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Capitals of the Americas

Capitals of the Americas: a chapter of the Capitals of the World Book, with the capitals people get wrong and the stories behind them.

10 cards · Geography

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Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the deck a few at a time.

Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 26 Oct 2026

Sources: List of national capitals (Wikipedia), The World Factbook (CIA)

Preview

  • Capital of the United States

    Show answer: Capital of the United States

    Washington, D.C.

    Learn more: It belongs to no state: the District of Columbia was set apart so that no state would host the government.

  • Capital of Canada

    Show answer: Capital of Canada

    Ottawa

    Learn more: Picked in 1857, partly because it sat between English-speaking Toronto and French-speaking Montreal.

  • Capital of Brazil

    Show answer: Capital of Brazil

    Brasília

    Learn more: Built from nothing in about four years, it opened in 1960 and replaced Rio de Janeiro.

  • Capital of Mexico

    Show answer: Capital of Mexico

    Mexico City

    Learn more: It stands where Tenochtitlan stood, and parts of it sink a little every year as the old lakebed dries.

  • Capital of Argentina

    Show answer: Capital of Argentina

    Buenos Aires

    Learn more: Its name means 'fair winds', and its people are called porteños, 'people of the port'.

About this topic

From Canada to Chile, the capitals of the Americas tell the story of empires and independence. Some were Spanish colonial cities, such as Lima and Havana; others were picked or built to keep rival regions happy, such as Ottawa, Washington and Brasília. Many capitals were chosen as a compromise between rival cities, and some were built from nothing to give a country a fresh start.

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 10 cards

  1. Capital of the United States

    Washington, D.C.

    Learn more: It belongs to no state: the District of Columbia was set apart so that no state would host the government.

  2. Capital of Canada

    Ottawa

    Learn more: Picked in 1857, partly because it sat between English-speaking Toronto and French-speaking Montreal.

  3. Capital of Brazil

    Brasília

    Learn more: Built from nothing in about four years, it opened in 1960 and replaced Rio de Janeiro.

  4. Capital of Mexico

    Mexico City

    Learn more: It stands where Tenochtitlan stood, and parts of it sink a little every year as the old lakebed dries.

  5. Capital of Argentina

    Buenos Aires

    Learn more: Its name means 'fair winds', and its people are called porteños, 'people of the port'.

  6. Capital of Colombia

    Bogotá

    Learn more: One of the world's highest big capitals, it has mild, spring-like weather all year round.

  7. Capital of Peru

    Lima

    Learn more: The Spanish built it on the coast; the Inca capital had been Cusco, high in the mountains.

  8. Capital of Chile

    Santiago

    Learn more: Chile's congress meets in Valparaíso on the coast, but the president and government sit here.

  9. Capital of Cuba

    Havana

    Learn more: Its old town and forts were built to guard Spain's treasure fleets in the Caribbean.

  10. Capital of Jamaica

    Kingston

    Learn more: Bob Marley grew up in its Trench Town district, and it has one of the world's largest natural harbours.

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