More than just a memory exercise
Why learn a list of countries and capitals? Just to impress people? Hardly. If you think your friends are going to be mightily impressed by you knowing that Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, then you have some pretty strange friends:) Or maybe just a strange idea of what they would find impressive.
Obviously, the first and most obvious reason you might want to memorise a list of countries and capitals is as a plain and simple memory exercise. And it’s a good memory exercise, because lists are always good to remember, and more so when the information in the list is important and useful.
A knowledge of the world’s cultures increases understanding and tolerance
So studying the list and committing it to memory is a good thing in itself, since it helps to improve your memory. But there’s more to learning a list of capitals than being able to recite them like a parrot, or a robot. Sure, memorising lists does improve your memory, but learning a list of countries and capitals is a key element in learning about those countries, and the people who live there. Your improved knowledge of other cultures and the challenges they face will inevitably lead to an increased understanding of them.
By the way, this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list of all the countries and capitals of the world, but I think there’s enough here to keep you busy for a while!
Oh, and there’s three more pages of countries and capitals. Hey, not my fault … it’s a big old world!
COUNTRIES AND CAPITALS - 1 | |
Afghanistan | Kabul |
Albania | Tirana |
Algeria | Algiers |
Andorra | Andorra la Vella |
Angola | Luanda |
Antigua and Barbuda | St. John's |
Argentina | Buenos Aires |
Armenia | Yerevan |
Australia | Canberra |
Austria | Vienna |
Azerbaijan | Baku |
The Bahamas | Nassau |
Bahrain | Manama |
Bangladesh | Dhaka |
Barbados | Bridgetown |
Belarus | Minsk |
Belgium | Brussels |
Belize | Belmopan |
Benin | Porto-Nove |
Bhutan | Thimphu |
Bolivia | La Paz |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo |
Botswana | Gaborone |
Brazil | Brasilia |
Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan |
Bulgaria | Sofia |
Burkina Faso | Ougadougou |
Burundi | Bujumbura |
Cambodia | Phnom Penh |
Cameroon | Yaounde |
Canada | Ottawa |
Cape Verde | Praia |
Central African Republic | Bangui |
Chad | N'Djamena |
Chile | Santiago |
China | Beijing |
Colombia | Bogota |
Comoros | Moroni |
Congo, Republic of the | Brazzaville |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Kinshasa |
Costa Rica | San Jose |
Cote d'Ivoire | Yamoussoukro |
Croatia | Zagreb |
Cuba | Havana |
Cyprus | Nicosia |
Czech Republic | Prague |
Denmark | Copenhagen |
Djibouti | Djibouti |
Dominica | Roseau |
Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo |
Map puzzles to help you learn the countries and capitals
There’s an online, interactive site with lots of maps and information that can help you learn more about the countries of the world. Pay a visit to the index of online atlas maps and see for yourself!
Each map opens up to show the entire area and list the countries it consists of. Click on a country and you’ll see a closer view of that country, with some of the major cities shown, and the capital.
A great learning resource, and a fun way to learn more about the world!
>> Countries and Capitals 2 >>
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