Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Study the map
• Method 2 of 2: Have fun with topography

Memorizing the places of countries on a world map can be a daunting task, but there are many ways to facilitate the process. Make sure to use an up-to-date map and learn by continent to make studying less daunting. Include current events to give additional context to what you are remembering. Have fun while studying by downloading topography apps, visiting educational websites and putting up a map at home. Color and test yourself with printed maps and try to make a jigsaw puzzle of a world map.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Study the map

1. Use a current world map. Make sure to use a current world map to study. Search for maps on reliable, regularly updated websites online and print one out if you prefer to study a paper map. Otherwise, consider purchasing a new card from an office supply store, bookstore, or online.
   • For example, visit the National Geographic website at http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps for accurate, current world maps.
2. Learn by continent. To avoid being overwhelmed, focus on one or two continents at a time when learning. Trying to do the whole map at once will disrupt your concentration and make memorization difficult. If necessary, cover the parts of the map that you are not working on to keep your eyes focused.
   • For example, spend every day of the week studying one of the seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America (including Central America) and South America.
3. Prioritize countries that are difficult to identify. Isolate the countries that are difficult to remember and give them extra attention while learning (for example, write down the other countries and waters around them). List all the countries that you can guess three or more times without getting it right. When quizzing yourself, consciously identify first the countries you have trouble remembering, rather than the ones you easily recognize.
4. Quiz yourself alphabetically. To strengthen your knowledge of where countries are on a world map, test yourself in alphabetical order. Choose a continent and try to name each country in alphabetical order. By making the learning process more complicated, you sharpen your concentration on the material and challenge yourself more thoroughly.
   • Having a friend or family member test you can also help, which can be more challenging. They don't have to test you in alphabetical order. They might instead ask a question like, "Which countries does Laos border on?" Or "What is the southernmost country in South America?"
5. Include current events. Use news stories and global current events to provide context to the countries you are trying to locate. For example, look up countries and remember the ones currently in the headlines to get a better idea of ​​the geographic context of those news stories. Alternatively, you can look up countries you have a hard time remembering in Google News to find out more about them and create stronger mental associations.
6. Use the loci method. Try using the loci method, a technique used by Roman orators to memorize long speeches, to memorize countries on a world map. Visualize the countries of a continent in the context of a familiar building (for example, your home or work). Imagine memorable things happening in every room, section or hallway and assign countries on the map to them. Make the story memorable enough to linger in your mind and evoke the connections you make with the world map.
   • For example, associate countries in Europe with the spaces of your colleagues at work and come up with an absurd story that will help you remember (for example, remember Portugal and Spain by imagining the space of a colleague that has shrunk in size and a child-sized desk and chair, on the corner of another colleague's room large enough to contain flamenco dancers.
7. Make a reminder. Mnemonics are silly phrases or rhymes that help you remember the order of things. They don't have to make sense and sometimes it's easier to remember if the sentence is really weird. Try to make mnemonics to remember the order of certain countries from north to south or west to east.
   • A reminder used to list the countries of Central America from north to south is: Baby Goat Eats Ham, Not Choco Peanuts. The sentence gives the first letter of each country (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama).

Method 2 of 2: Have fun with topography

1. Download topography apps. There are many educational apps available for download that can help you remember where different countries are on a world map. You can use these apps very conveniently wherever you are to study (for example during a bus ride). Download these free apps to have a try:
   • Learn World Geography, a free app for iPhone and iPad that repeats flashcards for optimal memorization
   • TapQuiz Maps World Edition, a free app for iPhone and iPod that can help you learn topography with a fun game
   • World Map Quiz, a free app for Android that allows you to play a world map game with flags or capitals
2. Visit educational websites. There are several topography websites that help you improve your knowledge of the countries in the world in a fun way. Websites offer games, tests and fun facts to make it less boring and more interactive to memorize countries on the world map. To learn in a fun way, visit:
   • Seterra Online, a website with free games where cards are tested using overview card exercises to memorize
   • Lizard Point, an educational website with free tests and facts
   • World Atlas, an interactive website that allows you to discover the world map country by country with detailed visual aids
3. Decorate the walls with cards. To build strong visual memories of the world map and the countries on it, try decorating a wall in your home with a large wall map. To make a more interactive map, hang a large map on a bulletin board so you can mark countries with thumbtacks while learning. Look for maps (as well as pin boards and thumbtacks) at an office supply store or online.
4. Print out maps for coloring and studying. To memorize countries, you can print copies of a world map for coloring or use for study. Color coding and color coding different continents and countries can be a fun, relaxing activity. Blank maps can be useful for studying and testing yourself on the location of countries.
   • Visit https://mapchart.net/ to create a free custom world map with your own color choices and descriptions
5. Work on a world map jigsaw puzzle. Working on a jigsaw puzzle exercises multiple brain functions at the same time - especially reasoning, sequencing, and problem solving abilities. If you are already exercising your brain muscles, you can benefit by incorporating your study of the world map into the activity. The continued study of the world map puzzle, in addition to working your brain at an analytical level, will help you remember the location of countries.
   • Buy a puzzle with a world map at a toy store, craft store, or online.