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Countries and capitals of South America

South America has 12 sovereign countries, each with its own listed capital. Bolivia is the exception, with two: Sucre and La Paz. French Guiana sits on the continent but is not a country, so it is not on this list.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

All 12 countries, alphabetically

The table below is sorted alphabetically by country name, the same order used in the site's dataset of 195 countries. Population figures are drawn from the same source and are the most recent available for each country.

South American countries, their capitals, and 2025 population
Flag Country Capital Population
Argentina Buenos Aires 45,851,378 (2025)
Bolivia Sucre and La Paz 12,581,843 (2025)
Brazil Brasília 212,812,405 (2025)
Chile Santiago 19,859,921 (2025)
Colombia Bogotá 53,425,635 (2025)
Ecuador Quito 18,289,896 (2025)
Guyana Georgetown 835,986 (2025)
Paraguay Asunción 7,013,078 (2025)
Peru Lima 34,576,665 (2025)
Suriname Paramaribo 639,850 (2025)
Uruguay Montevideo 3,384,688 (2025)
Venezuela Caracas 28,516,896 (2025)

Population figures for 2025, from the same checked dataset used across this site. See the sources file for the underlying national and World Bank references.

Why Bolivia has two capitals

Bolivia is the one entry on this list with a split answer, and both halves are correct at once. Sucre is the constitutional, de jure capital: it holds that status since a law passed on 12 July 1839, and it is where the Supreme Court of Justice sits today, making it the seat of the judiciary. The city was originally founded in 1538 as La Plata and later renamed for Antonio José de Sucre, the independence leader and marshal of the Battle of Ayacucho.

La Paz is the seat of government. Since 1898, the executive branch and the Plurinational Legislative Assembly have operated from La Paz, home to the presidential palace, while Sucre kept only its judicial role. In practice, most people mean La Paz when they picture Bolivia's government at work, but Sucre is the one written into the constitution. The world capitals quiz accepts both.

Why French Guiana is not on this list

French Guiana sits on the northeastern coast of South America, bordered by Brazil and Suriname, and geographically it belongs on the continent. Politically it does not belong on this list, because it is not a sovereign country. It is an overseas department and region of France, fully integrated into the French Republic since 1946 and part of the European Union, using the euro. Its head of state is the president of France and its residents are French citizens. That makes it the only territory on the mainland of the Americas still under the sovereignty of a European state, and the reason it is missing from a list of 12 rather than making 13.

Memory hooks for a few of the capitals

  • Sucre, Bolivia. Named for Antonio José de Sucre, the general who won the battle that secured South American independence from Spain. The city carries a person's name where most capitals carry a place name.
  • Asunción, Paraguay. Founded in 1537, it is one of the oldest cities in South America and earned the nickname "the Mother of Cities" because Spanish expeditions launched from it to found other settlements, including the second founding of Buenos Aires.
  • Quito, Ecuador. Its historic center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the very first sites UNESCO ever inscribed, alongside Kraków in Poland.
  • Georgetown, Guyana. Built around a Dutch guard post from 1748, it was later renamed Georgetown under British rule in honor of King George III, the same king Americans were fighting a war of independence against at the time.
  • Brasília, Brazil. Raised from empty inland plateau between 1956 and 1960, it replaced Rio de Janeiro as capital specifically to pull the country's center of gravity away from the coast.
  • Montevideo, Uruguay. One of the smallest national capitals by country population on this list, it still holds roughly half of Uruguay's entire population within its metropolitan area.

Quick facts

  • South America has 12 sovereign, UN member countries.
  • Bolivia is the only one with two capitals: Sucre (constitutional, judicial) and La Paz (seat of government).
  • Brazil is the largest South American country by population, at over 212 million people.
  • Suriname is the smallest South American country by population, at under 650,000 people.
  • French Guiana, Falkland Islands, and other territories on the continent are not sovereign countries and are not counted here.

Common questions

How many countries are in South America?
South America has 12 sovereign countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. French Guiana is geographically part of the continent but is an overseas department of France, not a country, so it is not counted.
Which South American country has two capitals?
Bolivia. Sucre is the constitutional capital, where the Supreme Court sits, a status it has held since 1839. La Paz has been the seat of government since 1898, housing the president and the legislature. Both are correct answers depending on which branch of government you mean.
What is the capital of Brazil?
Brasília. It was purpose built on Brazil's central plateau between 1956 and 1960 and replaced Rio de Janeiro as the capital in 1960, specifically to shift the country's center of gravity inland from the coast.
Why is French Guiana not on this list?
French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France, not an independent country. It has been fully part of the French Republic since 1946, uses the euro, and is represented in the French parliament, which is why it does not count toward South America's 12 sovereign states.
What is the largest country in South America by population?
Brazil, with over 212 million people as of 2025, by far the largest population on the continent. It is also the largest South American country by land area, sharing a border with every other country on the continent except Chile and Ecuador.
What is the smallest South American country by population?
Suriname, with fewer than 650,000 people as of 2025, the smallest population of any sovereign country in South America. Its capital, Paramaribo, is home to most of that population.
Is Brasília the largest city in Brazil?
No. Brasília is Brazil's capital, but São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are both far larger by population. Brasília was built specifically as a planned capital city, not as the country's biggest commercial or population center.

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