<P> The presence of a primate city in a country may indicate an imbalance in development--usually a progressive core, and a lagging periphery, on which the city depends for labor and other resources . However, the urban structure is not directly dependent on a country's level of economic development . </P> <P> Many of the primate cities are increasing their percentage of their country's population . This can be because the number of traditional workers have been reduced because of mechanization in the manufacturing industry, agriculture, and other blue - collar industries, which are generally located throughout all of the country . At the same time, the number of educated employees in service business such as politics, economy, culture, media, and higher education has been rising, and those sectors are often located in the capital where the power and money is concentrated . </P> <P> Many alpha world cities are considered national and / or regional primate cities . They include the two alpha++ world cities of London in the United Kingdom (national) and New York City in the United States (regional), though the U.S. has never had any primate city on a national scale . In addition, Budapest, Dublin, Jakarta, Lima, Mexico City, and Seoul have also been described as primate cities within their respective countries . </P> <P> Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, has been called "the most primate city on Earth", being roughly thirty - five times larger than Thailand's second - largest city of Nakhon Ratchasima . Fong's examination of the primate city during the 2010 Thai political protests was notable . Taking the concept and applying it to the role that primate cities play if they are national capitals, his study noted that when primate cities like Bangkok function as national capitals, they are inherently vulnerable to insurrectionary dynamics by the subaltern, and the dispossessed . He cites the simple fact that most primate cities serving as national capitals contain major headquarters for the country . Thus, logistically, it is rather "efficient" for national targets to be contested since they are all located within one major urban environment . </P>

Countries in which the capital is also the primate city include