Spanish-Speaking Countries Capitals Quiz

Capitals of all 20 Spanish-speaking countries.

Capitals of the Spanish-speaking world — twenty-one countries across three continents, and a favourite of Spanish classrooms.

The twenty-one

Spanish is an official language in twenty-one countries: Spain in Europe, Equatorial Guinea in Africa, and nineteen across the Americas.

South America (9) — Argentina/Buenos Aires, Bolivia/Sucre, Chile/Santiago, Colombia/Bogotá, Ecuador/Quito, Paraguay/Asunción, Peru/Lima, Uruguay/Montevideo, Venezuela/Caracas.

Central America (6) — Costa Rica/San José, El Salvador/San Salvador, Guatemala/Guatemala City, Honduras/Tegucigalpa, Nicaragua/Managua, Panama/Panama City.

North America and the Caribbean (4) — Mexico/Mexico City, Cuba/Havana, Dominican Republic/Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico/San Juan (a US territory rather than an independent country, so quizzes vary on whether it counts).

Elsewhere (2) — Spain/Madrid, Equatorial Guinea/Malabo.

The name-matching pattern

Four of these capitals contain their country's name, which is a free rule: Guatemala City, Panama City, Mexico City and San Salvador.

The ones that catch people

Bolivia — Sucre is the constitutional capital, La Paz the seat of government. Both answers are defensible and quizzes disagree.

Equatorial Guinea — the only Spanish-speaking African country, and Malabo is on an island rather than the mainland, which is unusual.

Brazil is not on this list. It speaks Portuguese. This is the most common error in the whole category.

Why this is a classroom staple

Spanish courses use this set constantly, because it maps the language's geographic spread and gives students a concrete frame for where the language is spoken. That is also why quizzes phrase it as "Spanish-speaking countries" rather than "Latin America" — the two are not the same, since Brazil is in Latin America and is not Spanish-speaking.

Where to go next

South American Capitals and North American Capitals cover these countries alongside their non-Spanish-speaking neighbours, which is the more complete regional picture.

Frequently asked questions

How many Spanish-speaking countries are there?

Twenty-one have Spanish as an official language: Spain, Equatorial Guinea, and nineteen across the Americas. Puerto Rico is often included in classroom lists but is a US territory rather than an independent country.

Is Brazil a Spanish-speaking country?

No. Brazil speaks Portuguese and is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world. It is part of Latin America but not of the Spanish-speaking world, and confusing the two is the most common error in this category.

Which African country speaks Spanish?

Equatorial Guinea, whose capital is Malabo — located on an island rather than the mainland. It is the only African state with Spanish as an official language.

What is the capital of Bolivia?

Sucre is the constitutional capital and seat of the judiciary; La Paz holds the executive and legislature and functions as the working capital. Quizzes accept different answers, and knowing both is the real answer.

Play Spanish-Speaking Capitals offline in the app

Spanish-Speaking Countries Capitals Quiz and the rest of the arcade are in the free Geography Quiz Arcade app: Get it on Google Play · Download on the App Store.