Image: Prasit photo/ Moment/ Getty Images
About This Quiz
There's literally an endless number of cities in the world because governments can create cities whenever they want. Once you try to differentiate between a city and a town, it becomes impossible to count all the cities in the world. There are thousands of cities with at least 100,000 residents and thousands upon thousands with at least 1,000 residents. Then there are too many towns to count with fewer residents than that. The town of Omena in Michigan, for example, only has 200 residents, and the mayor is a cat.
But the good thing for you is that you don't need to know every city in the world. You just have to know the capital cities. There are 195 recognized countries, but just to make things confusing, there are not 195 capital cities. Some countries have multiple capital cities, and some countries can't decide on a reasonable choice.
Australia is home to some of the most famous cities in the world, but leaders decided to hand-build a new city for the country's capital instead. New York City, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Dubai, Toronto and Geneva are all gigantic, world-famous cities, but none of them are capitals.Â
What do you know about countries and their capitals? See if you can match the capital to its proper country.
New York City
Philadelphia
Los Angeles
Washington, D.C.
America's legislation is inspired by the empires of Ancient Greece and Rome, and the architecture of Washington, D.C., is also influenced by those ancient empires. You can see domes and columns all over the city, and democracy rules the land.
Advertisement
Scotland
Wales
England
London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom, aka Great Britain, is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. London is one of the largest cities in Europe, known as one of the most integrated cities in the world.
Ireland
Advertisement
Tokyo
Japan got its nickname from China about 1,400 years ago. From China's perspective, the sun rises in Japan first, but in reality, based on time zones, it rises in New Zealand first. Tokyo is the most populated metro area in the world, with about 37 million residents.
Bangkok
Hong Kong
Osaka
Advertisement
Vatican City
Venice
Rome
The Roman Empire was one of the world's most impressive. It birthed the popular proverbs "All roads lead to Rome" and "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." These days, "All roads lead to Rome" simply means there are multiple ways to come to the same conclusion.
Milan
Advertisement
Canada
Russia
Moscow's Red Square is home to traditional Russian landmarks, including St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin. It's one of the most popular squares in the world and became a world heritage site in 1990. Millions of tourists visit Moscow every year.
China
Greenland
Advertisement
Cologne
Frankfurt
Munich
Berlin
The original and official Oktoberfest celebration takes place in Munich, but celebrations happen all over Germany and the world. Berlin is the largest and most populous city in Germany. Remnants of its controversial history are present around the city.
Advertisement
Shanghai
Hong Kong
Beijing
India's on pace to overtake China as the most populous country very soon, but right now China is home to about 1.4 billion citizens. Beijing boasts seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
Seoul
Advertisement
France
There are only a couple of cities on Earth that attract more tourists per year than Paris. The city is home to world-renowned food and drink, plus some of the world's most famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and the fire-damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Germany
Spain
Hungary
Advertisement
Glasgow
Edinburgh
Dublin
Ireland is full of history, and one of the country's most historic products was birthed in Dublin. Guinness Brewery was founded in 1759 and remains the world's largest brewer of stout to this day. The brewery is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.
Belfast
Advertisement
Mecca
Cairo
Cairo's population is nearing 12 million, and the entire metro area counts about 20 million people as residents. It's one of the most populous cities in the area. The pyramids are less than 10 miles outside of the city.
Dubai
Damascus
Advertisement
Mexico City
Mexico City and New York City are neck-and-neck for being the most populous North American city. The Big Apple counts 8.6 million residents, and Mexico City counts 8.9 million residents. Both numbers are estimates and will likely change after the 2020 census.
Cancun
Guadalajara
Juarez
Advertisement
South Korea
Indonesia
Singapore
Thailand
More than 22 million tourists visited Bangkok in 2019, making it the world's most visited city. The Thai capital has held the distinction for the past few years. Paris, London, Dubai and Singapore round out the top five most visited cities.
Advertisement
Montevideo
Santiago
Buenos Aires
Argentina is known for high quality beef and the several types of cows that graze the land. Argentina is also home to the southernmost city on the globe — Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego — making it an ideal place to visit if you're hunting the southern lights.
Bogota
Advertisement
New Delhi
China's population totals more than 1.4 billion people, and India counts about 1.35 billion people as citizens. India is growing at a faster pace and is set to outgrow China sometime in the 2020s. Although New Delhi is the capital, Mumbai is the country's most populous city.
Mumbai
Kolkata
Bangalore
Advertisement
Melbourne
Canberra
It makes sense to think that Sydney or Melbourne is the capital of Australia, but neither one is. Officials couldn't agree on a location for the capital, so they chose Canberra, since it's halfway between Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney is the continent's most populous city.
Perth
Sydney
Advertisement
Toronto
Ottawa
Ottawa sits in the Canadian province of Ontario, and fewer than 1 million people call the city home. Ottawa is between Toronto and Montreal, and both of those cities have larger populations. Ottawa is one of the coldest capital cities in the world.
Montreal
Vancouver
Advertisement
Santiago
San Jose
Bogota
Havana
More than 2.1 million people live in Havana, making it Cuba's most populous city. It's only about 200 miles from Miami to Havana, Cuba, but it's about 500 miles from Miami to Havana, Florida. Havana is known for its colorful baroque buildings.
Advertisement
Warsaw
Oslo
Zagreb
Budapest
Nearly 2 million people call Budapest home, and the city has been called one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world. It's split into two regions: Buda and Pest. The Danube River runs through the middle of the city, and the Hungarian Parliament sits on the river in Pest.
Advertisement
Seville
Barcelona
Madrid
Spain is a foodie's haven because it's made up of so many distinct cultures. The country's 17 regions all have their own traditional foods and drinks, ranging from chorizo to paella. Madrid is the capital and most populous city in the country.
Valencia
Advertisement
Auckland
Wellington
New Zealand is famously known for being home to more sheep than people. Fewer than 5 million people live in the country, but about 30 million sheep roam the land. Auckland is the country's most populous city, but Wellington has been the capital since 1865.
Christchurch
Hamilton
Advertisement
Vienna
Prague
Gothic and baroque architecture is on full display all over the city of Prague. The city is also home to one of the oldest astronomical clocks in the world and the Klementinum, which is considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world.
Milan
Budapest
Advertisement
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is one of the most visited cities in the world, but it's also one of the most popular cities for "visa runs." Visitors to Thailand, for example, can only stay in the country for 30 days, so they spend a night in Kuala Lumpur and return to Thailand for a renewed 30-day stay.
Bangkok
Tokyo
Seoul
Advertisement
Bucharest
Luxembourg
Oslo
Stockholm
Sweden is home to thousands of islands, and the capital city of Stockholm is actually made up of more than a dozen islands, connected by more than 50 bridges. The Stockholm Palace and the city's Old Town are two of the most popular tourist sites in the country.
Advertisement
Valletta
Helsinki
Helsinki only sees about six hours of sunlight during the winter months of December and January. When you go north to Lapland, there will be at least one day where the sun doesn't even rise. You can experience weeks of 24-hour sunlight during summer.
Reykjavik
Tirana
Advertisement
Austria
Austria is the birthplace of Mozart, and both Mozart and Beethoven died in the city. The capital has been at the center of culture and arts for centuries, and today it is home to one of the largest music festivals in the world.
Germany
Hungary
Poland
Advertisement
Belgrade
Brussels
Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark's most populous city, sits on the country's east coast. The city is known for its cobblestone streets, castles and colorful houses. Denmark's kingdom also includes the largest island in the world, Greenland.
Kyiv
Advertisement
Hungary
Serbia
Netherlands
Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. There are about 850,000 people living in Amsterdam, and the city is home to about 850,000 bicycles. The city is also home to more than 160 canals, giving it the nickname "Venice of the North."
Romania
Advertisement
Copenhagen
Oslo
Norway, just like all countries with land in the Arctic Circle, experiences the midnight sun during the summer and the polar night during the winter. The sun never rises during polar nights and never sets during midnight suns. Only some parts of the country experience these extreme light changes.
Warsaw
Helsinki
Advertisement
Manila
Hanoi
Jakarta
Greenland is the largest island in the world, but it's only home to about 55,000 people. Indonesia's island of Java, where the capital sits, is home to more than 140 million people. Greenland is about 17 times the size of Java.
Seoul
Advertisement
Cape Town
Pretoria
Bloemfontein
All of the above
South Africa is home to more than 56 million people, and it has three capital cities. Cape Town is the legislative capital; Pretoria is the administrative capital; Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of the country.
Advertisement
Cairo
Rome
Athens
Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world. It dates all the way back to antiquity but hasn't been continuously populated the entire time. Leaders in the city began creating the concept of democracy in the sixth century B.C.
Damascus
Advertisement
Rio de Janeiro
Brasilia
Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are two of the most popular Brazilian cities, partly because they're located on the country's southern coast, but Brasilia is the country's capital. The city is home to about 2.5 million people, which is far less than Rio and Sao Paulo.
Sao Paulo
Lima
Advertisement
Mecca
Nazareth
Bethlehem
Jerusalem
Very few cities on Earth have been around longer than Jerusalem, and the city is considered to be one of the holiest. Jerusalem's Old City is home to some of the most important religious landmarks in the world.
Advertisement
Dubai
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and is quickly becoming one of the richest cities on the planet. The city's modern skyscrapers, like the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi, feature some of the most advanced architecture in the world.
Ajman
Al Ain
Advertisement
Damascus
Damascus was first inhabited about 11,000 years ago, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Today the city is home to about 1.7 million people and is one of the most important cultural cities in the Arab world.
Jerusalem
Mecca
Abu Dhabi
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
