Capitals of Asia

Kabul

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan and lies in a high mountain valley in the Hindu Kush. It is the country's political centre.

💡 Did you know? Kabul lies at around 1800 metres, making it one of the highest-lying capitals in the world.

Yerevan

Yerevan is the capital of Armenia and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. On a clear day Mount Ararat towers over it.

💡 Did you know? Yerevan is older than Rome: the city was founded over 2800 years ago.

Baku

Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan and lies on the Caspian Sea. It combines an old walled town with modern skyscraper architecture.

💡 Did you know? Baku is the lowest-lying capital in the world: it sits below sea level.

Manama

Manama is the capital of the island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. It is an important financial and trade centre of the region.

💡 Did you know? Bahrain is linked to Saudi Arabia by a causeway about 25 kilometres long.

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It lies on a river in the great Ganges delta.

💡 Did you know? Because of its countless colourful cycle rickshaws Dhaka is often called the 'rickshaw capital of the world'.

Thimphu

Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and lies in a Himalayan valley. It is the political and religious centre of the small kingdom.

💡 Did you know? Thimphu is one of the few capitals in the world with no traffic lights at all.

Bandar Seri Begawan

Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of the small, oil-rich sultanate of Brunei on the island of Borneo. It is known for splendid mosques.

💡 Did you know? A whole district stands on stilts over the water: one of the largest stilt villages in the world.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and lies where the Mekong meets other rivers. It is the country's economic centre.

💡 Did you know? Because of its once splendid boulevards, Phnom Penh was called the 'Pearl of Asia'.

Beijing

Beijing is the capital of China and one of the political and cultural centres of Asia. The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square lie here.

💡 Did you know? From near Beijing stretches the Great Wall, the longest structure ever built by humans.

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia and lies in a valley on the River Kura. Its old town is known for hot sulphur springs.

💡 Did you know? Legend says the city was founded at the hot springs: 'Tbilisi' means 'warm place'.

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital of India and part of the vast metropolis of Delhi. One of the most populous countries in the world is governed from here.

💡 Did you know? New Delhi was built in the early 20th century as a planned government city next to old Delhi.

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and lies on the island of Java. It is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

💡 Did you know? Because Jakarta is sinking and threatened by floods, Indonesia is building an entirely new capital on Borneo.

Tehran

Tehran is the capital of Iran and lies at the foot of a high mountain range. It is the country's largest city and its political centre.

💡 Did you know? You can go skiing right next to Tehran in winter; the mountains are rich in snow.

Baghdad

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and lies on the River Tigris. In the Middle Ages it was a glittering centre of science and culture.

💡 Did you know? Medieval Baghdad was home to the 'House of Wisdom', one of the greatest centres of learning of its time.

Tokyo

Tokyo is the capital of Japan and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. It blends high tech with old temples and traditions.

💡 Did you know? With over 30 million people, the Tokyo metropolitan area is the largest urban region on Earth.

Amman

Amman is the capital of Jordan and is built over several hills. It is the country's economic and cultural centre.

💡 Did you know? Amman is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and was called Philadelphia in antiquity.

Astana

Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan and lies in the vast steppe. It was built up into a futuristic planned capital only in recent decades.

💡 Did you know? Astana is one of the coldest capitals in the world: in winter the temperature drops far below zero.

Kuwait City

Kuwait City is the capital of Kuwait and lies on a bay of the Persian Gulf. It is the economic centre of the oil-rich country.

💡 Did you know? The slender 'Kuwait Towers' with their blue spheres are the city's landmark.

Bishkek

Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan and lies at the foot of a high mountain range in Central Asia. It is known for its many parks.

💡 Did you know? Right behind Bishkek rise the snow-capped peaks of the Tian Shan mountains.

Vientiane

Vientiane is the capital of Laos and lies on the Mekong right on the border with Thailand. It is one of the most laid-back capitals in South-East Asia.

💡 Did you know? Vientiane is one of the few capitals that sits directly on a river border with a neighbouring country.

Beirut

Beirut is the capital of Lebanon and lies on the Mediterranean. It was once known as the 'Paris of the Middle East'.

💡 Did you know? Beirut has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over its long history.

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia and a modern metropolis in South-East Asia. Its landmark is the twin Petronas Towers.

💡 Did you know? The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world when completed.

Malé

Malé is the capital of the Maldives and lies on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

💡 Did you know? The whole island capital of Malé is so small that you can walk around it in under an hour.

Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia and lies in a valley in the steppe. Almost half of all Mongolians live in it.

💡 Did you know? Ulaanbaatar is regarded as the coldest capital in the world.

Naypyidaw

Naypyidaw is the purpose-built capital of Myanmar, which replaced the larger Yangon in 2006. It is known for its huge, often empty roads.

💡 Did you know? Naypyidaw has a road up to 20 lanes wide that carries hardly any traffic.

Kathmandu

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and lies in a Himalayan valley. Its old town is full of temples and old palaces.

💡 Did you know? Many expeditions to Mount Everest set out from Kathmandu.

Pyongyang

Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea and lies on a river. It is the tightly controlled political centre of the isolated country.

💡 Did you know? Pyongyang is famous for its vast, perfectly choreographed mass gymnastics displays.

Muscat

Muscat is the capital of Oman and lies between mountains and the sea. Unlike many Gulf cities it is mostly built low.

💡 Did you know? High-rises are largely banned in Muscat: the city is meant to keep its traditional character.

Islamabad

Islamabad is the purpose-built capital of Pakistan, which replaced Karachi in the 1960s. It lies at the foot of hills and is seen as green and calm.

💡 Did you know? Islamabad was designed on the drawing board and only built in the 1960s.

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and lies on a large bay. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

💡 Did you know? Manila lies in one of the most densely populated urban regions on Earth.

Doha

Doha is the capital of Qatar and lies on the Persian Gulf. Its wealth from natural gas has made it a modern skyscraper metropolis.

💡 Did you know? Qatar hosted the first football World Cup in the Arab world in 2022; the final was played in Lusail, on the edge of Doha.

Riyadh

Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia and lies in the desert at the country's centre. Oil wealth grew it into a modern city of millions.

💡 Did you know? Within a few decades the former mud-brick town of Riyadh became a modern skyscraper metropolis.

Singapore

Singapore is both a city and a state: a tiny, extremely wealthy island nation in South-East Asia. It is a global financial and trade centre.

💡 Did you know? Singapore is one of only three city-states in the world.

Seoul

Seoul is the capital of South Korea and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. It blends old palaces with high tech and pop culture.

💡 Did you know? About half of all South Koreans live in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the official capital of Sri Lanka and lies on the edge of the largest city, Colombo. Parliament sits here.

💡 Did you know? Although Colombo is bigger and still home to most ministries, the official capital is this suburb with the parliament.

Damascus

Damascus is the capital of Syria and lies in an oasis at the desert's edge. It is regarded as one of the oldest cities in the world.

💡 Did you know? Damascus is among the oldest continuously inhabited capitals in the world.

Dushanbe

Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan and lies in a valley in Central Asia. Its name means 'Monday': after an old weekly market.

💡 Did you know? The name Dushanbe means 'Monday' in Tajik, because a Monday market was once held there.

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and lies on a river near the sea. It is famous for golden temples, street food and buzzing life.

💡 Did you know? Bangkok's full ceremonial name is so long that it is considered the longest place name in the world.

Dili

Dili is the capital of Timor-Leste (East Timor) and lies on the north coast of the island of Timor. It is the largest city of one of Asia's youngest countries.

💡 Did you know? Timor-Leste became independent in 2002, making it one of the youngest countries in the world.

Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and lies centrally on the Anatolian plateau. It replaced the larger Istanbul as the seat of government.

💡 Did you know? Although Istanbul is far larger and better known, Ankara has been the official capital since 1923.

Ashgabat

Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan and lies at the edge of the Karakum Desert. It is famous for its many white-marble buildings.

💡 Did you know? Ashgabat holds the record for the highest density of marble buildings in the world.

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and lies on an island in the Persian Gulf. Its wealth comes from oil.

💡 Did you know? It is Abu Dhabi, not the better-known Dubai, that is the capital of the Emirates.

Tashkent

Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the largest city in Central Asia. It lay on the old Silk Road.

💡 Did you know? Tashkent has one of the few metros in Central Asia, its stations lavishly decorated.

Hanoi

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and lies in the north of the country on the Red River. It is known for its bustling old quarter and street food.

💡 Did you know? Hanoi celebrated its thousandth anniversary in 2010.

Sanaa

Sanaa is the capital of Yemen and lies high in the mountains. Its old town is famous for ancient, ornamented mud-brick high-rises.

💡 Did you know? Sanaa is regarded as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.