How to play
- Press Start. You have 3 minutes for all 51 countries.
- Type a country’s name. It counts as soon as it matches and turns green on the map; a country from another continent clears the box, with a note saying where it is.
- Pause whenever you like. When the time is up, the lists below the map show what you named and what you missed.
About the countries of Europe
Europe is the second-smallest continent by area, yet it has one more answer here than Asia, many of them small. Six are so small that the map marks them with a circle instead of drawing them: four sit inside or between larger neighbours, and two are on or in the Mediterranean. About half of the continent’s countries belong to the European Union, but membership doesn’t matter here; every sovereign country counts.
One way through: the large countries of the west first, then the Nordic and Baltic countries in the north, Central Europe, the Balkans, and finally the east, where the continent meets Asia at the Urals and the Caucasus.
More about the countries of Europe (names some answers)
Russia is the largest country in the world and counts here as well as in Asia. The smallest is Vatican City, inside Rome, which is also the smallest country in the world. Liechtenstein is doubly landlocked, like Uzbekistan in Asia. Kosovo is an answer: it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognised by many, though not all, UN members. The United Kingdom is one answer, not four, and Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both part of the Danish realm, aren’t answers.
Which countries count
Europe here follows the UN’s grouping of countries, plus the countries that span Europe and Asia, which count in both continents’ quizzes. Territories and dependencies aren’t answers, and land outside the quiz is shown in a lighter shade.
The countries in both Europe and Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia and Türkiye.
Spelling: capitals, accents, spaces and punctuation don’t matter, and well-known alternative names count.
The accepted alternative names appear here when your quiz ends, so they don’t give any answers away.
| Country | Also accepted |
|---|---|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnia |
| Czechia | Czech Republic |
| Ireland | Republic of Ireland |
| Moldova | Republic of Moldova |
| Netherlands | Holland |
| North Macedonia | Macedonia |
| Russia | Russian Federation |
| Slovakia | Slovak Republic |
| Türkiye | Turkey |
| United Kingdom | UK, Great Britain, Britain |
| Vatican City | Vatican, Holy See |
Questions
Why do some countries count in both Europe and Asia?
The border between Europe and Asia is a convention, not a line on the ground: it usually follows the Ural Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus and the straits at Istanbul. Countries on or across it count in both continents’ quizzes, and the list appears below once your game is over.
How do I find the microstates?
Each has a small circle on the map, which turns green when you name it. Four are enclaves or sit between two neighbours, so look along the borders in the south-west and the middle of the continent.
More geography
- Capitals of Europe: the same countries, naming their capitals
- Countries of the World: all 197 at once
- Other continents: Countries of Africa, Countries of Asia, Countries of North America, Countries of South America, Countries of Oceania
More to play
- Countries of the World: Type every country you can before the clock runs out.
- Capitals of the World: Name the capital of every country before the clock runs out.
- Periodic Table: Name every chemical element before the clock runs out.
- Flags of the World: Name the country from its flag.
- All quizzes
- El Trivia home