The Closest Capitals in the World

Some capital cities are really close together – such as Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina

Honorable Mentions: Countries with two capitals – Full list here

1.Bratislava and Vienna – 55 km

Bratislava in Slovakia and Vienna in Austria are very close capital cities, being 55 kilometers (34 miles) apart with frequent train connections between them. They’re often considered the closest in Europe. Austria and Slovakia had close bonds throughout WW1 and adjacent periods because of Austro-Hungarian occupation, but the Iron Curtain separated the countries for about 70 years, yet once the two countries joined the European Union, their relations have increased and the two cities have been called “twin” or “sister” cities.

2.Vatican City and Rome – 0 km

Vatican City, being a city-state, has the de facto capital of Vatican City, but the entire country (and thus also its capital) is situated in Rome, which is the capital of Italy. Similar to Nauru and possibly the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Vatican City has no official capital, but, like Singapore, considering only one city is in the country, one can use Vatican City itself as the country’s capital, taking into account the location of governing buildings, just as one does with Nauru. Rome is the capital of Italy indisputably and contains Vatican City within it, making the distance about 0 kilometers (0 miles) since they border each other. But from the center and for official measures, the distance is just about 3 kilometers.

3.Jerusalem and (East?) Jerusalem – 0 km or 45 km

Both Palestine and Israel have proclaimed the historic site of Jerusalem to be their capital, with Palestine being more involved in modern history. However, neither country operates its government in the city. Palestine conducts political ongoings in Ramallah, which itself has been connected to Palestine just as much as Jerusalem and Israel operates its government in Tel Aviv, though some governments have placed embassies or interim embassies in Jerusalem, and Palestine only has de facto control of the eastern districts of Jerusalem. Historical records favor Palestine, but the US and Israel make a compelling case with political dominance. So, if Jerusalem is the capital of both Palestine and Israel, then the distance between the capitals is 0 kilometers (0 miles), and if East Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine and Jerusalem the capital of Israel, then the distance is 0 kilometers (0 miles) regarding the connection of the districts, but if Ramallah and Tel Aviv are the capitals of Palestine and Israel respectively, then the distance between the capitals is about 45 kilometers (~28 miles).

4.Nicosia and North Nicosia – 0 km or 3.3 meters

The island of Cyprus is notoriously split between two governments: the Greek south and the Turkish-puppeted north. The capital city of Cyprus, Nicosia, is in fact split between three powers; the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus holds the northern districts to an undefined effect, the real Cypriot government claims the city as a whole but owns the southern part as the integral seat of government, and the United Nations has a Buffer Zone that takes up the central expanse of the city. However, the relaxation of the divide has been prominent, and both countries only take up their respective halves of the city, whereas the UN inanely holds onto a strip of land in the center, but only the UN seems to pay much attention to this, though the media has been quick to overreact to it as well. Its thinnest point is 3.3 meters (~11 feet) and is in fact in the old heart of Nicosia. Depending on whether you recognize the sovereignty of the UN’s no-man’s land, the distance between Nicosia and its northern counterpart is either, at least 3.3 meters regarding the UN Zone as legitimate and as part of neither city, or 0 kilometers if you do not think that the UN Zone counts as a separate entity from the divided city.

5.Kinshasa and Brazzaville – 0 km (By land excluding water) or 3.2 km (by the distance of border points) or 4 km (by a distance of hypothetical bridge)

And for the most popular answer: Kinshasa and Brazzaville; two capital cities of African countries with incredibly similar names that have difficult connections. The start of the whole mess? European colonialism, like always. Since what is now Congo was French and what is now the DRC was Belgian, the two empires had to cooperate – and because of the unnavigable currents west of that point, they chose to start their official systems of transport at the same point across from each other to standardize the ease of access to the odd river, namely, the Congo River. Corruption, egalitarianism, and considering they had more important matters to attend to were reasons that stopped the two countries from changing their capitals in history. The bridges and roads that scarcely connect the cities see traffic depending on the direction of the less corrupt country at the time. Flights from each city are commonplace lest using a ferry that proves to be unsafe and the flights are 5 minutes each.  Because of the limited connections, perhaps the cities are currently the furthest apart closest capital cities. Construction for a bridge connecting the cities will begin in 2020 because of successful funding programs from a Congolese cooperative organization and a subregional group. Its cost is estimated to be at $550 million USD and its length is estimated at 4 kilometers, though it will connect at many points. From the current traffic, the bridge would provide a much-needed increase in trade and regionalized infrastructure development but may provide for the easier spread of corruption. Still, many more things need to be taken into account and solved before this monumental project can even start.

Verdict

For the smallest number overall, it is a tie. For the actual official, without any dispute whatsoever (thus disqualifying 2, 3, and 4) we can find Kinshasa and Brazzaville, but then the infrastructural separation, the political separation, and the Congo River separation can disqualify this option. Many people believe that #2 or #5 are the correct answers, but, depending on the circumstances and the political opinion of your nation, the answer may change.