"They're A-OK!" - Capital Cities Quiz

Answer: Kingstown

Kingstown is the capital city of the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in south-west St. Vincent, which is at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles where the eastern Caribbean meets the Atlantic Ocean. Kingstown is a major port and commercial centre as well as being home to a well-known botanical garden that was developed in the mid-18th century and was the final destination for some of the breadfruit famously transported by Captain William Bligh - the victim of the Mutiny on the Bounty.

Don't confuse this capital city with Kingston, the capital of Jamaica!

Answer: Abuja

Nigeria's plans to build a new capital city in the area that is now Abuja were first promulgated in the early 1970s. After a long period of construction, which mostly took place in the 1980s, it replaced Lagos as the Nigerian capital on December 21st, 1991. Abuja's location close to the centre of the country was a symbolic choice to represent unity and provide a neutral place of governance for the many separate ethnic groups that make up the country's population.

The two monoliths that dominate the city's skyline are the 400-metre (1,300 foot) high Aso Rock and 725-metre (2,400 foot) high Zuma Rock.

Answer: Andorra la Vella

The principality of Andorra covers around 470 square kilometres (180 square miles) of the Pyrenees mountain range between France and Spain. The co-princes of the country are the French President and the Roman Catholic bishop of the joint Spanish and Andorran diocese of Urgell.

In addition to being the highest capital city in Europe, Andorra la Vella is also one of the oldest (its name translates from Catalan to English as 'Andorra the Old') with buildings dating back to the 9th century. A large portion of its income comes from tourists who visit to see both the historic architecture and hurtle down the surrounding mountains on skis.

Answer: Kiev

Kiev is an ancient city of eastern Europe whose known history dates back to the 9th century when it was part of the Khazar Empire. It went on to be ruled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Tsarist Russia and the U.S.S.R before becoming the capital city of an independent Ukraine in 1991. The Dnieper River is one of two major rivers in the city (along with the Desna River) and flows south from the city towards the Black Sea. Kiev originally stood only on the right bank of the Dnieper, but expanded over to the left bank in the 20th century.

A traditional Russian Chicken Kiev consists of a chicken breast coated in breadcrumbs and filled with butter. In western Europe the dish usually includes garlic butter instead.

Answer: Apia

Apia is the capital city (and only city) of the Pacific Island nation of Samoa, which was known as Western Samoa until 1997. Thanks to its coastal location that forms a natural harbour, it is also the largest port in the country and an economic hub. The city developed from a small village from around 1850 onwards and became the nation's official capital in 1959. Apia is located approximately 1,500 kilometres (950 miles) south of the equator and temperatures are consistently warm all-year round, although the period from November to March is notably wetter than the rest of the year.

Answer: Kabul

Kabul is located in eastern Afghanistan and has been the country's capital since the late 18th century. It is believed to date back to the time of the Achaemenid Empire that ruled the area between 550 and 330 BC (when it fell to the Macedonian forces of Alexander the Great).

The Silk Road stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean coast of China and Korea and was an extremely important trade route between the West and the East for centuries. Kabul was a key point on the southern Silk Road and is located in a valley in the Hindu Kush mountains, approximately 1,800 metres (5,900 feet) above sea level.

Answer: Ouagadougou

The capital city of Burkina Faso is often referred to simply as 'Ouaga' rather than the somewhat tongue-twisting Ouagadougou. The city has been the nation's capital since it gained independence from France in 1960. However, it has a much older history as the historic home of the Mogho Naba - the king of the Mossi people who ruled the area from the mid-15th century until colonialism took hold in the late 19th century.

The city is situated on a plateau in the central area of Burkina Faso and has the hot arid climate experienced by much of north-western Africa.

Answer: Kigali

Kigali is the capital city of the central African nation of Rwanda, which was torn apart by a civil war between its two main ethnic groups - the Hutus and the Tutsis - between 1990 and 1994. Kigali was founded in 1907 during the country's period of German colonial rule and became the new nation's capital when it achieved independence in 1962.

The city is built over a mountainous area consisting of a number of high ridges and the valleys in between them. Its elevation above sea-level has the handy effect of making the climate more temperate than might be expected given its proximity to the equator. Kigali's namesake, Mount Kigali, is located close to the city and stretches up to a height of 1,850 metres (6,100 feet).

Answer: Oslo

Formerly known as Christiana or Kristiana, Oslo is the capital city of Norway, a country famed for its fjords - narrow coastal inlets formed by glacial erosion. The city is located on Norway's south coast on the aptly named Oslofjord. Cultural and tourist destinations in the city include the Munch Museum, which houses a version of the artist's famous painting 'The Scream'; the Viking Ship Museum; and a museum dedicated to the 1957 Kon-Tiki expedition.

In addition the city is also home to the Norwegian National Museum and a centre dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer: Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and is located on the western side of the Malaysian peninsula at the point where the rivers Klang and Gombak meet. 'Kuala' is a Malay term for an estuary or the meeting point of two rivers, while 'lumpur' means 'mud'.

As recently as the early 19th century, Kuala Lumpur was just a small village or hamlet and it is not believed to have achieved the status of a town until 1857. However, the major development it underwent in the late 20th and early 21st centuries turned it into a cosmopolitan urban capital and centre for tourism.

Its skyline is dominated by the twin skyscrapers known as the Petronas Twin Towers.