\ud83c\udfd9\ufe0f Test Your Capitals Knowledge \u2014 Play Capital Quest Free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\nWorld Capitals by Continent<\/h2>\nEurope \u2014 44 Countries and Capitals<\/h3>\n
Europe is home to some of the world’s most famous capital cities. Here are all European capitals with key facts:<\/p>\n
Albania \u2014 Tirana<\/strong>
\nTirana was only founded in 1614, making it one of Europe’s youngest capitals. The city has transformed dramatically since the fall of communism in 1991 and is now a vibrant, colorful city.<\/p>\nAndorra \u2014 Andorra la Vella<\/strong>
\nAt 1,023 meters above sea level, Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe. This tiny principality between France and Spain has just 77,000 people.<\/p>\nAustria \u2014 Vienna<\/strong>
\nVienna was the capital of the Habsburg Empire for over 600 years. It’s famous for classical music, coffee houses, and stunning Baroque architecture. Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert all lived and worked here.<\/p>\nBelarus \u2014 Minsk<\/strong>
\nMinsk was almost completely destroyed during World War II and rebuilt as a grand Soviet-style city with wide boulevards and imposing architecture. It’s one of the greenest capitals in Europe.<\/p>\nBelgium \u2014 Brussels<\/strong>
\nBrussels is the de facto capital of the European Union and home to NATO headquarters. The city is famous for chocolate, waffles, and the Atomium structure built for the 1958 World’s Fair.<\/p>\nBosnia and Herzegovina \u2014 Sarajevo<\/strong>
\nSarajevo was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, which triggered World War I. The city hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics and is known for its unique blend of Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian architecture.<\/p>\nBulgaria \u2014 Sofia<\/strong>
\nSofia is one of Europe’s oldest capitals, with 7,000 years of human settlement. The city sits at the foot of Vitosha Mountain and has been the capital of Bulgaria since 1879.<\/p>\nCroatia \u2014 Zagreb<\/strong>
\nZagreb has a charming medieval old town and was the capital of the Socialist Republic of Croatia during the Yugoslav era. The city is famous for its Christmas market, rated among Europe’s best.<\/p>\nCyprus \u2014 Nicosia<\/strong>
\nNicosia is the last divided capital city in the world. The city is split between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and Turkish-administered Northern Cyprus, separated by a UN buffer zone.<\/p>\nCzech Republic \u2014 Prague<\/strong>
\nPrague’s historic center was never bombed during World War II, leaving intact one of Europe’s most complete medieval cities. The city receives over 8 million tourists annually and is famous for its gothic architecture and Czech beer.<\/p>\nDenmark \u2014 Copenhagen<\/strong>
\nCopenhagen is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities. It’s famous for its cycling culture \u2014 more than half of residents commute by bicycle. The city is also home to Tivoli Gardens, one of the world’s oldest amusement parks.<\/p>\nEstonia \u2014 Tallinn<\/strong>
\nTallinn has one of the best-preserved medieval old towns in Northern Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Estonia is famous for being one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world \u2014 you can vote, file taxes, and start a business entirely online.<\/p>\nFinland \u2014 Helsinki<\/strong>
\nHelsinki was purpose-built as Finland’s capital in 1812 when the country was part of the Russian Empire. The city sits on a peninsula surrounded by thousands of islands and is known for its design culture and saunas.<\/p>\nFrance \u2014 Paris<\/strong>
\nParis has been a capital city for over 1,000 years and is the most visited city in the world, welcoming over 30 million tourists annually. The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 as a temporary structure for the World’s Fair but became so beloved it was never demolished.<\/p>\nGermany \u2014 Berlin<\/strong>
\nBerlin was divided by the Berlin Wall from 1961 to 1989. After German reunification in 1990, it became the capital again. The city is home to over 170 museums and is famous for its vibrant arts and music scene.<\/p>\nGreece \u2014 Athens<\/strong>
\nAthens is considered the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, and the Olympic Games. The city has been continuously inhabited for over 3,000 years. The Parthenon on the Acropolis was built in 447 BC and remains one of the world’s most iconic structures.<\/p>\nHungary \u2014 Budapest<\/strong>
\nBudapest was formed in 1873 by merging three cities: Buda, \u00d3buda, and Pest across the Danube River. The city has over 100 natural hot springs and thermal baths, earning it the nickname “City of Spas.”<\/p>\nIceland \u2014 Reykjavik<\/strong>
\nReykjavik is the northernmost capital of a sovereign state and is powered almost entirely by geothermal energy and hydroelectric power. The city is the best place in the world to see the Northern Lights.<\/p>\nIreland \u2014 Dublin<\/strong>
\nDublin is named from the Old Irish “Dubh Linn” meaning “black pool.” The city is famous for its literary heritage \u2014 James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, and W.B. Yeats all called Dublin home.<\/p>\nItaly \u2014 Rome<\/strong>
\nRome is called the “Eternal City” and has been continuously inhabited for over 2,800 years. The city contains two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the historic center and Vatican City, an independent state within Rome.<\/p>\nKosovo \u2014 Pristina<\/strong>
\nPristina became the capital of the world’s newest widely recognized country when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The city has a young population \u2014 the median age is just 29.<\/p>\nLatvia \u2014 Riga<\/strong>
\nRiga is the largest city in the Baltic states and is famous for its Art Nouveau architecture \u2014 about a third of all buildings in the city center are in this style, considered the finest collection in Europe.<\/p>\nLiechtenstein \u2014 Vaduz<\/strong>
\nVaduz is the capital of the world’s sixth smallest country. Liechtenstein is also the only country in the world entirely surrounded by landlocked countries \u2014 both Austria and Switzerland are landlocked.<\/p>\nLithuania \u2014 Vilnius<\/strong>
\nVilnius has one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Europe. The city declared itself the “Republic of U\u017eupis” in 1997 \u2014 an artistic and bohemian neighborhood that playfully declared independence on April Fool’s Day.<\/p>\nLuxembourg \u2014 Luxembourg City<\/strong>
\nLuxembourg City is home to major European Union institutions including the European Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. The country consistently ranks as one of the wealthiest in the world per capita.<\/p>\nMalta \u2014 Valletta<\/strong>
\nValletta is the smallest EU capital by area \u2014 just 0.8 square kilometers \u2014 but is packed with Baroque palaces, gardens, and churches. It was designated a European Capital of Culture in 2018.<\/p>\nMoldova \u2014 Chi\u0219in\u0103u<\/strong>
\nChi\u0219in\u0103u is known for its wide tree-lined boulevards and Soviet-era architecture. Moldova is often considered one of Europe’s least-visited countries, making its capital a true hidden gem for adventurous travelers.<\/p>\nMonaco \u2014 Monaco<\/strong>
\nMonaco is both a city and a country \u2014 a city-state. It’s the second smallest country in the world and the most densely populated. Monaco has no income tax, which has made it a haven for the ultra-wealthy.<\/p>\nMontenegro \u2014 Podgorica<\/strong>
\nPodgorica was known as Titograd during the Yugoslav era, named after communist leader Josip Broz Tito. The city sits at the confluence of two rivers and is surrounded by mountains.<\/p>\nNetherlands \u2014 Amsterdam<\/strong>
\nAmsterdam is the capital but not the seat of government \u2014 the Dutch parliament and government meet in The Hague. Amsterdam has over 100 kilometers of canals, 1,500 bridges, and more bicycles than people.<\/p>\nNorth Macedonia \u2014 Skopje<\/strong>
\nSkopje was almost completely destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1963. The city was rebuilt with international assistance and has since been dramatically transformed with new statues, monuments, and buildings in a project called “Skopje 2014.”<\/p>\nNorway \u2014 Oslo<\/strong>
\nOslo is one of the world’s most expensive cities. The city was known as Christiania until 1925. Norway is famous for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo (all other Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden).<\/p>\nPoland \u2014 Warsaw<\/strong>
\nWarsaw was 85% destroyed during World War II. The city was painstakingly rebuilt brick by brick using historical records, paintings, and photographs. Warsaw’s Old Town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/p>\nPortugal \u2014 Lisbon<\/strong>
\nLisbon is the oldest capital city in Western Europe, predating Rome, Paris, and London by centuries. The city is famous for its yellow trams, fado music, and past\u00e9is de nata custard tarts.<\/p>\nRomania \u2014 Bucharest<\/strong>
\nBucharest’s Palace of the Parliament is the world’s heaviest building and the second largest administrative building after the Pentagon. Construction began in 1984 under dictator Nicolae Ceau\u0219escu and used 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze.<\/p>\nRussia \u2014 Moscow<\/strong>
\nMoscow is Europe’s largest city with over 12 million people. The Kremlin is the largest active fortress in Europe and has been the seat of Russian government for centuries. Moscow’s metro system is famous for its ornate stations, many decorated with mosaics, chandeliers, and socialist realist art.<\/p>\nSan Marino \u2014 San Marino<\/strong>
\nSan Marino claims to be the world’s oldest republic, founded in 301 AD. Like Monaco, it’s both a city and a country. The entire country sits on a single mountain \u2014 Mount Titano \u2014 and is completely surrounded by Italy.<\/p>\nSerbia \u2014 Belgrade<\/strong>
\nBelgrade means “White City” in Serbian and is one of Europe’s oldest cities, continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years. The city sits at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers.<\/p>\nSlovakia \u2014 Bratislava<\/strong>
\nBratislava is the only capital city in the world that borders two countries: Austria and Hungary. The city can be reached from Vienna in just one hour by boat along the Danube.<\/p>\nSlovenia \u2014 Ljubljana<\/strong>
\nLjubljana is one of Europe’s greenest capitals \u2014 the city center is car-free and criss-crossed with cycling paths. The city’s name is believed to derive from the Slavic word meaning “beloved.”<\/p>\nSpain \u2014 Madrid<\/strong>
\nMadrid is the highest capital city in the European Union at 650 meters above sea level. The city is home to the Prado Museum, one of the world’s greatest art museums, containing works by Vel\u00e1zquez, Goya, and El Greco.<\/p>\nSweden \u2014 Stockholm<\/strong>
\nStockholm is built on 14 islands where Lake M\u00e4laren meets the Baltic Sea. The Nobel Prize ceremony takes place in Stockholm’s City Hall every December. The city is also the birthplace of ABBA, IKEA, Spotify, and Minecraft.<\/p>\nSwitzerland \u2014 Bern<\/strong>
\nBern is the de facto capital of Switzerland but is officially called the “Federal City” \u2014 Switzerland has no official capital written into law. The city is famous for its medieval old town with over 6 kilometers of arcaded walkways.<\/p>\nUkraine \u2014 Kyiv<\/strong>
\nKyiv is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, founded in the 5th century AD. The city is known as the “mother of Russian cities” in Orthodox Christianity and was the center of the powerful Kievan Rus state.<\/p>\nUnited Kingdom \u2014 London<\/strong>
\nLondon has been continuously occupied for over 2,000 years, founded by the Romans as Londinium in 43 AD. The city is home to the world’s oldest underground railway system \u2014 the London Underground, known as the Tube, opened in 1863.<\/p>\nVatican City \u2014 Vatican City<\/strong>
\nVatican City is the world’s smallest country by both area and population. It contains St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the world’s largest collection of Renaissance art. The Pope is both the head of state and head of government.<\/p>\nAsia \u2014 48 Countries and Capitals<\/h3>\n
Asia is the world’s largest continent and home to the most diverse collection of capital cities \u2014 from ultramodern megalopolises to ancient historic centers.<\/p>\n
Afghanistan \u2014 Kabul<\/strong>
\nKabul has been inhabited for at least 3,500 years and sits at 1,800 meters altitude in a high mountain valley. The city has been conquered by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane throughout its long history.<\/p>\nArmenia \u2014 Yerevan<\/strong>
\nYerevan is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, founded in 782 BC \u2014 older than Rome. The city has a pink hue from the rose-colored volcanic stone (tuff) used in many buildings.<\/p>\nAzerbaijan \u2014 Baku<\/strong>
\nBaku sits on the Caspian Sea and has a unique blend of medieval old city walls and ultramodern architecture. The Flame Towers \u2014 three skyscrapers shaped like flames \u2014 have become the symbol of modern Azerbaijan.<\/p>\nBahrain \u2014 Manama<\/strong>
\nManama is one of the Gulf’s most cosmopolitan cities and has been an important trading center for thousands of years. Bahrain was the first Gulf state to discover oil in 1932.<\/p>\nBangladesh \u2014 Dhaka<\/strong>
\nDhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with over 44,000 people per square kilometer. The city is the global center of the garment industry \u2014 Bangladesh is the world’s second largest clothing exporter.<\/p>\nBhutan \u2014 Thimphu<\/strong>
\nThimphu is one of the few world capitals without a single traffic light \u2014 police officers direct traffic at the main intersections. Bhutan measures success not by GDP but by “Gross National Happiness.”<\/p>\nBrunei \u2014 Bandar Seri Begawan<\/strong>
\nThe capital of one of the world’s wealthiest nations per capita, Bandar Seri Begawan features the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque \u2014 one of the most beautiful in Asia \u2014 rising from an artificial lagoon.<\/p>\nCambodia \u2014 Phnom Penh<\/strong>
\nPhnom Penh was abandoned for four years during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79) when all cities were forcibly evacuated. The city has since recovered and is now a rapidly developing regional hub.<\/p>\nChina \u2014 Beijing<\/strong>
\nBeijing has been China’s capital for most of the last 800 years. The city contains the Forbidden City \u2014 the world’s largest palace complex \u2014 and Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest public square.<\/p>\nCyprus \u2014 Nicosia<\/strong>
\nAlready covered in Europe \u2014 Cyprus is transcontinental, with its capital recognized as both European and Middle Eastern.<\/p>\nGeorgia \u2014 Tbilisi<\/strong>
\nTbilisi means “warm place” in Georgian, named after the natural hot springs discovered in the 5th century. The city has a unique old town with wooden balconied houses overhanging narrow cobblestone streets.<\/p>\nIndia \u2014 New Delhi<\/strong>
\nNew Delhi was built by the British as a new capital in 1911, replacing Calcutta (now Kolkata). The city is distinct from Delhi \u2014 New Delhi is a district within the larger metropolis of Delhi, which has over 30 million people.<\/p>\nIndonesia \u2014 Jakarta<\/strong>
\nJakarta is sinking so fast \u2014 up to 25 centimeters per year in some areas \u2014 due to excessive groundwater extraction that Indonesia has decided to move its capital to an entirely new city called Nusantara on the island of Borneo.<\/p>\nIran \u2014 Tehran<\/strong>
\nTehran became Iran’s capital in 1796 under the Qajar dynasty. The city sits at the foot of the Alborz mountain range, and on clear days, residents can see the peak of Mount Damavand \u2014 the highest volcano in Asia.<\/p>\nIraq \u2014 Baghdad<\/strong>
\nBaghdad was founded in 762 AD by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur and quickly became the world’s largest city \u2014 a center of Islamic learning, culture, and commerce during the Golden Age of Islam.<\/p>\nIsrael \u2014 Jerusalem<\/strong>
\nJerusalem is considered holy by three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city contains the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Dome of the Rock \u2014 all within walking distance of each other.<\/p>\nJapan \u2014 Tokyo<\/strong>
\nTokyo is the world’s most populous metropolitan area with over 37 million people. The city became Japan’s capital in 1869 when Emperor Meiji moved there from Kyoto. It was previously called Edo.<\/p>\nJordan \u2014 Amman<\/strong>
\nAmman is built on 19 hills and has been continuously inhabited for over 8,500 years. The city has a remarkably well-preserved Roman amphitheater in its downtown area that still hosts performances today.<\/p>\nKazakhstan \u2014 Astana<\/strong>
\nKazakhstan has renamed its capital three times \u2014 from Akmola to Astana to Nur-Sultan and back to Astana. The city was purpose-built as the capital in 1997 and features futuristic architecture designed by renowned architects including Norman Foster.<\/p>\nKuwait \u2014 Kuwait City<\/strong>
\nKuwait City is one of the wealthiest cities in the world per capita due to the country’s vast oil reserves. The Kuwait Towers \u2014 three water towers built in 1979 \u2014 have become the symbol of the modern city.<\/p>\nKyrgyzstan \u2014 Bishkek<\/strong>
\nBishkek is surrounded by the Tian Shan mountain range and is one of the greenest capital cities in Central Asia, with numerous parks and tree-lined boulevards. The city was founded as a Russian fortress in 1825.<\/p>\nLaos \u2014 Vientiane<\/strong>
\nVientiane is the smallest capital city in Southeast Asia and is known for its relaxed, slow-paced atmosphere \u2014 a stark contrast to other Southeast Asian capitals. The city’s name means “City of Sandalwood” in Lao.<\/p>\nLebanon \u2014 Beirut<\/strong>
\nBeirut has been rebuilt so many times after civil wars, Israeli invasions, and a massive port explosion in 2020 that it has earned the nickname “the Phoenix of the Middle East.” The city was once known as the “Paris of the Middle East.”<\/p>\nMalaysia \u2014 Kuala Lumpur<\/strong>
\nKuala Lumpur means “muddy confluence” in Malay, named after the muddy meeting point of the Klang and Gombak rivers where the city was founded by tin miners in 1857. The Petronas Towers were the world’s tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004.<\/p>\nMaldives \u2014 Mal\u00e9<\/strong>
\nMal\u00e9 is one of the world’s most densely populated cities, with over 200,000 people living on an island of just 5.8 square kilometers. The Maldives faces an existential threat from rising sea levels \u2014 most of the country is less than a meter above sea level.<\/p>\nMongolia \u2014 Ulaanbaatar<\/strong>
\nUlaanbaatar is the world’s coldest capital city, with average annual temperatures below freezing. The name means “Red Hero” in Mongolian. About 45% of Mongolia’s entire population lives in the capital.<\/p>\nMyanmar \u2014 Naypyidaw<\/strong>
\nMyanmar moved its capital from Yangon to the purpose-built Naypyidaw in 2006 under mysterious circumstances \u2014 the military government gave little explanation. The city has 20-lane highways that are almost completely empty.<\/p>\nNepal \u2014 Kathmandu<\/strong>
\nKathmandu Valley contains seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites and sits at 1,400 meters altitude. The city is the gateway to the Himalayas and the starting point for expeditions to Mount Everest.<\/p>\nNorth Korea \u2014 Pyongyang<\/strong>
\nPyongyang is one of the most isolated capitals in the world. Access is severely restricted for foreigners. The city features massive monuments, wide empty boulevards, and the Ryugyong Hotel \u2014 a 330-meter pyramid-shaped skyscraper that has been under construction since 1987.<\/p>\nOman \u2014 Muscat<\/strong>
\nMuscat is one of the oldest ports in the Arab world and served as a major trading hub between Arabia, Africa, and Asia for centuries. The city is known for its cleanliness and order \u2014 it’s consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Middle East.<\/p>\nPakistan \u2014 Islamabad<\/strong>
\nIslamabad is a planned city, built from scratch as Pakistan’s capital in the 1960s to replace Karachi. The city was designed by Greek architect Konstantinos Apostolou Doxiadis and is known for its wide boulevards and modern layout.<\/p>\nPalestine \u2014 Ramallah<\/strong>
\nRamallah serves as the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority. The status of Jerusalem is disputed \u2014 both Israel and Palestine claim it as their capital.<\/p>\nPhilippines \u2014 Manila<\/strong>
\nManila is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with over 70,000 people per square kilometer in some districts. The city was almost completely destroyed during World War II in the Battle of Manila in 1945.<\/p>\nQatar \u2014 Doha<\/strong>
\nDoha transformed from a small fishing village into a global city in just a few decades, fueled by natural gas wealth. The city hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup \u2014 the first time the tournament was held in the Middle East.<\/p>\nSaudi Arabia \u2014 Riyadh<\/strong>
\nRiyadh means “gardens” in Arabic \u2014 the city was once an oasis settlement in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Today it’s a sprawling modern metropolis of over 7 million people, transformed by oil wealth.<\/p>\nSingapore \u2014 Singapore<\/strong>
\nSingapore is a city-state \u2014 the city IS the country. It’s the only city-state in Southeast Asia. Singapore became independent in 1965 when it was expelled from Malaysia and has since transformed into one of the world’s wealthiest nations.<\/p>\nSouth Korea \u2014 Seoul<\/strong>
\nSeoul means “capital city” in Korean \u2014 making it the only capital city whose name simply means “capital.” The city was almost completely destroyed during the Korean War (1950-53) and has been rebuilt into one of the world’s most technologically advanced cities.<\/p>\nSri Lanka \u2014 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte<\/strong>
\nSri Lanka technically has two capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (the official legislative capital) and Colombo (the commercial capital and largest city). Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is a suburb of Colombo.<\/p>\nSyria \u2014 Damascus<\/strong>
\nDamascus is often cited as the world’s oldest continuously inhabited capital city, with evidence of human settlement dating back 11,000 years. The city’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/p>\nTaiwan \u2014 Taipei<\/strong>
\nTaipei is the capital of Taiwan, though Taiwan’s official name is the Republic of China, which claims to be the legitimate government of all of China. Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010.<\/p>\nTajikistan \u2014 Dushanbe<\/strong>
\nDushanbe means “Monday” in Tajik \u2014 the city grew from a small Monday market village. It sits in a valley surrounded by mountains and was known as Stalinabad during the Soviet era.<\/p>\nThailand \u2014 Bangkok<\/strong>
\nBangkok’s full ceremonial name \u2014 Krung Thep Maha Nakhon \u2014 is actually an abbreviation of the world’s longest city name, which has 168 characters in full. Thai people call the city “Krung Thep” meaning “City of Angels.”<\/p>\nTimor-Leste \u2014 Dili<\/strong>
\nDili is the capital of one of the world’s youngest countries \u2014 Timor-Leste gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. The city is located on the northern coast of the island of Timor and has a beautiful waterfront.<\/p>\nTurkey \u2014 Ankara<\/strong>
\nAnkara replaced Istanbul as Turkey’s capital in 1923 when Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk founded the modern Turkish Republic. He chose Ankara for its central location in Anatolia, away from the coast and more defensible.<\/p>\nTurkmenistan \u2014 Ashgabat<\/strong>
\nAshgabat holds a Guinness World Record for the highest density of white marble buildings \u2014 the entire city center is clad in white marble. The country’s authoritarian government has also built some of the world’s most bizarre monuments.<\/p>\nUnited Arab Emirates \u2014 Abu Dhabi<\/strong>
\nAbu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE but Dubai is the more famous city. Abu Dhabi controls about 90% of the UAE’s oil reserves and is home to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque \u2014 one of the world’s largest mosques.<\/p>\nUzbekistan \u2014 Tashkent<\/strong>
\nTashkent is the largest city in Central Asia and was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road trade route connecting China and Europe. A devastating earthquake in 1966 destroyed much of the old city.<\/p>\nVietnam \u2014 Hanoi<\/strong>
\nHanoi has been the capital of Vietnam since 1010 AD, making it one of Asia’s oldest capitals. The name means “city inside rivers” \u2014 the city is surrounded by the Red River and its tributaries.<\/p>\nYemen \u2014 Sanaa<\/strong>
\nSanaa is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities with over 2,500 years of history. The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its distinctive tower houses built from rammed earth and burnt brick.<\/p>\nAfrica \u2014 54 Countries and Capitals<\/h3>\n
Africa has the most countries of any continent and a remarkable diversity of capital cities.<\/p>\n
Algeria \u2014 Algiers<\/strong>
\nAlgiers is built on steep hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The city’s Casbah \u2014 a historic fortified district \u2014 is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest examples of Islamic urban planning.<\/p>\nAngola \u2014 Luanda<\/strong>
\nLuanda was briefly considered one of the world’s most expensive cities for expatriates during Angola’s oil boom. The city was founded by Portuguese settlers in 1575 and served as a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade.<\/p>\nBenin \u2014 Porto-Novo<\/strong>
\nPorto-Novo is the official capital of Benin but Cotonou is the largest city and seat of government \u2014 one of Africa’s unusual dual-city administrative arrangements.<\/p>\nBotswana \u2014 Gaborone<\/strong>
\nGaborone is one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities. When Botswana became independent in 1966, the capital had fewer than 4,000 people \u2014 today it has over 230,000.<\/p>\nBurkina Faso \u2014 Ouagadougou<\/strong>
\nOuagadougou \u2014 often shortened to “Ouaga” \u2014 is one of Africa’s most difficult capital city names to spell. The name comes from the Moor\u00e9 language and roughly translates to “you are welcome here at home with us.”<\/p>\nBurundi \u2014 Gitega<\/strong>
\nBurundi moved its capital from Bujumbura to Gitega in 2019, making it one of the most recent capital city changes in the world. Gitega sits in the geographical center of the country.<\/p>\nCameroon \u2014 Yaound\u00e9<\/strong>
\nYaound\u00e9 serves as the political capital of Cameroon while Douala is the economic capital and largest city. The city sits on a plateau at 750 meters above sea level and has a pleasant climate.<\/p>\nCape Verde \u2014 Praia<\/strong>
\nPraia is the capital of this Atlantic island nation off the coast of West Africa. The archipelago was uninhabited when Portuguese explorers arrived in 1456, making Cape Verde one of the few countries with no indigenous population.<\/p>\nCentral African Republic \u2014 Bangui<\/strong>
\nBangui sits on the Ubangi River that forms the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The city’s name means “rapids” in the local Sango language, referring to the rapids on the river near the city.<\/p>\nChad \u2014 N’Djamena<\/strong>
\nN’Djamena was known as Fort-Lamy during the French colonial period. The city sits at the confluence of the Chari and Logone rivers and is one of Africa’s hottest capitals.<\/p>\nComoros \u2014 Moroni<\/strong>
\nMoroni is the capital of the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The city is dominated by the old Friday Mosque with its distinctive Arab-style minaret and the active Karthala volcano visible in the background.<\/p>\nDemocratic Republic of Congo \u2014 Kinshasa<\/strong>
\nKinshasa is Africa’s third largest city and one of the fastest growing in the world. It faces Brazzaville \u2014 the capital of the Republic of Congo \u2014 across the Congo River, making them the world’s closest pair of capital cities.<\/p>\nRepublic of Congo \u2014 Brazzaville<\/strong>
\nBrazzaville is named after French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza who founded the city in 1880. It faces Kinshasa across the Congo River \u2014 the two capitals are so close you can see each other’s skylines.<\/p>\nDjibouti \u2014 Djibouti City<\/strong>
\nDjibouti City is home to more than 70% of the entire country’s population. The city hosts military bases from multiple countries including the United States, France, China, and Japan \u2014 all within a few kilometers of each other.<\/p>\nEgypt \u2014 Cairo<\/strong>
\nCairo is the largest city in Africa and the Arab world with over 20 million people in its metropolitan area. The city’s Arabic name is “Al-Qahira” meaning “The Victorious.” The Pyramids of Giza are located in the Cairo suburb of Giza.<\/p>\nEquatorial Guinea \u2014 Malabo<\/strong>
\nMalabo is built on the island of Bioko, separated from the African mainland. Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa where Spanish is an official language.<\/p>\nEritrea \u2014 Asmara<\/strong>
\nAsmara is famous for its remarkable collection of modernist Italian colonial architecture from the 1930s \u2014 the city has been called “Africa’s secret modernist city” and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/p>\nEthiopia \u2014 Addis Ababa<\/strong>
\nAddis Ababa means “New Flower” in Amharic. The city is home to the African Union headquarters and serves as the diplomatic capital of Africa. At 2,355 meters, it’s one of the highest capital cities in the world.<\/p>\nGabon \u2014 Libreville<\/strong>
\nLibreville means “Free Town” in French \u2014 the city was founded in 1849 as a settlement for freed slaves, similar to Freetown in Sierra Leone and Monrovia in Liberia.<\/p>\nGambia \u2014 Banjul<\/strong>
\nBanjul is the smallest capital city in mainland Africa by population. The Gambia is the smallest country on the African mainland \u2014 a narrow strip of land along the Gambia River almost completely surrounded by Senegal.<\/p>\nGhana \u2014 Accra<\/strong>
\nAccra became an important trading port in the 17th century when European powers built forts and castles along Ghana’s coast. The city is one of Africa’s fastest growing and is known as a hub for tech startups \u2014 “Silicon Accra.”<\/p>\nGuinea \u2014 Conakry<\/strong>
\nConakry is built on the Kaloum Peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. Guinea has some of the world’s largest bauxite reserves \u2014 the mineral used to make aluminum.<\/p>\nGuinea-Bissau \u2014 Bissau<\/strong>
\nBissau is one of Africa’s smaller capitals and serves as the political and economic center of one of the world’s poorest countries. The city was founded by the Portuguese as a trading post in 1687.<\/p>\nIvory Coast \u2014 Yamoussoukro<\/strong>
\nIvory Coast has an unusual capital situation \u2014 Yamoussoukro is the official capital but Abidjan is the economic capital and largest city. Yamoussoukro is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace \u2014 the world’s largest church by volume, bigger even than St. Peter’s in Rome.<\/p>\nKenya \u2014 Nairobi<\/strong>
\nNairobi is known as the “Silicon Savannah” and hosts the African headquarters of many major technology companies. The city is unique for having a national park with lions and giraffes within its city limits.<\/p>\nLesotho \u2014 Maseru<\/strong>
\nMaseru is the capital of Lesotho, a country entirely surrounded by South Africa. Lesotho is one of only three countries in the world that are completely surrounded by a single country (the others are Vatican City and San Marino, both surrounded by Italy).<\/p>\nLiberia \u2014 Monrovia<\/strong>
\nMonrovia is named after James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. Liberia was founded in 1822 by freed American slaves, which is why its capital is named after an American president.<\/p>\nLibya \u2014 Tripoli<\/strong>
\nTripoli is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded by Phoenicians around the 7th century BC. The city’s name comes from the Greek “Tripolis” meaning “three cities” \u2014 it was originally three separate Phoenician settlements.<\/p>\nMadagascar \u2014 Antananarivo<\/strong>
\nAntananarivo \u2014 often called “Tana” \u2014 means “City of the Thousand” in Malagasy, referring to the thousand soldiers who once guarded the city. Madagascar is home to species found nowhere else on Earth, including 90% of the world’s chameleon species.<\/p>\nMalawi \u2014 Lilongwe<\/strong>
\nLilongwe became Malawi’s capital in 1975, replacing the colonial capital of Zomba. The city is divided into an old town with traditional markets and a new town with government buildings.<\/p>\nMali \u2014 Bamako<\/strong>