African Capitals Quiz

All 54 African capital cities.

All 54 African capitals. The largest single block on the site and the one that most improves a world score — and the source of half this site's search traffic.

The block worth the most

Africa has 54 sovereign states, more than any other continent. For most people it is also the largest gap: a typical first attempt gets perhaps fifteen. That combination — high count, low baseline — makes it the highest-value continent to study. Clearing Africa adds more to a world capitals score than clearing Europe and South America together.

Work it region by region

North Africa (7) — the most familiar block. Egypt/Cairo, Libya/Tripoli, Tunisia/Tunis, Algeria/Algiers, Morocco/Rabat, Sudan/Khartoum, and Western Sahara's disputed status. Two traps: Morocco is Rabat, not Casablanca, and Tunisia is Tunis while Algeria is Algiers — both capitals closely resemble their country's name, which helps.

West Africa (16) — the biggest and hardest block. Nigeria/Abuja, Ghana/Accra, Senegal/Dakar, Mali/Bamako, Burkina Faso/Ouagadougou, Niger/Niamey, Guinea/Conakry, Guinea-Bissau/Bissau, Sierra Leone/Freetown, Liberia/Monrovia, Côte d'Ivoire/Yamoussoukro, Togo/Lomé, Benin/Porto-Novo, The Gambia/Banjul, Cabo Verde/Praia, Mauritania/Nouakchott.

Three things make this block tractable: - Several capitals nearly share their country's name — Guinea-Bissau/Bissau, Djibouti/Djibouti, Tunisia/Tunis, Algeria/Algiers. - Nigeria is Abuja, not Lagos. Lagos is far larger; the capital moved to Abuja in 1991 for a more central location. - Côte d'Ivoire has two answers: Yamoussoukro is the official capital, Abidjan is the largest city and where much of the government actually operates. Quizzes usually want Yamoussoukro.

East Africa (14) — Kenya/Nairobi, Ethiopia/Addis Ababa, Tanzania/Dodoma, Uganda/Kampala, Rwanda/Kigali, Burundi/Gitega, Somalia/Mogadishu, South Sudan/Juba, Eritrea/Asmara, Djibouti/Djibouti, Madagascar/Antananarivo, Comoros/Moroni, Seychelles/Victoria, Mauritius/Port Louis.

Two moved recently: Tanzania is Dodoma, not Dar es Salaam, and Burundi is Gitega, not Bujumbura — Burundi moved its political capital in 2019, and older quizzes and textbooks still say Bujumbura.

Central Africa (9) — Cameroon/Yaoundé, Chad/N'Djamena, Central African Republic/Bangui, Gabon/Libreville, Equatorial Guinea/Malabo, São Tomé and Príncipe/São Tomé, Republic of the Congo/Brazzaville, DR Congo/Kinshasa, Angola/Luanda.

The two Congos are the classic trap: the Republic of the Congo's capital is Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's is Kinshasa. They face each other across the Congo River and are the two closest capital cities of different countries in the world — which is the hook that makes them stick.

Southern Africa (8) — South Africa, Namibia/Windhoek, Botswana/Gaborone, Zimbabwe/Harare, Zambia/Lusaka, Malawi/Lilongwe, Mozambique/Maputo, Eswatini/Mbabane, Lesotho/Maseru.

South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial). Most quizzes accept Pretoria; the complete answer is all three.

The ones that moved

Worth a separate list, because outdated sources are a real source of wrong answers:

Nigeria — Lagos to Abuja, 1991.
Tanzania — Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, officially 1974, completed much later.
Burundi — Bujumbura to Gitega, 2019.
Côte d'Ivoire — Abidjan to Yamoussoukro, 1983, though Abidjan remains the working centre.

How long Africa takes

Longer than any other continent — realistically three to four weeks of short sessions. Do it in the five regional blocks above and finish one before starting the next. Trying to shuffle all 54 at once is the reason most people abandon it.

Where to go next

African Flags covers the identical 54 countries, and doing the two together roughly halves the total effort compared with learning each in isolation.

Frequently asked questions

How many countries are in Africa?

54 sovereign states recognised by the United Nations, more than any other continent. Western Sahara's status is disputed, which is why some sources give 55.

What is the capital of Nigeria?

Abuja. Lagos is much larger and was the capital until 1991, when it moved to Abuja — a purpose-built city chosen for its central location and its neutrality between the country's regions. Lagos remains the commercial centre.

What is the difference between Brazzaville and Kinshasa?

Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of the Congo; Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They sit directly opposite each other across the Congo River and are the two closest capital cities of different countries anywhere in the world.

Why does South Africa have three capitals?

It was a compromise at union in 1910. Pretoria holds the executive, Cape Town the legislature, and Bloemfontein the judiciary, splitting the functions between the former colonies rather than giving any one city all of them. Most quizzes accept Pretoria.

Which African capitals changed recently?

Burundi moved its political capital from Bujumbura to Gitega in 2019, which many sources have not updated. Nigeria moved to Abuja in 1991, Tanzania to Dodoma, and Côte d'Ivoire designated Yamoussoukro in 1983 while Abidjan remained the working centre.

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