Capitals of North Africa and the Middle East
Every capital of North Africa and the Middle East beyond the essentials: a chapter of Capitals of the World, with its traps and stories.
17 cards · Geography
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the chapter a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 27 Oct 2026
Sources: List of national capitals (Wikipedia), The World Factbook (CIA)
Preview
Capital of Libya
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Tripoli
Learn more: Founded by the Phoenicians; its walled old town and Red Castle overlook the harbour.
Capital of Tunisia
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Tunis
Learn more: The ruins of ancient Carthage, Rome's great rival, lie in its suburbs.
Capital of Algeria
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Algiers
Learn more: Its white buildings rising from the bay earned it the name "the White"; the Casbah is a UNESCO site.
Capital of Sudan
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Khartoum
Learn more: The Blue Nile and the White Nile join here to form the Nile.
Capital of Yemen
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Sanaa
Learn more: Its old town of mud-brick tower houses, some over 1,000 years old, is a UNESCO site.
About this topic
This chapter covers the capitals of North Africa and the Middle East that the essentials chapter left out, from Tripoli on the Mediterranean to Muscat on the Arabian Sea. Some are among the oldest cities still lived in, like Damascus; others grew from fishing and pearling towns into modern cities within a lifetime. Two cards ask about seats of government rather than capitals, because the status of Jerusalem is disputed: each explains why.
This is a chapter of the Capitals of the World Book. Each card asks one question, with a hint before you answer and a short reason after. Once you know most of this chapter, the next one starts arriving in your Daily Zap.
All 17 cards
Capital of Libya
Tripoli
Learn more: Founded by the Phoenicians; its walled old town and Red Castle overlook the harbour.
Capital of Tunisia
Tunis
Learn more: The ruins of ancient Carthage, Rome's great rival, lie in its suburbs.
Capital of Algeria
Algiers
Learn more: Its white buildings rising from the bay earned it the name "the White"; the Casbah is a UNESCO site.
Capital of Sudan
Khartoum
Learn more: The Blue Nile and the White Nile join here to form the Nile.
Capital of Yemen
Sanaa
Learn more: Its old town of mud-brick tower houses, some over 1,000 years old, is a UNESCO site.
Capital of Oman
Muscat
Learn more: Ringed by rocky mountains, it traded with India and Africa for centuries.
Capital of the United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi
Learn more: Dubai is better known, but the biggest emirate, Abu Dhabi, holds the federal capital.
Capital of Qatar
Doha
Learn more: Once a small pearl-fishing town, it hosted the football World Cup in 2022.
Capital of Bahrain
Manama
Learn more: Bahrain is an island country, linked to Saudi Arabia by a 25 km causeway.
Capital of Kuwait
Kuwait City
Learn more: Most Kuwaitis live in and around it, and its Kuwait Towers are the country's symbol.
Capital of Iraq
Baghdad
Learn more: Founded in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid caliphs, it was then one of the largest cities in the world.
Capital of Iran
Tehran
Learn more: Capital since 1786, it is now one of the largest cities in Western Asia.
Capital of Syria
Damascus
Learn more: People have lived here for thousands of years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.
Capital of Lebanon
Beirut
Learn more: Rebuilt many times; a huge explosion at its port in 2020 killed more than 200 people.
Capital of Jordan
Amman
Learn more: Called Philadelphia in Roman times; its Roman theatre still seats about 6,000 people.
Israel's seat of government
Jerusalem
Learn more: Israel's parliament and government sit here, but its status is disputed and most embassies are in Tel Aviv.
Palestine's seat of government
Ramallah
Learn more: The Palestinian Authority works from here; Palestine claims East Jerusalem as its capital.
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