Knowing the capitals of Spanish-speaking countries is not only useful for your Spanish studies, but also gives you a deeper understanding of the cultural and geographic diversity of these places. Expand your knowledge of Spanish and locate each country on the map to discover a very diverse culture.

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Capital cities of Spain

As you may know, Spain is the birthplace of the Spanish language, as it is where the language originated. The capital of Spain is Madrid, known for its rich history, art, and lively nightlife.

Although Spain is characterized by its well-known cities spread throughout the country and its unique culture. The country is made up of 17 Autonomous Communities, and each has its own capital. Here is the list of the 17 Autonomous Communities and their respective Spanish capitals:

• Andalusia. Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Jaen, Huelva, Malaga, and Seville. Seville is the capital.
• Aragon. Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Zaragoza is the capital.
• Asturias. Its capital is Oviedo.
• Balearic Islands. It is an archipelago formed by 5 islands: Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Formentera, and Cabrera. The capital is Palma de Mallorca.
• Canary Islands. It is made up of 7 islands and divided into two provinces. The province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife with: Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. And the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with: Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote. The capital is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• Cantabria. Its capital is Santander.
• Castilla La Mancha. Toledo, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, Cuenca and Albacete. Its capital is Toledo.
• Castilla y León. León, Palencia, Salamanca, Burgos, Zamora, Valladolid, Soria, Segovia, and Avila. This Autonomous Community does not have a capital city, but the seat of government is in Valladolid.
• Catalonia. Barcelona, Tarragona, Lerida, and Gerona. The capital is Barcelona.
• Valencian Community. Castellon, Valencia, and Alicante. The capital is Valencia.
• Extremadura. Caceres and Badajoz; the capital is Mérida.
• Galicia. La Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra. Its capital is Santiago de Compostela.
• La Rioja. Its capital is Logroño.
• Madrid is the capital of Spain.
• Region of Murcia. Its capital is Murcia.
• Navarra. The name of its capital is Pamplona.
• Basque Country. Alava, Guipuzcoa and Vizcaya. It has no official capital, such as Castilla y León.

Spain also has two autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla, located on the African continent.

Countries on the American continent

In addition to Spain, other countries in the world also have Spanish as their official language. These places are mainly located in South and Central America, although there is also one in Africa. Here is the complete list of the 20 Spanish-speaking countries and their respective capitals:

North America:

• Mexico – Ciudad de Mexico

Caribbean:

• Cuba – La Habana
• Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo
• Puerto Rico – San Juan

Central America:

• Costa Rica – San Jose
• El Salvador – San Salvador
• Guatemala – Ciudad de Guatemala
• Honduras – Tegucigalpa
• Nicaragua – Managua
• Panamá – Ciudad de Panamá

South America:

• Argentina – Buenos Aires
• Bolivia – La Paz, Sucre
• Chile – Santiago
• Colombia – Bogotá
• Ecuador – Quito
• Paraguay – Asunción
• Peru – Lima
• Uruguay – Montevideo
• Venezuela – Caracas

Africa

• Equatorial Guinea - Malabo

In this complete list of Spanish-speaking countries and their capitals, how many Spanish capitals did you already know; did you locate all the countries on the map? Tell us about it.

Each country has its own history, culture and beauty. By getting to know the Spanish capitals, you not only expand your Spanish vocabulary, but you also connect with the cultural richness of these places. Don't you feel like visiting one of them?

So, if you want to continue expanding your knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world, don't hesitate to continue learning Spanish. At don Quijote you can choose the Spanish course that best suits your needs, your level and your age. We have schools in 11 different destinations in Spain and in 9 different countries in Latin America.

Ask us about your doubts and we will help you choose the destination that best suits your needs so that learning Spanish will be a fascinating journey for you.

After many years of representing our partner school from our office in the Netherlands, I started travelling through Colombia last January. The country which, thanks to its past and the popularity surrounding the series Narcos, is not often talked about in a positive way, but which has also seen a huge growth in tourism in recent years.

The city of Cali, the self-proclaimed capital of Salsa was the starting point to get used to the higher temperatures and the time difference. After a few days, we travelled on to Salento. This is a small tourist village, which is the base for visiting the Cocora Valley. A jeep from Salento takes 30 minutes to reach the valley, from where several hikes are possible through the cloud forests. As it rains daily, it is wise to start these hikes early. Besides this popular valley, we also visited a nature reserve where you go through all stages of the jungle in a few hours with a guide.

After Medellín, it was time for the popular Cartagena de Indias. A domestic flight gets you here in an hour and you can feel the Caribbean atmosphere as soon as you step off the plane. The air, the people and, of course, the high temperatures. Cartagena has two popular neighbourhoods, the old town and the Getsemani district. Both districts are within walking distance of each other. The Getsemani district, where our partner school is also located, is a maze of small streets and recognisable by the flowers you see hanging at balcony height everywhere. Many backpackers can be found there, making it seem very touristy, but the locals always remain friendly and interested. From Cartagena, we took a sailing yacht via the San Blas Islands to Panama City. It is a heady trip by sea, but once at the islands, everything is spectacularly beautiful!

We too received a lot of reactions in advance to our travel plans to Colombia. Of course, it makes a big difference that we speak Spanish, but we and many other travel companions experienced Colombia as an authentic country that feels and is very safe and where the local, helpful people proudly want to show you the country.

Marianne - Team dQ Nederland