What the Quiz Covers
The pool holds 40 countries from every inhabited continent. About half are deliberate traps: countries where the most famous city is not the capital. Each game picks 20 at random.
How It Works and How It Is Scored
For each country you choose from four real cities in that country. After you answer, you see the correct capital and a short fact about it. At the end you get your score and a list of the capitals you missed.
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0% to 40% | Capitals beginner |
| 41% to 65% | Seasoned traveller |
| 66% to 85% | Capitals expert |
| 86% to 100% | Capitals master |
The Classic Capital Traps
| Country | You might guess | The capital | Why it catches people out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Sydney | Canberra | Built as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne |
| Turkey | Istanbul | Ankara | Istanbul is far larger and more famous |
| Nigeria | Lagos | Abuja | The capital moved from Lagos in 1991 |
| Brazil | Rio de Janeiro | Brasília | Rio was the capital until 1960 |
| Pakistan | Karachi | Islamabad | Islamabad was built in the 1960s |
| Tanzania | Dar es Salaam | Dodoma | Dar es Salaam is the main city and port |
| Sri Lanka | Colombo | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | Colombo is the commercial capital next door |
Countries With More Than One Capital
A few countries split their capital functions:
- South Africa: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial).
- Bolivia: Sucre is the constitutional capital; La Paz is the seat of government.
- Netherlands: Amsterdam is the capital, but the government sits in The Hague.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the questions random?
Yes. Each game picks 20 countries from a pool of 40.
Why are all the answer options real cities?
To make it a fair test. Every wrong option is a real city in the same country, so you cannot guess by spotting a made-up name.
What is the hardest capital to remember?
Many people find Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte the trickiest, both because Colombo is better known and because the name is long.
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