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Caput Mundi is a Latin phrase taken to mean "capital of the world". (literally: "head of the world",^[1] see capital, capitol). It originates out of a classical European understanding of the known world: Southern Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia. Because of the enduring power of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, and the Roman Catholic Church, in this sphere, the city of Rome has been known for centuries as Caput Mundi.

Contents 1 Rome 2 Constantinople 3 Paris 4 London 5 New York 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Rome

Rome's influence in the ancient world began to grow around the Second Century BC as the Republic expanded across Southern Europe and North Africa. For the next five centuries, Rome would govern much of the known world. The cultural influence of the local language of Rome (Latin) as well as Roman Art, Architecture, Religion and Philosophy was immense.

[edit] Constantinople

Constantinople was built as the second Rome by Emperor Constantine in 330 AD.

The Byzantine Empire lasted for over a thousand years with the center always at Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was centered in the capitals of Nicaea, Trebizond, and Arta. The city was seen as the "Capital of the World" because of its prime trading position in the center of the medieval world. Between 330 and 1453, one could see in Constantinople the faces of Ethiopians, Egyptians, Arabs, Franks, Italians, as well as the Chinese and Indians, who were a very rare sight in Europe for the time^{[citation needed]}. The city was also the center of half of the Christian world as the seat of the Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox church. Thus as the world center for commerce, diplomacy, religion, education,^{[citation needed]} it could well have been said that during the city's heyday, Constantinople was indeed the capital of the world. Napoleon Bonaparte is quoted as saying, "If the Earth were a single state, Constantinople would be its capital." Nowadays, the city's name's Istanbul.

[edit] Paris

Paris was capital of the First French Empire, owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Second French Empire, owned by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. During this time, Paris was embellezed, to turn the new Capital of the World.

[edit] London

Capital of the British Empire, London, United Kingdom was seen as the heir apparent of Rome.

Though the empire has since passed, London is one of the world's leading business, financial, and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, technology, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as a major global city. Many of the world's largest corporations have their headquarters in London, the city taking a central role as a part of the wider global economy. In addition London in time and on maps is the direct center of the world, with the Prime Meridian running directly through Greenwich (also known as the Greenwich Meridian), with its time zone as GMT+0 (UTC+0). The decision made at the International Meridian Conference was due to the dominance of the British Empire; for logistical reasons, and due to the fact that the United Kingdom and London remain a major global influence, the position remains.

According to the World Economic Forum London has now replaced Wall Street as the centre of the financial world, despite concerns over confidence in both American and European markets due to the recession.^[2][3]

London is also the world's most visited city in terms of tourists ^[4]. The situation of numerous iconic landmarks, such as Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, as well as modern architecture such as the Gherkin, Tower 42, the London Eye and the O2 drawing 15 million tourists per year, making the city internationally renowned.

[edit] New York

New York City, the most populous city in the United States, is sometimes referred to as a "Novum Caput Mundi" (Latin: "New Capital of the world") or by the English phrase "Capital of the World". As well as being the largest urban area in the United States, the New York area is also the second largest on Earth, surpassed only by greater Tokyo, Japan.

Unlike Rome, which had direct political control throughout the Republic and later the Empire, New York City is not even the capital of New York State, nor the United States. It does, however, host the United Nations headquarters.

In addition to the UN, many national and international private corporations have headquarters in New York City. The New York Stock Exchange is also in the city. The global cultural and economic influence of these entities is massive. For these reasons, the trends set by New Yorkers exert a powerful, ongoing influence on people worldwide.

[edit] See also

• Globalization
• World City
• Welthauptstadt Germania
• Washington Consensus

[edit] References