 10% of the 8.8M population of New York City). d) China could also contend because Shanghai is more populated (~26.9M) and more well-known, though Beijing (pop, ~21.2M) is also iconic on its own right. *Capitals are the biggest cities but has rivals for iconic status* e) Germany might be a close (but not quite) contender cos even though Berlin is the largest city population-wise and a lot of tourists also go to Berlin, many people still think of Frankfurt and/or Munich first before Berlin. f) Spain could also be a contender, as many people mistake Barcelona as the capital even though Madrid has a larger population and as iconic, if not more iconic, than Barcelona. *Might be due to differences in how "city" is defined under local laws* g) Manila (city proper) is the capital and is the most iconic city, but its 1.2m population is less than the country's most populous city, Quezon City (~2M). Under Philippine law, Quezon City is separate from Manila but internationally speaking Quezon City, being part of the National Capital Region, is usually considered part of Manila (urban agglomeration).

[@romeblanchard3419]

You must have a lot of time but A for effort ❤❤

[@geostat12]

​@@romeblanchard3419haha you get a lot of time when you're sick :))

[@neptune1525]

Hamburg is more popular than Berlin, Frankfurt or Munich

[@kaiwangle5003]

Gitega, Belmopan, Naypyidaw and Astana deserve to be on this list but I would say top spot should undoubtedly go to Ngerulmud which is just a collection of administrative buildings in the middle of a mangrove forest where literally no one lives Edit: forgot Yamoussoukro

[@nct948]

@@kaiwangle5003forgive my ignorance but which country are you talking about?

[@sydhenderson6753]

You could argue Astana, Kazakhstan is overshadowed by Almaty, but in truth most people have heard of neither.

[@Nitekom]

Most ex-soviet countries as a whole are overshadowed

[@nct948]

how true, lol

[@LordDavid04]

Nur-Sultan. 🤣

[@trainsandmore2319]

@@LordDavid04nah they changed it back

[@abdulsalamadamu3918]

Astana is more popular than Almaty.

[@dezheathen]

Surprised Washington DC isn't on this list.

[@arthuradonizio7762]

Yeah the Republicans drained the swamp, and installed a cesspool ❗🕳️

[@hillarybeautifile]

Me too! Especially with DC's history of being the murder capital of the country. I've been there many times. At night it's downright abandoned and spooky as heck.

[@hugobourgon198]

Canada have had 5 capitals through out its short history. Kingston (1841-1844) Montreal (1844-1849) Toronto (1849-1851) Quebec City (1851-1855) Toronto (1855-1859) Quebec City (1859-1865) Ottawa (1866-present). Ottawa was chosen because every time a capital was in Quebec, ontario would revolt (and sometimes burn the parliament - see Montreal). So Ottawa was between Quebec and Ontario, but queen Victoria made sure that it was still in Ontario just in case.

[@jeanbolduc5818]

On April 25, 1849, 2,000 angry anglophones ( terrorists ) Canadian citizens burned down the Parliament of Canada building in Montreal, The Capitale of Canada . The English protestors resented the passage of the Lower Canada Rebellion Losses Bill, compensating French Canadians for their losses in the 1837-1838 rebellions.English canada has always been discriminatory towards the french canadian treating them as second class citizen..... .. The Queen Victoria moved the capital to Ottawa to please the terrorists and discriminatory english Canada.

[@chiefpred9982]

Wellington in New Zealand is a perfect example. It is greatly overshadowed by Auckland. For starters, half the population of the whole country lives in Auckland

[@gregoryferraro7379]

Many foreigners - and probably even some Americans - think New York is the Capital of the US instead of Washington, DC.

[@highway2heaven91]

New York actually was the first Capital

[@arthurlara4282]

Thought it was Pittsburgh. I don't know though

[@arthurlara4282]

@@GlennRA3 cool thanks for the info I appreciate you

[@geographyjawade6655]

I thaught so as a kid😊

[@michaelreid8857]

@@highway2heaven91i went to school in the US and clearly remember it as Philadelphia!

[@JovialJewels]

In Canada, the original capital was Kingston Ontario, which is now a very small city in Ontario. Because Kingston was so close to the US border they decided to move the capital in 1844. Then our capital was supposed to be Montreal. However this led to conflict since people in the country did not want the capital to be either English or French. A compromise was made to place the capital on the border between Quebec (the French province) and Ontario (the English province). This is why they chose Ottawa.

[@j2174]

“Now a very small city” - it’s about 175,000 people. Nearby Napanee (Avril Lavigne’s hometown) would be a “very small city” at 16,000.

[@RoamingHeathen]

@@j2174175K?? London has about around half a million ppl

[@marcoprolo1488]

Yet, Ottawa is only located on the Ontario side. So the federast money collected in Québec and other provinces is mostly spent in Ontario where crown corporations and civil servants pay their income tax on their fat wages.

[@j2174]

@@marcoprolo1488 That’s not accurate. Lots of federal government jobs in Gatineau and area as well.

[@marcoprolo1488]

@@j2174 Let's not exagerate the size. Yes there are a couple of satellite buildings on the Gatineau side but the core bulk of the federaste expenses is made on the Ontario side. Just adding the Crown Corporations. The Bank of Canada, Nav Canada (and the international airport), Supreme Court of Justice, etc.. I'd say more than 95% happens on the Ontario side. Perequation is a bit of a catch up on money derived politically.

[@marcosettembre]

What about New Zealand? Many people think that Auckland is the capital when it's actually Wellington

[@Silver_ATIBTK_Russianism_MB]

Who thinks that

[@furcob]

i’ve never heard of auckland wellington is a lot more well known

[@volooooo]

What’s New Zealand??

[@Avestan69]

@@volooooo Aint no way

[@davdav8709]

Nz is completely overshadowed

[@Adzo_78]

Canberra Isn’t really boring, especially for history nerds, they have the war memorial, you can tour the Parliament House, go to the national Zoo and Aquarium, go to the National Museum, go to the Mint, go to Questacon (highly recommend) and more

[@Nuclearbpmb]

I live there trust me it’s boring

[@Adzo_78]

@@Nuclearbpmb if you live there and have done everything then maybe, but for a tourist it’s not that bad

[@Nuclearbpmb]

@@Adzo_78 trust me it’s boring as boring can be

[@JaneNewAuthor]

I've been there a few times. I think it gets a bad rap. It's very beautiful, well laid out, always seems to be something on. I could happily live there. Nowhere near as expensive for housing as other cities in Australia.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

The reason South Africa has three capitals is because in 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed, there was a great dispute about the location of the new country's capital city. A compromise was reached to spread a balance of power throughout the country, and this led to the current capital cities. Why these cities in particular is because Cape Town had a parliament since colonial days, both Bloemfontein and Pretoria were capital cities of one of the traditional Boer states prior to the Union of South Africa, Bloemfontein is located in the center of South Africa, so it is logical to place the judicial branch there, and Pretoria is both close to Johannesburg and had long been the home to embassies and departments. Another instance of a city overshadowing the capital is NYC overshadowing Washington, DC. While NYC isn't currently the capital, it WAS the capital from 1785 and 1790. This is why there is a George Washington statue on Wall Street as Federal Hall across from the Stock Exchange is where Washington had his inauguration! The flag of the District of Columbia is based on the coat of arms granted to Lawrence Washington (George Washington's 3rd great-grandfather) of Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire in 1592. This coat of arms was used privately by the president in his home at Mount Vernon.

[@ratchael9376]

Other examples: Yamoussoukro compared to Abidjan Washington compares to NY/LA Naypyidaw compared to Yangon Wellington compared to Auckland Astana compared to Almaty Abu Dhabi compared to Dubai Islamabad compared to Karachi

[@svr1245]

I would say Almaty is overshadowed by Astana.

[@sameinhorn100]

Bogota compared to medellin

[@MagsonDare]

Bolivia's got that weird "Sucre's really the capital, but a lot of govt functions are in La Paz also, so everyone thinks it's La Paz and a lot of maps are even labeled that way, but it's really not" thing going on too. South Korea is in process of moving its capital to the city of Sejong, and after that's complete then it will also be in the "Seoul overshadows Sejong" boat. Though even now I've seen articles saying that Seoul so overshadows it that govt workers still live in Seoul and commute 2 hours each way to and from Sejong for their jobs each day. Indonesia is building a new capital to swap from Jakarta also, but Jakarta will also be overshadowing the new one. Egypt is also building a new capital (still unnamed, so far as i know) which Cairo will overshadow.

[@Joshua-fi4ji]

​@@MagsonDareSeoul is dangerously close to the North Korean border to be honest. It'd be the 1st city lost/destroyed in the event of an escalation. Both Cairo and Jakarta are facing massive logistical problems due to their sizes. Cairo is too densely overpopulated and services can't keep up and Jakarta is built too heavily on soft ground, so is sinking.

[@ALLI3802]

​​​@@MagsonDareBoth Bolivian cities are still considered capitals, Sucre, the judicial capital and La Paz, the administrative capital. Only a few in the world with more than one capital, Netherlands and South Africa among them. Can't remember if there are other countries or if changes have happened since I read about them.

[@markwilson2992]

Think Casablanca is more well known than Marrakesh.

[@JCCyC]

Well, I think we can thank Hollywood for that.

[@Marylandbrony]

Most American states have capital cities that are not very well known nationally. Boston in Massachusetts would probably be the only globally known us state capital.

[@nickbenton4881]

Possibly Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta and Nashville are fairly well known nowadays too

[@KFordmusic]

Also the US places the more importance on state capitals than any other place I can think of besides South Africa. Provincial capitals don’t usually get as much attention as an Austin Texas

[@mrnoob4274]

I feel like in california, sacramento (The capital) gets overshadowed by both san fransico and los angeles.

[@nombretaken9467]

if we're being honest here Washington DC is completely overshadowed by NYC and to a degree Los Angeles

[@arthurlara4282]

​@@nickbenton4881because of their global airports maybe? Yeah most capitols in the states are for historic reasons don't you think

[@fruitfulz]

I think the most obvious one for most people watching is DC. I've asked a lot of people outside the US what they think the capital is just for fun and unless they live in Canada or maybe the UK it's almost always New York.

[@dunkey7739]

When you think of the white house, you think of New York?

[@highway2heaven91]

New York actually was the first Capital of the US.

[@Nitekom]

​@@dunkey7739 Those people probably think it's close, damn, I would dare to say many think the only cities in the US are: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New York, Las Vegas and cities nearby those mentioned exist and everything else in the US is just a huge national park with no hint of civilization in thousands of miles.

[@j2174]

I am fairly certain more people know Washington DC is the capital of the US than the examples in this video.

[@ChristiaanHW]

@@j2174 every one that at least sees the news occasionally. if someone talks about the US president, some new US law or trade stuff they always mention Washington DC. i would even bet that (at least in the Western world) more people know that Washington is the capital than (US)Americans know which city is their nations capital.

[@lavo-ld4wm]

In the Ivory Coast, Yamoussoukro (340,000 inhabitants, and the actual capital since 1983) is overshadowed by Abidjan (6 million inhabitants, former capital and financial centre)

[@mikebrown7484]

Nah. That's a different story. Abidjan is technically the capital of Ivory Coast because it is home to all government buildings and foreign embassies.

[@timtwoface]

The way that Ottawa and Canberra became capitals - basically being chosen by Royalty due to their central location between the two larger cities that couldn't agree on being capitals themselves (Toronto v Montreal and Sydney v Melbourne) - is eerily similar.

[@annoyed707]

Ottawa is at an important confluence of rivers, on a major transportation route in the fur trade and later logging. Now it has more than a million people, so it isn't tiny.

[@terryomalley1974]

Strangely enough, despite their vast geographic distance apart, and dramatically different climates, this is just one thing about Canada and Australia that are eerily similar.

[@jeanbolduc5818]

On April 25, 1849, 2,000 angry anglophones ( terrorists ) Canadian citizens burned down the Parliament of Canada building in Montreal, The Capitale of Canada . The English protestors resented the passage of the Lower Canada Rebellion Losses Bill, compensating French Canadians for their losses in the 1837-1838 rebellions.English canada has always been discriminatory towards the french canadian treating them as second class citizen..... .. The Queen Victoria moved the capital to Ottawa to please the terrorists and discriminatory english Canada.

[@jeanbolduc5818]

Was chose because of racism, terrorism by anglophones and discriminatory .... it isstill the case ... i cannot speak french in Ottawa ....

[@terryomalley1974]

@jeanbolduc5818 Bullshit! French is everywhere in Ottawa. You can't even get a job in the federal government unless you can speak the language of a minority of only 20% of Canada's population. Stop playing the victim. We give Quebec abd the French way too much as it is, and you ungrateful Frenchies never appreciate it.

[@aminnr2000]

UAE’s capital is another example. Many know Dubai and don’t know to which country it belongs to. But the capital of UAE is Abu Dhabi

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

I love the Centre Block in Ottawa, it's such a magnificent work of art. The present Centre Block is the building's second iteration. The first was destroyed by fire in 1916, and all that remains of the original building is the Library of Parliament. When it comes to details, the Senate chamber features eight murals depicting scenes from the First World War on its east and west walls, and it has a gilt ceiling with maple leaves for Canada, fleur-de-lis for France, and lions (rampant for Scotland; passant for England), Celtic harp, and a Welsh dragon to represent the UK, showing that Canada is a product of the UK and France. Within Confederation Hall, tympanums are adorned with the coats of arms of Canada and the provinces, each surrounded by their floral symbols. The reason Canberra's location was chosen as the capital was as a compromise in 1908 between Melbourne and Sydney. The Australian Capital Territory was founded in 1911, with Canberra founded in 1913. Canberra is derived from the name of a local Ngunnawal clan who resided in the area and were referred to by the early British colonists as either the Canberry or Nganbra tribe. Joshua John Moore, who was the first European landowner in the region, named his grant Canberry in 1823 after these people.

[@SilvanaDil]

Unfortunately 24 Sussex Drive, the Canadian Prime Minister's residence, is a dump.

[@hmoobmeeka]

It's avery the Cuba American

[@pipe2devnull]

Canada's second prime minister was originally a mason who worked on the Parliament Buildings.

[@PeloquinDavid]

You could have mentioned the USA as well since Washington DC is pretty small by US urban standards. Indonesia and Egypt too could be mentioned as both are in the process of moving their capitals out of Djakarta and Cairo.

[@javereswilliams2772]

But everybody knows DC

[@privatespace5133]

Pakistan's capital Islamabad is also overshadowed by Karachi

[@aljazpirc9614]

Hi. Great video. I know it would be longer video but, there is also city in Belize (Belize City) which is far more populated than the actual capital of Belmopan. Belize city has a population of 65k people, Belmopan has 15k.

[@xapaga1]

In that case, Myanmar's largest city and former capital Yangon (formerly Rangoon) has a population of 5m (urban area alone) whilst the new capital Nay Pyi Taw (or Naypyidaw) has only 0.9m. Kazakhstan's largest city and former capital Almaty has a population of 2m whilst the new capital Nur-Sultan (until recently Astana) has 1.4m.

[@trainsandmore2319]

@@xapaga1Naypyidaw is a massive white elephant with largely unused 20-lane stroads and potemkin housing blocks.

[@Joshua-fi4ji]

​@@trainsandmore2319it's not really a proper city. More like a fortress for the military and government.

[@Joshua-fi4ji]

Belmopan was created fairly recently to be sheltered from hurricanes. Belize City still functions as the financial capital for the country, much like New York does in the US.

[@adrienla1666]

Although it is Canada’s largest city, Toronto feels oddly boring and dormant compared to Montreal which is so vibrant and pretty in comparison.

[@504ever4]

Most people wouldn't know the capital of Belize is Belmopan because tourists are so fixated on visiting Belize City instead.

[@lifenorwayjo]

Loved this video and I am waiting on number 2! Also thank you for including recent images of the Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Major construction work is taking place there due to sismic conditions and it's incredible 🤩

[@j2174]

The images used of Ottawa were mostly ugly. It’s a much prettier city than that.

[@TheCertifiedLegend]

Are you Canadian?

[@alexanderorcutt752]

I'm surprised Côte d'Ivoire (Yamoussoukro being the capital instead of Abidjan) wasn't included. Pakistan, too, with Islamabad being the capital since they didn't want to decide between Lahore and Karachi. Even Wellington, New Zealand being picked over Auckland.

[@viffer94]

We had a four hour layover in Brasilia which was just enough time to go tour the city. A local we met on the plane offered to give us the nickel tour which was perfect. You really don’t need more than that to see the whole place.

[@volneisilva1199]

I'm Brazilian and have never bothered to visit the city.

[@pedromendesrbd]

you're absolutely wrong. brasília has many nice places to visit, some of them far from the well known esplanada dos ministérios/eixo monumental. for example, the botanical garden. parque da cidade is bigger than new york's central park and it's beautiful. 308 sul, the model superquadra, is a must see. there are also waterfalls in the rural zone and historic places too as some parts of the federal district (planaltina) are older than brasília itself.

[@pedromendesrbd]

@@volneisilva1199 devia. é um dos lugares mais incríveis que eu já conheci.

[@parmentier7457]

The Hague, where the Dutch parliament, the Supreme Court, embassies and ministries are located. The royal family also lives in The Hague. The Hague is overshadowed by Amsterdam, where the Dutch royal family has a palace, but has never lived there. In the past, The Hague or Brussels were always the capitals and residence of the Royal House of the Low Countries. Amsterdam became the capital because Louie Napoleon became king of Holland and moved from The Hague to Amsterdam. Amsterdam then became the capital on paper and has remained so ever since.

[@thecomment9489]

UAE can also feature in this list as it's most famous cites are Dubai and Sharjah but none of them are it's capital city which is Abu Dhabi.

[@hashemgr3]

Sharjah is more famous then Abu Dhabi 😂 no one even thought of that

[@ibrarali4036]

Pakistan's capital city is Islamabad but it is easily over showed by 3 cities,Lahore,Karachi and Faisalabad with karachi being the largest city and the financial hub and lahore being the 2nd largest and the most migrated city..Faisalabad the 3rd largest city and highly industrialised

[@arthurlara4282]

Yeah I think of Karachi when I think of Pakistan. Thanks video games

[@muhammadmohsinfarooq2891]

Islamabad is more famous. No one knows abouf Faisalabad, which is quite underdeveloped

[@josuaerick9670]

Indonesia also moving its capital so, our new capital will surely be overshadowed by our current capital city Jakarta, just like what happen in Brazil

[@jagaruni]

New York City was originally the capital of the United States. I would also say it overshadows DC in size and feels more like a capital city.

[@arthurlara4282]

They moved the Capitol there so it'd be between the North and South of the original states

[@arthurlara4282]

It's one of the most southern cultured places and everyone that works in the government lives in Maryland. If New York was the capital though we'd probably have another civil war. Compromise I guess. Have to keep these states united

[@benlee6158]

Until like 30 years ago, Bonn (300k inhabitants today) was the capital of Western Germany before it moved back to (reunited) Berlin. Not West Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich or Hamburg, which are all between twice and 10 times as big.

[@Joshua-fi4ji]

It's because of the bigger cities were flattened in the war and Bonn, being mostly undamaged, was selected as the temporary capital until the other cities were rebuilt. Later, they couldn't agree on which city should get the title, so it stayed with Bonn.

[@NW255]

I got pissed at my Spanish teacher because she said Toronto was the capital of Canada, or at least that’s what I thought she said. It’s the provincial capital which makes it confusing cos Ottawa is also in Ontario

[@jeanbolduc5818]

Your teacher was ignorant like most of eng;ish canadians and immigrants regarding the history of CAnada since 1534 . CAmada has 2 official languages , french and english and Montreal was the Capital of Canada but angry ( xenophobic, racists ) anglophones burnt down the canadian parliament in Montreal .

[@botortamas]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention the most obvious one by a mile. NYC Chicago LA Miami and a whole bunch of other cities, literally too many to name surpass D.C in every way imaginable.

[@LautaroAltamirano]

Karachi overshadows Islamabad, Belize City overshadows Belmopan, Douala overshadows Yaounde, Shanghai slightly overshadows Beijing, Santa Cruz de la Sierra overshadows Sucre, Abidjan overshadows Yamoussoukro, Almaty overshadows Astana, Yangon overshadows Naypyidaw, Auckland overshadows Wellington, NYC overshadows DC, Dubai overshadows Abu Dhabi and Ho Chi Minh City slightly overshadows Hanoi

[@highway2heaven91]

Barcelona overshadows Madrid.

[@LautaroAltamirano]

@@highway2heaven91 mmm only on tourism, but Madrid is more populated and more important in the economic and financial aspects

[@highway2heaven91]

@@LautaroAltamirano Tourism is often the reason why some places are more famous than others. It’s the reason why Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados are stronger and more important economic and financial centers of the Caribbean but Jamaica and the Bahamas are more famous nations.

[@LautaroAltamirano]

@@highway2heaven91 I don’t agree with you regarding Madrid and Barcelona. There are more important companies located in Madrid, and this city is also the financial hub of Spain. It is also more important politically, and you can see this very clearly when analysing what happened when Catalonia proclaimed their independence, but they were stopped from Madrid. Even though they were stopped because losing Catalonia, and subsequently Barcelona, would mean a great loss of capital for Spain, the key decisions are taken in Madrid and the big money is there

[@_Mr.Tuvok_]

I’m imagining how wild traffic would be if the US Capital was still New York City

[@TPCShane]

Yangon is Myanmar's most populated and historic city whereas Naypyidaw, a planned city, is the capital and much smaller.

[@lilbee.w]

a point worth mentioning is that a factor in choosing a capital used to be difficulty to cconquer, hence a lot of capitals are located away from the shore as in the past naval attacks were quite commmon. that explains Canberra, London, Paris, DC, Brasilia, Jerusalem, etc.

[@pedromendesrbd]

canberra seems like a cool city. it's very green, it looks beautiful and organized. buildings aren't tall because urban planning prevented it. it reminds me of brasília.

[@garrywallace1007]

It is beautiful- it was designed by American Burley-Griffin who trained under Frank LLoyd Wright in Chicago.

[@MartinInBC]

Canberra benefits from having all the urban development in the valleys, with the ranges of hills in between kept green. From anywhere in Canberra, you can easily walk up a hill and get spectacular views across the city. Plus the hills are full of kangaroos.

[@Ri_F]

Calling Mecca a possible capital of Saudi Arabia is like calling Fátima or Lourdes the capitals of Portugal and France.

[@teddy7681]

Come on, Mecca is THE pilgrimage (and probably most sacred place) for all Muslims in the world, located in a country where religion is law, where Islam's ritual language originates, and is one of the country's biggest cities. So surely there's no comparison with either Fátima or Lourdes. Try Rome or Jerusalem... oh wait they ARE capitals.

[@teddy7681]

@@Joshua-fi4ji Thanks for the insight. I am well aware of the situation with Jerusalem, but it's been declared a capital by the country controlling it, and the most powerful country in the world has accepted that claim. So I think it's safe to say it's a capital, even though most countries haven't accepted that claim (very fortunately so in my opinion, but still). As for Rome, well, despite its lack of power and wealth it did become the capital. Of course religion may not have been the sole nor the most important factor, but I think it speaks for itself.

[@ronaldmccallum2111]

@@Joshua-fi4ji Then why does the Knesset of Israel meet in Jerusalem.

[@ALLI3802]

​@@Joshua-fi4ji Constantinople is the old name of Istanbul. Jerusalem is the official capital of Israel, not Tel Aviv. Edit: Saying Rome has no power after giving examples of historical capitals, Rome is technically the center of Europe during the Roman Empire (named after, yes, Rome) during its time and considered as one of the largest and most influential empires of the last 5000 years.

[@nathanjohnwade2289]

Yep, Canberra is overshadowed by the city that i live in, Sydney.

[@crownwolf6120]

Maldives capital city Male’ is the most overcrowded capital city in the world 😊 🇲🇻

[@brunoberilli6018]

Everybody thinks La Paz or Santa Cruz de la Sierra are the capital of Bolivia but it is actually Sucre. La Paz is the government headquarters and Santa Cruz is the largest city in the country.

[@therainlover8]

a very simple one: washington/NY. then naypidaw/yangoon in birmania, wellington/auckland in NZ, sri jayawardenapura (or something similar)/colombo in sri lanka, abu dhabi/dubai in UAE, islamabad/karachi in pakistan, yamassoukro/abidjan in ivory coast. I probably forgot something...

[@chaoss5]

I was expecting the USA to be on this list. New York and LA have overshadowed Washington DC by miles!

[@ivandinsmore6217]

I would have said that Casablanca is the most famous city in Morocco.

[@Joshua-fi4ji]

More than Marrakesh? I'd think Marrakesh is the most iconic and well known internationally.

[@robhobbs5589]

Yamassoukro is the capital of the Ivory Coast, rather than Abidjan. Similar to moves made by Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Myanmar, Nigeria (and others ?) Egypt and Indonesia are planning to move their capitals from the current overpopulated historical capitals.

[@nct948]

I am trying to get some geographical knowledge but capitals and countries keep changing their names , it is hard to keep up!!😂

[@tarikmehmedika2754]

Beijing is deffinetly oveshadowed by Shanghai and Hong Kong; Islamabad by Karachi; Abu Dhabi by Dubai; Marid by Barcelona, Washington DC BY New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Houston; Wellington by Auckland.

[@little_laughs_family]

Pakistan, Islamabad is overshadowed by Lahore and karachi, and also Rawalpindi (as its Army HQ).

[@thorpizzle]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Washington and New York in the United States.

[@michaeldowson6988]

A number of US states and Canadian provinces have a separate legislative capital and a business capital. ie. NYC vs Albany, most obviously.

[@Glasshouse828]

Naypyidaw & Yangon in Burma

[@tjg750]

True and also Saint Petersburg Moscow, Dar Es Salaam and Dodoma, Jeddah and Mecca with Riyadh

[@Glasshouse828]

@@tjg750 that first one is debatable and the other 2 were already mentioned in the video

[@jjperceval]

canberras not boring it has a museum which is still more things to do than adelaide and brisbane combined

[@hamzsportsgaming676]

The capital of Pakistan is islamabad but it is always overshadowed by karachi and lahore

[@michaelpjeffries1521]

One note worth mentioning. Toronto is capital of province of Ontario. Ottawa is capital of Canada. When Ottawa was under siege, the premier of Ontario was too busy selling greenbelt from his cottage in Muskoka to bother intervening with the American trucker dispute. His name is Doug Ford. His deceased brother Rob smoked crack. He cheated his brothers widow. He is not to be trusted.

[@x7rogue153]

5:43 Bolivia left the chat

[@kaloarepo288]

Actually in about 70% of American states the largest city in each is not the capital -examples are Texas, Florida, Georgia.(I think)New York state, California,Illinois and many many others.

[@kaloarepo288]

Sorry I was wrong about Georgia - Atlanta is the largest city and the capital.

[@anandsingh123mai]

New Zealand - not Auckland, it's Wellington UAE - not Dubai, it's Abu Dhabi Pakistan - not Lahore/Karachi, it's Islamabad USA - not New York, it's Washington DC any others? 👇

[@Glasshouse828]

Burma/Myanmar - not Yangon, it’s Naypyidaw Vietnam - not Ho Chi Minh City, it’s Hanoi India - not Mumbai, it’s New Delhi

[@raoulhery]

USA's capital is Wall Street, definitely !

[@Alozhatos]

Turkey - not Istanbul. It’s Ankara.

[@highway2heaven91]

Spain - not Barcelona, it’s Madrid Germany- not Frankfurt, it’s Berlin Israel - not Tel Aviv, it’s Jerusalem Jamaica - not Montego Bay, it’s Kingston

[@mikespearwood3914]

Wellington is still the second biggest city in the country, so not really similar to Canberra, Ottawa, Brasilia etc.

[@mysteriousDSF]

You don't need to know this, but let me correct you: it's Do-DO-ma, stress-wise. Bantu languages almost always put the stress on the penultimate syllable.

[@cherylsemrau7100]

Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital for Canada.

[@patrickcremin5981]

USA Capital is Washington DC

[@n_0477]

Surely Fez or Tangiers is more notable than Marrakesh

[@manmanman2000]

Myanmar, Israel, Scotland soon: Indonesia, Egypt (both building new capitals)

[@littleDutchie92]

I dont think Amsterdam is overshadowed by The Hague, but i always find it interesting that however Amsterdam is still our capital, mainly for historical status, our government plus a lot of international activity such as the international criminal court are all located in The Hague. Which actually also makes it kind of a de facto capital which is overshadowed by Amsterdam 😂

[@shanojebs]

I know you addressed Switzerland halfway through but Nauru then is not the only country with no capital

[@chaoss5]

And how about Vatican city or Monaco?

[@nct948]

@@chaoss5and Andorra. The country is the city is the capital.

[@norasmith4939]

As for Andorra it's full name is principat d andorra and it's capital andorra la vella.

[@trainsandmore2319]

Singapore

[@anueyiagumichael8188]

Other countries includes: China, Beijing, and Shanghai, USA Washington DC and New York City, India, New Delhi and Mumbai, etc

[@JustCallMeAarav]

New delhi and mumbai are both really well known, but if we take 0:09 as an example, then besides biggest, you're right.

[@thecomment9489]

Beijing in itself is a very widely known city. So no that doesn't fit here. Same for Delhi. This list is about the capital cities that are generally not very well known and major cities of that countries are not capital cities. So Canberra and Ottawa fit this list but not Beijing and Delhi. In fact Delhi is the largest city in terms of area and population and second largest in economy. But Canberra is like one tenth the size of Sydney.

[@brianarbenz1329]

When I first visited Canada in 1989 (from the U.S.) I spent a week in Toronto and a week in Montreal. Loved both, particularly Montreal. But a surprise was Ottawa. I was expecting a quiet administrative city. I happened to arrive on a Saturday night in September and was delighted with all the restaurants and outdoor entertainment. I walked around the central part of Ottawa and crossed a pedestrian bridge to Hull and Gatineau, Quebec, two cities right across from the gorgeous Parliament building. I realized that the England's Queen Victoria knew what she was doing when she picked Ottawa to be Canada's capital. Anticipating the difficulty of keeping French and English Canada together, she wanted a spot that blended both to be the seat of government so as to foster a sense of shared power.

[@kaiwangle5003]

Ngerulmud while obscure is in my opinion by far the most extreme example

[@nct948]

bravo! these Pacific islands are so little known.

[@Mattattak]

Ottawa means « the place where the sea meets the prairies »

[@FinancialEmpowerX]

Great video and info. Thanks

[@LeCommieBoi]

Funnily enough, I would say that most of the time, Casablanca is mistaken for Morocco’s capital city, not Marrakech. And historically, Fez has be the capital city before the french colonial era

[@JovialJewels]

I feel like you miss New Zealand since Wellington is the capital but most people only know Aukland

[@ashiq2525]

Beijing is overshadowed by Shanghai, Wellington is overshadowed by Auckland,

[@TipeneThorner]

The NAC (New Administrative City), Egypt is still in devolpment and is the New Capital of Egypt. It's overshadowed by Cairo. Wellington, Aotearoa is just overshadowed by Auckland, Aotearoa. Many tourists think Auckland is the capital still. However Tourism Wellington is starting to change that

[@ronystephan2545]

Washington dc overshadowed by New York usa, Wellington overshadowed by Auckland in new Zealand, Abu Dhabi overshadowed by dubai in uae

[@docjanos]

You have left out the most obvious one of all--Washington DC. !!!!! In the vast majorty of these "overshadowed" cases the choice of the capital's location away from the more populous or important cities was quite deliberate, often to compromise between ethinic (Canada) or regional (US, Brazil & Australia) rivalries. Ottawa is somewhat unique in these in not being planned but rather mostly organic. Washington, Brasilia, Canberra, Abuja and several others were cities built from scratch specifically to be capitals. (Belmopan, Belize is one of many smaller country examples.). In many of the other cases there are clear historic reasons, for example Berne makes a good defensive fort, better than Zurich or Geneva. Istanbul, then Constantinople was the seat of the Ottoman Empire but the current Republic of Turkey was created in Ankara. Abuja is a case where it was a deliberate choice to move admin functions away from the congestion of Lagos. New Delhi is similar and another glaring omission from your list. Probably about half of the US state capitals are not the state's major city. There are always reasons of historic inertia. California's early growth was the gold rush in the Sierras and Sacremento was the nearest settlement and has remained the capital. Springield is actually the third capital city of Ilinois with all 3 being located in the southern part of the state relatively near to St, Louis, Missouri. When Illinois was chartered St. Louis was the major metropolis in the entire Mississppi Valley while the more distant Chicago was a tiny village. Albany, New York was site of a trade depot between the Hudson Valley, the lakes area to the west and the St. Lawrence to the north. It was the site of several colonial congresses and indeed was a meeting place of indigenous peoples beforehand, so administratively it has always overshadowed Manhattan. You mentioned that Ottawa has been capitol of Canada since 1867. Indeed the country itself was created in 1867! Lists like this without context are sorely lacking a major element!

[@highway2heaven91]

New York actually was the capital of the US before it was moved to DC.

[@aasifazimabadi786]

A major theme in this video is that a lot of these cities used to be capitals or actually are "capitals" but in a de facto (i.e. social, economic, or cultural) sense rather than a de jure one. For example, Karachi used to be the capital of Pakistan when it was carved out of India in August 1947 for the Muslims to have a homeland in South Asia, but Islamabad was built to replace it. Rawalpindi was a transitional capital too, and the movement from Sindh to the Punjab represents the domination of the military, which continues to sabotage the civilian government (Imran Khan is by no means the first victim). Let's look at two other examples. Istanbul (which was Constantinople, Konstantiniyye, in Turkish even into the twentieth century) was the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The move to Ankara is a legacy of Mustafa Kemal, who was also responsible for Constantinople's name change, which contrary to popular opinion, did not occur in 1453. Even today, however, Istanbul retains its pride as the centre of modern Turkish culture while being the crowning glory of the Ottoman past. Even if Ankara is Turkey's political capital, Istanbul is the economic capital. New York, which was not mentioned in the video (although it probably should have been), was where George Washington, the first president of the United States, was first inaugurated in 1789. Washington has the honour of being the only president not to serve in the city named after him and Christopher Columbus, the District of Columbia. NYC is also the economic capital of the country.

[@badrutaofiq2297]

For Saudi Arabia, the port city of Jeddah is that most happening and popular city outside the two religious cities of Mecca and Medina. It overshadows the capital Riyadh.

[@pollodecoche]

Agree about Belmopan with a previous poster. But I think the most obvious example of this is Naypyidaw in Myanmar.

[@fortythreenorth2518]

Toronto is a capital city, just not at the federal level. It is the seat of Canada's biggest province.

[@juliansmith4295]

Biggest by population, but not the biggest province

[@Housewarmin]

I would add Washington DC to this list. Most tourist are visiting New York, Los Angeles, or Disney World.

[@ronaldmccallum2111]

Ottawa was chosen as the capital city of the Province of Canada, and the Parliament of the Province of Canada first met in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa in June 1866.

[@douglasduque2128]

I'm from Brasília Brazil and need to highlight your words about Brazil:" if you have a decent Geography knowledge" which many people don't have, people usually think that Rio de Janeiro is our capital (and the only Brazilian city), in worst cases they mistake Buenos Aires in Argentina as Brazil's capital.

[@lawrenceseguin1865]

Toronto is the capital of the Province of Ontario

[@ManavS-dj4jc]

Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, which is almost uninhabited (😅😅) and overshadowed by Yangon (the capital city until very recently), would easily fit into this list

[@Fluffychoupikkos]

There are a few other examples of such cities being the case for a variety of countries. New York City is the largest city in the US. It is easily the most well-known city in the country, it has the largest economy and it is the most visited by tourists as well. Washington DC is also a very famous, beautiful, and iconic city, though it is probably not as well known as New York or maybe even Los Angeles. New Delhi is part of Delhi, which is the most populated city in India, though Mumbai is the financial center and the most famous city in the country. New Zealand is a classic example, Auckland is by far the largest and most famous city, and it once was the capital, though now the capital is Wellington. Other cases are Hanoi - Ho chi Minh city for Vietnam, Beijing - Shanghai for China, Karachi - Islamabad for Pakistan , Almaty - Astana for Kazakhstan, Dubai - Abu Dhabi for UAE, Guayaquil - Quito for Ecuador, Yangon - Naypyidaw for Myanmar and more

[@jeanbolduc5818]

On April 25, 1849, 2,000 angry anglophones ( terrorists ) Canadian citizens burned down the Parliament of Canada building in Montreal, The Capitale of Canada . The English protestors resented the passage of the Lower Canada Rebellion Losses Bill, compensating French Canadians for their losses in the 1837-1838 rebellions.English canada has always been discriminatory towards the french canadian treating them as second class citizen..... .. The Queen Victoria moved the capital to Ottawa to please the terrorists and discriminatory english Canada..... Ottawa does not define the identity of Canada ... The Queen had pressure by terrorists english CAnada who deported french canadians , detroyed families and still speak on english in a country where english and french are the 2 official languages of CAnada

[@finnishspotter7958]

Others I could think of are New Zealand, the UAE, the USA, Myanmar and Kiribati

[@mikespearwood3914]

Wellington is essentially the second biggest city in New Zealand, so not completely overshadowed to the degree that capital cities like Canberra, Brasilia, Ottawa, etc are.

[@erikm8372]

I was thinking; for India, obviously it’s Delhi, but Mumbai kind of overshadows all other cities in the country, with regards to GDP (for the city alone, as well as the state of Maharashtra), entertainment, media, population, and just being a melting-pot & bridge between north & south. Plus, even though India has several planned cities & union territories, like Chandigarh, Puducherry, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, as well as Delhi, Mumbai still is the epicentre it seems.

[@VishalKhopkar1296]

Myanmar: Yangon overshadows Naypytiaw United States: NY, LA, San Francisco and probably Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia all overshadow Washington DC Burundi: Bujumbura/Gitega Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore/Islamabad

[@janAlekantuwa]

I would put the US on this list (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia all overshadow DC), and, tbh, over half of the US state capitals would belong here too if the states were independent countries, as many of state capitals were largely chosen based on centrality rathar than population/notoriety. Here is my full list, with overshadowing city(ies) in parentheses Alaska - Juneau (Anchorage) California - Sacramento (Los Ángeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and San José) Florida - Tallahassee (Miami and Orlando) Illinois - Springfield (Chicago) Kansas - Topeka (Kansas City and Wichita) Kentucky - Frankfort (Louisville) Louisiana - Baton Rouge (New Orleans) Maine - Augusta (Portland and Bangor) Maryland - Annapolis (Baltimore) Michigan - Lansing (Detroit) Missouri - Jefferson City (St. Louis and Kansas City) Montana - Helena (Bozeman and Missoula) Nebraska - Lincoln (Omaha) Nevada - Carson City (Las Vegas) New Hampshire - Concord (Manchester) New Mexico - Santa Fe (Albuquerque) New York - Albany (NYC) North Carolina - Raleigh (Charlotte) North Dakota - Bismarck (Fargo) Ohio - Columbus (Cleveland and Cincinnati) Oregon - Salem (Portland) Pennsylvania - Harrisburg (Philadelphia and Pittsburg) South Carolina - Columbia (Charleston) South Dakota - Pierre (Sioux Falls) Texas - Austin (Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas) Washington - Olympia (Seattle and Spokane) Wisconsin - Madison (Milwaukee and Green Bay)

[@robsonalcantara2939]

If you think in tourism for vacation, Rio de Janeiro is by far more important than São Paulo, but for business, São Paulo is the most important in Latin America.

[@mystery62668]

I live in Canberra. It's not as boring as everyone says it is

[@blobba5442]

Cant believe you didnt put the most obvious ones like UAE with Dubai shadowing abu dhabi and USA with New York or Los Angeles etc overshadowimg washington dc

[@leonhardpauli5815]

Live quality: Vienna and united nations is also located in Vienna

[@alexzandraepeters1846]

Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia

[@FINFoxie]

I might be wrong as living almost on the other side of the globe (Finland). I've understood that Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is a "cold" capital full of offices and bureaus. The "spiritual" capital of Colombia is Medellin. Correct me if needed.

[@anlpoyraz6114]

Thanks for the video. You could find nicer photos revealing Ankara's landscape though 😕