Capitals of Northern and Western Europe
Every capital of Northern and Western Europe beyond the essentials: a chapter of the Capitals of the World Book, with the traps and the stories behind them.
14 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 Denmark
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Denmark
Copenhagen
Learn more: Its name means "merchants' harbour". The Little Mermaid statue has sat in its harbour since 1913.
Capital of Sweden
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Sweden
Stockholm
Learn more: Spread over 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. Most Nobel Prizes are handed out here each December.
Capital of Finland
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Finland
Helsinki
Learn more: Russia's tsar made it the capital in 1812: closer to Saint Petersburg than Turku, the old capital.
Capital of Iceland
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Iceland
Reykjavík
Learn more: Its name means "smoky bay", after the steam of its hot springs. Most homes are heated with geothermal water.
Capital of Estonia
Show answerHide answer: Capital of Estonia
Tallinn
Learn more: Its walled old town, once a Hanseatic trading port, is one of the best kept in Europe.
About this topic
From the Nordic capitals on the Baltic to the small states of the Alps and the Riviera, this chapter covers every capital of Northern and Western Europe that the essentials chapter left out. Some are among the oldest cities on the continent, and a few are so small that the country and its capital share a name. Watch for the Baltic capitals, which are easy to mix up, and for Lithuania, whose capital between the wars was not Vilnius.
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 14 cards
Capital of Denmark
Copenhagen
Learn more: Its name means "merchants' harbour". The Little Mermaid statue has sat in its harbour since 1913.
Capital of Sweden
Stockholm
Learn more: Spread over 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. Most Nobel Prizes are handed out here each December.
Capital of Finland
Helsinki
Learn more: Russia's tsar made it the capital in 1812: closer to Saint Petersburg than Turku, the old capital.
Capital of Iceland
Reykjavík
Learn more: Its name means "smoky bay", after the steam of its hot springs. Most homes are heated with geothermal water.
Capital of Estonia
Tallinn
Learn more: Its walled old town, once a Hanseatic trading port, is one of the best kept in Europe.
Capital of Latvia
Riga
Learn more: Founded in 1201, it is the largest city of the three Baltic states, famous for its Art Nouveau buildings.
Capital of Lithuania
Vilnius
Learn more: Kaunas was the temporary capital between the two world wars, while Poland held this city.
Capital of the United Kingdom
London
Learn more: Founded by the Romans as Londinium almost 2,000 years ago, on the River Thames.
Capital of Belgium
Brussels
Learn more: It hosts the European Commission and NATO, and it is officially bilingual, French and Dutch.
Capital of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Learn more: A city of cliffs and old fortress walls, and one of the three official seats of the EU institutions.
Capital of Austria
Vienna
Learn more: Capital of the Habsburg empire for centuries; Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn all worked here.
Capital of Liechtenstein
Vaduz
Learn more: A town of about 6,000 people, under the castle of the prince of Liechtenstein.
Capital of Monaco
Monaco
Learn more: Monaco is a city-state: country and capital are one. Monte Carlo, with its casino, is one of its districts.
Capital of Andorra
Andorra la Vella
Learn more: At about 1,023 m in the Pyrenees, it is the highest capital city in Europe.
More geography decks
Essential capitals: Europe
Capitals of Europe: a chapter of the Capitals of the World Book, with the capitals people get wrong and the stories behind them.
10 cards · meet them all in 2 days
About 1 min a day
Ancient wonders
Ancient wonders: a chapter of the Wonders of the World Book, with a photo of each wonder and the story behind it.
10 cards · meet them all in 2 days
About 1 min a day
Capitals of Central and East Africa
Every capital of Central and East Africa beyond the essentials: a chapter of the Capitals of the World Book, with the traps and the stories behind them.
15 cards · meet them all in 3 days
About 2 min a day