Location & Capitals of Countries
This topic tests two things together: which continent/region a country belongs to, and what its capital city is. LAT papers commonly ask 'Where is X located?' as well as 'Name the capital of X', so both facts should be learned as a pair for each country.
Region groupings to remember:
- Central Europe: Austria, Germany, Switzerland
- Southern Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina (capital Sarajevo), Italy, Yugoslavia
- Western Europe: France
- Southern Asia: Bangladesh
- Asia: Indonesia; Asia and Europe: Turkey
- North Africa: Libya; Africa: Somalia
- Central Asia: Mongolia
Capitals to remember:
- China – Beijing, Iraq – Baghdad, Jerusalem – capital of Israel, Nepal – Kathmandu, Russia – Moscow, Saudi Arabia – Riyadh, Sudan – Khartoum (capital of Sudan), United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi, Ethiopia – Addis Ababa, Bosnia and Herzegovina – Sarajevo
Other useful facts:
- Cyprus and Malta are islands; Cairo is the largest city of Egypt; the Netherlands is also known as Holland; Astana (formerly Akmola) became the new capital of Kazakhstan in December 1997, replacing Alma Ata; Persia was the old name of Iran; the 'West Indies' is not a single country but a sum (group) of islands.
Tip: Don't confuse 'location' questions (which ask for continent/region) with 'capital' questions (which ask for a city name) — read the question stem carefully before choosing an option.