Capitals Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- What is the capital of Australia?
- A. Canberra
- B. Perth
- C. Sydney
- D. Melbourne
- What is the capital of Brazil?
- A. São Paulo
- B. Rio de Janeiro
- C. Brasília
- D. Salvador
- How many official capitals does South Africa have?
- A. 3
- B. 1
- C. 2
- D. 4
- What is the administrative capital of Guadeloupe, which is not its largest town?
- A. Les Abymes
- B. Pointe-à-Pitre
- C. Fort-de-France
- D. Basse-Terre
- Which capital has hosted a Louvre museum since 2017, sheltered under a huge dome designed by Jean Nouvel?
- A. Dubai
- B. Abu Dhabi
- C. Doha
- D. Riyadh
- Which Pacific capital lived under an Anglo-French ‘condominium’ until 1980, with two police forces and two school systems?
- A. Nouméa
- B. Port Vila
- C. Suva
- D. Honiara
- Which Central American capital was largely destroyed by an earthquake in December 1972?
- A. Managua
- B. Tegucigalpa
- C. San José
- D. Panama City
- Which small capital, on the island of Mahé, has a clock tower inspired by Big Ben as its symbol?
- A. Malé
- B. Port Louis
- C. Moroni
- D. Victoria
- Which African capital sits right on a border, so much that its suburbs touch neighbouring Ghana?
- A. Niamey
- B. Cotonou
- C. Accra
- D. Lomé
- Which African capital faces the Democratic Republic of the Congo across the Ubangi River?
- A. Kinshasa
- B. Brazzaville
- C. Bangui
- D. Yaoundé
- What was the name of the city, today's Central district, that served as Hong Kong's capital in British times?
- A. Victoria
- B. Kowloon
- C. Macau
- D. Shenzhen
- Near which Pacific capital was the terrible Battle of Guadalcanal fought in 1942–1943?
- A. Honiara
- B. Port Moresby
- C. Port Vila
- D. Suva
- Which European capital, built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565, is listed in its entirety by UNESCO?
- A. Monaco
- B. Nicosia
- C. San Marino
- D. Valletta
- Which Caribbean capital, buried by a volcanic eruption in 1997, became a ghost town while officially remaining the capital?
- A. Roseau
- B. Saint-Pierre
- C. Basse-Terre
- D. Plymouth
- In which South American capital do a large mosque and a synagogue stand side by side, on the same street?
- A. Paramaribo
- B. Georgetown
- C. Cayenne
- D. Caracas
- What is the main town of the Falkland Islands, home to the great majority of the archipelago's roughly 3,500 inhabitants?
- A. Stanley
- B. Ushuaia
- C. Jamestown
- D. Hamilton
- In which Caribbean capital did the singer Rihanna grow up?
- A. Nassau
- B. Kingston
- C. Port of Spain
- D. Bridgetown
- Which Baltic capital is famous for its exceptional concentration of Art Nouveau buildings?
- A. Helsinki
- B. Tallinn
- C. Vilnius
- D. Riga
- Which Asian capital has a monument inspired by the Arc de Triomphe, built with cement supplied by the United States for an airport?
- A. Hanoi
- B. Phnom Penh
- C. Vientiane
- D. Bangkok
- On which atoll is the capital of Tuvalu, where the airport runway doubles as a playground when no plane is due?
- A. Majuro
- B. South Tarawa
- C. Funafuti
- D. Yaren
Answer key — Capitals Quiz
- A. CanberraSydney and Melbourne both wanted the title. Failing agreement, an entirely new city was created in 1913 halfway between them: Canberra.
- C. BrasíliaBuilt from nothing in 1,000 days and inaugurated in 1960, Brasília was designed by Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer.
- A. 3Pretoria hosts the executive, Cape Town the parliament, and Bloemfontein the Supreme Court of Appeal.
- D. Basse-TerreBasse-Terre, seat of the prefecture, nestles at the foot of the Soufrière volcano, on the island of the same name.
- B. Abu DhabiThe 180 m dome, made of interlaced metal, filters sunlight like palm fronds in an oasis, creating a ‘rain of light’.
- B. Port VilaThe New Hebrides were jointly run by France and the United Kingdom, so much so that locals nicknamed the system ‘the Pandemonium’.
- A. ManaguaThe earthquake killed thousands and flattened the city centre, which was never really rebuilt: the city spread out to the outskirts instead.
- D. VictoriaErected in 1903, this silver clock tower, nicknamed ‘Lorloz’ in Creole, recalls the Seychelles' British past.
- D. LoméTogo's capital stretches along the ocean up to the Ghanaian border post.
- C. BanguiThe capital of the Central African Republic takes its name from the Ubangi rapids.
- A. VictoriaFounded in 1841 and named in honour of the queen, Victoria was the administrative heart of the colony.
- A. HoniaraHoniara, capital of the Solomon Islands, grew after the war around facilities left by the US military.
- D. VallettaThe city is named after Grand Master Jean de La Valette, who held out against the Ottomans.
- D. PlymouthThe Soufrière Hills volcano covered Plymouth in ash and mud, and the south of Montserrat became an exclusion zone.
- A. ParamariboThis neighbourly pairing reflects Suriname's diversity, home to descendants of Africans, Indians, Javanese, Chinese and Europeans.
- A. StanleyThis small harbour town of colourful houses is the archipelago's only real town; the British territory, claimed by Argentina, was at the heart of the 1982 war.
- D. BridgetownRihanna was named a national hero of Barbados in 2021, the year the island became a republic.
- D. RigaAbout a third of the buildings in central Riga are Art Nouveau, one of the highest densities in the world.
- C. VientianeThe Patuxai, built in the 1960s, is jokingly nicknamed ‘the vertical runway’.
- C. FunafutiWith only a few flights a week, the runway becomes in turn a football pitch, a volleyball court or a place for a stroll.