We tend to think of world capitals as being far away from one another, and most of them are. Mexico City is 1,883 miles from Washington, D.C.; Brasília and Asunción are 909 miles apart; and Beijing is 1,444 miles from Hanoi, to name just a few. However, there are some notable exceptions that are surprisingly close to each other. Here are some of the world’s closest capital cities.
Kinshasa, DRC / Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
When someone refers to something nearby as “a stone’s throw away,” it’s usually an exaggeration. But in the case of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, someone with exceptional strength might just be able to pull it off. The capital cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of the Congo, respectively, are situated on opposite shores of the Congo River. Depending on how you measure that distance, Kinshasa and Brazzaville are just 2 miles apart — making them the world’s two closest capital cities.
However, getting from one to the other isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. ASKY Airlines has a five-minute flight that operates three times per week, but most travelers simply take a boat. A bridge linking the two cities has been in one stage of development or another for years now, but it has yet to materialize. Kinshasa — famous for hosting the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman — is the bigger of the two capitals. Its population of more than 17 million is more than six times that of Brazzaville’s 2.7 million.
Rome, Italy / Vatican City
Technically, Vatican City is an enclave located entirely within Rome, but it’s still true that the microstate is essentially zero miles from the nearest capital city. As a city-state, the Vatican is its own capital. It became independent from Italy via the Lateran Treaty of 1929 and has “full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction” of the Holy See. The Vatican is also the world’s smallest country — and due to the fact that it’s only 0.17 square miles, Vatican City technically has 5.9 Popes per square mile.
Nicosia, Cyprus / North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
One city, two countries — that’s been the plight of Nicosia since Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and the de facto state of Northern Cyprus was established. However, Turkey is the only nation that recognizes Northern Cyprus as an independent country — the rest of the world considers the Republic of Cyprus a single (if politically divided) sovereign state. Still, it remains the case that Nicosia and North Nicosia are in many ways two separate entities. Even if you include the United Nations buffer zone in your measurements, they still border one another.
Bratislava, Slovakia / Vienna, Austria
Bratislava is the only world capital to border two different countries: Austria and Hungary. Slovakia’s capital isn’t especially close to Budapest — about 130 miles depending on how you get there — but it’s only 34 miles from Vienna. And Bratislava and Vienna aren’t just close in terms of distance; the two “sister cities” are connected via history, culture, and the endearingly named Twin City Liner, a boat tour along the Danube River.
Long before it was the capital of Slovakia — which became a sovereign state after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on December 31, 1992 — Bratislava was the capital of Hungary from 1526 until 1784. Vienna, meanwhile, has long been the capital, cultural center, and most populous city in Austria. Known as the “City of Music,” Vienna was home to such composers as Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms in centuries past.
Damascus, Syria / Beirut, Lebanon
Located just 53 miles from one another, the capitals of Syria and Lebanon are practically neighbors. Damascus and Syria are also historic in their own right, with each ranking among the oldest cities in the world. Both have been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, and Damascus is the world’s oldest capital. They’re also among the most populous and important cities in the Levant, a region of the Middle East situated at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean. About 2.4 million people call Beirut home, and nearly 2.7 million live in Damascus. The latter is also home to the Umayyad Mosque, one of the holiest sites in all of Islam.
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