How to play
- Press Start. You have 10 minutes.
- Type the name of a country. It counts as soon as it matches, with no need to press Enter, and turns green on the map.
- A few names are the start of another country’s name. Keep typing for the longer one. For the shorter one, stop for half a second or press Enter.
- Pause whenever you like. The map and your list are hidden while the clock is stopped.
- When the time is up, the map and the lists below it show which countries you named and which you missed. Tap or hover over any country to see its name.
What counts as a country
All 197 countries: the 193 member states of the United Nations, the two UN observer states, and two more that most country quizzes also include. Overseas territories and dependencies are not answers, and neither are the nations that together form a larger country: name the country itself. Land that isn’t an answer is shown in a lighter shade on the map.
In detail: the two observer states are Vatican City and Palestine, and the two extra countries are Kosovo and Taiwan. Territories such as Greenland, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong and Western Sahara are not answers, and neither are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which count as the United Kingdom.
Spelling and alternative names
Capitals, accents, spaces and punctuation don’t matter, “St” works for “Saint” and a leading “The” is optional, but the spelling itself has to be right. Well-known alternative names count too, such as Ivory Coast for Côte d’Ivoire or Czech Republic for Czechia.
The full list of accepted names appears here when your quiz ends, so it doesn’t give any answers away.
| Country | Also accepted |
|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Antigua |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnia |
| Brunei | Brunei Darussalam |
| Cabo Verde | Cape Verde |
| Central African Republic | CAR |
| China | People's Republic of China |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Ivory Coast |
| Czechia | Czech Republic |
| DR Congo | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Congo-Kinshasa |
| Eswatini | Swaziland |
| Ireland | Republic of Ireland |
| Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyz Republic |
| Laos | Lao PDR |
| Micronesia | Federated States of Micronesia |
| Moldova | Republic of Moldova |
| Myanmar | Burma |
| Netherlands | Holland |
| North Korea | DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
| North Macedonia | Macedonia |
| Palestine | State of Palestine |
| Papua New Guinea | PNG |
| Republic of the Congo | Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Republic of Congo |
| Russia | Russian Federation |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Kitts |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Saint Vincent |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | São Tomé |
| Slovakia | Slovak Republic |
| South Korea | Republic of Korea |
| Tanzania | United Republic of Tanzania |
| Timor-Leste | East Timor |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad |
| Türkiye | Turkey |
| United Arab Emirates | UAE, Emirates |
| United Kingdom | UK, Great Britain, Britain |
| United States | USA, US, United States of America, America |
| Vatican City | Vatican, Holy See |
| Vietnam | Viet Nam |
Questions
Why 197 and not 195?
195 is the UN members plus the two observer states. Two more countries are added because most country quizzes include them, so your score compares with theirs. They are Kosovo and Taiwan.
Does the clock stop if I switch tabs?
No, use Pause for that. If you close or reload the page mid-game, the game is saved and waits, paused, until you come back.
How do I find tiny countries on the map?
Countries too small to see on the map are marked with a small circle that turns green when you name them.
Where are my scores kept?
Only in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere, and clearing your browser’s site data removes them.
More to play
- Capitals (coming soon): Match each country to its capital city.
- Flags (coming soon): Name the country from its flag.
- All quizzes
- El Trivia home