How much do you know about the worlds capital cities? Test your knowledge and find out with our 70+ Capital Cities Quiz questions and answers.
Do you know the capital of Indonesia? Or the capital of Australia? How about somewhere more obscure, like the capital of Benin or Mauritania?! (That’s Porto-Novo and Nouakchott if you weren’t sure!)
Whether you are a travel lover, a geographer or just someone who is really into capital cities of the world, we’re sure you’re going to love our Ultimate Capital Cities Quiz. And if you do consider yourself an expert, skip straight through to the ‘Tricky Capital City Quiz’ section and see how many capital cities you can name just from the country names. There are some really difficult ones in there!
We hope you love our capital cities of the world quiz as much as we enjoyed putting it together! As travel lovers ourselves, this was great fun – even if there were a few capital cities that even we couldn’t get! (But hey, at least we learned something!)
And just so you know, these sets of capital cities quiz questions are perfect for a travel or geography quiz round at your next pub quiz, dinner party quiz or virtual quiz night (if we’re still doing those things!) So what are you waiting for? Scroll down and test your world knowledge with 70+ Capital Cities Quiz Questions and Answers.
70+ Capital Cities Quiz Questions
1. There are two world capitals named for American presidents. One is Washington D.C. Name the other.
2. The name of which capital city comes from the Ngunnawal word for “meeting place”?
3. The official name of which Asian capital city is listed in Guinness World Records as the world’s longest place name, at 168 letters?
4. Which is the only Capital city named after a religion?
5. Name the largest capital city in Central America.
A. San Salvador.
B. Tegucigalpa.
C. Mexico City.
D. Guatemala City.
6. Which two-word term was coined in 1901 by Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan, the celebrated American advocate of naval power?
7. Name the only country in the world to have three capitals.
8. Bolivia has two capital cities. One is La Paz. Name the other.
9. The Venice of the North and Beauty on the Water are the nicknames of which European capital city, home to the world’s longest art gallery?
10. Name the largest Spanish speaking city in the world.
11. Situated on the banks of the Ishim River, which central Asian capital city is named after the country’s president from 1990 to 2019?
12. Originally a fishing village, what was the earlier name of Tokyo, the capital of Japan?
A. Sendai.
B. Edo.
C. Fukuoka.
D. Kyoto.
13. Yaren is the de facto capital of which tiny island country in Micronesia, northeast of Australia?
14. If Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka then what is the official administrative capital?
15. One of the world’s smallest countries, also the world’s oldest country – which country/capital was named after the founder of a chapel and monastery in 301?
16. Which capital city notable for its unusual combination of large size and very low population density takes its name from the native word for ‘”abode of the king” and is generally translated as “royal capital”?
17. The Ryugyong Hotel, the world’s tallest unoccupied building with its full height of 330m can be seen in which Asian capital city came to be known among missionaries as being the “Jerusalem of the East”?
18. In which Central Asian capital city, about 80% of the buildings are made of white marble (a Guinness World record) mostly imported from China and Vietnam?
19. If the Big Apple is New York, then the “Big Durian” is which Asian capital city?
20. Which city sits 3,869 meters above sea level becomes the highest capital city in the world?
A. La Paz, Bolivia.
B. Quito, Ecuador.
C. Thimphu, Bhutan.
D. Bogota, Colombia.
21. Guinness World Records lists the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace as the largest church in the world. In which African capital city is it located?
22. Which West African capital city literally means “where people get honour and respect” hosts FESPACO, a festival that promotes African filmmakers and facilitates the screening of all African films?
23. Name the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula.
24. Which East African capital city is popularly referred to as the Green City in the Sun?
25. Which is the largest English-speaking city in the western hemisphere outside of the United States and Canada?
26. Name the largest Swahili-speaking city in the world.
27. At 28 metres below sea level, which is the world’s lowest-lying capital city?
A. Baku, Azerbaijan.
B. Amsterdam, Netherland.
C. Roseau, Dominica.
D. Copenhagen, Denmark.
28. The world’s largest fountain bridge ‘Banpo Grand Bridge’ sits on which Asian capital city?
29. Which is the highest capital city in Europe at around 1,023 metres (3,356 feet) above sea level?
30. When the Portuguese arrived in this present day African island nation, it was Saint Thomas’ day. For this reason, they decided to name the island after him. Which island nation/ capital city?
31. Name the smallest country in Central America and the only country in Central America without a Caribbean coastline?
32. Which Nobel peace prize winner was born in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia)?
33. O’Connell Street in which capital city is said to be the widest street in Europe?
34. Which European capital city is the birthplace of Harry Potter?
35. Known as the “Daughter of the Baltic”, which capital city was established as a trading town by King Gustav I of Sweden in 1550?
36. The Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony is held every year in which European capital city?
37. Which European capital city is sometimes referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’?
38. Name the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.
A. Athens, Greece.
B. Cairo, Egypt.
C. Damascus, Syria.
D. Quito, Ecuador.
39. Funafuti is the capital of which island nation whose government revenue largely comes from the lease of its “.tv” Internet Top Level Domain?
40. Named after the British war hero of the Napoleonic Wars, what is the southernmost capital city in the world?
41. The only capital city in the world that is home to a major puffin breeding colony, what is the name the northernmost capital city in the world?
42. Which present-day capital city was called Bytown until it was renamed by Queen Victoria in 1855 and then declared a capital city in 1857?
43. As per legend, the Duke of Zähringen was the founder of the city and he supposedly vowed to name the city after the first animal he encountered on the hunt. That turned out to be a bear and thus which present-day capital city was born?
44. Which capital of an island nation was founded on 22 July 1692, as a refuge for survivors of the June 7th earthquake which destroyed two-thirds of Port Royal
45. After Cairo in Egypt, which capital city is considered the second-largest desert city in the world, and the largest capital city in South America?
46. Which capital city, that hosted the first ever Football World Cup, takes its name from the Portuguese word for “I see a mountain”.
47. Sadiq Khan is the first Muslim mayor of which European Union capital city?
48. When astronaut John Glenn orbited above the earth back in 1962 he could identify this capital city of an Australian state because everyone turned on all their lights, making this city highly visible and hence often known as the ‘City of Light’. Which capital city was it?
49. Of the Caribbean Capitals, what is the capital of Bermuda?
50. Name the oldest US state capital founded in 1610 and also the highest U.S. capital at 7,000 feet above sea level.
51. Name the only capital city in the world to have organized both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.
52. What is the capital of the Czech Republic?
53. Name the only capital city in the world, where the «M» of the famous McDonalds logo is not written in yellow – but with white
54. Which capital city literally means ‘New Flower’ and was founded by Emperor Menelik II in 1886?
55. More commonly (informally), the local people from which European capital cities are called Alfacinhas, Alface refers to lettuce which grew abundantly on the hills of where?
56. Which Asian capital city was actually designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker?
57. Which two-word term was coined in the 1860s when the French emperor Napoleon III was trying to extend French imperial control over the whole region?
Tricky Capital Quiz – QuickFire Round:
To really test your knowledge of the worlds capital cities, here is a quickfire round featuring some of the most challenging world capital city quiz questions of small and often forgotten countries, or those which are often guessed incorrectly!
1. What is the capital of Burundi?
2. What is the capital of South Sudan
3. What is the capital of Suriname?
4. What is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
5. What is the capital of Papua New Guinea?
6. Where is the capital of the Solomon Islands?
7. What is the capital of the Marshall Islands?
8. What is the capital of Northern Cyprus? (a state only recognised by Turkey!)
9. What is the legislative capital of Bolivia?
10. What is the capital of Cape Verde?
11. What is the capital of the Falkland Islands?
12. What is the capital of Nigeria?
13. What is the capital of Belize?
14. What is the capital of Slovenia?
15. What is the capital of Montenegro?
Capital Cities Quiz Questions and Answers
1. There are two world capitals named for American presidents. One is Washington D.C. Name the other.
Monrovia, capital of Liberia (Named after US President James Monroe)
2. The name of which capital city comes from the Ngunnawal word for “meeting place”?
Canberra, Australia. (From the word Kambera or Canberry for “meeting place” in Ngunnawal)
3. The official name of which Asian capital city is listed in Guinness World Records as the world’s longest place name, at 168 letters?
Bangkok, Thailand. (The Thai for which is ‘Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit’)
4. Which is the only Capital city named after a religion?
Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
5. Name the largest capital city in Central America.
A. San Salvador.
B. Tegucigalpa.
C. Mexico City.
D. Guatemala City.
6. Which two-word term was coined in 1901 by Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan, the celebrated American advocate of naval power?
“Middle East”.
7. Name the only country in the world to have three capitals.
South Africa: Pretoria (executive capital), Cape Town (legislative capital) and Bloemfontein (judicial capital).
8. Bolivia has two capital cities. One is La Paz. Name the other.
Sucre.
9. The Venice of the North and Beauty on the Water are the nicknames of which European capital city, home to the world’s longest art gallery?
Stockholm, Sweden.
10. Name the largest Spanish speaking city in the world.
Mexico City.
11. Situated on the banks of the Ishim River, which central Asian capital city is named after the country’s president from 1990 to 2019?
Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
12. Originally a fishing village, what was the earlier name of Tokyo, the capital of Japan?
A. Sendai.
B. Edo.
C. Fukuoka.
D. Kyoto.
13. Yaren is the de facto capital of which tiny island country in Micronesia, northeast of Australia?
Nauru.
14. If Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka then what is the official administrative capital?
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, commonly known as Kotte.
15. One of the world’s smallest countries, also the world’s oldest country – which country/capital was named after the founder of a chapel and monastery in 301?
San Marino. (Named after Saint Marinus)
16. Which capital city notable for its unusual combination of large size and very low population density takes its name from the native word for ‘”abode of the king” and is generally translated as “royal capital”?
Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
17. The Ryugyong Hotel, the world’s tallest unoccupied building with its full height of 330m can be seen in which Asian capital city came to be known among missionaries as being the “Jerusalem of the East”?
Pyongyang, North Korea.
18. In which Central Asian capital city, about 80% of the buildings are made of white marble (a Guinness World record) mostly imported from China and Vietnam?
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
19. If the Big Apple is New York, then the “Big Durian” is which Asian capital city?
Jakarta, Indonesia.
20. Which city sits 3,869 meters above sea level becomes the highest capital city in the world?
A. La Paz, Bolivia.
B. Quito, Ecuador.
C. Thimphu, Bhutan.
D. Bogota, Colombia.
21. Guinness World Records lists the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace as the largest church in the world. In which African capital city is it located?
Yamoussoukro, the official political capital of Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)
22. Which West African capital city literally means “where people get honour and respect” hosts FESPACO, a festival that promotes African filmmakers and facilitates the screening of all African films?
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
23. Name the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
24. Which East African capital city is popularly referred to as the Green City in the Sun?
Nairobi, Kenya.
25. Which is the largest English-speaking city in the western hemisphere outside of the United States and Canada?
Kingston, Jamaica.
26. Name the largest Swahili-speaking city in the world.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (although it is no longer the capital, having been moved to Dodoma in 1996)
27. At 28 metres below sea level, which is the world’s lowest-lying capital city?
A. Baku, Azerbaijan.
B. Amsterdam, Netherland.
C. Roseau, Dominica.
D. Copenhagen, Denmark.
28. The world’s largest fountain bridge ‘Banpo Grand Bridge’ sits on which Asian capital city?
Seoul, South Korea.
29. Which is the highest capital city in Europe at around 1,023 metres (3,356 feet) above sea level?
Andorra la Vella, Andorra.
30. When the Portuguese arrived in this present day African island nation, it was Saint Thomas’ day. For this reason, they decided to name the island after him. Which island nation/ capital city?
São Tomé and Príncipe/Sao Tome.
31. Name the smallest country in Central America and the only country in Central America without a Caribbean coastline?
El Salvador.
32. Which Nobel peace prize winner was born in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia)?
Mother Teresa.
33. O’Connell Street in which capital city is said to be the widest street in Europe?
Dublin, Ireland.
34. Which European capital city is the birthplace of Harry Potter?
Edinburgh, Scotland.
35. Known as the “Daughter of the Baltic”, which capital city was established as a trading town by King Gustav I of Sweden in 1550?
Helsinki, Finland.
36. The Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony is held every year in which European capital city?
Oslo, Norway.
37. Which European capital city is sometimes referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’?
Stockholm, Sweden.
38. Name the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.
A. Athens, Greece.
B. Cairo, Egypt.
C. Damascus, Syria.
D. Quito, Ecuador.
39. Funafuti is the capital of which island nation whose government revenue largely comes from the lease of its “.tv” Internet Top Level Domain?
Tuvalu.
40. Named after the British war hero of the Napoleonic Wars, what is the southernmost capital city in the world?
Wellington, New Zealand.
41. The only capital city in the world that is home to a major puffin breeding colony, what is the name the northernmost capital city in the world?
Reykjavik, Iceland.
42. Which present day capital city was called Bytown until it was renamed by Queen Victoria in 1855 and then declared a capital city in 1857?
Ottawa, Canada.
43. As per legend, the Duke of Zähringen was the founder of the city and he supposedly vowed to name the city after the first animal he encountered on the hunt. That turned out to be a bear and thus which present-day capital city was born?
Bern, Switzerland.
44. Which capital of an island nation was founded on 22 July 1692, as a refuge for survivors of the June 7th earthquake which destroyed two-thirds of Port Royal?
Kingston, Jamaica.
45. After Cairo in Egypt, which capital city is considered the second-largest desert city in the world, and the largest capital city in South America?
Lima, Peru.
46. Which capital city, that hosted the first ever Football World Cup, takes its name from the Portuguese word for “I see a mountain”.
Montevideo, Uruguay.
47. Sadiq Khan is the first Muslim mayor of which European Union capital city?
London, United Kingdom.
48. When astronaut John Glenn orbited above the earth back in 1962 he could identify this capital city of an Australian state because everyone turned on all their lights, making this city highly visible and hence often known as the ‘City of Light’. Which capital city was it?
Perth, Western Australia.
49. Of the Caribbean Capitals, what is the capital of Bermuda?
Hamilton
50. Name the oldest US state capital founded in 1610 and also the highest U.S. capital at 7,000 feet above sea level.
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
51. Name the only capital city in the world to have organized both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.
Beijing, China.
52. What is the capital of the Czech Republic?
Prague
53. Name the only capital city in the world, where the «M» of the famous McDonalds logo is not written in yellow – but with white.
Paris. France.
54. Which capital city literally means ‘New Flower’ and was founded by Emperor Menelik II in 1886?
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
55. More commonly (informally), the local people from which European capital cities are called Alfacinhas, Alface refers to lettuce which grew abundantly on the hills of where?
Lisbon, Portugal.
56. Which Asian capital city was actually designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker?
New Delhi, India.
57. Which two-word term was coined in the 1860s when the French emperor Napoleon III was trying to extend French imperial control over the whole region?
“Latin America”.
Answers to the Tricky Capital Quiz – QuickFire Round:
To really test your knowledge of the worlds capital cities, here is a quickfire round featuring some of the most challenging world capital city quiz questions of small and often forgotten countries (or those which are often guessed incorrectly!)
1. What is the capital of Burundi?
Gitega
2. What is the capital of South Sudan?
Juba
3. What is the capital of Suriname?
Paramaribo
4. What is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Sarajevo
5. What is the capital of Papua New Guinea?
Port Moresby
6. Where is the capital of the Solomon Islands?
Honiara
7. What is the capital of the Marshall Islands?
Majuro
8. What is the capital of Northern Cyprus? (a state only recognised by Turkey!)
North Nicosia
9. What is the capital of Lesotho?
Maseru
10. What is the capital of Cape Verde?
Praia
11. What is the capital of the Falkland Islands?
Stanley
12. What is the capital of Nigeria?
Abuja
13. What is the capital of Belize?
Belmopan
14. What is the capital of Slovenia?
Ljubljana
15. What is the capital of Montenegro?
Cetinje
That’s a wrap! We hope you enjoyed our world capitals quiz and there was a good mix of easy, difficult and multiple-choice questions for you to answer or to add to your own quiz! And maybe you maybe even learned a few new facts about different countries of the world!
And as with all our quizzes, if you liked it, we would love it if you shared it with your friends or on social media!
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