Lists of capitals Of countries In alphabetical order By latitude By population By area By elevation Capital is not their largest city Former Multiple capitals Purpose-built Situated on an international border Timeline of geopolitical changes (before 1500) Timeline of geopolitical changes (1500–1899) Timeline of geopolitical changes (1900−1999) Timeline of geopolitical changes (2000−present) Of country subdivisions Capitals outside the territories they serve Purpose-built Cities portalvte
This is a list of national capitals, including capitals of territories and dependencies, non-sovereign states including associated states and entities whose sovereignty is disputed.
The capitals included on this list are those associated with states or territories listed by the international standard ISO 3166-1, or that are included in the list of states with limited recognition.
Sovereign states and observer states within the United Nations are shown in bold text.
List[edit]The column headings may cover the first row when the letter links are used.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y ZCity/Town Country/Territory Continent Notes Abidjan (former capital; still hosts some government offices) Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) Africa Abidjan is the largest city in Ivory Coast and is officially designated as the economic capital. Yamoussoukro (de jure) Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Asia Abuja Nigeria Africa Lagos was the capital from 1914 to 1991. Accra Ghana Adamstown Pitcairn Islands Oceania British Overseas Territory. Addis Ababa Ethiopia Africa Aden (de facto, temporary) Yemen Asia Yemen is in a state of civil war, and Sanaa has been occupied by Houthi rebels since September 2014. Aden, the former capital of South Yemen, is Yemen's acting capital. Sanaa (de jure) Episkopi Cantonment Akrotiri and Dhekelia British Overseas Territory. Algiers Algeria Africa Alofi Niue Oceania Self-governing in free association with New Zealand. Government offices are spread across both Alofi North and Alofi South. Amman Jordan Asia Amsterdam (official) Netherlands Europe The Hague hosts the monarch, government ministries, judiciary and diplomatic missions. See also Capital of the Netherlands. The Hague (de facto) Andorra la Vella Andorra Ankara Turkey Asia Ankara became capital of the newly-formed Republic of Turkey in 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence. The capital of Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, was Constantinople (now Istanbul). Antananarivo Madagascar Africa Apia Samoa Oceania Ashgabat Turkmenistan Asia Asmara Eritrea Africa Astana Kazakhstan Asia Astana was named Nur-Sultan from 2019 to 2022. Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1997 and its predecessor the Kazakh SSR from 1929 to 1991. Asunción Paraguay South America Atafu (atoll administration) Tokelau Oceania Most populous city and smallest atoll. New Zealand owns Tokelau. Nukunonu (atoll administration) Largest atoll. the population of people living there is 531. Fakaofo (atoll administration) Most populous city in this atoll is Fale, Tokelau Athens Greece Europe Avarua Cook Islands Oceania Self-governing in free association with New Zealand. The capital is sometimes incorrectly stated as Rarotonga, the island on which Avarua is located. Baghdad Iraq Asia Baku Azerbaijan Asia/Europe Bamako Mali Africa Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Asia Bangkok Thailand Bangui Central African Republic Africa Banjul Gambia Basseterre Saint Kitts and Nevis North America Beijing China Asia See also: Historical capitals of China. Beirut Lebanon Belgrade Serbia Europe Belmopan Belize North America Belize City was the capital of Belize's predecessor, British Honduras. Berlin Germany Europe Bonn was the capital of West Germany and remained the seat of government for reunified Germany until 1999, and is still the primary seat of six ministries. See also Capital of Germany. Bern (de facto) Switzerland Bishkek Kyrgyzstan Asia Bissau Guinea-Bissau Africa Bloemfontein (judicial) South Africa Cape Town (legislative) Pretoria (executive) Bogotá Colombia South America Brades (de facto) Montserrat North America British Overseas Territory. Plymouth was abandoned after the Soufrière Hills volcano erupted in 1997. Since then, government offices he been moved to Brades, which is in northwestern Montserrat. A new capital, Little Bay, is currently under construction. Plymouth (de jure) Brasília Brazil South America Rio de Janeiro was the capital until 1960. See also: Capitals of Brazil. Bratisla Slovakia Europe Brazzille Congo Africa Bridgetown Barbados North America Brussels Belgium Europe Brussels also serves as de facto capital of the European Union.[1] European Union (de facto) Bucharest Romania Budapest Hungary See also: List of historical capitals of Hungary. Buenos Aires Argentina South America Cairo Egypt Africa A new capital is being built at the New Administrative Capital. It might be named Egypt. See also: List of historical capitals of Egypt. Canberra Australia Oceania Planned city built to mitigate the rivalry between Melbourne (de facto capital at the time) and Sydney (economic capital and most populous city), both of which were put forward as potential capitals in the Australasia Federation Conventions of the 1890s. Section 125 of the Constitution gives basic details about the location of the capital, size of the encompassing territory and so forth, while the Seat of Government Act 1908 specified its precise location. Caracas Venezuela South America Castries Saint Lucia North America Charlotte Amalie United States Virgin Islands Territory of the United States. Chișinău Moldova Europe Cockburn Town Turks and Caicos Islands North America British Overseas Territory. Colombo (executive, judicial) Sri Lanka Asia Until 1982, the capital was Colombo, where many governmental institutions remain; it is still designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. See also: Capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (official) Also known as Kotte, the city is a suburb of Colombo. Conakry Guinea Africa Copenhagen Denmark Europe Cotonou (de facto) Benin Africa Porto-Novo (official) Dakar Senegal Damascus Syria Asia Dhaka Bangladesh Dili East Timor Djibouti Djibouti Africa Dodoma Tanzania Dar es Salaam, the former capital and largest city, still hosts some government ministries, the judiciary, and diplomatic missions. Doha Qatar Asia Douglas Isle of Man Europe British Crown Dependency. Dublin Ireland Dushanbe Tajikistan Asia Edinburgh of the Seven Seas Tristan da Cunha Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Flying Fish Cove Christmas Island External territory of Australia. Freetown Sierra Leone Africa Funafuti Tuvalu Oceania Gaborone Botswana Africa George Town Cayman Islands North America British Overseas Territory. Georgetown Ascension Island Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Georgetown Guyana South America Gibraltar Gibraltar Europe British Overseas Territory and city-state. Gitega (de jure) Burundi Africa Bujumbura was the capital from 1962 to 2018. Bujumbura (de facto) Guatemala City Guatemala North America Gustia Saint Barthélemy Overseas collectivity of France. Hagåtña Guam Oceania Territory of the United States. Hamilton Bermuda North America British Overseas Territory. Hanoi Vietnam Asia See also: List of historical capitals of Vietnam. Harare Zimbabwe Africa Hargeisa Somaliland De facto independent state, deemed by the UN to be de jure part of Somalia. Hana Cuba North America Helsinki Finland Europe Honiara Solomon Islands Oceania Honiara is a settlement on the island of Guadalcanal. Islamabad Pakistan Asia Karachi served as the first capital of Pakistan from 1948. A planned capital, Islamabad, was then designated, and in 1958, as an interim measure, the capital was shifted to Rawalpindi, near to the future capital. Islamabad became capital in 1967 when its construction was completed. Jakarta (de facto) Indonesia The capital will be moved to Nusantara on Borneo. See also: Capital of Indonesia. Nusantara Jamestown Saint Helena Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Jerusalem Israel Asia The Jerusalem Law states that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel" and the city serves as the seat of the Israeli government and its institutions. United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 declared the Jerusalem Law "null and void" and called on member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem. Nearly all countries currently he their embassies in and around Tel Aviv. Defying the UN,[2] the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital and moved its embassy there in May 2018.[3] Many countries officially adhere to the proposal that Jerusalem should he international status, as called for in the 1947 Partition Plan.[4] Palestine Ramallah (de facto) Juba South Sudan Africa Kabul Afghanistan Asia Kampala Uganda Africa Kathmandu Nepal Asia Khartoum Sudan Africa Kigali Rwanda King Edward Point South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands British Overseas Territory. Kingston Jamaica North America Kingston Norfolk Island Oceania External territory of Australia. Kingstown Saint Vincent and the Grenadines North America Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Africa Kuala Lumpur (de jure, legislative and royal) Malaysia Asia Putrajaya (administrative and judicial) Kuwait City Kuwait Asia Kyiv Ukraine Europe La Paz (administrative) Bolivia South America La Paz is the highest administrative capital (3,650 m) in the world, higher than Quito.[5] Sucre (constitutional) Laayoune (declared) Western Sahara Africa De facto independent state contested by both the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), and Morocco. Laayoune is within Moroccan-controlled territory while Tifariti is within Sahrawi-controlled territory and serves as the temporary capital (previously Bir Lehlou). Some government and military buildings reside in exile in Tindouf, Algeria.[6] See also: Politics of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Tifariti (de facto) Libreville Gabon Lilongwe Malawi Lima Peru South America Cusco is declared the "historical capital" (Spanish: capital histórica), by Article 49 of the Peruvian Constitution, a merely symbolic statement. Arequipa is deemed the "legal capital" as it is the seat of the Constitutional Court. Lisbon Portugal Europe Ljubljana Slovenia Lobamba (royal and legislative) Eswatini Africa Mbabane (administrative) Lomé Togo London United Kingdom Europe Prior to the Acts of Union in 1707, London was the capital of England only; Edinburgh was the capital of the Kingdom of Scotland. The United Kingdom includes the subdivisions of England (capital London), Scotland (capital Edinburgh), Wales (capital Cardiff), Northern Ireland (capital Belfast). London (administration) British Indian Ocean Territory Asia British Overseas Territory. Officially, the British Indian Ocean Territory is administered from London,[7] though some consider the capital to be Diego Garcia.[8] Diego Garcia (de facto) Luanda Angola Africa Lusaka Zambia Luxembourg Luxembourg Europe Madrid Spain Majuro Marshall Islands Oceania Self-governing in free association with the United States. The seat of government is at Delap-Uliga-Djarrit, a settlement on the atoll of Majuro. Malabo Equatorial Guinea Africa Ciudad de la Paz is currently under construction and will become the new capital when complete.[9] Malé Maldives Asia Managua Nicaragua North America Manama Bahrain Asia Manila Philippines Maputo Mozambique Africa Mariehamn Åland Islands Europe Autonomous region of Finland. Marigot Saint Martin North America Overseas collectivity of France. Maseru Lesotho Africa Mata Utu Wallis and Futuna Oceania Overseas collectivity of France. Mexico City Mexico North America Minsk Belarus Europe Mogadishu Somalia Africa Monaco Monaco Europe City-state. Monaco does not he a capital designated in its constitution; however, the Commune of Monaco, the country's only commune, is coterminous with the nation, making it the de facto capital.[10][11] Monrovia Liberia Africa Montevideo Uruguay South America Moroni Comoros Africa Moscow Russia Europe Muscat Oman Asia Nairobi Kenya Africa Nassau Bahamas, The North America Naypyidaw Myanmar Asia Yangon was the capital until 2006.[12] See also: List of capitals of Myanmar. N'Djamena Chad Africa New Delhi India Asia Calcutta was the capital of India until 1911 during the British Raj. Ngerulmud Palau Oceania Self-governing in free association with the United States. Koror City was the capital until 2006. Niamey Niger Africa Nicosia Cyprus Asia Nicosia is a divided capital, split between Cyprus, which claims the whole city, and the internationally unrecognized breakaway state of Northern Cyprus. Northern Cyprus Nouakchott Mauritania Africa Nouméa New Caledonia Oceania Overseas territory of France. Nukuʻalofa Tonga Nuuk Greenland North America Self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Oranjestad Aruba South America Self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Oslo Norway Europe See also: List of historical capitals of Norway. Ottawa Canada North America Ouagadougou Burkina Faso Africa Pago Pago American Samoa Oceania Territory of the United States. Palikir Micronesia Self-governing in free association with the United States. Kolonia is the former capital and Australia, China, Japan and the United States retain embassies there. Panama City Panama North America Papeete French Polynesia Oceania Overseas collectivity of France. Paramaribo Suriname South America Paris France Europe See also: List of Capitals of France. Philipsburg Sint Maarten North America Self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Phnom Penh Cambodia Asia Podgorica Montenegro Europe Cetinje has been designated the "Old Royal Capital" and is the present seat of the President. Port Louis Mauritius Africa Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Oceania Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago South America Port Vila Vanuatu Oceania Port-au-Prince Haiti North America Prague Czech Republic Europe The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic is located in Brno.[13] Praia Cape Verde Africa Pristina Kosovo Europe De facto independent state claimed entirely by Serbia as part of its Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Pyongyang North Korea Asia Quito Ecuador South America Highest official capital (2,850 m).[5] Rabat Morocco Africa Reykjík Iceland Europe Riga Latvia Riyadh Saudi Arabia Asia Road Town British Virgin Islands North America British Overseas Territory. Rome Italy Europe Roseau Dominica North America Rothera British Antarctic Territory Antarctica British Overseas Territory Saipan Northern Mariana Islands Oceania Territory of the United States. The seat of government is at Capitol Hill, a settlement on the island of Saipan. San José Costa Rica North America San Juan Puerto Rico Territory of the United States. San Marino San Marino Europe San Salvador El Salvador North America Santiago Chile South America The National Congress of Chile is located in Valparaíso. Santo Domingo Dominican Republic North America São Tomé São Tomé and Príncipe Africa Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe Seoul South Korea Asia On 2 July 2012, some government functions moved to Sejong City, which became the de facto administrative capital. Singapore Singapore City-state. Skopje North Macedonia Europe Sofia Bulgaria South Tarawa Kiribati Oceania South Tarawa is a settlement on the atoll of Tarawa. St. George's Grenada North America St. Helier Jersey Europe British Crown Dependency. St. John's[14][15] Antigua and Barbuda North America St. Peter Port Guernsey Europe British Crown Dependency. St. Pierre Saint Pierre and Miquelon North America Overseas collectivity of France. Stanley Falkland Islands South America British Overseas Territory. Stockholm Sweden Europe Sukhumi Abkhazia Asia/Europe De facto independent state with partial recognition claimed in whole by Georgia as the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. Suva Fiji Oceania Taipei Taiwan Asia De facto independent state, officially called the Republic of China, in competition with the People's Republic of China for recognition as the sole Chinese government since 1949. Taiwan controls the island of Taiwan and the associated islands Quemoy, Matsu, the Pratas, and part of the Spratly Islands.[Note 1] Its territory is claimed in whole by the People's Republic of China.[Note 2] The Republic of China participates in a number of international organizations under a variety of pseudonyms, most commonly Chinese Taipei. Tallinn Estonia Europe Tashkent Uzbekistan Asia Tbilisi Georgia Asia/Europe From 2012 to 2018, Kutaisi served as Georgia's legislative capital. Additionally, Mtskheta is sometimes called an "ancient capital" of Georgia.[16][17] Tegucigalpa Honduras North America Comayagüela is declared in the Honduran Constitution as co-official capital with Tegucigalpa.[18] The cities he since merged into a single urban area. Comayagüela Tehran Iran Asia Thimphu Bhutan Tirana Albania Europe Tiraspol Transnistria De facto independent state, recognized by only non UN members. Claimed in whole by Moldova as the autonomous territorial unit of Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester Tokyo Japan Asia See also: Capital of Japan. Tórshn Faroe Islands Europe Self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Tripoli Libya Africa Tskhinvali South Ossetia Asia/Europe De facto independent state with limited recognition. Claimed in whole by Georgia as the Provisional Administration of South Ossetia. Tunis Tunisia Africa Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Asia Vaduz Liechtenstein Europe Valletta Malta The Valley Anguilla North America British Overseas Territory. Vatican City Vatican City Europe City-state. Victoria Seychelles Africa Vienna Austria Europe Vientiane Laos Asia Vilnius Lithuania Europe Warsaw Poland Former capitals listed in Template:Historical capitals of Poland. Washington, D.C. United States North America The capital of the United States has moved several times. See also: National capitals of the United States. Wellington New Zealand Oceania Since 1865. Wellington is New Zealand's third capital. See also: Capital of New Zealand. West Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands External territory of Australia. Willemstad Curaçao Self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Windhoek Namibia Africa Yaoundé Cameroon Yaren (de facto) Nauru Oceania Nauru has no official capital, nor cities; the government offices are in Yaren district. Yerevan Armenia Asia/Europe Zagreb Croatia Europe See also[edit] List of countries with multiple capitals List of purpose-built national capitals Notes[edit] ^ Sovereignty over the Spratly Islands is disputed by the PRC, the ROC, Vietnam, the Philippines (part), Malaysia (part), and Brunei (part). ^ In 1949, the Republic of China government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) lost the Chinese Civil War to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and set up a provisional capital in Taipei. The CPC established the People's Republic. As such, the political status of the ROC and the legal status of Taiwan (alongside the territories under ROC jurisdiction) are in dispute. In 1971, the United Nations ge the China seat to the PRC instead of the ROC: most states recognize the PRC to be the sole legitimate representative of all China, and the UN classifies Taiwan as "Taiwan, Province of China". The ROC has de facto relations with most sovereign states. A significant political movement within Taiwan advocates Taiwan independence. References[edit] ^ Cybriwsky, Roman Adrian (2013). Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-61069-248-9. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is considered to be the de facto capital of the EU ^ "General Assembly Overwhelmingly Adopts Resolution Asking Nations Not to Locate Diplomatic Missions in Jerusalem | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". ^ See the CIA Factbook and Map of Israel ^ Sharkansky, Ira (1996). Governing Jerusalem: Again on the world's agenda. Wayne State University Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-8143-2592-0. ^ a b Jacobs, Frank (19 June 2012). "Amazonia or Bust!". New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2012. ^ "CIA - The World Factbook -- Western Sahara". June 12, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. ^ "Governance | British Indian Ocean Territory". www.biot.gov.io. Retrieved 2023-09-03. ^ "British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)" (PDF). Island Studies. University of Prince Edward Island. ^ Fortin, Jacey (19 December 2012). "Poverty-Stricken Equatorial Guinea Builds Expensive Capital City In The Middle Of Nowhere". International Business Times. ^ "Constitution of the Principality". Gouvernement Princier Principauté de Monaco. Principauté de Monaco. 17 December 1962. Retrieved 28 February 2020. ^ "Monaco". Britannica. Retrieved 28 February 2020. ^ "Nay Pyi Taw | national capital, Myanmar | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-29. ^ "Countries With More Than One Capital City". WorldAtlas. 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2023-09-03. ^ Antigua and Barbuda - CIA World Factbook ^ Antigua and Barbuda - Encyclopaedia Britannica ^ "Mtskheta | Ancient Capital, UNESCO Site | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03. ^ "Georgia marks day of ancient capital Mtskheta, Svetitskhoveli UNESCO monument". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 2023-09-03. ^ "Constitution of Honduras" (PDF) (in Spanish). 2010-07-05. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2022-11-17.