Life in the UK Test
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Capital cities

Study note

Each of the four countries of the UK has its own capital city, and these are well worth learning by heart. London is the capital of England and is also the capital of the United Kingdom as a whole. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff is the capital of Wales, and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland.

A common trick in the test is to mix up a capital with the largest city. In Scotland the capital is Edinburgh, even though Glasgow is the bigger city. So if you see Glasgow offered as the capital of Scotland, it is a wrong answer.

Another point to watch is Dublin. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland, which is a separate country, not of Northern Ireland. The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. Keeping these four pairings clear, England with London, Scotland with Edinburgh, Wales with Cardiff and Northern Ireland with Belfast, will answer most capital city questions.

Memory tip: England-London, Scotland-Edinburgh, Wales-Cardiff, NI-Belfast.

Practise this topic

Question 1 of 10

What is the capital city of Scotland?

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Show all questions and answers for Capital cities(10 questions with explanations)

Capital cities: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. What is the capital city of Scotland?

    • Edinburgh
    • Aberdeen
    • Glasgow
    • Dundee

    Correct answer: Edinburgh

    Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland (Glasgow is its largest city).

  2. 2. Cardiff is the capital city of which country?

    • Wales
    • Scotland
    • Northern Ireland
    • England

    Correct answer: Wales

    Cardiff is the capital of Wales.

  3. 3. What is the capital city of Northern Ireland?

    • Dublin
    • Belfast
    • Londonderry
    • Edinburgh

    Correct answer: Belfast

    Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland.

  4. 4. What is the capital city of England and of the UK as a whole?

    • London
    • Birmingham
    • Oxford
    • Manchester

    Correct answer: London

    London is the capital of England and of the United Kingdom.

  5. 5. What is the capital city of Wales?

    • Swansea
    • Cardiff
    • Belfast
    • Glasgow

    Correct answer: Cardiff

    Cardiff is the capital of Wales, as Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.

  6. 6. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland.

    • True
    • False

    Correct answer: True

    True. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.

  7. 7. Select the TWO correct capital city pairings.

    • Cardiff, Wales
    • Glasgow, Scotland
    • Dublin, Northern Ireland
    • Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Correct answer: Cardiff, Wales and Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and Cardiff is the capital of Wales.

  8. 8. Of which country is Edinburgh the capital?

    • Wales
    • Northern Ireland
    • Scotland
    • England

    Correct answer: Scotland

    Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.

  9. 9. Which statement is correct?

    • Cardiff is the capital of Wales
    • Cardiff is the capital of Scotland

    Correct answer: Cardiff is the capital of Wales

    Cardiff is the capital of Wales. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.

  10. 10. Which of these capital city pairings is NOT correct?

    • Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland
    • London is the capital of England
    • Dublin is the capital of Northern Ireland
    • Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland

    Correct answer: Dublin is the capital of Northern Ireland

    Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland.

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