List of All Capital Cities in the World
A capital city serves as the administrative, political, and often cultural heart of a country. Home to government institutions, diplomatic missions, and historical landmarks, capitals reflect the identity and history of their nations. This comprehensive article provides an up-to-date list of all sovereign countries and their respective capital cities, divided by continent and presented in a clear tabular format.
Overview: What Is a Capital City?
A capital city is the seat of a countryâs government; for most nations, itâs where the government offices, the official residence of the head of state, and diplomatic missions are clustered. Some countries may have more than one capital city; for instance, South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial), and Cape Town (legislative).
Table: Capital Cities by Continent
Africa
| Country | Capital City |
|---|---|
| Algeria | Algiers |
| Angola | Luanda |
| Benin | Porto-Novo |
| Botswana | Gaborone |
| Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou |
| Burundi | Gitega |
| Cabo Verde | Praia |
| Cameroon | YaoundĂŠ |
| Central African Rep. | Bangui |
| Chad | NâDjamena |
| Comoros | Moroni |
| Congo, Republic | Brazzaville |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | Kinshasa |
| CĂ´te dâIvoire | Yamoussoukro (official), Abidjan (de facto) |
| Djibouti | Djibouti |
| Egypt | Cairo |
| Equatorial Guinea | Malabo (Oyala as future seat) |
| Eritrea | Asmara |
| Eswatini | Mbabane (admin), Lobamba (royal & legislative) |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa |
| Gabon | Libreville |
| Gambia | Banjul |
| Ghana | Accra |
| Guinea | Conakry |
| Guinea-Bissau | Bissau |
| Kenya | Nairobi |
| Lesotho | Maseru |
| Liberia | Monrovia |
| Libya | Tripoli |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo |
| Malawi | Lilongwe |
| Mali | Bamako |
| Mauritania | Nouakchott |
| Mauritius | Port Louis |
| Morocco | Rabat |
| Mozambique | Maputo |
| Namibia | Windhoek |
| Niger | Niamey |
| Nigeria | Abuja |
| Rwanda | Kigali |
| SĂŁo TomĂŠ and PrĂncipe | SĂŁo TomĂŠ |
| Senegal | Dakar |
| Seychelles | Victoria |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown |
| Somalia | Mogadishu |
| South Africa | Pretoria (admin), Bloemfontein (judiciary), Cape Town (legislature) |
| South Sudan | Juba |
| Sudan | Khartoum |
| Tanzania | Dodoma |
| Togo | LomĂŠ |
| Tunisia | Tunis |
| Uganda | Kampala |
| Zambia | Lusaka |
| Zimbabwe | Harare |
Asia
| Country | Capital City |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Kabul |
| Armenia | Yerevan |
| Azerbaijan | Baku |
| Bahrain | Manama |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka |
| Bhutan | Thimphu |
| Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan |
| Cambodia | Phnom Penh |
| China | Beijing |
| Cyprus | Nicosia |
| East Timor (Timor-Leste) | Dili |
| Georgia | Tbilisi |
| India | New Delhi |
| Indonesia | Jakarta |
| Iran | Tehran |
| Iraq | Baghdad |
| Israel | Jerusalem* |
| Japan | Tokyo |
| Jordan | Amman |
| Kazakhstan | Astana (Nur-Sultan renamed back to Astana in 2022) |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek |
| Laos | Vientiane |
| Lebanon | Beirut |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur (official), Putrajaya (administrative) |
| Maldives | MalĂŠ |
| Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar |
| Myanmar | Naypyidaw |
| Nepal | Kathmandu |
| North Korea | Pyongyang |
| Oman | Muscat |
| Pakistan | Islamabad |
| Palestine** | East Jerusalem (claimed), Ramallah (admin) |
| Philippines | Manila |
| Qatar | Doha |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh |
| Singapore | Singapore |
| South Korea | Seoul |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative), Colombo (executive & judicial) |
| Syria | Damascus |
| Taiwan*** | Taipei |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe |
| Thailand | Bangkok |
| Turkey | Ankara |
| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi |
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent |
| Vietnam | Hanoi |
| Yemen | Sanaâa (official), Aden (interim admin) |
*Israel's capital is Jerusalem; international recognition is mixed. **Palestine: Recognized by many countries, disputed status. ***Taiwan: Recognized by some countries; considered by China as its territory.
Europe
| Country | Capital City |
|---|---|
| Albania | Tirana |
| Andorra | Andorra la Vella |
| Austria | Vienna |
| Belarus | Minsk |
| Belgium | Brussels |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | Sarajevo |
| Bulgaria | Sofia |
| Croatia | Zagreb |
| Czechia (Czech Rep.) | Prague |
| Denmark | Copenhagen |
| Estonia | Tallinn |
| Finland | Helsinki |
| France | Paris |
| Germany | Berlin |
| Greece | Athens |
| Hungary | Budapest |
| Iceland | Reykjavik |
| Ireland | Dublin |
| Italy | Rome |
| Kosovo* | Pristina |
| Latvia | Riga |
| Liechtenstein | Vaduz |
| Lithuania | Vilnius |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
| Malta | Valletta |
| Moldova | ChiČinÄu |
| Monaco | Monaco |
| Montenegro | Podgorica |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam (official), The Hague (seat of government) |
| North Macedonia | Skopje |
| Norway | Oslo |
| Poland | Warsaw |
| Portugal | Lisbon |
| Romania | Bucharest |
| Russia | Moscow |
| San Marino | San Marino |
| Serbia | Belgrade |
| Slovakia | Bratislava |
| Slovenia | Ljubljana |
| Spain | Madrid |
| Sweden | Stockholm |
| Switzerland | Bern |
| Ukraine | Kyiv |
| United Kingdom | London |
| Vatican City | Vatican City |
*Kosovoâs independence is partially recognized.
North America
| Country | Capital City |
|---|---|
| Antigua & Barbuda | St. John's |
| Bahamas | Nassau |
| Barbados | Bridgetown |
| Belize | Belmopan |
| Canada | Ottawa |
| Costa Rica | San JosĂŠ |
| Cuba | Havana |
| Dominica | Roseau |
| Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo |
| El Salvador | San Salvador |
| Grenada | St. George's |
| Guatemala | Guatemala City |
| Haiti | Port-au-Prince |
| Honduras | Tegucigalpa |
| Jamaica | Kingston |
| Mexico | Mexico City |
| Nicaragua | Managua |
| Panama | Panama City |
| Saint Kitts & Nevis | Basseterre |
| Saint Lucia | Castries |
| Saint Vincent & the Grenadines | Kingstown |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Port of Spain |
| United States | Washington, D.C. |
Oceania
| Country | Capital City |
|---|---|
| Australia | Canberra |
| Fiji | Suva |
| Kiribati | South Tarawa |
| Marshall Islands | Majuro |
| Micronesia | Palikir |
| Nauru | Yaren (de facto) |
| New Zealand | Wellington |
| Palau | Ngerulmud |
| Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby |
| Samoa | Apia |
| Solomon Islands | Honiara |
| Tonga | Nukuâalofa |
| Tuvalu | Funafuti |
| Vanuatu | Port Vila |
South America
| Country | Capital City |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires |
| Bolivia | Sucre (constitutional), La Paz (administrative) |
| Brazil | BrasĂlia |
| Chile | Santiago |
| Colombia | BogotĂĄ |
| Ecuador | Quito |
| Guyana | Georgetown |
| Paraguay | AsunciĂłn |
| Peru | Lima |
| Suriname | Paramaribo |
| Uruguay | Montevideo |
| Venezuela | Caracas |
Special Cases and Multiple Capitals
Some countries designate more than one capital for administrative or historical reasons:
- South Africa: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
- Sri Lanka: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative), Colombo (executive & judicial)
- Bolivia: Sucre (constitutional and judicial), La Paz (executive and legislative)
- Netherlands: Amsterdam (official), The Hague (government and royal residence)
- CĂ´te dâIvoire: Yamoussoukro (official), Abidjan (de facto government seat)
- Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur (official), Putrajaya (administrative)
Conclusion
Capital cities are central to understanding the identity, politics, and history of a nation. This list covers all sovereign states as recognized by the United Nations, and their capital cities, as of 2024. Some capitals are rich with centuries of history (like Cairo or Rome), others are planned cities designed for governance (like BrasĂlia or Canberra). These urban centers are gateways to their countries and critical in world affairs.
For the most updated information, always refer to governmental or international resources, as country borders and capitals can occasionally change due to political developments.
Further Resources
Note:
- Disputed territories, partially recognized states, and dependencies are not included unless widely recognized.
- For countries with multiple capitals, all are listed with their respective functions.
- If youâd like a downloadable version of this list (CSV or Excel format), let me know!
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