How to play the capitals quiz
- "Name the capital" is selected: you see a country and choose its capital from four options. Switch to "which country?" to go the other way.
- Pick the whole world or one region and the number of questions. Wrong options come from the same region, so you have to know the answer rather than guess.
- At the end, review the capitals you missed, then play again or share a challenge link.
Tricky capitals
Many capitals are not the largest or best-known city. Australia's capital is Canberra rather than Sydney, Canada's is Ottawa rather than Toronto, Turkey's is Ankara rather than Istanbul, Brazil's is Brasília rather than Rio de Janeiro, and Switzerland's federal city is Bern. Several countries have moved their capital in modern times: Nigeria to Abuja in 1991, Myanmar to Naypyidaw in 2005, and Kazakhstan to Astana in 1997.
Some countries split capital functions between cities: Bolivia's constitutional capital is Sucre while the government sits in La Paz, South Africa's executive is in Pretoria, its parliament in Cape Town and its top court in Bloemfontein, and the Netherlands' capital is Amsterdam although the government meets in The Hague. Capitals whose status is disputed internationally are left out of the quiz. Learning region by region and revisiting the ones you miss is the quickest way to learn them all. Scores are not stored anywhere.
FAQ
What is the capital of Australia?
Canberra. It was purpose-built as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne.
Which countries have more than one capital?
South Africa (three), Bolivia (two, Sucre and La Paz) and, in a sense, the Netherlands and Malaysia.
How many capitals are in the quiz?
About 195, covering UN member states and a few widely recognised territories.