Spot the smooth-talking city that's lying about its job title.
By Richie.Zh01
30 Questions
L1 Difficulty
1 × 30 Points
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About This Quiz
Ever had a heated debate with someone who insisted Sydney was Australia's capital? Welcome to the club!
We've put together a collection of thirty of the world's most believable geography mix-ups. Each question has one smooth-talking imposter among three real pairs. These aren't random mistakes, though. They're the cities that fool tourists, trick trivia teams and make geography teachers weep.
From big financial centres pretending to be capitals to former capitals that won't give up their title, every wrong answer here has fooled millions before you. So, are you ready to separate the real seats of power from the pretenders?
[A] Switzerland—Zurich | Switzerland keeps things modest with Bern as its capital. Zurich just handles all the money and throws better parties, which apparently confuses everyone including Swiss tourists themselves.
2/30
Which one’s off?
[C] Tanzania—Dar es Salaam | Tanzania packed up and moved to Dodoma, but forgot to tell most of the world. Dar es Salaam still gets all the mail and keeps the beach views.
3/30
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[B] Netherlands—The Hague | Amsterdam wears the crown while The Hague does the paperwork. This governmental split personality has confused more tourists than Dutch bike lanes ever will.
4/30
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[D] Turkey—Istanbul | Ankara runs the country while Istanbul gets all the postcards. One has parliament, the other has two continents—guess which one tourists remember?
5/30
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[B] Sweden—Gothenburg | Stockholm rules Sweden, not Gothenburg. Sure, Gothenburg has Volvo and great seafood, but Stockholm has the crown jewels and ABBA museum, so there.
6/30
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[D] Kazakhstan—Almaty | Kazakhstan's capital is now Astana (after a few name changes). Almaty still has the best restaurants and nightlife, making Astana look like the responsible sibling nobody invites to parties.
7/30
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[A] New Zealand—Auckland | Wellington runs the country while Auckland hogs the spotlight. Classic case of the biggest kid in class not being class president.
8/30
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[C] Spain—Barcelona | Madrid holds the throne while Barcelona gets the beach, Gaudí, and Messi's old jersey. Politics versus paella—we know which one wins Instagram.
9/30
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[D] Czech Republic—Brno | Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic; Brno is the second-largest city and a judiciary hub, not the national capital.
10/30
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[B] Canada—Toronto | Ottawa politely runs Canada while Toronto rudely takes all the credit. Even Canadians sometimes forget Ottawa exists, and they're too nice to correct anyone.
11/30
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[A] South Africa—Johannesburg | Plot twist: South Africa has THREE capitals! Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial). Johannesburg just has the gold and attitude.
12/30
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[C] Morocco—Casablanca | Rabat runs Morocco, but nobody quotes "Rabat" in romantic movie scenes. Here's looking at you, wrong city that everyone thinks is the capital.
13/30
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[B] India—Mumbai | New Delhi governs while Mumbai makes the money and movies. Bollywood beats bureaucracy in the fame game every single time.
14/30
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[D] China—Shanghai | Beijing holds the power; Shanghai holds the cash. One has the Forbidden City, the other has the best soup dumplings. Tough call, but politics wins.
15/30
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[A] Brazil—São Paulo | Brasília's been the capital since 1960, but São Paulo still acts like it owns the place. Twenty million residents can't all be wrong, can they?
16/30
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[B] Colombia—Medellín | Bogotá calls the shots while Medellín wins innovation awards. Eternal spring weather doesn't automatically make you the capital, apparently.
17/30
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[D] United Arab Emirates—Dubai | Abu Dhabi runs the UAE while Dubai builds islands shaped like palm trees. Government work versus gold-plated everything—which would you remember?
18/30
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[A] Vietnam—Ho Chi Minh City | Hanoi governs Vietnam while Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) parties. North rules, south deals—a tale as old as reunification.
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[C] Indonesia—Bali | Jakarta runs Indonesia's 17,000 islands while Bali just runs Instagram. Yoga retreats don't equal governmental power, surprisingly.
20/30
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[B] Greece—Thessaloniki | Athens still holds the crown after 3,000 years. Thessaloniki makes great souvlaki but Socrates didn't philosophize there, so Athens wins.
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[D] Scotland—Glasgow | Edinburgh is Scotland's capital (though Scotland's part of the UK). Glasgow has the music scene and deep-fried Mars bars, but Edinburgh has the castle.
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[A] Ukraine—Kharkiv | Kyiv runs Ukraine while Kharkiv builds tractors. Both start with 'K' and have five letters, which apparently breaks some people's brains.
23/30
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[C] Croatia—Dubrovnik | Zagreb governs Croatia while Dubrovnik stars in fantasy shows. Dragons and city walls are cool, but parliament meetings happen in Zagreb.
24/30
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[D] Libya—Benghazi | Tripoli runs Libya, though Benghazi keeps making headlines. Eastern challenger versus western capital—a Mediterranean classic since ancient times.
25/30
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[A] Portugal—Porto | Lisbon leads while Porto pours the wine. One has government buildings, the other has port wine cellars. Tough choice after three glasses.
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[A] Canada—Vancouver | Vancouver has mountains and mild weather, but Ottawa has Parliament Hill and poutine politics. Sorry, West Coast, the capital stays east.
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[C] Myanmar—Yangon | Myanmar built Naypyidaw in the jungle and called it capital. Yangon kept the people, businesses, and common sense.
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[C] Czech Republic—Ostrava | Prague runs the Czech Republic while Ostrava mines coal. Industrial powerhouse doesn't mean political powerhouse—Prague's got the castle to prove it.
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[D] Nigeria—Lagos | Abuja took over in 1991, but Lagos still acts like the boss. Twenty million people create traffic jams that make you forget who's really in charge.
30/30
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[A] Palau—Koror | Palau moved to Ngerulmud but most Palauans stayed in Koror. Smallest capital city in the world? More like loneliest—population: 400.