Capitals World Map

Capital city records

The largest, smallest, oldest and newest capital cities in the world. Sort a column to see its top 15, or narrow down to a continent.

All countries and their capital cities

The complete list of all 195 countries with their capital city and continent, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

Frequently asked questions

• How many capital cities are there in the world? +

  There are 195 capital cities in the world, spread across six continents. The exact number depends on how you count: the United Nations has 193 member states, and a few countries have more than one capital or a disputed one.

• What is the largest capital city in the world? +

  New Delhi, the capital of India, is the largest capital city in the world with around 32,226,000 residents. Other giants include Beijing (China) and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

• What is the smallest capital city in the world? +

  Ngerulmud, the capital of Palau, is the smallest capital city in the world with only about 391 residents. Vatican City and Yaren (Nauru) are close runners-up.

• Which countries have more than one capital city? +

  South Africa is the best-known example, with three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial). Bolivia splits its government between Sucre (constitutional capital) and La Paz (seat of government), and the Netherlands has Amsterdam as its constitutional capital while the government sits in The Hague.