Well you can say that it is the biggest city or the richest one, but my question goes farther: what defines a capital, could it be possible nowadays to change a capital because the city isn't the economic, tradition, artistic or touristic centre of a country?
MissyMayhem06
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In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of "capital") is the principal city or town associated with its government. It is almost always the city which physically encompasses the offices and meeting places of the seat of government and fixed by law. The word capital is derived from the Latin caput meaning "head," and the related term capitol refers to the building where government-business is chiefly conducted.
Seats of government in major substate jurisdictions are usually called "capitals", but at lower administrative subdivisions, terms such as county town, county seat, or borough seat are also used.
As the focal point of power for the country or region, the capital naturally attracts the politically motivated and those whose skills are needed for efficient administration of government such as lawyers, journalists, and public policy researchers. Older capitals have often developed into prime economic, cultural, or intellectual centers, sometimes referred to as their country's primate city as well. Such is certainly the case with Paris and Buenos Aires among national capitals, and Irkutsk or Salt Lake City in their respective state or province. Such concentration may be controversial. The siting of Brasília in Brazil's heartland was done in order to bring progress to the interior of the country, since the old capital, Rio de Janeiro, along with entire Southeastern Brazil was already crowded. The government of South Korea announced in 2004 it would move its capital from Seoul to Yeongi-Gongju — even though the word Seoul itself means "capital" in the Korean language.
The convergence of political and economic or cultural power is by no means universal. Traditional capitals may be economically eclipsed by provincial rivals, as occurred with Thebes by Alexandria, Nanjing by Shanghai, or Edinburgh by Glasgow. The decline of a dynasty or culture could mean the extinction of its capital city as well, as occurred with Babylon and Cahokia. And many modern capital cities, such as Abuja, Canberra and Ottawa, were deliberately fixed outside existing economic areas, and may not have established themselves as new commercial or industrial hubs since.
Ron C
Debrabant, etc. is trying a bit too hard. A "capitol" is a building.
An official capital is, technically, a seat of government. The only way it becomes that is for whoever makes the laws to decide that and make it known to the world. Capitals move sometimes. In the US, the center of government has been in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC. Russia's capital has been St. Petersburg at one time, though now it's Moscow. West Germany's capital was Bonn, but after unification, the central government moved back to Berlin.
Sometimes legislators try to locate capitals nearer the geographical centers, so that everyone in elective office has an equal burden in terms of travel, or so that the economic center of a country, state, or province doesn't get all of the political attention. Think of Sacramento, CA; Austin, TX; Albany, NY; Ottawa, Canada. On the other hand, think of Paris, France or London, UK.
Informally, 'capital' can refer to any center that you like. NY, NY is the '[fill in the blank] capital of the world' to some people; others would say that doesn't really mean anything.
I hope this helps.
Max
Technically I think it is possible to change the capital city, but it would be such a huge hassle and logistical problem that I don't think it would ever happen unless something major forced it to (war, natural disaster, etc.) I think that most capital cities were the richest or the biggest or the most central during the time the government was being set-up and, even if they're not now, it persists because of tradition. Sometimes it's good to not have the capital be the artistic, tourist, bigggest cities.
FR
Anonymous
Well there are a lot of problems with that country, and a huge feral/homeless animal population doesn't go anywhere near the peak. As with about 99.99% (if not 125%) of countries around the world, they have this major parasite called a corrupt government. Scientists and common people around the globe are currently working on a pesticide for such vermin, but there are many hurdles in the way. $$$$ being a big one. I wish there was something we could do, but even here in the U.S where there are many animal lovers and people who make at least a decent living, we still have a major problem with overpopulation.
Anonymous
The capital is the governmental center of a country, and because the government and political culture gravitates there, economics often follows. Arts, tourism, and culture often follow the economic center, and tradition is laid down after a few generations.