Random country wheel: pick a country worldwide
From Brazil to Japan: the wheel picks a country at random – for a geography quiz, travel daydreams or your next world cooking night.
How it is calculated
The wheel comes preloaded with 40 countries from every continent – a broad, well-known selection rather than all 195 countries in the world (see the FAQ for why). Each country has the same chance of 1/40 = 2.5%. Delete countries you don't need or add your own – the list lives in the text box, not in this page.
How it works
- Press "Spin the wheel" – it stops on one of the 40 countries.
- To draw several different countries, switch on "Remove the winning entry from the wheel"; "Drawn so far" lists every pick.
- Edit the text box to build your own list – one continent, your travel shortlist, or every country in the world.
40 countries and their capitals
| Country | Capital |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires |
| Australia | Canberra |
| Brazil | Brasília |
| Canada | Ottawa |
| Chile | Santiago |
| China | Beijing |
| Colombia | Bogotá |
| Egypt | Cairo |
| France | Paris |
| Germany | Berlin |
| Ghana | Accra |
| Greece | Athens |
| India | New Delhi |
| Indonesia | Jakarta |
| Ireland | Dublin |
| Italy | Rome |
| Japan | Tokyo |
| Kenya | Nairobi |
| Mexico | Mexico City |
| Morocco | Rabat |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam |
| New Zealand | Wellington |
| Nigeria | Abuja |
| Pakistan | Islamabad |
| Peru | Lima |
| Philippines | Manila |
| Poland | Warsaw |
| Portugal | Lisbon |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh |
| South Africa | Pretoria (administrative) |
| South Korea | Seoul |
| Spain | Madrid |
| Sweden | Stockholm |
| Switzerland | Bern |
| Thailand | Bangkok |
| Turkey | Ankara |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi |
| United Kingdom | London |
| United States | Washington, D.C. |
| Vietnam | Hanoi |
Common traps: Turkey's capital is Ankara, not Istanbul. The capital of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi, not Dubai. Canada's capital is Ottawa, not Toronto, and Australia's is Canberra, not Sydney. South Africa is unusual: Pretoria is the administrative capital, Cape Town the legislative one and Bloemfontein the judicial one.
Quiz ideas for class or games night
- Capital sprint: spin the wheel; whoever names the correct capital first scores a point.
- Neighbor chain: name a country that borders the one you spun, or the ocean closest to it for island nations.
- Draw the flag: whoever draws the country's flag most accurately from memory wins.
- Three facts: official language, currency and a well-known dish – get all three for double points.
Travel and everyday ideas
- Pick a destination: if you have a few dream trips, put only those on the wheel. Enter a favorite twice with
Japan *2– with 40 countries it then has 2/41 ≈ 4.88%. - World cooking night: a new country every week, one recipe from there.
- Language taster: learn "hello" and "thank you" in the local language of whatever the wheel picks.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't every country in the world on the wheel?
The wheel technically holds up to 500 entries, but labels become unreadable well before that. 40 countries keep every name legible on the wheel; add or remove any country in the text box to build your own list.
How likely is each country?
Each of the 40 preset countries has 1/40 = 2.5%. Delete or add countries and the wheel re-divides the chances automatically.
Can I put all countries of the world on the wheel?
Yes. The wheel takes up to 500 entries, so all of the roughly 195 countries fit – paste a list with one country per line. With that many slices the labels get very small, though.
Can I use it to pick a travel destination?
Yes. Replace the list with your shortlist, one country per line. To favour one, add an asterisk such as "Japan *2" and it gets double the chance.
Does the wheel show flags?
No, the slices show country names only. For a flag quiz, spin first and then draw or describe the flag of the country you got.
Can I make a wheel of just one continent, like Africa or Asia?
Yes. Delete every country you don't want from the text box – the remaining ones automatically share the chances equally, or by weight if you use "*2" and similar.
Why is Pretoria listed as the capital of South Africa and not Cape Town?
South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial). Pretoria is the one usually given as "the" capital.
Sources and legal basis
- Europäische Union – Die 27 Mitgliedstaaten
- United Nations – Member States
- W3C Recommendation: W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues()
- MDN Web Docs – Crypto.getRandomValues()
As of:
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