Capital Cities: The Heart of Every Country

Imagine your country is like a big school. Every school has a main office where the head teacher works and makes important decisions. Countries have something similar — a special city where the leaders work and the most important decisions are made. Do you know what that special city is called? Have a think before we find out!

A capital city is the city where a country's government is based. The government is the group of people who run the country and make its laws. Capital cities are usually home to important buildings like the parliament (the place where leaders meet to make decisions), the president's or prime minister's official home, and major courts of law. Capital cities are not always the biggest or most famous city in a country. For example, the capital of Australia is Canberra — not Sydney, which is much larger. The capital of the United States is Washington D.C. — not New York City, which is the most well-known. Here are some capital cities to learn: • France → Paris • Japan → Tokyo • Brazil → Brasília • Kenya → Nairobi • Canada → Ottawa • Egypt → Cairo Notice that capitals are spread across every continent. Every independent country in the world has its own capital city. When you look at a world map, capitals are often shown with a special star symbol (★) to tell them apart from other cities.