Which one of the following is NOT correctly matched? (Country)  -- (Capital) a) Morocco -- Rabat b) Tunisia -- Tunis c) Algeria -- Algiers d) Cape Verde -- Bamako Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The correct answer is D, because the pair Cape Verde - Bamako is wrong. Bamako is the capital of Mali, a landlocked Sahel country. The capital of Cape Verde is Praia, on Santiago island.

The other three pairs are correct:

• (a) Morocco - Rabat: Rabat is the administrative capital. Casablanca is the largest city and economic hub, which is a common confusion.
• (b) Tunisia - Tunis: Tunis is both the capital and the largest city.
• (c) Algeria - Algiers: Algiers is the capital and the main port on the Mediterranean.

The core concept here is country-capital mapping, which is part of the world geography in the GS Prelims syllabus. For Mains, Mali and Cape Verde help you place the Sahel and the Macaronesian islands in the wider African politics and ECOWAS context.

Trap: Aspirants often pick a pair because the capital sounds like an African city they have heard of. Check each country-capital pair separately rather than relying on regional familiarity.