Which Scandinavian capital is built on 14 islands?

The Scandinavian capital built across 14 islands is Stockholm. Sweden’s capital occupies islands and connected waterfront districts where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, giving the city its distinctive network of bridges, quays, and waterways.

Stockholm’s central islands include Gamla stan, the historic Old Town, as well as Södermalm, Kungsholmen, and Norrmalm. The city’s location made it valuable for trade and defence, while its waterways shaped both its neighbourhoods and its identity. Stockholm was founded in the 13th century and became Sweden’s capital in the following centuries.

The 14-island description refers to the built-up city itself, not the entire Stockholm Archipelago. That larger coastal region contains tens of thousands of islands, islets, and skerries, extending far into the Baltic. Another common mix-up is treating Stockholm as an island city in the same sense as Venice: Stockholm is a connected urban area, with roads, railways, and bridges linking its island districts to the mainland.