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Capitals of the Americas

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

25 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 Guatemala

    Show answer: Capital of Guatemala

    Guatemala City

    Learn more: After earthquakes ruined Antigua in 1773, the capital moved to this new site.

  • Capital of Belize

    Show answer: Capital of Belize

    Belmopan

    Learn more: Built in the 1960s after Hurricane Hattie wrecked the old capital on the coast, which is still bigger.

  • Capital of Honduras

    Show answer: Capital of Honduras

    Tegucigalpa

    Learn more: A mountain city whose Toncontín airport is known for one of the hardest landings in the world.

  • Capital of El Salvador

    Show answer: Capital of El Salvador

    San Salvador

    Learn more: It sits below the San Salvador volcano and has been rebuilt after many earthquakes.

  • Capital of Nicaragua

    Show answer: Capital of Nicaragua

    Managua

    Learn more: An earthquake in 1972 destroyed its centre, which was never fully rebuilt.

About this topic

This chapter covers every capital of the Americas that the essentials chapter left out: Central America, the islands of the Caribbean and the rest of South America. Some were moved after earthquakes or hurricanes, like Belmopan, built inland after a storm wrecked Belize City. Watch for Bolivia, whose constitution names Sucre while the government sits in La Paz, and for the tiny island nations, whose capitals are often small harbour towns.

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 25 cards

  1. Capital of Guatemala

    Guatemala City

    Learn more: After earthquakes ruined Antigua in 1773, the capital moved to this new site.

  2. Capital of Belize

    Belmopan

    Learn more: Built in the 1960s after Hurricane Hattie wrecked the old capital on the coast, which is still bigger.

  3. Capital of Honduras

    Tegucigalpa

    Learn more: A mountain city whose Toncontín airport is known for one of the hardest landings in the world.

  4. Capital of El Salvador

    San Salvador

    Learn more: It sits below the San Salvador volcano and has been rebuilt after many earthquakes.

  5. Capital of Nicaragua

    Managua

    Learn more: An earthquake in 1972 destroyed its centre, which was never fully rebuilt.

  6. Capital of Costa Rica

    San José

    Learn more: It became the capital in 1823. Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948.

  7. Capital of Panama

    Panama City

    Learn more: Founded in 1519, it was the first European city on the Pacific coast of the Americas.

  8. Capital of Haiti

    Port-au-Prince

    Learn more: Haiti became the first free Black republic in 1804. Its capital was badly hit by the 2010 earthquake.

  9. Capital of the Dominican Republic

    Santo Domingo

    Learn more: Founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus, it has the first cathedral built in the Americas.

  10. Capital of the Bahamas

    Nassau

    Learn more: In the early 1700s it was a base for pirates such as Blackbeard.

  11. Capital of Barbados

    Bridgetown

    Learn more: Its old town and British garrison are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  12. Capital of Trinidad and Tobago

    Port of Spain

    Learn more: Its Carnival before Lent, with steelpan music invented on the island, is one of the biggest in the world.

  13. Capital of Dominica

    Roseau

    Learn more: Not to be confused with the Dominican Republic: Dominica is a small, green island in the eastern Caribbean.

  14. Capital of Grenada

    St. George's

    Learn more: Its harbour is a flooded volcanic crater. Grenada is called the Spice Isle for its nutmeg.

  15. Capital of Saint Lucia

    Castries

    Learn more: Named in 1785 after the Marquis de Castries; fires burned much of it down several times.

  16. Capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

    Kingstown

    Learn more: Known as the "city of arches". Its botanical garden, from 1765, is one of the oldest in the Americas.

  17. Capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Basseterre

    Learn more: One of the oldest towns in the eastern Caribbean, founded by the French in 1627.

  18. Capital of Antigua and Barbuda

    St. John's

    Learn more: Antigua is said to have 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.

  19. Capital of Venezuela

    Caracas

    Learn more: Simón Bolívar, who freed much of South America from Spain, was born here in 1783.

  20. Capital of Ecuador

    Quito

    Learn more: At about 2,850 m, it is one of the highest capitals; its old town was among the first UNESCO sites, in 1978.

  21. Bolivia's constitutional capital

    Sucre

    Learn more: La Paz is the seat of government and the highest capital in the world, but the constitution names this city.

  22. Capital of Paraguay

    Asunción

    Learn more: Founded in 1537, it is one of the oldest cities in South America, called the "mother of cities".

  23. Capital of Uruguay

    Montevideo

    Learn more: The southernmost capital in the Americas, and home to almost half of all Uruguayans.

  24. Capital of Guyana

    Georgetown

    Learn more: Much of it lies below high-tide level, behind a sea wall built by the Dutch and the British.

  25. Capital of Suriname

    Paramaribo

    Learn more: The only capital in South America where Dutch is the official language. Its wooden old town is a UNESCO site.

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