Countries Word Search by Continent, with Capital City Clues

Print a world puzzle or one continent, up to 50 names a grid, with capital cities as optional clues.

Name Date

Countries Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 16 words found

FKENYAPORTUGALP

SGLOTRUSSIASNJU

QBPETHIOPIANAOO

QIHSIATGPATIVNE

SRINDONESIAGEAO

XHLGFEYLOESENUP

ANIAHCUBAJYRESS

EPPHNCBSHNVIZTI

TRPDKBPANAMAURB

LKIOSOUTHKOREAM

TSNMKWWJYTKBLLQ

AEEGREECEKCFAIO

QDSAUDIARABIAAL

POSUKRAINEGYPTT

EVQPSWTRFTOJPIR

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

AustraliaAUSTRALIA
CubaCUBA
EgyptEGYPT
EthiopiaETHIOPIA
GreeceGREECE
IndonesiaINDONESIA
KenyaKENYA
NigeriaNIGERIA
PanamaPANAMA
PhilippinesPHILIPPINES
PortugalPORTUGAL
RussiaRUSSIA
Saudi ArabiaSAUDI ARABIA
South KoreaSOUTH KOREA
UkraineUKRAINE
VenezuelaVENEZUELA

16 of 50 words from the Well-Known Countries list.

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Easy: words go across and down.

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Show clues, not words

Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

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Answer key: Countries Word Search

FKENYAPORTUGALP

SGLOTRUSSIASNJU

QBPETHIOPIANAOO

QIHSIATGPATIVNE

SRINDONESIAGEAO

XHLGFEYLOESENUP

ANIAHCUBAJYRESS

EPPHNCBSHNVIZTI

TRPDKBPANAMAURB

LKIOSOUTHKOREAM

TSNMKWWJYTKBLLQ

AEEGREECEKCFAIO

QDSAUDIARABIAAL

POSUKRAINEGYPTT

EVQPSWTRFTOJPIR

AUSTRALIA, CUBA, EGYPT, ETHIOPIA, GREECE, INDONESIA, KENYA, NIGERIA, PANAMA, PHILIPPINES, PORTUGAL, RUSSIA, SAUDI ARABIA, SOUTH KOREA, UKRAINE, VENEZUELA

Next step Build a puzzle from one country's cities and rivers Scramble the same country names

All 181 words

Europe 42

Albania Capital: Tirana. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Andorra In the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Its capital adds la Vella to the country's name. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1993.
Austria Capital: Vienna. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Belarus Capital: Minsk. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Belgium Capital: Brussels. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Bulgaria Capital: Sofia. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Croatia Capital: Zagreb. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1992.
Czech Republic Capital: Prague. On the UN list under a shorter, one-word name. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1993.
Denmark Capital: Copenhagen. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Estonia Capital: Tallinn. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1991.
Finland Capital: Helsinki. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
France Capital: Paris. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Germany Capital: Berlin. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1973.
Greece Capital: Athens. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Hungary Capital: Budapest. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Iceland Capital: Reykjavík. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1946.
Ireland Capital: Dublin. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1955.

Show all 181 words (164 more)

Europe, continued

Italy Capital: Rome. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Latvia Capital: Riga. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1991.
Liechtenstein Capital: Vaduz. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1990.
Lithuania Capital: Vilnius. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1991.
Luxembourg Landlocked between Belgium, Germany and France. Capital and country share one name. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Malta Capital: Valletta. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1964.
Moldova Capital: Chișinău. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1992.
Monaco City-state on the French Riviera. Capital and country share one name. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1993.
Montenegro Capital: Podgorica. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 2006.
Netherlands Capital: Amsterdam. The government sits in The Hague. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 1945.
North Macedonia Capital: Skopje. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1993.
Norway Capital: Oslo. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Poland Capital: Warsaw. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1945.
Portugal Capital: Lisbon. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Romania Capital: Bucharest. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Russia Capital: Moscow. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1945.
San Marino Landlocked and completely surrounded by Italy. Its capital sits on Monte Titano. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1992.
Serbia Capital: Belgrade. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 2000.
Slovakia Capital: Bratislava. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1993.
Slovenia Capital: Ljubljana. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1992.
Spain Capital: Madrid. UN region: Southern Europe. UN admission: 1955.
Sweden Capital: Stockholm. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1946.
Switzerland De facto capital: Bern. UN region: Western Europe. UN admission: 2002.
Ukraine Capital: Kyiv. UN region: Eastern Europe. UN admission: 1945.
United Kingdom Capital: London. UN region: Northern Europe. UN admission: 1945.

Africa 50

Algeria Capital: Algiers. UN region: Northern Africa. UN admission: 1962.
Angola Capital: Luanda. UN region: Middle Africa. UN admission: 1976.
Benin Official capital: Porto-Novo. The government sits in Cotonou. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Botswana Capital: Gaborone. UN region: Southern Africa. UN admission: 1966.
Burkina Faso Capital: Ouagadougou. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Burundi Official capital: Gitega. Bujumbura held the title until 2019. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1962.
Cameroon Capital: Yaoundé. UN region: Middle Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Cape Verde Capital: Praia. On the UN list under its Portuguese name, which starts Cabo. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1975.
Chad Capital: N'Djamena. UN region: Middle Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Comoros Capital: Moroni. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1975.
Congo Capital: Brazzaville. UN region: Middle Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Djibouti In the Horn of Africa, on the Gulf of Aden. Capital and country share one name. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1977.
Egypt Capital: Cairo. UN region: Northern Africa. UN admission: 1945.
Eritrea Capital: Asmara. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1993.
Eswatini Two capitals: Mbabane (administrative) and Lobamba (royal and legislative). UN region: Southern Africa. UN admission: 1968.
Ethiopia Capital: Addis Ababa. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1945.
Gabon Capital: Libreville. UN region: Middle Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Gambia Capital: Banjul. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1965.
Ghana Capital: Accra. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1957.
Guinea Capital: Conakry. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1958.
Guinea-Bissau Borders Senegal to the north. Its capital's name is the second half of the country's. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1974.
Ivory Coast Official capital: Yamoussoukro. On the UN list in French, as Côte d'Ivoire. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Kenya Capital: Nairobi. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1963.
Lesotho Capital: Maseru. UN region: Southern Africa. UN admission: 1966.
Liberia Capital: Monrovia. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1945.
Libya Capital: Tripoli. UN region: Northern Africa. UN admission: 1955.
Madagascar Capital: Antananarivo. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Malawi Capital: Lilongwe. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1964.
Mali Capital: Bamako. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Mauritania Capital: Nouakchott. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1961.
Mauritius Capital: Port Louis. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1968.
Morocco Capital: Rabat. UN region: Northern Africa. UN admission: 1956.
Mozambique Capital: Maputo. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1975.
Namibia Capital: Windhoek. UN region: Southern Africa. UN admission: 1990.
Niger Capital: Niamey. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Nigeria Capital: Abuja. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Rwanda Capital: Kigali. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1962.
Senegal Capital: Dakar. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Seychelles Capital: Victoria. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1976.
Sierra Leone Capital: Freetown. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1961.
Somalia Capital: Mogadishu. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1960.
South Africa Three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial). UN region: Africa. UN admission: 1945.
South Sudan Capital: Juba. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 2011.
Sudan Capital: Khartoum. UN region: Northern Africa. UN admission: 1956.
Tanzania Capital: Dodoma. Dar es Salaam is the largest city and the old capital. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1961.
Togo Capital: Lomé. UN region: Western Africa. UN admission: 1960.
Tunisia Capital: Tunis. UN region: Northern Africa. UN admission: 1956.
Uganda Capital: Kampala. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1962.
Zambia Capital: Lusaka. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1964.
Zimbabwe Capital: Harare. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1980.

Asia 46

Afghanistan Capital: Kabul. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1946.
Armenia Capital: Yerevan. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1992.
Azerbaijan Capital: Baku. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1992.
Bahrain Capital: Manama. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1971.
Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1974.
Bhutan Capital: Thimphu. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1971.
Brunei Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1984.
Cambodia Capital: Phnom Penh. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1955.
China Capital: Beijing. UN region: Eastern Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Cyprus Capital: Nicosia. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1960.
East Timor Capital: Dili. Shares an island, and a land border, with Indonesia. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 2002.
Georgia Capital: Tbilisi. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1992.
India Capital: New Delhi. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Indonesia Capital: Jakarta, due to move to Nusantara, a new city on Borneo. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1950.
Iran Capital: Tehran. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Iraq Capital: Baghdad. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Israel On the Mediterranean, with the Dead Sea to the east. Largest urban area: Tel Aviv. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1949.
Japan Capital: Tokyo. UN region: Eastern Asia. UN admission: 1956.
Jordan Capital: Amman. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1955.
Kazakhstan Capital: Astana. UN region: Central Asia. UN admission: 1992.
Kuwait On the Persian Gulf between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Its capital city carries the country's name. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1963.
Kyrgyzstan Capital: Bishkek. UN region: Central Asia. UN admission: 1992.
Laos Capital: Vientiane. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1955.
Lebanon Capital: Beirut. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Malaysia Capital: Kuala Lumpur. The government works from Putrajaya. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1957.
Maldives Capital: Malé. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1965.
Mongolia Capital: Ulaanbaatar. UN region: Eastern Asia. UN admission: 1961.
Myanmar Capital: Naypyidaw. Until 2006 the capital was Yangon. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1948.
Nepal Capital: Kathmandu. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1955.
North Korea Capital: Pyongyang. UN region: Eastern Asia. UN admission: 1991.
Oman Capital: Muscat. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1971.
Pakistan Capital: Islamabad. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1947.
Philippines Capital: Manila. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Qatar Capital: Doha. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1971.
Saudi Arabia Capital: Riyadh. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Singapore Island city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1965.
South Korea Capital: Seoul. UN region: Eastern Asia. UN admission: 1991.
Sri Lanka Official capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, a suburb of Colombo. UN region: Southern Asia. UN admission: 1955.
Syria Capital: Damascus. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Tajikistan Capital: Dushanbe. UN region: Central Asia. UN admission: 1992.
Thailand Capital: Bangkok. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1946.
Turkey Capital: Ankara. On the UN list as Türkiye. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1945.
Turkmenistan Capital: Ashgabat. UN region: Central Asia. UN admission: 1992.
Uzbekistan Capital: Tashkent. UN region: Central Asia. UN admission: 1992.
Vietnam Capital: Hanoi. UN region: South-eastern Asia. UN admission: 1977.
Yemen Capital by law: Sanaa. Aden serves as a temporary capital. UN region: Western Asia. UN admission: 1947.

North America 18

Bahamas Capital: Nassau. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1973.
Barbados Capital: Bridgetown. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1966.
Belize Capital: Belmopan. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1981.
Canada Capital: Ottawa. UN region: Northern America. UN admission: 1945.
Costa Rica Capital: San José. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1945.
Cuba Capital: Havana. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1945.
Dominica Capital: Roseau. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1978.
El Salvador On the Pacific coast between Guatemala and Honduras. Its capital swaps El for San. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1945.
Grenada Capital: St. George's. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1974.
Guatemala Borders Mexico to the north and west. Its capital city carries the country's own name. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1945.
Haiti Capital: Port-au-Prince. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1945.
Honduras Capital: Tegucigalpa. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1945.
Jamaica Capital: Kingston. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1962.
Mexico Borders the United States to the north. Its capital city carries the country's own name. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1945.
Nicaragua Capital: Managua. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1945.
Panama Borders Costa Rica and Colombia. Its capital city carries the country's own name. UN region: Central America. UN admission: 1945.
Saint Lucia Capital: Castries. UN region: Caribbean. UN admission: 1979.
United States Capital: Washington, D.C. UN region: Northern America. UN admission: 1945.

South America 12

Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Bolivia Two capitals: Sucre (constitutional) and La Paz (administrative). UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Brazil Capital: Brasília. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Chile Capital: Santiago. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Colombia Capital: Bogotá. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Ecuador Capital: Quito. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Guyana Capital: Georgetown. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1966.
Paraguay Capital: Asunción. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Peru Capital: Lima. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Suriname Capital: Paramaribo. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1975.
Uruguay Capital: Montevideo. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.
Venezuela Capital: Caracas. UN region: South America. UN admission: 1945.

Oceania 13

Australia Capital: Canberra. UN region: Oceania. UN admission: 1945.
Fiji Capital: Suva. UN region: Melanesia. UN admission: 1970.
Kiribati Capital: South Tarawa. UN region: Micronesia. UN admission: 1999.
Micronesia Capital: Palikir. UN region: Oceania. UN admission: 1991.
Nauru No official capital; the government works from Yaren. On the UN list as Naoero. UN region: Micronesia. UN admission: 1999.
New Zealand Capital: Wellington. UN region: Oceania. UN admission: 1945.
Palau Capital: Ngerulmud. UN region: Micronesia. UN admission: 1994.
Papua New Guinea Capital: Port Moresby. UN region: Melanesia. UN admission: 1975.
Samoa Capital: Apia. UN region: Polynesia. UN admission: 1976.
Solomon Islands Capital: Honiara. UN region: Melanesia. UN admission: 1978.
Tonga Capital: Nukuʻalofa. UN region: Polynesia. UN admission: 1999.
Tuvalu Capital: Funafuti. UN region: Polynesia. UN admission: 2000.
Vanuatu Capital: Port Vila. UN region: Melanesia. UN admission: 1981.

How this list was compiled: 181 of the 193 member states of the United Nations, with each year of admission, from https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states; 12 names longer than 14 letters do not fit the grid. Regions follow the UN Statistics Division, https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/overview/, and capitals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_capitals. Checked on 2026-09-19; four clues rechecked on 2026-09-20 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitega and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_geoscheme. Licence: own work

How it works

This countries word search opens on 16 of 50 well-known countries. Pick a continent and press Add another for more of its names: the grid grows to fit as many as it can. Each puzzle prints with its answer key.

Read the full guide

One continent, one grid

For a countries of Europe word search, pick Europe under Start from a list and press Add another for more of its names. The grid grows to 19 by 19 to hold all 42 names, Albania to United Kingdom. The line under the list says how many went in; if one was left out, press New puzzle. Africa, the tightest fit, holds 50 names, Asia 46, North America 18, South America 12 and Oceania 13.

Capital cities as the clues

Tick Show clues, not words, in More options. Each clue gives the capital, the UN region and the year the country joined: "Capital: Nairobi. UN region: Eastern Africa. UN admission: 1963." leads to Kenya. Clues need room, so take words off the list until 8 are left.

NIGER reads inside NIGERIA, MALI inside SOMALIA, SUDAN inside SOUTH SUDAN, GUINEA inside GUINEA-BISSAU. The Africa key rings both.
The UN writes Türkiye, Czechia and Naoero for Turkey, the Czech Republic and Nauru; type over the names in the list to match.
Landlocked Countries holds 42 names with no coast, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, for a lesson on borders and trade routes.

Questions and answers

Which continent are Russia, Turkey and Egypt in?

The lists follow the United Nations M49 regions. Russia is in Europe, Egypt in Africa, and Turkey, Cyprus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in Asia. North America takes in Central America and the Caribbean. If your textbook differs, type over the name in the list.

Which of the 193 UN countries does the word find leave out?

Twelve, each past 14 letters: Antigua and Barbuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Marshall Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates.

How do I make this countries word search hard enough for grade 7?

Click Hard Countries, the 75 names of 8 letters or more, such as Kyrgyzstan and Liechtenstein, then press Hard so names run in all 8 directions. For grades 2 and 3, Easy Countries holds 35 names of 5 letters or fewer.

Is this a countries of the world word search or one continent at a time?

Both. Well-Known Countries draws 16 names from all six continents, and the continent lists hold 181 of the 193 UN members between them. A European countries word search takes all 42 names: press Add another until each is listed.

All 181 words

Europe 42

Europe, continued

Africa 50

Asia 46

North America 18

South America 12

Oceania 13

How it works

One continent, one grid

Capital cities as the clues

Questions and answers

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