List of national capitals

Lists of capitals

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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
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* U
* V
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* Z

City/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 have 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.
Bratislava |  Slovakia | Europe |
Brazzaville |  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 |
Gustavia |  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.
Havana |  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 have 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 have 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 have 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 |
Reykjavík |  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 (de facto) |  Antigua and Barbuda | North America | Antigua and Barbuda has no legislation establishing an official capital city. St. John's houses all three branches of government but most diplomatic missions are in Marble Hill.[14]
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.[15][16]
Tegucigalpa |  Honduras | North America | Comayagüela is declared in the Honduran Constitution as co-official capital with Tegucigalpa.[17] The cities have 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.
Tórshavn |  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]

1. ^ Sovereignty over the Spratly Islands is disputed by the PRC, the ROC, Vietnam, the Philippines (part), Malaysia (part), and Brunei (part).
2. ^ 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 gave 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]

1. ^ 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"
2. ^ "General Assembly Overwhelmingly Adopts Resolution Asking Nations Not to Locate Diplomatic Missions in Jerusalem | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases".
3. ^ See the CIA Factbook and Map of Israel
4. ^ Sharkansky, Ira (1996). Governing Jerusalem: Again on the world's agenda. Wayne State University Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-8143-2592-0.
5. ^ a b Jacobs, Frank (19 June 2012). "Amazonia or Bust!". New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
6. ^ "CIA - The World Factbook -- Western Sahara". June 12, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-06-12.
7. ^ "Governance | British Indian Ocean Territory". www.biot.gov.io. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
8. ^ "British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)" (PDF). Island Studies. University of Prince Edward Island.
9. ^ Fortin, Jacey (19 December 2012). "Poverty-Stricken Equatorial Guinea Builds Expensive Capital City In The Middle Of Nowhere". International Business Times.
10. ^ "Constitution of the Principality". Gouvernement Princier Principauté de Monaco. Principauté de Monaco. 17 December 1962. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
11. ^ "Monaco". Britannica. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
12. ^ "Nay Pyi Taw | national capital, Myanmar | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
13. ^ "Countries With More Than One Capital City". WorldAtlas. 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
14. ^ Hector, H. X. (2025-05-25). "Capital of Antigua and Barbuda". Axarplex. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
15. ^ "Mtskheta | Ancient Capital, UNESCO Site | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
16. ^ "Georgia marks day of ancient capital Mtskheta, Svetitskhoveli UNESCO monument". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
17. ^ "Constitution of Honduras" (PDF) (in Spanish). 2010-07-05. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2022-11-17.

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