World capitals
The capital cities of 40 countries on every continent, from easy ones to tricky ones like Australia, Turkey and Nigeria.
40 cards · Geography
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the deck a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 10 Oct 2026
Preview
Capital of France
Show answerHide answer: Capital of France
Paris
Learn more: Named after the Parisii, a Celtic tribe on the Seine. Its Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair.
Capital of Germany
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Germany
Berlin
Learn more: Capital again since reunification in 1990; the government moved back from Bonn in 1999.
Capital of Italy
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Italy
Rome
Learn more: Capital of unified Italy since 1871. Inside it lies Vatican City, the smallest country in the world.
Capital of Spain
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Spain
Madrid
Learn more: Philip II moved the royal court there in 1561, partly for its central place. It lies at about 650 m.
Capital of Portugal
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Portugal
Lisbon
Learn more: Rebuilt on a grid after the great earthquake of 1755. It is the westernmost capital of mainland Europe.
About this topic
A capital is where a country is governed, and the reason it ended up there is often a good story. Some grew there over centuries, like Rome, London or Cairo. Others were chosen on purpose: Canberra and Ottawa as compromises between rival cities, Brasília, Abuja and Islamabad built from scratch to move power toward the centre.
Knowing capitals makes the news easier to follow, since governments are often named by their city, and it gives you a mental map of the world.
The trap is that the capital is not always the largest or best-known city. Australia's is not Sydney, Türkiye's is not Istanbul, Nigeria's is not Lagos, and Canada's is not Toronto. Learn those exceptions as a group, and use the story of each choice as the hook that makes the name stick.
All 40 cards
Capital of France
Paris
Learn more: Named after the Parisii, a Celtic tribe on the Seine. Its Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair.
Capital of Germany
Berlin
Learn more: Capital again since reunification in 1990; the government moved back from Bonn in 1999.
Capital of Italy
Rome
Learn more: Capital of unified Italy since 1871. Inside it lies Vatican City, the smallest country in the world.
Capital of Spain
Madrid
Learn more: Philip II moved the royal court there in 1561, partly for its central place. It lies at about 650 m.
Capital of Portugal
Lisbon
Learn more: Rebuilt on a grid after the great earthquake of 1755. It is the westernmost capital of mainland Europe.
Capital of the United Kingdom
London
Learn more: Founded by the Romans as Londinium around AD 47. Its old core, the City, covers about one square mile.
Capital of Ireland
Dublin
Learn more: From the Irish Dubh Linn, 'black pool'. It began as a Viking settlement in the 9th century.
Capital of Poland
Warsaw
Learn more: Capital since 1596, when the king moved from Kraków. Its rebuilt Old Town is a UNESCO site.
Capital of Greece
Athens
Learn more: Named after Athena, whose temple, the Parthenon, crowns the Acropolis. Capital of modern Greece since 1834.
Capital of Turkey
Ankara
Learn more: Atatürk made it the capital in 1923, choosing a central city over Istanbul, which is still the largest.
Capital of Russia
Moscow
Learn more: Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1712; the Bolsheviks moved it back in 1918.
Capital of Sweden
Stockholm
Learn more: Spread over 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic. The Nobel Prizes, except Peace, are given there.
Capital of Canada
Ottawa
Learn more: Queen Victoria chose it in 1857, partly as a compromise between English and French Canada.
Capital of the United States
Washington, D.C.
Learn more: D.C. stands for District of Columbia, a federal district outside any state. Seat of government since 1800.
Capital of Mexico
Mexico City
Learn more: Built on a drained lake at about 2,240 m. Over 20 million people live in its metro area.
Capital of Cuba
Havana
Learn more: Founded by the Spanish in 1519 at its present site. Its old town, Habana Vieja, is a UNESCO site.
Capital of Brazil
Brasília
Learn more: Built in under four years and opened in 1960, replacing Rio de Janeiro. Its plan looks like a bird or a plane.
Capital of Argentina
Buenos Aires
Learn more: Its name means 'fair winds' in Spanish. The tango was born in its port districts.
Capital of Chile
Santiago
Learn more: Founded in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia and named after Saint James. The Andes rise just east of it.
Capital of Peru
Lima
Learn more: Francisco Pizarro founded it in 1535 as the City of Kings. On the Pacific coast, it gets almost no rain.
Capital of Colombia
Bogotá
Learn more: At about 2,640 m, one of the highest capitals. Founded in 1538, it led the old Viceroyalty of New Granada.
Capital of Venezuela
Caracas
Learn more: Founded in 1567 near the Caribbean coast. Birthplace of Simón Bolívar, who led much of South America to freedom.
Capital of Egypt
Cairo
Learn more: Founded in 969 by the Fatimids; its name means 'the victorious'. The pyramids of Giza are at its western edge.
Capital of Nigeria
Abuja
Learn more: Built in the 1980s in the middle of the country and capital since 1991. Lagos is still the largest city.
Capital of Kenya
Nairobi
Learn more: Its name comes from the Maasai for 'cool water'. It began as a railway depot in 1899.
Capital of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa
Learn more: Its name means 'new flower' in Amharic. It hosts the African Union, at about 2,355 m above the sea.
Capital of Morocco
Rabat
Learn more: At the mouth of the Bou Regreg river. Casablanca is larger, but the king and parliament sit here.
Capital of Ghana
Accra
Learn more: Capital of the British Gold Coast from 1877, it stayed the capital at independence in 1957.
Capital of Japan
Tokyo
Learn more: Called Edo until 1868, when the emperor moved there from Kyoto; its new name means 'eastern capital'.
Capital of China
Beijing
Learn more: Its name means 'northern capital'. The Forbidden City was the imperial palace for nearly 500 years.
Capital of India
New Delhi
Learn more: Designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, it became the capital in 1931, replacing Calcutta.
Capital of South Korea
Seoul
Learn more: Its name simply means 'capital' in Korean. About half the country's people live in its metro area.
Capital of Thailand
Bangkok
Learn more: Thais call it Krung Thep, 'city of angels'. Its full ceremonial name is the longest place name on Earth.
Capital of Vietnam
Hanoi
Learn more: Its name means 'inside the rivers'. Ho Chi Minh City, in the south, is the largest city.
Capital of Indonesia
Jakarta
Learn more: On the north coast of Java, parts of it are sinking fast. A new capital, Nusantara, is being built on Borneo.
Capital of Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
Learn more: Its name means 'the gardens', from old oases. It lies on the Najd plateau, in the middle of Arabia.
Capital of Australia
Canberra
Learn more: A planned city by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, chosen between Sydney and Melbourne.
Capital of New Zealand
Wellington
Learn more: Capital since 1865, chosen for its central place. It is the southernmost capital of a sovereign state.
Capital of Pakistan
Islamabad
Learn more: Built in the 1960s as a planned capital, replacing Karachi. Its name means 'city of Islam'.
Capital of Iran
Tehran
Learn more: Capital since 1786 under the Qajar dynasty. Mount Damavand rises to its northeast.
More geography decks
Flags of the world
Recognise 40 national flags from a picture and a short description of their colours and design.
40 cards · meet them all in 8 days
About 2 min a day
Highest mountains
The 14 eight-thousanders, the highest peak of each continent and other summits above 4,000 m, with their height and country or region.
31 cards · meet them all in 7 days
About 2 min a day
Sample: Flags
Five flags with pictures, for the card image tests (spec 0105). Seeded locally, in CI and on staging, never in production.
5 cards · meet them all in 1 day
About 1 min a day