How to play
- Press Start. You have 2 minutes for all 12 countries, listed in alphabetical order with their capitals blank.
- Type a capital. It counts as soon as it matches and fills in next to its country; a capital from another continent clears the box, with a note saying whose it is.
- When the time is up, the list shows the capitals you missed and the map shows their countries in red.
About the capitals of South America
South America has few countries but some unusual capitals. Bolivia splits its capital between two cities: a constitutional capital, where the supreme court sits, and a seat of government high on the Altiplano, the highest in the world. Either names the country. Brazil moved its capital inland to a planned city in 1960, built from scratch to draw people away from the coast.
Most other capitals are their country’s largest city, which makes the rest of the list quick. Two of them face each other across the Río de la Plata. Chile’s congress meets in a coastal city, not in the capital, and only the capital is accepted. French Guiana and the Falkland Islands have capitals of their own, but they aren’t countries, so they aren’t in the list.
Show the capitals mentioned above (gives some answers away)
Bolivia: Sucre and La Paz. Brazil: Brasília, formerly Rio de Janeiro. Chile: Santiago; Valparaíso, where congress meets, isn’t accepted. Across the Río de la Plata: Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay).
What counts
The same countries as in Countries of South America: the twelve sovereign states of the continent. Any capital a country officially names counts, and so does the city where its government works when that is somewhere else; capitals, accents and punctuation don’t matter. The answers were checked on 29 September 2026.
Show the accepted alternative names (gives some answers away)
| Country | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Chile | Santiago | Santiago de Chile |
Show the countries with more than one capital (gives some answers away)
| Country | Capitals accepted |
|---|---|
| Bolivia | Sucre (constitutional capital); La Paz (seat of government) |
Questions
Is Rio de Janeiro accepted for Brazil?
No. It was the capital until 1960, and a former capital isn’t accepted once the capital has moved for good.
Which capital is the highest?
Bolivia’s seat of government, at about 3,600 metres. Ecuador’s capital, at about 2,850 metres, is the highest official capital in the world.
More geography
- Countries of South America: the same continent, naming its countries
- Capitals of the World: all 197 at once
- Other continents: Capitals of Africa, Capitals of Asia, Capitals of Europe, Capitals of North America, Capitals of Oceania
More to play
- Countries of the World: Type every country you can before the clock runs out.
- Capitals of the World: Name the capital of every country before the clock runs out.
- Periodic Table: Name every chemical element before the clock runs out.
- Flags of the World: Name the country from its flag.
- All quizzes
- El Trivia home