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Capitals of Southern Europe

Every capital of Southern Europe beyond the essentials: a chapter of the Capitals of the World Book, with the traps and the stories behind them.

12 cards · Geography

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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)

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  • Capital of Portugal

    Show answer: Capital of Portugal

    Lisbon

    Learn more: Rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1755, it is the westernmost capital of mainland Europe.

  • Capital of Malta

    Show answer: Capital of Malta

    Valletta

    Learn more: Built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565; it is the smallest capital in the EU.

  • Capital of San Marino

    Show answer: Capital of San Marino

    San Marino

    Learn more: Perched on Monte Titano, it leads one of the oldest republics in the world, founded, legend says, in 301.

  • Capital of Vatican City

    Show answer: Capital of Vatican City

    Vatican City

    Learn more: The smallest country in the world is a city-state, so it is its own capital, inside Rome.

  • Capital of Albania

    Show answer: Capital of Albania

    Tirana

    Learn more: A small town until it was chosen as the capital in 1920; it is now known for its brightly painted buildings.

About this topic

Southern Europe's capitals range from Lisbon on the Atlantic to Nicosia, the last divided capital in Europe. This chapter covers the ones the essentials chapter left out: the Balkan capitals that were once part of Yugoslavia, the island capitals of Malta and Cyprus, and the city-states of San Marino and Vatican City. Several were renamed or rebuilt in the last century, so their stories are full of earthquakes, wars and new beginnings.

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 12 cards

  1. Capital of Portugal

    Lisbon

    Learn more: Rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1755, it is the westernmost capital of mainland Europe.

  2. Capital of Malta

    Valletta

    Learn more: Built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565; it is the smallest capital in the EU.

  3. Capital of San Marino

    San Marino

    Learn more: Perched on Monte Titano, it leads one of the oldest republics in the world, founded, legend says, in 301.

  4. Capital of Vatican City

    Vatican City

    Learn more: The smallest country in the world is a city-state, so it is its own capital, inside Rome.

  5. Capital of Albania

    Tirana

    Learn more: A small town until it was chosen as the capital in 1920; it is now known for its brightly painted buildings.

  6. Capital of North Macedonia

    Skopje

    Learn more: Mother Teresa was born here in 1910. Much of it was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1963.

  7. Capital of Montenegro

    Podgorica

    Learn more: Named Titograd, after Yugoslavia's leader Tito, from 1946 to 1992. The old royal capital is Cetinje.

  8. Capital of Croatia

    Zagreb

    Learn more: Croatia's capital lies inland on the Sava, far from Split and Dubrovnik on the Adriatic.

  9. Capital of Slovenia

    Ljubljana

    Learn more: A dragon sits on its coat of arms and guards its Dragon Bridge. Its name sounds like the word for "beloved".

  10. Capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Sarajevo

    Learn more: Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot here in 1914, setting off the First World War. It hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics.

  11. Capital of Serbia

    Belgrade

    Learn more: Its name means "white city". It sits where the Sava flows into the Danube.

  12. Capital of Cyprus

    Nicosia

    Learn more: A UN buffer zone has split it since 1974, between the Republic of Cyprus and the north.

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