Capital of the Netherlands

Here is another friendly bet dispute. I won't say who had what side. This bet was made a few years ago between me and a friend of a friend. The bet was what is the capital of the Netherlands. For those not up to speed on that topic, here is the Wikipedia page on it.

Needless to say a huge argument erupted over how to score the bet. If you were asked to make a ruling, what would it be?

If your bet was "what is the capital of the Netherlands," and one of you said the Hague and one Amsterdam, well, then you both are correct. Without further specification, it is impossible to resolve the bet.

If you really want to mess things up, bet him what the capital of South Africa is :) Or better yet, Israel.

These are the kind of arguments that go on for pages on wikipedia.

Edit: Another example is Bolivia. The constitutional capital is Sucre, but I have never heard anyone refer to the capital as anything other than La Paz.

My vote went to the wrong box. Amsterdam is the right answer. I'd have gone for the Hague, but would have been wrong as clearly it's not the Capital, just the seat of government.

I voted Amsterdam(420 and Hookers, nice). I Googled it to substantiate your wiki link and most of what I find is that Amsterdam is the answer, even though it appears government business is conducted in Hague. Weird!

Quote: teddys

If you really want to mess things up, bet him what the capital of South Africa is :) Or better yet, Israel.

The capital of Israel is Jerusalem. There's no question about it as far as Israel is concerned. The parliament (Knesset) meets there, the Prime Minsiter and President (figurehead) live there, the ministires are there, etc etc. Some countries have placed their embassies elsewhere, mostly in Tel Aviv, but that's immaterial. I've been there. Let me tell you, if they had no ruins worth visiting, the town wouldn't receive a single tourist ever.

Anyway, as to the Wizard's problem, I answered reflexively The Hague is the capital, but only because I thought it was. I don't see what makes Amsterdam the capital if the seat of government is elsewhere, as capital is understood as where the seat of government of a particular political unit sits.

So under a broad definition of capital, I'd call it a push.

I also voted Amsterdam based on my natural (albeit limited) knowledge, and in reading the Wiki article, I can't find anything to refute my answer. Except for a brief period in the 1800's of uncertainty, everything else states simply "Amsterdam is the capitol".

Seems it's not unlike Vegas. A gambler may say "I'm going to Vegas", only to find that once he gets there, he has to drive somewhere else to gamble. So would a politician "go to the capitol" only to find his office is located somewhere else. Vegas is where it is regardless of where the casino's lie, just as Amsterdam is the capitol regardless of where the center of government is.

The "CIA World Factbook" clearly indicates Amsterdam is the "Capital". Have they ever been wrong before?

Quote: teddys

If your bet was "what is the capital of the Netherlands,"

Yes, that is all that was said.

Quote: Face

I also voted Amsterdam based on my natural (albeit limited) knowledge, and in reading the Wiki article, I can't find anything to refute my answer. Except for a brief period in the 1800's of uncertainty, everything else states simply "Amsterdam is the capitol".

Seems it's not unlike Vegas. A gambler may say "I'm going to Vegas", only to find that once he gets there, he has to drive somewhere else to gamble. So would a politician "go to the capitol" only to find his office is located somewhere else. Vegas is where it is regardless of where the casino's lie, just as Amsterdam is the capitol regardless of where the center of government is.

Your answer confuses me. I like the Vegas comparison. Suppose there was a bet on what city The Mirage is in? I think most people would say Las Vegas. However, it is actually in an unincorporated part of Clark County seldom referred to as Paradise. If you were on the Strip you would not reach the city limits of Las Vegas until you were north of Sahara Blvd.. You seem to be arguing that "Las Vegas" would still be an acceptable answer to where The Mirage is, because that is where all the big casinos are everybody associates with Las Vegas.

By that logic, in the Hague you would see all the buildings and people associated with the seat of government. Couldn't you logically assume then that you were in the capital of the Netherlands? So, to conclude, I like the Vegas comparison, but I think it argues that The Hague should be the answer to the Netherlands question.

I could be wrong, but aren't things like State and Country Capitals determined by a voted on resolution by the appropriate governing body at some point in the Countries or States existance? Usually when it is first formed. Heck every county and little municipality(of which I work for) has resolutions delinating exact bouderies and what they are"officially" called, and some, like ours, go back to the 1800's.

Quote: Wizard

By that logic, in the Hague you would see all the buildings and people associated with the seat of government. Couldn't you logically assume then that you were in the capital of the Netherlands? So, to conclude, I like the Vegas comparison, but I think it argues that The Hague should be the answer to the Netherlands question.

I say it depends on the definition of capital. As far as I know, a capital is the city where the government of a political unit is located. Therefore Washington DC is the capital of the US, Carson City is the capital of Nevada. By that definition, I fail to see how any city that does not hold the seat of government can be a capital.

I suppose in a monarchy the capital may be where the royal palace is, or where the monarch's official residence is located, since the monarch is the nominal head of state. I don't know ehther or not I'd accept that.