World Capital Cities Reading Comprehension Lesson

Reading Passage

World Capital Cities

A capital city is the official seat of government of a country, state, or territory. It is typically the city where a nation’s legislature, executive branch, and (often) supreme court are located. Capital cities serve as the symbolic and administrative center of a nation — the place where laws are made, treaties are signed, and national decisions are taken. Most countries have a single, designated capital city. However, some countries have more than one: South Africa, for example, has three capitals — Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial) — and Bolivia has two capitals (Sucre and La Paz). A few countries, notably Nauru in the Pacific, have no officially designated capital city.

Many of the world’s great capital cities are also its most famous cities — major centers of culture, commerce, tourism, and history. London, the capital of the United Kingdom, has been a major world city for nearly 2,000 years (founded by the Romans as Londinium in AD 43) and is one of the world’s leading financial and cultural centers. Paris, the capital of France, is renowned for its art, fashion, cuisine, and landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Washington, D.C. — the capital of the United States — was designed from scratch as a purpose-built capital, laid out in a grid plan by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, and is home to the White House, the U.S. Capitol, and the Supreme Court, as well as the Smithsonian Institution and many national monuments and memorials.

Some capital cities were chosen or moved for strategic, political, or practical reasons. Canberra became Australia’s capital in 1913, chosen as a compromise between the rival cities of Sydney and Melbourne, which could not agree on which should be the capital. Brasília was built from scratch in the Brazilian interior in the late 1950s, replacing Rio de Janeiro as the capital; the decision was made to promote development of Brazil’s vast interior and to create a more centrally located seat of government. Naypyidaw replaced Yangon (Rangoon) as Myanmar’s capital in 2006 in a decision made abruptly by the military government, for reasons that remain somewhat unclear. Astana (renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019, then Astana again in 2022) became Kazakhstan’s capital in 1997, replacing Almaty.

Asia is home to many of the world’s great capital cities. Beijing, the capital of China and one of the world’s most populous cities, has been China’s capital for most of the past 700 years and is home to the Forbidden City — the imperial palace complex of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tokyo, the capital of Japan and the world’s most populous metropolitan area, is a city of extraordinary energy, technology, and cultural vitality. New Delhi became India’s capital under British colonial rule; before that, the Mughal emperors held court at nearby Old Delhi. Moscow, the capital of Russia, has been Russia’s primary city for centuries and remains a major center of culture, politics, and the arts.

Capital cities often reflect their nation’s history, identity, and aspirations. Some, like Athens (Greece), Rome (Italy), and Cairo (Egypt), sit atop the ruins of ancient civilizations and serve as living museums of human history. Others, like Singapore — a city-state where the entire country is the capital — are modern marvels of urban planning and economic development. Ottawa became Canada’s capital in 1857, chosen by Queen Victoria partly because of its location on the border between the predominantly English province of Ontario and the predominantly French province of Quebec. Learning about the world’s capital cities is a window into geography, history, and the remarkable variety of human societies and governments on our planet.

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