Primate city

A primate city is a country's financial, political, and population centre. Usually, it must have at least twice the population of the second largest city in the country. Not all countries have a primate city, but in those that do the primate city dominates the country's cultural and economic life. The best-known examples of primate cities perhaps are London, United Kingdom and Paris, France. Some good examples of countries that do not have primate cities are the United States, where the largest city/financial centre (New York, New York) and the capital (Washington, D.C.) are dissociated; Brazil (largest city and financial centre São Paulo, capital Brasília); and Australia (largest city and financial centre Sydney, capital Canberra). Furthermore, New York, São Paulo, and Sydney have close competitors as their countries' largest cities: Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro; Melbourne.

Other primate cities:

• Athens, Greece
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Cairo, Egypt
• Damascus, Syria
• Dublin, Ireland
• Kabul, Afghanistan
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Seoul, South Korea
• Tehran, Iran
• Tokyo, Japan
• Vienna, Austria

In the United States, which as already noted has no single primate city, the conurbation BosWash may act in many ways as a kind of primate city, fulfilling many functions fulfilled in other countries by a single city. In addition, the US does have some minor primate cities specific to their states such as Boston in Massachusetts, Honolulu in Hawaii, and Boise in Idaho. In Australia, the state capital cities function as primate cities within their respective states. In no Australian state does any city begin to rival the capital.