Which capital city is the lowest in the world?

The capital city with the lowest elevation in the world is Baku, Azerbaijan. It stands about 28 metres below sea level on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula beside the Caspian Sea.

Baku is both Azerbaijan’s capital and its largest city. Its unusually low position results from its setting around the Caspian basin, whose water surface is itself below the global mean sea level. This makes Baku the lowest-lying national capital, as well as the world’s largest city located below sea level.

The city is much more than an elevation record. Baku grew into a major port and oil centre, and its historic Old City includes the Maiden Tower and Palace of the Shirvanshahs, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. A common mix-up is confusing “lowest capital” with the lowest point on Earth, which is the Dead Sea shoreline—not a capital city.