World Capital Cities Trivia Questions with Answers

World capitals are not always the cities you expect

Sydney, Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul are famous cities. None is the current national capital of its country. A good country capital quiz tests the difference between a city you recognize and the city a country names as its capital. This guide uses United Nations country profiles for ten answers across Oceania, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. It also explains a few historical reasons that make the easy-looking questions tricky.

Want to test yourself first? Try the World Capitals Quiz with 10 Questions and come back for the explanations.

Ten country and capital pairs at a glance

Why the most familiar city can be the wrong answer

Australia is a classic example. Sydney and Melbourne were both part of the debate over a federal capital. Australia's Parliamentary Education Office says Parliament chose the Yass–Canberra district in 1908. That history gives Canberra a better memory hook than simply repeating its name: the national capital emerged from a choice between rival city interests. The United Nations lists Canberra as Australia's capital today.

Brazil offers another useful contrast. Rio de Janeiro held the capital role before the purpose-built Brasília was inaugurated in 1960. Brazil's Senate records the inauguration date as 21 April 1960, and the United Nations currently lists Brasília. If the question asks for Brazil's present capital, answer Brasília. If it asks for an earlier capital, read the dates carefully.

New Zealand's capital also changed. Its Parliament says it moved permanently from Auckland to Wellington in 1865. Wellington remains the capital in the United Nations country profile. For a quiz, the simple Wellington answer is sound; the 1865 move explains why Auckland may seem plausible to someone who knows New Zealand's history.

Nigeria made a later move. A Nigerian government source records Abuja replacing Lagos as the federal capital on 12 December 1991. The current United Nations profile names Abuja. This is a useful reminder that a well-known former capital can remain an appealing distractor long after a move.

Match the other capitals by region

Regional grouping helps when city names blur together. In Northern Africa, the United Nations lists Rabat for Morocco. In Western Asia, it lists Ankara for Türkiye. In Eastern Asia, it lists Ulaanbaatar for Mongolia and Seoul for the Republic of Korea. Northern Europe's Iceland has Reykjavík, while South America's Peru has Lima. These are current country-capital pairs, not claims that each capital is the country's largest or best-known city.

• Read whether a question gives the country and asks for its capital, or gives the capital and asks for its country.
• Treat a famous city as a possible distractor until you have checked the country's current capital.
• Use one regional clue with each pair instead of memorizing ten disconnected names.
• For Iceland, Reykjavík and Reykjavik refer to the same city; the United Nations profile uses the unaccented English form.

Round 1 Capitals that surprise people

These five country capital trivia questions start with places often confused with another famous city. The answers match the linked interactive quiz.

Question 1: Which city is Australia’s national capital, rather than Sydney or Melbourne?
Answer: Canberra. The United Nations lists Canberra, and Australia's Parliament records how the federal capital site was chosen in 1908.

Question 2: Brasília is the current capital of which South American country?
Answer: Brazil. Rio de Janeiro was an earlier capital, but the United Nations lists Brasília today.

Question 3: Which city is Türkiye’s capital, rather than Istanbul?
Answer: Ankara. The United Nations country profile identifies Ankara as the capital.

Question 4: Wellington is the capital of which country?
Answer: New Zealand. Its Parliament moved permanently to Wellington in 1865.

Question 5: Which city is the capital of Morocco?
Answer: Rabat. The United Nations lists Rabat, not Casablanca, as the capital.

Round 2 Capitals across three more regions

The second round mixes capital-to-country and country-to-capital questions. Check the direction of each question before choosing.

Question 6: Abuja is the current capital of which country?
Answer: Nigeria. Abuja replaced Lagos as the federal capital in 1991.

Question 7: What is the capital of Mongolia?
Answer: Ulaanbaatar. That is the spelling used in the United Nations country profile.

Question 8: Reykjavik is the capital of which country?
Answer: Iceland. The city is also commonly written Reykjavík with an accent.

Question 9: Which city is the capital of Peru?
Answer: Lima. The United Nations lists Lima for Peru.

Question 10: Seoul is the capital of which country?
Answer: Republic of Korea. That country's common English name is South Korea.

Play the ten-question world capitals quiz

Use the interactive version to choose from four options, see your score and read an explanation after each answer.

Play the World Capitals Quiz ↗

Sources and further reading

• UNData Australia, Brazil, Türkiye and New Zealand
• UNData Morocco, Nigeria, Mongolia and Iceland
• UNData Peru and Republic of Korea
• Australian Parliamentary Education Office on the 1908 capital choice
• Brazilian Senate on Brasília's 1960 inauguration
• New Zealand Parliament on the 1865 move to Wellington
• Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative on Abuja