All North American and Caribbean Capitals Listed

North America is often described in different ways, but a clean capital list needs one clear method. In standard statistical use, North America includes Northern America, Central America, and the Caribbean. That means the country-capital list is larger than only Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

This page lists the 23 sovereign countries commonly included in North America and the Caribbean, followed by a separate table for territories and dependencies that often appear in regional reference lists. This keeps the country list easy to use while still covering names readers may search for, such as Puerto Rico, Greenland, Bermuda, and Aruba.

All North American and Caribbean Country Capitals

The table below lists sovereign countries only. Countries are grouped by subregion so the reader can see where each capital fits geographically.

Regional Scope and Classification

For a capital list, the biggest source of confusion is the difference between North America, Northern America, Central America, and the Caribbean. These names are close, but they do not mean the same thing in every context.

In the UN M49 regional system, North America is the wider region. It includes three subregions: Northern America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Northern America is narrower and includes Canada, the United States, Bermuda, Greenland, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the statistical list. Mexico is not placed under Northern America in that system; it is placed under Central America.

This is why some school lists show only 3 countries for North America, while many reference lists show 23 sovereign countries. Which one is correct? For a country-capital reference page, the broader regional list is more useful because it matches how North American, Central American, and Caribbean capitals are usually searched together.

Northern America

Northern America contains the two sovereign countries most often associated with the northern part of the continent: Canada and the United States. Their capitals are Ottawa and Washington, D.C.

Ottawa is not Canada’s largest city; that distinction belongs to Toronto. Washington, D.C. is also not a state capital. It is a federal district created for national government functions. This distinction matters because readers often mix up largest city and capital city.

Central America

Central America in this list includes Mexico and the seven countries of the Central American isthmus: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The region forms a land bridge between the larger northern landmass and South America.

Several Central American capitals are also the largest or main urban centers of their countries, such as Guatemala City, Managua, and Panama City. One clear exception is Belmopan, the capital of Belize, while Belize City remains better known internationally.

Caribbean

The Caribbean country list includes 13 sovereign states. Most are island countries, although the term Caribbean may also appear in wider cultural, maritime, or geographic use. The capitals include Havana, Kingston, Santo Domingo, Bridgetown, and Port of Spain.

The Caribbean table also shows why spelling matters. St. John’s, St. George’s, and Kingstown are easy to confuse, but they refer to three different capitals: Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Capital Names That Are Often Confused

Some capital names in North America and the Caribbean look similar, sound similar, or are confused with larger cities. The table below separates the most common cases.

Technical Data for Regional Reference

Capital lists become more useful when they include code data. ISO Alpha-3 codes and M49 numeric codes help databases, maps, education pages, and travel reference sites identify countries without name confusion.

Territories and Dependencies Often Included in Regional Lists

Many pages mix sovereign countries with territories. That can make a list look larger than 23 entries. To avoid confusion, the table below lists non-sovereign areas separately. These places have capitals or administrative centers, but they are not independent sovereign countries.

Capital Spelling and Style Notes

Capital names in this region include English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and local naming traditions. A clean reference page should keep official English spellings while also respecting accents and apostrophes where they are normally used.

Accents and Marks

• San José is often written with an accent on the final “e.”
• Port-au-Prince uses hyphens in standard English spelling.
• St. John’s and St. George’s use apostrophes.
• Washington, D.C. is usually written with periods in “D.C.”
• Mexico City may appear as Ciudad de México in Spanish-language contexts.

Capital Versus Largest City

A capital is the seat of national government. It is not always the largest city, busiest port, or best-known place in the country. The distinction is like a map label and a city skyline: both point to the same country, but they do different jobs.

Ottawa, Belmopan, and Washington, D.C. show this clearly. Ottawa is the capital of Canada, not Toronto. Belmopan is the capital of Belize, not Belize City. Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, not New York City.

Alphabetical List of Countries and Capitals

This version is useful when the reader already knows the country name and wants the capital quickly.

Capitals by Subregion

Northern America Capitals

• Canada — Ottawa
• United States — Washington, D.C.

Central America Capitals

• Mexico — Mexico City
• Belize — Belmopan
• Costa Rica — San José
• El Salvador — San Salvador
• Guatemala — Guatemala City
• Honduras — Tegucigalpa
• Nicaragua — Managua
• Panama — Panama City

Caribbean Capitals

• Antigua and Barbuda — St. John’s
• The Bahamas — Nassau
• Barbados — Bridgetown
• Cuba — Havana
• Dominica — Roseau
• Dominican Republic — Santo Domingo
• Grenada — St. George’s
• Haiti — Port-au-Prince
• Jamaica — Kingston
• Saint Kitts and Nevis — Basseterre
• Saint Lucia — Castries
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — Kingstown
• Trinidad and Tobago — Port of Spain

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Sovereign Countries Are in North America and the Caribbean?

There are 23 sovereign countries in the broad North America grouping used here: 2 in Northern America, 8 in Central America, and 13 in the Caribbean.

What Is the Capital of North America?

North America is a continent or region, not a country, so it does not have one capital. Each country has its own capital, such as Ottawa for Canada, Washington, D.C. for the United States, Mexico City for Mexico, and Havana for Cuba.

Is Mexico in North America or Central America?

Mexico is part of North America in broad geographic use. In the UN M49 statistical grouping, Mexico is placed under Central America, which is one of the subregions inside North America.

Are Caribbean Territories Counted as Countries?

No. Places such as Puerto Rico, Aruba, Bermuda, Greenland, and the Cayman Islands often appear in regional lists, but they are not sovereign countries. They are best listed separately from independent countries.

What Is the Capital of the Caribbean?

The Caribbean is a region, not a single country, so it has no single capital. The region contains many capitals, including Nassau, Bridgetown, Havana, Kingston, Santo Domingo, Roseau, and Port of Spain.

Which North American Country Has the Capital Belmopan?

Belmopan is the capital of Belize. Belize City is better known and larger, but Belmopan is the national capital.

Which Countries Have Capitals Starting With “Saint” or “St.”?

Several capital names use “Saint” or “St.” in English. St. John’s is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, and St. George’s is the capital of Grenada. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has Kingstown as its capital, not “Saint Vincent.”