South America Capitals Quiz: 12 Countries

Pick the right answer from four options.

Twelve-ish capitals, one afternoon, full mastery: the South America capitals quiz covers all 12 countries, and it’s the most completable capitals challenge on the site. It also packs three of the best capital-city stories anywhere, which is a lot of trivia density for such a short list.

Small list, big stories

Story one: Bolivia has two capitals, and both answers are right. Sucre holds the constitutional title and the judiciary; La Paz hosts the government and legislature. The arrangement dates to a compromise after Bolivia’s 1899 civil conflict, and it comes with a bonus superlative: La Paz is the world’s highest national capital, sitting above 3,600 meters. Visitors are advised to take the altitude seriously. Quiz players are advised to take Sucre and La Paz seriously.

Story two: Brazil’s capital was built on purpose. Brasília was carved out of the interior plateau in 41 months and inaugurated in April 1960, moving the capital inland from Rio de Janeiro by design rather than history. It remains the textbook planned capital, and “Rio” remains the textbook wrong answer.

Story three: the quiz’s quiet trap, Suriname and Guyana. Paramaribo and Georgetown belong to the two small northeastern countries that most players placed correctly in the South America map quiz and then never thought about again. They’re the difference between 90% and 100% here.

The rest are pleasingly guessable: Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima, Bogotá, Quito, Caracas, Montevideo, Asunción. Several are their country’s dominant city, a rarity that makes this continent the gentle exception to the capital-quiz rule that fame misleads.

The one-session sweep

Run this quiz in multiple choice, flip to type-in, replay the misses (it’ll be the Guianas, it’s always the Guianas), then run capital-to-country to seal it. Under an hour, permanent knowledge. Chain it with the South America flag quiz for the continent trifecta, then spend your winnings on the Africa capitals quiz, where the real climb starts.

More capitals quizzes

World Capitals QuizTwenty capitals from well-known countries. Watch for the traps.Europe Capitals QuizEuropean capitals, from the famous to the frequently missed.Africa Capitals QuizAfrican capitals, the toughest capitals set on the site.Asia Capitals QuizAsian capitals from Tokyo to Thimphu.

Keep going with South America

South America Flag QuizSouth America Map QuizHow many countries are in South America?

Frequently asked questions

How many capitals does this quiz cover?

The capitals of all 12 South American UN members, counting both of Bolivia’s, so the answer pool slightly exceeds the country count. Either Sucre or La Paz scores as correct for Bolivia, matching how the country itself splits the role.

Why does Bolivia have two capitals?

A power-sharing outcome of the 1899 conflict between Bolivia’s regions: Sucre kept the constitutional capital title and the courts, while La Paz took the seat of government. More than a century later the split stands, and quizzes everywhere are grateful.

What’s special about La Paz geographically?

At over 3,600 meters above sea level, it’s the highest national capital on Earth, high enough that arriving flights land at an airport nicknamed for the altitude and new visitors are told to rest on day one. Quito, Ecuador’s capital, is the other high-altitude entry on this continent.

Is this the easiest capitals quiz on the site?

By completion time, yes: 12 countries against Europe’s 44, Asia’s 46, and Africa’s 54. By trick density, surprisingly no, thanks to Bolivia’s double answer and the Guianas. Easiest to finish, still satisfying to perfect.