World Capitals

World capital questions are one of the most frequently repeated General Knowledge categories in the LAT and similar admission tests. A 'capital' is the city where a country's government and seat of power are located — it is not always the largest or most famous city of that country (for example, the capital of the USA is Washington, not New York; the capital of Turkey is Ankara, not Istanbul; the capital of Pakistan is Islamabad, not Karachi).

Key capitals to memorise, organised by region:

• South Asia: Pakistan – Islamabad, India – New Delhi, Sri Lanka – Colombo
• Middle East: Turkey – Ankara, Kuwait – Kuwait City, Israel – Jerusalem, Iraq – Baghdad, UAE – Abu Dhabi, Yemen – Sanaa
• East & South-East Asia: China – Beijing, Japan – Tokyo, North Korea – Pyongyang, South Korea – Seoul, Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia – Jakarta, Singapore – Singapore City, Taiwan – Taipei
• Europe: UK – London, Spain – Madrid, Italy – Rome, Germany – Berlin, Poland – Warsaw, Bulgaria – Sofia, Finland – Helsinki, Romania – Bucharest, Slovakia – Bratislava, Switzerland – Bern, Netherlands – Amsterdam, Sweden – Stockholm, Monaco – Monaco Ville
• Africa: Uganda – Kampala, Chad – N'Djamena, Kenya – Nairobi, Sudan – Khartoum, Angola – Luanda
• Americas: USA – Washington D.C., Brazil – Brasilia, Chile – Santiago, Jamaica – Kingston
• Central Asia: Kazakhstan – Astana, Uzbekistan – Tashkent, Afghanistan – Kabul, Azerbaijan – Baku
• Oceania: Australia – Canberra, New Zealand – Wellington
• Others: Philippines – Manila City, Maldives – Male

Tip: Examiners often mix in a nearby wrong-but-plausible city (e.g. offering 'Istanbul' or 'Sydney' as a distractor). Always pair the country with its correct capital rather than its most famous city.