Countries Whose Capital Shares the Same Name

In some countries, the capital city has exactly the same name as the country itself. In other cases, the capital has a closely related name, differing only slightly in form. These naming patterns often reflect the historical origins of the state and the strong role the capital has played in shaping national identity.

Exact matches

The following countries have capitals that share the exact same name as the country (sometimes with the addition of “City” in English for clarity):

• Andorra — Andorra la Vella (commonly shortened to Andorra)
• Djibouti — Djibouti
• Guatemala — Guatemala City
• Kuwait — Kuwait City
• Luxembourg — Luxembourg
• Mexico — Mexico City
• Monaco — Monaco
• Panama — Panama City
• San Marino — San Marino
• Singapore — Singapore
• Vatican City — Vatican City

Near matches

In these cases, the capital’s name is very similar to the country’s, with only a small variation in spelling or form:

• Algiers — Algeria
• Brasília — Brazil
• Santo Domingo — Dominican Republic
• San Salvador — El Salvador
• Bissau — Guinea-Bissau
• São Tomé — São Tomé and Príncipe
• Taipei — “Chinese Taipei” (Taiwan, Republic of China)
• Tunis — Tunisia

Together, these examples show how closely the identity of some nations is tied to their capital cities, either through identical names or through slight variations that reflect shared origins.