World Capitals Quiz

The world's 195 countries each have a designated capital city - Though a handful of countries have multiple capitals (South Africa has three: Pretoria/Tshwane, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein). Capital cities are generally where a country's national government, parliament, and head of state are located, though this is not always the case. Some capitals were deliberately relocated - Brazil moved its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília in 1960; Myanmar moved from Rangoon to Naypyidaw in 2006.

Surprising Capital Cities

Many people are surprised to learn that Australia's capital is Canberra (not Sydney or Melbourne), that New Zealand's is Wellington (not Auckland), that Canada's is Ottawa (not Toronto), that the US capital is Washington D.C. (not New York), and that Switzerland's is Bern (not Geneva or Zurich). These surprising capitals often reflect historical compromises or deliberate central positioning within a country's territory. Explore more with our European capitals map quiz, African capitals map quiz, and Asian capitals map quiz.