Can You Name All 54 African Capitals? Most People Can't Get Past 20
Updated March 2026
Africa is the continent where geography knowledge breaks down for most people. Even dedicated quiz players can typically name the capitals of Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Morocco — then hit a wall. But Africa has 54 recognised countries, each with a capital. Here is the complete list, grouped by region, with the tricky ones highlighted.
North Africa (6 capitals — most people know these)
Cairo (Egypt), Tripoli (Libya), Tunis (Tunisia), Algiers (Algeria), Rabat (Morocco), Nouakchott (Mauritania). The one people miss: Rabat, not Casablanca, is the capital of Morocco.
West Africa (15 capitals — this is where it gets hard)
Dakar (Senegal), Banjul (Gambia), Bissau (Guinea-Bissau), Conakry (Guinea), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Monrovia (Liberia), Yamoussoukro (Ivory Coast), Accra (Ghana), Lomé (Togo), Porto-Novo (Benin), Abuja (Nigeria), Niamey (Niger), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Bamako (Mali), Praia (Cape Verde).
Tricky ones: Yamoussoukro, not Abidjan, is the capital of Ivory Coast. Abuja, not Lagos, is the capital of Nigeria. Porto-Novo, not Cotonou, is the capital of Benin. And Ouagadougou is one of the hardest capital names to spell in the entire world.
Central Africa (9 capitals)
Yaoundé (Cameroon), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Libreville (Gabon), Brazzaville (Republic of Congo), Kinshasa (DR Congo), Bangui (Central African Republic), N'Djamena (Chad), São Tomé (São Tomé and Príncipe), Luanda (Angola).
Fun fact: Brazzaville and Kinshasa are the closest pair of capital cities in the world, sitting directly across the Congo River from each other.
East Africa (11 capitals)
Khartoum (Sudan), Juba (South Sudan), Asmara (Eritrea), Djibouti (Djibouti), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Mogadishu (Somalia), Nairobi (Kenya), Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda), Gitega (Burundi), Dodoma (Tanzania).
The trap: Dodoma, not Dar es Salaam, is the capital of Tanzania. And Burundi recently moved its capital from Bujumbura to Gitega — many maps have not been updated.
Southern Africa (13 capitals)
Lusaka (Zambia), Lilongwe (Malawi), Maputo (Mozambique), Harare (Zimbabwe), Gaborone (Botswana), Windhoek (Namibia), Pretoria (South Africa), Mbabane (Eswatini), Maseru (Lesotho), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Port Louis (Mauritius), Moroni (Comoros), Victoria (Seychelles).
South Africa actually has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). Most quizzes accept Pretoria.
How Many Did You Know?
If you got 30 or more, you are in the top 5% of geography knowledge globally. If you got fewer than 15, do not worry — that is completely normal. The best way to learn is through daily exposure rather than cramming.
Capitalle features African capitals regularly in its daily puzzles. Playing every day for a month will dramatically improve your Africa knowledge without any conscious studying.