Which city is the world's highest capital, sitting more than 3,600 metres (about 11,900 feet) above sea level in the Bolivian Andes?
- La Paz
- Sucre
- Quito
- Thimphu
Why A? And why not the others?
Correct answer: A. La Paz
La Paz, Bolivia's seat of government, sprawls across a canyon in the Andean Altiplano at an elevation of roughly 3,640 metres (about 11,975 feet) at its centre, with some outlying districts climbing even higher, making it the highest capital city on Earth by a wide margin according to Guinness World Records and standard geographic references. Sucre is a tempting alternative because it is Bolivia's other capital, the country's constitutional and judicial seat, but Sucre itself sits lower, at around 2,810 metres. Quito, Ecuador's capital, is genuinely high, at about 2,850 metres, and is often cited among the world's highest capitals, but it remains well below La Paz. Thimphu, Bhutan's capital, sits at roughly 2,300 metres in the Himalayan foothills, high by world standards but again considerably lower than La Paz.
Source: Guinness World Records: highest capital; corroborated by Britannica: La Paz (elevation); CIA World Factbook, Bolivia entry