How Well Do You Know European Countries and Capitals?
By: Zoe Samuel
2 min
Image: shutterstock
About This Quiz
Some of the most beautiful countries in the world are in Europe - and thanks to the strong cultural history of the continent, some of the most beautiful cities are too. Europe's cities have often been burned, sacked, bombed, rebuilt and then burned, sacked, bombed and rebuilt again. They've absorbed infusions of ideas and designs from different cultures, and taken some of those ideas to remake them in the style of their current dominant culture. Some of them - especially the ones with the dubious fortune of lying on the fault lines between the major powers of Europe - have changed hands between different governments, occasionally doing so frequently enough that a single person could be born in one city and move country multiple times during his or her lifetime without ever leaving their home!
All of this ongoing change means that keeping track of which country has what city as its capital can be surprisingly confusing. Sure, we can all name the capital of France or the United Kingdom - they're in every Hollywood movie set in Europe, after all - but how about Croatia, Belarus, or Kosovo? This quiz is your chance to prove that you really know your European capitals!
What is the capital of Ireland?
Dublin
Belfast is in the UK. Dublin is not. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
Kosovo is one of the newest countries in Europe. It suffered invasion and genocide in the 1990s but NATO forces were able to secure it, and now it is peaceful and democratic.
Brussels is the capital of the EU, Belgium, and also the home to a lovely, much-maligned little cabbage that is delicious when fried in honey and balsamic vinegar.
Athens is a very old city that was once capital of its own city-state. Athena was its patron, a daughter who sprang fully-formed from the brow of Zeus.
London is a very large and deceptively dense city that covers less land area than you'd think. It is noted for its mishmash of cultures that coexist very well.