A forward capital is the process of renaming a country or territory’s capital location. Many places do this to gain an economic or tactical advantage. This has been done in many countries for many reasons depending on the current conditions.
One example of a forward capital would be how in the United States, the capital used to be Philadelphia. The capital had to be changed because southerners saw the declaring of Philadelphia as capital as a way for the country to gradually prohibit slavery and uplift freedom and industry. After many controversies, the capital was changed to Washington, District of Columbia.
Another example of a forward capital would be how Brazil’s capital was renamed from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia. Brazilians felt that with the capital being Rio de Janeiro, the community was extremely uninvolved in politics. Citizens of Brazil also saw the renaming of the capital as a way to boost economic prosperity with Brasilia being in the center of Brazil and having tremendous trade relations along with business centers.
Forward capitals are often used for the better of the country and can spark economic inclinations within as little as a day. Factors such as the geography, defense, and relations to other countries in terms of trade can influence a country’s thriving.