Capital Cities Quiz Questions and Answers: 30 Capitals

2026-10-22 · 7 min read

These capital cities quiz questions and answers cover 30 countries from every inhabited continent, split into three rounds of 10. The Easy round is made for kids and casual players: famous capitals you hear about in the news. The Medium round is where most people start dropping points, because it is full of countries whose biggest city is not the capital. The Hard round goes after capitals that even geography fans have to think about, including a few that were built or moved within living memory. Every answer is the official capital of a United Nations member state, and each one comes with a short fact so you remember it next time. Keep score as you go: 25 or more out of 30 is an excellent result.

Play it live

Reading the answers is one thing. Naming capitals against the clock is another. Play the live capital cities quiz against a real opponent: you both get the same 7 questions, 10 seconds each, faster correct answers score more and question 7 counts double. Want a random topic instead? Open Quick match. No sign-up is needed for either.

Easy round: famous capitals

A good warm-up and a fair capital cities quiz for kids. Most players get at least 8 of these.

  1. What is the capital of France?
    Answer: Paris
    The city grew up on the banks of the Seine, and its oldest part sits on an island in the river, the Île de la Cité.

  2. What is the capital of Japan?
    Answer: Tokyo
    Tokyo was called Edo until 1868, when it was renamed and became the home of the emperor.

  3. What is the capital of Italy?
    Answer: Rome
    Rome completely surrounds another country: Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world.

  4. What is the capital of Egypt?
    Answer: Cairo
    Cairo stands on the Nile, a short drive from the pyramids of Giza.

  5. What is the capital of Spain?
    Answer: Madrid
    Madrid lies close to the geographic centre of Spain, which helped it become the capital in the 16th century.

  6. What is the capital of Germany?
    Answer: Berlin
    Berlin became the capital of reunified Germany in 1990. Before that, West Germany governed from Bonn.

  7. What is the capital of Russia?
    Answer: Moscow
    The Kremlin, a fortress in the heart of Moscow, is the official residence of the Russian president.

  8. What is the capital of Argentina?
    Answer: Buenos Aires
    The city sits on the Río de la Plata, the wide estuary that separates Argentina from Uruguay.

  9. What is the capital of Kenya?
    Answer: Nairobi
    Nairobi has a national park inside its city limits, where giraffes and rhinos graze with skyscrapers in the background.

  10. What is the capital of Thailand?
    Answer: Bangkok
    In Thai the city is called Krung Thep, and its full ceremonial name is one of the longest place names in the world.

Medium round: the biggest city is not the capital

This is where a world capitals quiz gets interesting. In every one of these countries, a different city is larger or more famous than the capital.

  1. What is the capital of Australia?
    Answer: Canberra
    Canberra was chosen as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, and Parliament moved there in 1927.

  2. What is the capital of Canada?
    Answer: Ottawa
    Queen Victoria chose Ottawa in 1857, partly because it sat on the border between English and French speaking Canada.

  3. What is the capital of Turkey?
    Answer: Ankara
    Ankara replaced Istanbul as the capital in 1923, when the Republic of Turkey was founded.

  4. What is the capital of Brazil?
    Answer: Brasília
    Brasília was built from scratch and inaugurated in 1960, taking over from Rio de Janeiro. Its modernist buildings were designed by Oscar Niemeyer.

  5. What is the capital of New Zealand?
    Answer: Wellington
    Wellington sits at the southern tip of the North Island and is famous for its strong winds.

  6. What is the capital of Morocco?
    Answer: Rabat
    Casablanca is the larger city, but the king and government are based in Rabat on the Atlantic coast.

  7. What is the capital of Pakistan?
    Answer: Islamabad
    Islamabad was planned and built in the 1960s to replace Karachi as the capital.

  8. What is the capital of Vietnam?
    Answer: Hanoi
    Ho Chi Minh City in the south is larger, but Hanoi in the north is the seat of government.

  9. What is the capital of Nigeria?
    Answer: Abuja
    Abuja officially replaced Lagos as the capital in 1991. It was chosen for its central location in the country.

  10. What is the capital of Kazakhstan?
    Answer: Astana
    The capital moved from Almaty to Astana in 1997. The city was renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019 and went back to Astana in 2022.

Hard round: capitals for geography experts

A proper hard capital cities quiz. Getting 5 of these right is a strong score.

  1. What is the capital of Myanmar?
    Answer: Naypyidaw
    The government moved here from Yangon in the mid 2000s. The new city is known for its enormous, mostly empty highways.

  2. What is the capital of Tanzania?
    Answer: Dodoma
    Dar es Salaam is the biggest city and port, but Dodoma is the official capital and home of the national parliament.

  3. What is the capital of Ivory Coast?
    Answer: Yamoussoukro
    Yamoussoukro became the official capital in 1983. It is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, one of the largest churches in the world.

  4. What is the capital of Belize?
    Answer: Belmopan
    Belmopan was built inland after Hurricane Hattie badly damaged coastal Belize City in 1961.

  5. What is the capital of Burkina Faso?
    Answer: Ouagadougou
    Often shortened to "Ouaga", the city hosts FESPACO, the largest film festival in Africa.

  6. What is the capital of Bhutan?
    Answer: Thimphu
    Thimphu sits in a Himalayan valley, and the Tashichho Dzong fortress there houses the throne room and government offices.

  7. What is the capital of Slovenia?
    Answer: Ljubljana
    The dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana, and four dragon statues guard the city's Dragon Bridge.

  8. What is the capital of Kyrgyzstan?
    Answer: Bishkek
    During the Soviet era the city was named Frunze. It took the name Bishkek in 1991.

  9. What is the capital of Palau?
    Answer: Ngerulmud
    Ngerulmud replaced Koror as the capital in 2006 and is one of the least populated capitals in the world.

  10. What is the capital of Suriname?
    Answer: Paramaribo
    The historic inner city of Paramaribo, with its wooden Dutch colonial buildings, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How did you score?

  • 0 to 12: A good start. Easy round capitals are the best place to build from.
  • 13 to 20: Solid. You know the famous capitals and some of the tricky ones.
  • 21 to 25: Very good. The "biggest city is not the capital" trap rarely catches you.
  • 26 to 30: Expert level. You are ready to beat real players in a live match.

Tips to remember capital cities

Most mistakes in a capital cities quiz with answers come from the same trap: guessing the largest or best known city. Sydney, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Lagos and Casablanca are all famous, but none is a capital. When a question feels too easy, stop for a second and ask whether the country might govern from somewhere else.

Planned capitals are another pattern. Canberra, Brasília, Islamabad, Abuja, Belmopan and Naypyidaw were all built or chosen on purpose, often to sit closer to the centre of the country or away from the coast. If you learn them as a group, they are much easier to recall.

Finally, practise in short bursts. Playing a few quick rounds against another person makes answers stick far better than reading a long list, because you remember the ones you got wrong under pressure.

Ready to play it live?

You have the answers, now test them. Play the live capital cities quiz against a real opponent, or create a challenge link and send it to a friend so you both race through the same 7 questions. Prefer a single region? Try the capitals of Europe, capitals of Asia, capitals of Africa or capitals of the Americas quizzes. Fancy flags instead? See the guess the flag quiz with answers. For a random topic and opponent, open Quick match.

FAQ

How many questions are in this capital cities quiz?

There are 30 capital cities quiz questions and answers in three rounds of 10: easy, medium and hard. Every answer is the official capital of a United Nations member state.

Which capital cities do people get wrong most often?

Australia (Canberra, not Sydney), Canada (Ottawa, not Toronto), Turkey (Ankara, not Istanbul) and Brazil (Brasília, not Rio de Janeiro) are the classic mistakes, because the largest city is not the capital.

Can I play a capital cities quiz with friends online?

Yes. Open the capital cities quiz, create a challenge and share the link. You both answer the same 7 questions with 10 seconds each, faster correct answers score more and question 7 counts double. It is free and no sign-up is needed.

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