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Atlanta, Georgia, which is the capital of nowhere ... except itself
(photo by Tableatny) |
CAPITAL
Adjective & noun. Middle English.
[Old & modern French from Latin capitalis, from caput, capit- head: see -AL.]
I Relating to the head
A1 obsolete. Of or pertaining to the head or top. ME-L17
A2(a) Involving the loss of the head or life; vitally injurious, fatal. LME
A2(b) obsolete. Of an enemy, enmity: deadly, mortal. LME-M18
A2(c) Of a crime etc.: punishable by death. E16
II Standing at the head
(literally & figuratively)
A3 Chief, principal; important leading. LME
A4 Originally (of a letter or word), standing at the head of a page, passage, etc.
Now (of a letter), having the form and size used to begin a sentence, proper name, etc. LME
A5 Of funds, stock, etc.: original, serving as a basis for commercial or financial operations. E18
A6 Excellent, first rate. Frequently as an exclamation of approval. colloquial. M18
B1 noun. A capital letter. LME
B2(a) noun. The stock with which a company or person enters into business;
the total sum of shareholders' contributions in a join-stock company;
accumulated wealth, especially as used in further production. M16
B2(b) The holder of wealth as a class; capitalists, employer of labour. M19
B3 A capital town or city. M17
Capital, in all its forms, comes from the Latin
caput, meaning 'head'; thus, it has come to signify the principal part of something, as well as what is absolutely vital or, conversely, lethal, as in the case of
capital punishment which, historically, was often achieved with
the literal removal of one's head. With regards to
capital city, however, the definition, or at least the application of the definition, isn't always as clear as one might think. Also, considering how popular "What's the capital?" quizzes are, it's incredible how rubbish we are at knowing the capitals of some pretty major countries. Therefore, I present you with a list of countries you should know the capitals of but probably don't:
12 Capitals You Always Get Wrong
CANBERRA
Australia's capital is eminently forgettable, and is often confused with the likes of Sydney, Melbourne, Erinsborough and Walkabout Creek.
Fun Canberra Fact:
Umm ...
Another Canberra Fact:
Canberra regularly tops the 'Most Boring Capital City in the World' polls.
Canada
OTTAWA
Canada is the second-biggest country in the world - why does no one ever know its capital? It's ootrageous.
Fun Ottawa Fact:
Queen Victoria picked Ottawa as the capital in 1857, so blame her.
Another Ottawa Fact:
When natives first pointed out otters to Irish settlers, the standard response from the Irish was "An otter, wha?" That's how it got its name.
China
BEIJING
Most Western countries have taken out mortgages on themselves with China, so we really should know its capital (if only to respond to repossession notices).
Fun Beijing Fact:
At around
21,000,000, it's the world's most populous capital, another reason we should probably know it.
Another Beijing Fact:
There isn't a single Chinese Takeaway in the whole city.
Hungary
BUDAPEST
If you're European, you probably had a stab at this one, but you got stuck between Bucharest and Budapest, didn't you? Go on, admit it.
Fun Budapest Fact:
It's often confused with Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
Another Budapest Fact:
Budapest is the capital of Romania.
India
NEW DELHI
India's population is 1.2 billion. Isn't that reason enough to know its capital?
Fun New Delhi Fact:
New Delhi has been destroyed and rebuilt
seven times.
Another New Delhi Fact:
It's official name is New New New New New New New Delhi.
Iran
TEHRAN
Iran's always in the news, so we should have no problem remembering Tehran.
Fun Tehran Fact:
It comes 32nd in a long line of
Iranian (Persian) capitals. Still, having been the capital for over 200 years, that's no excuse ...
Another Tehran Fact:
There's no word for Tehran in Persian. It can only be expressed with a nonplussed shrug.

Israel
JERUSALEM
You thought it was Tel Aviv, right? It's actually a sticky subject - the Israelis say it's Jerusalem, and everyone else says its Tel Aviv.
Fun Jerusalem Fact:
Jerusalem is considered a holy city by
Jews, Christians and Muslims. Which is awkward.
Another Jerusalem Fact:
It was the birthplace of Steve Jobs.

Netherlands
AMSTERDAM
It's often confused with Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
Fun Amsterdam Fact:
Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges, 165 canals and 600,000 bicycles (
give or take).
Another Amsterdam Fact:
It's notoriously intolerant.
Nigeria
ABUJA
Everyone thinks the capital is Lagos, but Lagos is just the
former capital (and largest city in Nigeria).
Fun Abuja Fact:
It's
a planned city, built mostly in the 1980s, and it took over from Lagos as capital in 1991.
Another Abuja Fact:
'Abuja' means 'Lagos' in Ibo, and vice versa.
South Africa
PRETORIA [EXECUTIVE], BLOEMFONTEIN [JUDICIAL] & CAPE TOWN [LEGISLATIVE]
South Africa always trips people up, and it's understandable seeing as they can't make their own minds up.
Fun Pretoria / Bloemfontein / Cape Town Fact:
Peter Hain was schooled there,
J.R.R Tolkien was born there and
Dr Chritiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant there, respectively.
Another Pretoria / Bloemfontein / Cape Town Fact:
They're all within 10 minutes walk of each other.

Switzerland
BERN
Yeah, everyone thinks Zurich or Geneva, but it's not. On this matter,
www.bern.com is quite emphatic.
Fun Bern Fact:
It's such a rock 'n roll place that you can get
a free tour of the parliament building. But you must book in advance. No exceptions. Ever.
Another Bern Fact:
On arriving at Bern Airport, every international visitor is given a free Toblerone as a welcome gift. But you have to hand it back again when you fly out. Uneaten.
USA
WASHINGTON D.C
Really? New York? Come on. Surely this old chestnut is now well and truly buried.
Fun Washington D.C Fact:
The United States capital contains the United States Capitol. Yup. As fun as that.
Made-up Washington D.C Fact:
No one knows what the D.C stands for. Theories includes
Dick Cheney, dull capital and
dis be da capital (formerly Washington D.B.D.C).
Did you know every capital on this post?
(no one will believe you if you say you did)
Are there any other capitals that you struggle to remember?
Do you know any other interesting capital facts?
Do please invest your most lethal comments into the box below.