Do You Know These World Capitals?
Written by Dan Henry Trivia Expert
Last updated · 9 min play time
With over 190 countries to choose from, we've searched the world for 20 of the most interesting capital cities. Asia, Africa, The Americas, and even Oceania are not off limits. Do you think you can name these world capitals?
This quiz was expert written by Dan Henry. Dan has a Master's Degree in Geosciences with a concentration in Applied Meteorology and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics. He is a huge trivia fanatic and spends a lot of free time browsing the Internet, researching on a variety of topics, and winning money at trivia night.
With over 190 countries to choose from, we've searched the world for 20 of the most interesting capital cities. Asia, Africa, The Americas, and even Oceania are not off limits. Do you think you can name these world capitals?
Quiz written by
Dan HenryWorld Capitals Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 47K Plays · 6 Comments
Question 1
This ancient Mediterranean city may well be the oldest capital city in the world, having been inhabited continuously since at least 7000 B.C.
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AAthens
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BDamascus
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CBeirut
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DRome
Athens
Athens, Greece, may have been inhabited as far back as 11000 B.C., well before the first systems of writing.
Question 2
This capital city is the most densely populated city proper in the world, with a staggering 110,000 people per square mile. It also shares its name with a type of paper and a popular office product.
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ACanberra
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BNew Delhi
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CManila
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DBrussels
Manila
Manila, Philippines, lends its name to Manila paper and the manila folder.
Question 3
Despite its location at 33 north longitude on the banks of the Tigris River, this Middle Eastern capital is one of the hottest cities in the world, with summer temperatures averaging 111F.
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ABaghdad
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BDamascus
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CKuwait City
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DTehran
Baghdad
Not many places are hotter than Baghdad, Iraq in the summer.
Question 4
The oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the "New World", this capital city is found on the island of Hispaniola, and was founded by Christopher Columbus' younger brother. (Hint: located on the bottom half of this map)
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ASanto Domingo
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BPort-Au-Prince
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CSan Juan
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DPort of Spain
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was founded all the way back in 1496, just four years after Christopher Columbus re-discovered the New World.
Question 5
We've covered density, temperature and age, but what about latitude? This is the northernmost capital city of a sovereign state, and its country will celebrate 100 years of independence from Denmark in 2018.
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AReykjavik
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BOslo
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CHelsinki
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DCopenhagen
Reykjavik
Reykjavik, Iceland, is perched at 64 degrees N latitude.
Question 6
This capital city is both the world's windiest city as well as the southernmost capital. Rather ironically, it is located on its country's North Island. This city is located in a country that starts with "New".
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AMaputo
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BWellington
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CCanberra
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DCape Town
Wellington
Wellington, New Zealand, is located at 41 degrees S.
Question 7
This capital may be most well-known to Western audiences as being in Borat's home country of Kazakhstan, but it's also one of the most inaccessible national capitals, lying over 1,000 miles away from the nearest ocean, the Arctic Ocean.
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AAstana
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BTashkent
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CKabul
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DBishkek
Astana
Despite its isolated location, Astana, Kazakhstan, is home to nearly 900,000 people.
Question 8
This remote city in the mountains is home to many throat singers as well as the coldest climate of any capital city, with an average January low of -14 F and a year-round daily average below freezing. (Hint: located in a country that starts with M)
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ALa Paz
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BStockholm
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CMoscow
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DUlaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, probably also has the record for most a's in its name. It even beats Antananarivo.
Question 9
This capital holds the record for lowest capital city, with an elevation of -92 feet, possible because of its location on the Caspian Sea. It is also the largest city below sea level and the largest in the Caucasus, with a metro population over 4 million.
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AMinsk
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BBaku
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CTehran
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DAshgabat
Baku
Baku, Azerbaijan was also ranked in the top 10 by Reuters for best nightlife. Go figure.
Question 10
This city 42 miles southeast of Lake Titicaca is located over two miles higher than our previous city and is the world's highest capital city. (Hint: City is two words)
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AThimphu
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BLa Paz
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CBogota
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DMexico City
La Paz
La Paz, Bolivia is located at a mind-numbing 11,942 feet above sea level.
Question 11
This national capital is one of the least prominent of any world capital population-wise. Just 0.2% of all people in the country live in the capital and residents there have no voting delegate in the country's Congress despite the fact that meetings are held there.
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ANew Delhi
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BCanberra
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CWashington, D.C.
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DBrasilia
Washington, D.C.
If you got Washington, D.C. correct, you're in rare company. Polls indicate the vast majority of Americans are unaware of D.C.'s lack of representation.
Question 12
This city is the world's largest capital by population, with over 25 million in metro-area population. It is also one of the more recent capital cities, having been capital only since 1949.
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ABeijing
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BMoscow
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CIstanbul
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DLagos
Beijing
Beijing, China, took over capital duties after the fall of Nanjing.
Question 13
This may be the most fiercely contested capital in the world. It is currently claimed as capital by two different states and has been captured and recaptured no fewer than 44 times in its long history.
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ALhasa
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BJerusalem
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CSeoul
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DBeirut
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is claimed as the capital of both Israel and Palestine.
Question 14
Let's see how well you know your rivers. The Danube River flows through all of the following national capitals except for:
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AVienna
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BBudapest
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CBelgrade
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DPrague
Prague
The Danube flows through four national capitals in total: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade.
Question 15
The Nile River flows through all but this mile-high national capital (located in Kenya):
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ANairobi
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BCairo
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CKhartoum
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DJuba
Nairobi
The Nile River does not flow through Kenya at all, making Nairobi the correct choice.
Question 16
Let's test your knowledge of language. This coastal, equatorial city is the most populous Portugese-speaking capital city in the world, with a population near three million.
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ALisbon
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BLuanda
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CRio de Janeiro
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DBrasilia
Luanda
Luanda, Angola has a metro area population of over six million.
Question 17
On the topic of language, this is not only the largest Spanish-speaking capital, but also the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world.
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AHavana
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BMexico City
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CBogota
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DMadrid
Mexico City
Over 20 million Spanish-speakers live in the Mexico City area.
Question 18
The world's largest English-speaking capital city is:
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ACanberra
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BWashington, D.C.
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CLondon
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DOttawa
London
London, U.K., is still the largest English-speaking capital after all these years.
Question 19
This city is the largest in the Arabic-speaking world as well as the largest in the Middle East and located in Egypt.
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ACasablanca
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BCairo
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CRiyadh
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DBaghdad
Cairo
Over 20 million inhabit Cairo's metro area.
Question 20
This city on the Congo River is now the largest Francophone city in the world.
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AParis
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BFranceville
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CKinshasa
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DLuanda
Kinshasa
Over 20 million live in Kinshasa's metro area, surpassing even Paris.
Comments (6)
We want to hear your feedback! Share your scores and discuss the quiz, but keep it civil.
I love geography and pride myself on knowing capital cities....of the US which is why I am shocked and appalled by the F I received on this! Still fun though!
I think that should have been 33 north LATITUDE. Longitudinal lines are labeled with East/West.
I enjoy geography a lot but didn’t think I’d even get five or 10 on a quiz that’s a world geography so I’m OK with that fun fun fun!
Great. Challenging and educational!
X-ing out advert pop ups caused 2 wrong answers Not critical, just annoying
Good questions in this quiz.