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Capitals of Africa

Many African capitals are on the coast, especially in West Africa, but several countries moved their capital inland to a more central city, such as Abuja in Nigeria and Dodoma in Tanzania. In those countries the biggest and best-known city is not the capital, so think twice before tapping the famous name.

Every capital · 54 capitals

Easy to mix up

Niger or Nigeria?

Niamey, the capital of Niger, lies on the Niger River in the west of Niger. Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, is further south-east, near the geographic middle of Nigeria.

Kinshasa or Brazzaville?

These are the only two national capitals built on opposite banks of a river, within sight of each other. Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo) is on the north bank of the Congo River, Kinshasa (DR Congo) on the south bank.

Guinea or Guinea-Bissau?

Both capitals are ports on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Bissau is the northern one, in the small country between Senegal and Guinea; Conakry is further south-east, on a long, narrow peninsula.

Big port or inland capital?

In Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Tanzania the biggest city is on the coast (Lagos, Abidjan, Dar es Salaam), but the capital is inland: Abuja, Yamoussoukro and Dodoma.

Pretoria, Cape Town or Bloemfontein?

South Africa splits its government between three cities: Pretoria (administration), Cape Town (parliament) and Bloemfontein (courts). The game uses Pretoria, in the north-east, a short way north of Johannesburg.

Finding them on the globe

  • Most West African capitals are on the Atlantic coast; the inland ones are Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey in landlocked countries, plus Yamoussoukro and Abuja.
  • Follow the Nile north: Juba sits on the White Nile, Khartoum where the White and Blue Nile meet, and Cairo where the Nile valley opens into the delta.
  • Island capitals lie off both coasts: Praia and São Tomé in the Atlantic, Moroni, Victoria and Port Louis in the Indian Ocean. Antananarivo is inland, in the middle of Madagascar.
  • On the north coast, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli face the Mediterranean, but Rabat is on the Atlantic, at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river.