The seat of government is (as defined by Brewer's Politics) "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation's capital is also seat of its government, thus that city is appropriately referred to as the national seat of government. The terms are not however, completely synonymous, as some countries' seat of government differs from the capital. The Netherlands, for example, has Amsterdam as its capital but The Hague is the seat of government; and the Philippines, with Manila as its capital but the metropolitan area of the same name (Metro Manila; also known as National Capital Region (NCR)), is the seat of government.

Local seats of government

Local and regional authorities usually have a seat, called an administrative centre, as well. Terms for seats of local government of various levels and in various countries include:

Buildings as seats of government

Examples of seats of government include:

List of seats of country government which are not country capitals

There are several countries where, for various reasons, the official capital and de facto seat of government are separated:

Countries with no official capital

Historical examples