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 London 4 Berlin 5 New York City 6 See also 7 References // RomeRome'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.
ConstantinopleConstantinople 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 timecitation 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." Today, the city's name is Istanbul.
LondonCapital of the British Empire, London, United Kingdom was seen as the heir apparent of Rome.citation needed
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 because the United Kingdom and London remain a major global influence, the position remains.
According to the World Economic Forum London had at one point replaced New York City as the centre of the financial world;23 however, the British pound sterling has subsequently depreciated in value significantly against the U.S. dollar since then, restoring London's previous second place status in this regard.
London is also the world's most visited city in terms of tourists 4. [Reference leads to a dead link] 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.
BerlinAdolf Hitler, the dictator of the Third Reich, as part of his proposed New Order, planned to make Berlin the "Caput Mundi", directing Albert Speer to formulate the Welthauptstadt Germania--a plan to rebuild Berlin in an Imperial architectural style. The central edifice of Berlin would have been the Volkshalle, from which Hitler would have issued his Imperial decrees as the absolute ruler of Europe.
New York CityNew York City, the most populous city in the United States, is sometimes described by the Latin phrase "Novum Caput Mundi" ("New Capital of the World") or by the English phrase "Capital of the World". A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, education, and entertainment. As host of the United Nations Headquarters, it is also an important center for international affairs, despite no longer being the capital of the United States or even of New York State. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York City, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.5
In addition to the UN, many national and international private corporations have headquarters in New York City. Anchored by Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, New York City is the financial capital of the world6789101112 and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies.
Tourism is vital to New York City, with over 40 million foreign and American tourists visiting each year,13 and Times Square, at the hub of the Broadway theater district, is nicknamed "The Crossroads of the World".
See also Globalization World City Welthauptstadt Germania Washington Consensus References ^ Dictionary of Latin Phrases and Proverbs: C ^ The Global Financial Centres Index 6 ^ "Asian cities close in on London and New York in Global Financial Centres Index; Dublin tumbles 13 places." Finfacts Ireland. ^ "Euromonitor International’s Top City Destinations Ranking". Euromonitor. http://www.euromonitor.com/_Euromonitor_Internationals_Top_City_Destinations_Ranking. ^ "Listening to (and Saving) the World’s Languages". http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/nyregion/29lost.html?hpw. Retrieved 2010-04-29. ^ "The World's Most Expensive Real Estate Markets". CNBC. http://www.cnbc.com/id/29862382/The_World_s_Most_Expensive_Real_Estate_Markets?slide=9. Retrieved 2010-05-30. ^ "The Best 301 Business Schools 2010 by Princeton Review, Nedda Gilbert". http://books.google.com/books?id=dWA7aEbsy8QC&pg=PA154&dq=new+york+financial+capital+of+the+world+2010&hl=en&ei=SAMCTPyfO8P6lwe73OCiCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=new%20york%20financial%20capital%20of%20the%20world%202010&f=false. Retrieved 2010-05-30. ^ "Financial Capital of the World: NYC". Wired New York/Bloomberg. http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22541. Retrieved 2010-05-30. ^ "The Tax Capital of the World". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123940286075109617.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30. ^ "JustOneMinute - Editorializing From The Financial Capital Of The World". http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2010/04/editorializing-from-the-financial-capital-of-the-world.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30. ^ "London may have the IPOs...". Marketwatch. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/credit-crunch-shows-new-york-is-still-worlds-financial-capital/. Retrieved 2010-05-30. ^ "Fondos - Londres versus Nueva York" (PDF). Cinco Dias. http://www.cincodias.com/articulo/mercados/Londres-versus-Nueva-York/20080901cdscdimer_3/cdsmer/. Retrieved 2010-05-30. ^ "NYC Statistics". NYC & Company. http://nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=57. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
