state capital; provincial capital; county town
Refers to the capital city of a state, province, or county. In Japanese contexts, often used for U.S. state capitals or Chinese provincial capitals.
The capital of Oregon is Salem.
He attended a conference held in the state capital.
The state capital of California is Sacramento.
They designated this town as the capital of the new state.
県庁所在地 is the specific Japanese term for a prefectural capital, whereas 州都 is used for states or provinces, typically outside Japan.
Compound of 州 (state, province) and 都 (capital, metropolis). The reading is on'yomi for both characters.