Capitals of South America

South America has 12 capital cities. Below you'll find all South American capitals on a map and in a list with their country and population. The largest is Lima, the capital of Peru; the smallest is Georgetown in Guyana.

Map of the capitals of South America

Map of South America with all 12 capital cities marked and labelled
All 12 capitals of South America. Full-size PNG · SVG · Free to use with credit, see licence.

List of South American capitals

All 12 countries of South America and their capital city, in alphabetical order by country.

CountryCapitalPopulation
ArgentinaBuenos Aires2,890,151
BoliviaSucre280,585
BrazilBrasília3,055,149
ChileSantiago5,614,000
ColombiaBogotá7,181,469
EcuadorQuito2,781,641
GuyanaGeorgetown118,363
ParaguayAsunción3,222,000
PeruLima10,719,000
SurinameParamaribo240,924
UruguayMontevideo1,381,611
VenezuelaCaracas2,935,744

Largest and smallest South American capitals

Largest by population

  1. Lima, Peru: 10,719,000
  2. Bogotá, Colombia: 7,181,469
  3. Santiago, Chile: 5,614,000
  4. Asunción, Paraguay: 3,222,000
  5. Brasília, Brazil: 3,055,149

Smallest by population

  1. Georgetown, Guyana: 118,363
  2. Paramaribo, Suriname: 240,924
  3. Sucre, Bolivia: 280,585
  4. Montevideo, Uruguay: 1,381,611
  5. Quito, Ecuador: 2,781,641

Populations are estimates for the city itself, not the metropolitan area.

Which countries are included?

South America has 12 independent countries. French Guiana is part of France and the Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory, so neither has a capital in this list.

Good to know

  • Bolivia's constitutional capital is Sucre, but the government sits in La Paz.
  • Brasília was built from scratch in the interior and replaced Rio de Janeiro as Brazil's capital in 1960.
  • La Paz, Quito and Bogotá are among the highest capital cities in the world, all at more than 2,500 metres.

Do you know them all?

Test yourself in the capital cities quiz: we name a country, you type its capital. Three levels, ten questions per round.

Play the capitals quiz

Frequently asked questions

  • How many capitals are there in South America?

    South America has 12 independent countries. French Guiana is part of France and the Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory, so neither has a capital in this list.

  • What is the largest capital city in South America?

    Lima (Peru), with about 10,719,000 inhabitants in the city itself. It is followed by Bogotá (Colombia) and Santiago (Chile).

  • What is the smallest capital city in South America?

    Georgetown (Guyana), with about 118,363 inhabitants. Other small capitals in South America are Paramaribo (Suriname) and Sucre (Bolivia).

Capitals of other continents