About This Quiz
1Do you have a passion for geography? Or maybe you love visiting the most decorated capitals in the world? Either way, this quiz is perfectly suited to your tastes. Best of all, once finished with the quiz, you'll add to your capital knowledge with some interesting historical and cultural facts. You might even want to pack your bags and head off to visit some of these places! Prepare to get more worldly than ever. Start now with the first question on the quiz!
Whether it's the City of Lights or the world capital where you'll find the Taj Mahal, be sure to look at each image closely. Can you picture yourself there? Strolling through the historic streets and sampling the local cuisine? Check out the landmarks, clothes, or even how crowded the streets are, to provide a clue as to the name of the famous capital.
Which cities immediately come to mind when you think about world capitals? Rome? Paris? Dubai? No need to take out those geography books, or Google the answer; just score higher than 92% of the general public with your own knowledge, and you can crown yourself King of the Capitals. Take the quiz right now... the world is waiting for you.
There may be no more historic city in the story of modern man than Athens. Wars have been fought, discoveries made, philosophies founded, foods invented and books written by the thousands there, over the centuries.
You pretty much can't walk 100 feet without running into a historic site in Rome. History buffs often make dozens of trips to the city to see and revisit spots like the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum.
Paris is known as the City of Lights, and for good reason. At night, the Eiffel Tower glows over a landscape of cafes, museums and shops lit with artistic flair.
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For American tourists, Amsterdam is famous for certain activities that are largely frowned upon stateside. However, the canals, castles, museums and arts centers have made it one of the hottest tourist stops for people from all over the world.
One of the most historic cities on the planet, Baghdad has through the centuries proved to be the unkillable city. Despite the military conflict and strife that have raged across the region for centuries, Baghdad remains a center of commerce and street culture.
Considered a holy city by a majority of the world's religious people, Jerusalem has been a site of conflict for centuries. The U.N. doesn't recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and many countries have located their embassies and missions in other cities, such as Tel Aviv.
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Unlike many capital cities, Helsinki is also the largest city in its country. It was chosen as a World Design City in 2012 because of its incredible architecture.
The crush and rush of New Delhi can be overwhelming to the first-time visitor. Your best bet is to go with the flow, and keep your nose and eyes peeled for the amazing variety of street food vendors!
Humans have lived in what is now Stockholm since the Stone Age, but our Neanderthal brethren wouldn't recognize the place now. With a number of Michelin star restaurants, tons of festivals, sports teams and world-famous museums and performance halls, Stockholm is one of the epicenters of European culture.
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One of the greatest features of the tourist landscape in D.C. is the Smithsonian Museum system, with something for just about everyone. You could spend days covering all of the exhibits.
Long a hangout of the rich and famous and European elite, Monaco has a reputation as a city of pampered excess. It's the home of the original Monte Carlo casino, long held as the world's top spot for high rollers to see and be seen.
Berlin has recovered well from the days of partition, when the Berlin Wall split the city between two countries. While there is still some economic and infrastructure inequality between East and West Berlin, the government has worked diligently to resolve the problems.
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People always think of Germany for beer, but Belgium is actually one of the world's beer capitals. Freed from the German beer purity laws, brewers in Brussels experiment with all manner of additions and brewing styles to make a huge menu of tastes and types.
Moscow's Red Square is one of the most easily identifiable locations in the world. It's been the backdrop for countless movies, and it is the place to go for field reporters looking for a dramatic background shot for their pieces.
Kabul has endured fighting and terrorist activity for the last two decades. Before that, battles between the Russians and the U.S.-backed Mujahideen rebels reduced buildings to rubble.
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Budapest, on the Danube, is known for its thermal baths. Its museums hold a huge collection of European art and collectibles, making it a must-see for art fans.
If you're a steak lover, Buenos Aires is the place to be. Argentinean beef is world-famous, and Buenos Aires has steakhouses that draw gourmands from all over the world. Pack some extra Lipitor!
Fun fact: Vienna is the home of neither the sausages nor the finger cookies that bear its name. It is, however, one of the most beautiful capital cities on the planet, with cathedrals that are the model for churches worldwide, and performance halls coveted by musicians and singers everywhere.
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Jakarta sits on the world's most populous island, Java, and the city has more than 10 million people. The food is an interesting cross of Chinese and Western influences, with local ingredients incorporated.
It's hard to say what's more worth visiting in Dublin, the churches or the pubs. Why not do both? If you handle your pub visits right, you'll have plenty to need forgiveness for.
Algiers is also known as "Algiers the White," because of the shining exteriors of its buildings. It's a great mix of old and new, with a modern city on the Mediterranean coast and the ancient city above it in the hills.
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For most Americans, our first awareness of Tehran was during the 1979-80 hostage crisis, when the U.S. embassy staff was held by anti-shah protesters. It has modernized slowly under a repressive government, but is one of the largest cities in the region.
Seventeen million people live in the area of Dhaka, making it one of the world's most populous cities. There's a tremendous mix of cultures, religions and political systems across the city, and many multinational corporations have bases there.
Reyjkavik commonly makes lists of the cleanest, safest and greenest cities in the world. The country has become a wildly popular tourist destination for Europeans looking to get in touch with their inner Viking.
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Just about every American wants to visit Australia at some point, despite the fact that large portions of the wildlife population seem bent on killing humans. Similar to Washington, D.C., Canberra is not part of any state, existing in its own municipal district.
Fans of Godzilla movies may be surprised to learn that Tokyo is still alive and well and un-monster-trampled. At night, the moving neon signs along every street call to mind the streetscape in Blade Runner, but with better food.
Two centuries ago, the Bahamas were a stronghold for pirates and other ne'er-do-wells, but that's changed a little bit. These days, the only bandits looking to take your booty are souvenir vendors selling "authentic" island artifacts.
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Beirut has been the scene of a lot of turmoil, but the city refuses to buckle. Two of the greatest chronicles of life under fire in Beirut are P.J. O'Rourke's travel columns from the '80s and Tony Bourdain's episode of "No Reservations," filmed in the city just at the time Israeli rocket attacks began.
After the recent Olympics, you could be forgiven for thinking that Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's capital. It's actually this city, located far from the coast in the central mountain highlands.
The population density and pollution in Mexico City are constant issues. Since the city sits in something of a bowl, pollution from vehicles and industry tends to collect and remain, leading many residents to make breathing masks part of their daily wardrobe.
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La Paz is one of the most naturally beautiful of the world's capitals. It sits at a higher elevation than any other, and it's surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
If you like cities with a history, Oslo was founded around the year 1040! In 2012, it was ranked as the city with the best quality of life in Europe, so maybe practice does make perfect.
Fun fact: The Rideau Canal in Ottawa is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America. Oh, there's also poutine there. Don't know what poutine is? Look it up, then book your ticket north.
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Lima is referred to in foodie circles as the gastronomic capital of the Americas. Waves of conquerors and settlers have brought their own world cuisines to mix with the native offerings to create a food scene second to none.
Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, with continuous settlement for more than two millennia. Today, it's a massive port city, one of the biggest container shipping ports in Europe, as well as a center for finance and industry.
Because of its location right on the Ring of Fire, Santiago has some of the toughest earthquake-proofing building codes in the world. This paid off in 2010, when an unimaginable 8.8-magnitude earthquake did relatively minimal damage to the city.
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During the reign of Ferdinand Marcos, Manila was the center of resistance to his rule. Travel writer P.J. O'Rourke, shortly before Marcos' overthrow, referred to a cigarette seller in a bar using a picture of Marcos to strike matches on to light her customers' cigarettes.
Strategically situated on the Nile River delta and not far from the Giza pyramids and the ancient city of Memphis, Cairo is the natural starting point for any tourist looking to explore ancient history. But the city itself has plenty to offer, from a street food scene that hops all day and night to many museums and other cultural offerings.
As you might expect for a country with massive oil wealth, Riyadh is a gleaming city of modern architecture. The past is everywhere, though, with mosques and street markets that date back centuries.
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Romania is an old country, but its age is beginning to show. Bucharest is on numerous international watch lists for the decaying condition of both its infrastructure and historic buildings.
The explosion of the Chinese economy in the last three decades can be seen written across the face of Beijing. Where there was once a sprawling city of hundreds of thousands, now there rises a high-rise-dense, ultra-modern urban area with millions of inhabitants.
If you want to visit Copenhagen, don't miss the Little Mermaid statue. 75 percent of all Copenhagen tourists visit this statue, after all. After that, feel free to explore cozy out-of-the-way spots frequented by the locals.
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Like other South American countries, the cuisine in Colombia is a mix of native and international flavors. One of the most popular native creations is tamal, somewhat similar to its Mexican cousin but cooked in plantain leaves.
After the Nazi occupation, followed by decades of Soviet control, Warsaw has now recovered to become a center of commerce and tourism for Central Europe. The heavy industry placed there under the Soviets has largely gone bankrupt, replaced by high-tech businesses and finance.
One of Bern's most famous residents is Albert Einstein, who worked out his Theory of Relativity while working at the patent office there. Less universally praised is Vladimir Lenin, who lived there from 1914 to 1917.
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The recent easing of U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba is allowing more Americans to see a place that their parents and grandparents knew as a tropical vacation spot. While the Castro government still holds sway, the economy is recovering as new money flows in from tourists' pockets.
Despite its oil wealth, the Venezuelan economy has been in the dumps for several years. Socialist government policies and rampant corruption bankrupted the treasury, and Caracas' infrastructure has suffered directly as a result.
Abu Dhabi is somewhat overshadowed by the opulence of the country's largest city, Dubai, where things like building islands and starting indoor ski slopes are fairly common. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, in Abu Dhabi, is an awe-inspiring building that should be on any tourist's must list.
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After the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and the split of Czechoslovakia, Prague began to rebuild from decades of decline. It's now dotted with high-rise buildings in among the historic churches. The music halls are world-famous for everything from opera to symphony to jazz.
Ukraine was one of the first former Soviet satellite states to really succeed after the collapse of the USSR. Kyiv allows visa-free travel from European Union countries, which has boosted its tourist income dramatically.