Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina's capital and largest city, is on the southwest shore of the Río de la Plata. It was made a federal district in 1880 and belongs to no province, not even the one that shares its name.
SucreSucre is the capital of Bolivia in law and the seat of its Supreme Court, at 2,790 m. The government sits in La Paz, the highest administrative capital in the world at about 3,650 m, so a typed La Paz counts as well.
BrasíliaBrasília has been the capital of Brazil since April 21, 1960, when it replaced Rio de Janeiro. It is a planned city by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer, and only the third most populous in the country, after São Paulo and Rio.
SantiagoSantiago is Chile's capital and largest city, founded on February 12, 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia. The National Congress has met in the port of Valparaíso since 1990, but Valparaíso is not a capital.
BogotáBogotá is Colombia's capital and largest city, founded on August 6, 1538. It sits on a high plateau in the eastern range of the Andes, and its altitude averages 2,640 m, so the climate stays cool all year.
QuitoQuito is the capital of Ecuador, 2,850 m up on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, and the capital city closest to the equator. It is the second largest city in the country: the port of Guayaquil is larger.
GeorgetownGeorgetown is Guyana's capital and largest city, at the mouth of the Demerara River on the Atlantic coast. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has its secretariat in the city.
AsunciónAsunción is Paraguay's capital and largest city, on the east bank of the Paraguay River, which separates it from Argentina. One of South America's oldest cities, nicknamed the Mother of Cities.
LimaLima is Peru's capital and largest city, on the desert coast overlooking the Pacific, and was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The constitution calls Cusco the historical capital, which is a symbolic title only.
ParamariboParamaribo, Suriname's capital and largest city, is on the Suriname River. About half of the country's people live in it, and its historic inner city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
MontevideoMontevideo is Uruguay's capital and largest city, on the Río de la Plata's northeastern bank. More than a third of the country's people live in the city, and the trade bloc Mercosur has its administrative headquarters here.
CaracasCaracas is Venezuela's capital and largest city, in a valley of the coastal mountains along the Guaire River. The Caribbean is close, but Cerro El Ávila, a steep ridge about 2,200 m high, stands between the city and the shore.
How this list was compiled: Capitals, and the notes on Sucre and La Paz, Santiago and Valparaíso, Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, and Lima and Cusco: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_capitals, checked 2026-09-19. Which states are members of the United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states, checked 2026-09-19 (all 12 are listed; Bolivia as Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Venezuela as Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of). The detail line of each capital comes from the opening section of the city's own Wikipedia article, all checked 2026-09-19: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires, /Sucre, /La_Paz, /Brasília, /Santiago, /Valparaíso, /Bogotá, /Quito, /Guayaquil, /Georgetown,_Guyana, /Asunción, /Lima, /Paramaribo, /Montevideo and /Caracas. Facts about a country in a hint (the official language of Guyana and of Suriname, the smallest country of the continent, the third largest country of the continent, the neighbors of Colombia) come from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyana, /Suriname, /Peru and /Colombia, checked the same day. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_50m_admin_0_countries_lakes (scale 1:50,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_50m_admin_0_countries_lakes.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centred on 21°S 60°W. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This Central and South America capitals quiz comes as two maps. This one names a South American country and asks for its capital, such as Quito or Montevideo, 12 in all. Central America's 7 capitals are on the linked quiz.
Read the full guide
Why this map stops at Colombia
The drawing is South America alone, so a round covers its 12 sovereign states. Panama and the 6 countries to its northwest are on a separate, closer map with its own capitals quiz. The two lists share no country, so the pair adds up to 19 capitals.
Twelve countries, no rings
All 12 countries are big enough to tap in Find it, so none needs a ring, though Guyana, Suriname and Uruguay are easier after a pinch to zoom. In Name it, pick from 4 choices or type the capital.
In 9 of 12 countries the capital is the largest city. The misses: Brasília, not São Paulo, Quito, not Guayaquil, and Sucre, Bolivia's sixth largest.
Buenos Aires and Montevideo face each other across the Río de la Plata, one on the southwest shore and one on the northeastern bank.
Four answers sit high in the Andes: La Paz, Quito, Sucre and Bogotá. Altitude points to Bolivia, Ecuador or Colombia.
Questions and answers
Where are the Central America capitals?
On the Central America capitals quiz, linked from this page and offered after each round. It asks 7 countries, from Belmopan in Belize to Panama City, on a drawing of that region alone.
Why is Sucre the answer for Bolivia, not La Paz?
Bolivia has two capitals. Sucre is the constitutional capital, and La Paz is the seat of government. The choices show Sucre, and a typed La Paz counts too. Chile differs: Congress meets in Valparaíso, but Santiago is the only capital.
Why 12 countries when the map has 14 shapes?
Only member states of the United Nations are asked; capitals and membership were both checked on September 19, 2026. Two shapes on the drawing are not member states, so neither is asked or counted. A tap on one is not a miss.