One of the tiniest and most remote countries on Earth, Tuvalu is a ring of coral atolls located in the Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The most populous of the atolls, and the country’s capital, is Funafuti. That’s where most of Tuvalu’s government buildings can be found, as well as the Funafuti International Airport, a hotel, and a hospital.

South Africa has three capitals, resulting from the unification of South Africa at the end of the second Anglo-Boer War in 1902. The country operates one branch of the government at each of the capitals: Parliament meets in Cape Town, the judicial branch sits in Bloemfontein, and administration takes place in Pretoria. There have been several attempts to consolidate the branches of government into Pretoria, but none has succeeded.

Astana became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997, but if you’re looking for Astana on a map today, you won’t find it. The city was renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019, after Nursultan Nazarbayev — the country’s first president following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. After his resignation in 2019, the country’s succeeding president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, announced that the country’s capital would be renamed in his honor.

Home to 21 million people, Lagos, Nigeria, is the most populous city on the African continent. In 2012, Lagos overtook Cairo, Egypt, which now ranks as Africa’s second-most populous city, with 20.4 million residents. Despite its massive population, Lagos is not the Nigerian capital — that honor belongs to Abuja, which was named the capital in 1991.

If you were to venture that Detroit was the capital of Michigan, you’d be partially correct — it was the territorial capital from 1805 to 1847. At the time, not only was Detroit the territory’s largest city, but its access to water also made it an important trading hub. However, by the 1830s it became clear that a more centralized capital was needed, and Lansing was chosen for the new site, also because the land there was a bargain.

Although many mistake Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, for India’s capital, New Delhi has been the country’s capital since 1911. With a population of 29 million, it’s the second-most populous city in the world after Tokyo. However, the U.N. projects that Tokyo's population will begin to decline in the coming years, and if current projections hold true, New Delhi could become the world's most populous city by 2028.

Planned and built from scratch in the Brazilian highlands, Brasília replaced the former capital of Rio de Janeiro upon its inauguration in 1960. As far back as the 1800s, government officials began to question if Rio de Janeiro, with its coastal location that made it vulnerable to attacks, was the best location for the country’s capital — a more central, inland location could better unify the nation, as well as exert Brazil’s newfound independence from its former colonizer.

Although it's not the most populous city in the state — that title goes to Kansas City — Jefferson City is nonetheless an important hub for Missouri. Named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, Jefferson City was chosen as the capital in 1821, even before it was incorporated. It was chosen for its location near the geographic center of Missouri.

Seven emirates make up the United Arab Emirates: Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Of those, Abu Dhabi is by far the largest in area. It's home to the country's capital city, also named Abu Dhabi. Dubai, however, is the most populous city and emirate in the UAE. It's home to about 43% of the country's total population.

In the mid-19th century, Queen Victoria was asked to settle a rivalry between a number of cities vying to become the Canadian capital, including Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec City. Her choice surprised some — when selected in 1857, Ottawa was primarily a small logging settlement. But its location midway between Toronto and Montreal on the border of the colony's French- and English-speaking populations made it a convenient choice that favored neither.

Bolivia is one of just a handful of countries around the world to have two capitals. The South American country’s official seat of government is in La Paz, while Sucre is the legal (constitutional) capital and the seat of the judiciary. Sucre was the first capital after independence from Spain, but after a period of political upheaval, an agreement was made in 1899 to share power between the two cities.

When New Zealand's population began to grow and disperse in the 1860s, leaders debated whether the country should move its capital from Auckland. In 1865, the city of Wellington was selected for its central location and natural harbor. While Wellington is now New Zealand's third-most populous city, only 4,900 people lived there when it became the capital. Today, Wellington is the world's southernmost capital city.

While Belize City is Belize’s most populous urban center, its capital is Belmopan — the smallest capital city in the Americas by population. The capitals of the other six Central American countries are San José in Costa Rica, San Salvador in El Salvador, Guatemala City in Guatemala, Tegucigalpa in Honduras, Managua in Nicaragua, and Panama City in Panama.

When you think of the capital city of Illinois, it’s likely that Chicago first comes to mind. But the Illinois State Capitol is located three hours south in Springfield. In addition to being the capital, Springfield is famous as the former home of President Abraham Lincoln. In 1834, Lincoln was responsible for moving the capital from Vandalia to Springfield, and he resided there for 10 years before moving to Washington, D.C.

As Oregon’s largest city, Portland is home to its fair share of beer drinkers, coffee lovers, and hipsters — but it doesn’t house the state legislature. That honor belongs to Salem, a city of about 170,000 people located on the Willamette River. Before it was named territorial capital of Oregon in 1851, it was called Chemeketa by the Kalapuya people, which translates to “place of rest.”

Unlike Morocco’s more populous cities of Casablanca and Marrakesh, Rabat isn’t typically on the radar for most visitors to the North African country. However, this city along Morocco’s Atlantic coast has been the country’s political center since 1912, when it was established as an administrative center under French rule. It became the national capital when Morocco gained independence in 1956.

Since the United Nations' European headquarters are in Geneva, most people assume that it must be the capital of Switzerland. Or they guess Zürich, the most populous city in the country. But the honor instead belongs to the country’s fifth-largest city of Bern, located on the Aare River. However, while Bern was chosen as Switzerland's “federal city” in 1848, nothing in the constitution officially declares it the country’s capital.

While Istanbul is perhaps the best-known city in Turkey, the country’s capital, Ankara, is located about 280 miles inland in the northwestern part of the country. Ankara is Turkey’s second-largest city, but it has roughly one-third the population of Istanbul. Formerly known as Angora, Ankara became the capital of the newly created Turkish republic in 1923.

You may be familiar with popular Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, or Brisbane, but the lesser-known city of Canberra doesn't always ring a bell. It is, however, the capital of Australia. Home to just about 400,000 people, Canberra was founded in 1824 and became Australia’s capital (replacing Melbourne) in 1927.

Though Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are far more populous, Harrisburg has been Pennsylvania's state capital since 1812. Harrisburg was named for John Harris, Jr., who donated four acres of land on which the future state capitol would be built. Though Harrisburg has hosted several capitol buildings over the years, the current structure (designed by Joseph Huston) opened in 1906.