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by yusucan 1666 days ago
No it's not. Istanbul is not the capital, Ankara is.
1 comments

That's why I put it in quotes. Ankara is the political capital while Istanbul is the financial, industrial, and anything really capital.
A bit like NYC vs. Washington in the US.
Or Rio de Janeiro vs Brasilia in Brazil. Sydney vs Canberra in Australia. Auckland vs Wellington in New Zealand. There are probably a few more...
> Or Rio de Janeiro vs Brasilia in Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro was Brazil's capital for centuries (even before it became an independent country), it only changed to Brasilia in the 1960s, well within living memory of many people, so that one is justifiable.

I personally don't see anything as "unjustifiable" - modern states can (and arguably should) be multipolar. Dedicating a city to administrative bureaucracy is not a terrible idea, in the same way as you'd separate salespeople offices from the factory floor. It's just a very modern concept.

I was just listing a few other famous "unintuitive" capitals. Another one would be Milano vs Roma, although the two are evenly matched on the cultural level.