Countries, Capitals & Currencies: A World Reference Guide

If you were asked for the capital of Pakistan, Turkey or Australia, would the answer be the biggest city, the most famous city or the city where the government actually sits? These are not always the same, and that is exactly where most mistakes happen. This article is a reference guide to the capitals and currencies of 135 major countries, grouped by region, with special attention to capitals that trip people up, countries that have moved their capital, and the way currencies share names and sometimes whole countries.

1.How Many Countries Are There?

The most common answer is 195: the 193 member states of the United Nations plus two UN observer states, the Holy See (Vatican City) and the State of Palestine. Totals differ between sources because a few places have disputed political status, and countries do not always agree on whether to recognise them. For tests, the safest answer is "193 UN member states".

The map of continents and oceans, which gives the physical setting for all of these countries, is covered in our article on continents and oceans. National days and independence are covered in National Days and Independence Around the World, and national animals, birds and flowers in National Symbols of the Countries.

2.What Is a Capital?

A capital is the city where a country's national government is based. It usually contains the head of government's office, the parliament and the highest courts, and often the foreign embassies. Capitals are often not the largest city, and some countries split the functions of a capital between two or three cities.

3.Reference Tables: Capitals and Currencies

Use the search box to find a country, a capital or a currency, or open each region's list. Where a country has more than one capital, the table says so. Currency names are followed by their international three-letter codes (ISO 4217). Capitals and currencies can change, so for exams or projects confirm important details with an official source.

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4.Capitals That Are Not the Biggest City

In many countries the capital is smaller than a more famous commercial city. Students often guess the famous city by mistake.

• Pakistan: Islamabad is the capital, while Karachi is the largest city and was the first capital after independence.
• Turkey: Ankara is the capital, not Istanbul.
• Nigeria: Abuja has been the capital since 1991; Lagos, the largest city, was the capital before.
• Brazil: Brasília, not Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo.
• Canada, Australia and New Zealand: Ottawa, Canberra and Wellington, rather than Toronto, Sydney and Auckland.
• The United States: Washington, D.C., not New York.

5.Countries With More Than One Capital

A few capitals are disputed. For example, Israel declares Jerusalem its capital, but the status of Jerusalem is disputed internationally, and many countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv. Because such questions are sensitive, textbooks and exams usually say "according to" a particular source or position.

6.Purpose-Built Capitals and Capital Moves

Some countries chose a new site rather than an existing city, often to balance regions or to avoid favouring one big city.

• Washington, D.C. was created after the Residence Act of 1790, and Congress moved there in 1800.
• Canberra was chosen in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, and Parliament moved there in 1927.
• Brasília was built from scratch in the interior and inaugurated in 1960.
• Islamabad was planned in the early 1960s, with a master plan by the Greek architect Constantinos Doxiadis. Karachi had been the first capital, and Rawalpindi served as the interim capital while Islamabad was built.
• Abuja became Nigeria's capital in 1991, moving from Lagos.
• Naypyidaw replaced Yangon as Myanmar's seat of government in 2005–2006.
• Astana became Kazakhstan's capital in 1997, replacing Almaty. It was renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019, and renamed Astana again in 2022.

7.How Currencies Work

A currency is a country's official money. Each has a name (such as rupee), a three-letter code (PKR for the Pakistani rupee) and usually a smaller unit (such as 100 paisa in a rupee). The same name is often used by several countries, but they are different currencies with different values:

• Rupee: Pakistan (PKR), India (INR), Sri Lanka (LKR), Nepal (NPR) and Mauritius (MUR).
• Dollar: the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and many others.
• Dinar and riyal: used by many Arab countries.

Shared currencies. The euro is used by 21 of the European Union's 27 countries as of 2026, after Croatia joined in 2023 and Bulgaria on 1 January 2026. Two groups of West and Central African countries each share a CFA franc. Ecuador and El Salvador use the US dollar as their official currency.

Exchange rates tell you how much of one currency buys another. They change constantly, so any number in a textbook is only an example.

8.Largest and Smallest Countries

• Largest by area: Russia (about 17.1 million km²), followed by Canada. The United States and China are very close in size, and their order depends on how the measurements are made.
• Smallest by area: Vatican City (about 0.44 km²), followed by Monaco and Nauru.
• Most populous: India overtook China in 2023 according to UN estimates. The United States, Indonesia and Pakistan follow, and Pakistan is among the five most populous countries in the world.

9.Key Terms

10.Common Mistakes

• Naming the largest or most famous city as the capital: Istanbul, Sydney, Lagos, Karachi, New York.
• Forgetting that some countries have two or three capitals.
• Saying there are 195 UN members. There are 193 member states; the 195 figure adds two observers.
• Assuming currencies with the same name have the same value. A Pakistani rupee is not an Indian rupee.
• Using an old answer. Capitals and currencies change; for example, Bulgaria adopted the euro in 2026.

11.Summary

• There are 193 UN member states, and 195 if the two observer states are counted.
• A capital is the seat of national government; it is often not the biggest city.
• Some countries have several capitals, and some built entirely new ones, such as Brasília and Islamabad.
• Currencies have names and codes; the euro is shared by 21 EU countries as of 2026.
• Always check for recent changes before giving a "final" answer.

12.Check Your Understanding

Try each question first, then tap it to reveal the answer.

For Teachers and Parents

Suggested activities: play a "capital or famous city?" quiz using the pairs in Figure 1; ask students to find three capitals that were moved or built recently; compare the names of currencies in two regions. Discussion prompts: Why might a country build a new capital instead of using its biggest city? Why do different countries use the same currency name? Capitals, names and currencies change over time, and a few capitals are politically disputed, so students should check an official government or United Nations source for important work. This article is general education for students up to age 18.