How many countries can you name?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a quiz challenge where participants attempt to name as many countries as possible within a time limit. The conversation includes personal experiences, scores achieved, and reflections on the difficulty of recalling country names, particularly those that are less well-known or harder to spell. The scope is informal and exploratory, focusing on individual performance and strategies for improvement.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested, Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants report scores ranging from as low as 37 to as high as 177, indicating a wide variation in knowledge and recall ability.
  • Several participants express frustration with spelling, particularly for countries like Kyrgyzstan and Guinea-Bissau, which they found challenging under time pressure.
  • There are mentions of specific countries that participants struggled to recall or spell correctly, including small island nations and former countries like Czechoslovakia.
  • Some participants note that they missed many countries due to their small size not being visible on the map used in the quiz.
  • A few participants discuss strategies for improvement, such as revisiting maps or practicing over time to enhance their recall.
  • There is a recurring theme of participants feeling pressure from the timer, which affects their performance.
  • Some participants mention the confusion between England and the United Kingdom, highlighting a misunderstanding about the names of countries.
  • One participant humorously mentions a vacation in the USSR, indicating a playful approach to the discussion.
  • Several participants reference the addictive nature of the quiz and the desire to improve their scores through repeated attempts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share their scores and experiences, but there is no consensus on the best strategies for improvement or the specific challenges faced. Disagreements arise regarding the names and statuses of certain countries, particularly in relation to historical changes.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the spelling of certain countries and the criteria for what constitutes a country, indicating a reliance on specific definitions that may not be universally agreed upon.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in geography, trivia, or those looking to challenge themselves and improve their knowledge of world countries may find this discussion engaging.

Newai
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http://www.jetpunk.com/quizzes/how-many-countries-can-you-name.php

When I first tried this two weeks ago, I could name about 30-40. Now I can recognize over 140 on the map. For the ones too small for the map, I spend a little time on Google Earth, particularly street view.

So, how many can you name? You've twelve minutes on the clock, and it's fine without capitalization. Good luck!

Dammmm those other quizzes are addicting. Sorry if anyone disappears from here.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Around 962.
 
SPOILER ALERT (names of countries)

I got 99. I spent a full minute thinking to myself... "small pacific island nation... good at rugby... somalia! Damnit, that's not it..."

I basically sucked in Africa and presumably the Pacific islands. Also, Kyrgyzstan is hard as hell to spell under pressure
 
I got 106. I'll try again tomorrow. I wish I could see all the countries in the Caribbean so I could picture them in my head, but they're too small to show up on the map.
Edit: I got 130 this last time. I need to go look at a map.
 
Last edited:
I only got one right. Nauru.
 
Rats, I got 91 and my brain froze.
 
USA!

One. Are there others?
 
109, spelling got me in the end.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
USA!

One. Are there others?

Yeah, remember there was that other one we broke away from. That makes two, I think.
 
  • #10
156 - blew my last 20 seconds trying to recall the new name for Upper Volta. With another couple minutes, I could have gotten about 15-20 more - I'm a slow typer =(
 
  • #11
I only got 83, I feel so ashamed. I missed some really obvious ones, but got some that over 80% of the test takers missed.
 
  • #12
I got like 66 :(. When the hell did they change hte name to New Zealand?
 
  • #13
158.

Most of the ones I missed were too small to show up on the map so they didn't jog my memory. The ones that I saw on the map and missed were Kyrgyzstan, Guinea-Bissau, and that bunch of islands at the far right... Marshalls? Micronesia? Looking more closely at the map, I now see Djibouti, Lebanon, Cyprus and Trinidad & Tobago that I would have gotten if I had seen them.
 
  • #15
Greg Bernhardt said:
151, spelling killed me too or I could have done better

I wasted a minute trying to spel Bengalidesh.

Any score past 100 is essentially a typing test.
 
  • #16
137. I struggled with South East Asia, the Pacific Islands and some of South America.
 
  • #17
155. I wasted time trying to type in countries that weren't countries, and couldn't spell countries like Guinea-Bissau. Not sure if I typed it wrong or just forgot the hyphen. Also couldn't figure out how to spell Czech Republic until it was over. Cote-d'ivoire and French Guiana weren't working.
Who else got San Marino? I was surprised I thought of that.

Edit: just got 177. Can't believe there's still 18 more I'm missing.
 
Last edited:
  • #18
leroyjenkens said:
155. I wasted time trying to type in countries that weren't countries, and couldn't spell countries like Guinea-Bissau. Not sure if I typed it wrong or just forgot the hyphen. Also couldn't figure out how to spell Czech Republic until it was over. Cote-d'ivoire and French Guiana weren't working.
Who else got San Marino? I was surprised I thought of that.

"Ivory Coast" works.

I rattled off all the City-States and tiny countries first thing. About three minutes into it, I looked up and saw I was trying to enter "Stvincent saint lucia Trinidad and tobago grenada dominica,..." etc. Due to the no space in the first one, it didn't "go in" and all the subsequent names just piled up in the bar. I don't know how much time I lost there.

I did notice that putting in just "Congo" took care of both Congos!

And for some reason they did not accept Tannu Tuva, or Kingdom of the Volga Bulgars.
 
  • #19
Scoring
You scored 93/195 = 48%.
This beats or equals 75.8% of test takers.
The average score is 71.

Must have wasted a good 30 seconds trying to figure out how many names England goes by.
Has to be a sovereign nation, so Scotland and England don't count, etc...

Never did figure out how to spell Equador, um Equidor, er... never mind...
 
  • #20
I suppose I should point out that some of you might have missed the list that follows your completed quiz. When time's up, scroll down to see what you got right and missed.

edit: I'm up to 151!
 
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  • #21
I'll perhaps make some others who did not do all that well feel better by saying I only got 37.

Had I more time and been able to remember how names were spelled (I could not for the life of me remember how to spell Czech Republic) I probably would have gotten another couple dozen at least. I was surprised at some of the names I did remember and for some reason I did not think to go through Asian countries until there were only 2 seconds left (I only picked up China, Japan, India, and Indonesia not counting middle eastern countries). Timers make me nervous.
 
  • #22
Newai said:
I suppose I should point out that some of you might have missed the list that follows your completed quiz. When time's up, scroll down to see what you got right and missed.

edit: I'm up to 151!

Thank you. I still have the page up.

12 most missed countries:

Equatorial Guinea
Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands
Cape Verde
Vanuatu
Palau
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Comoros
Tuvalu
Kiribati
Sao Tome and Principe
Nauru

We'll have to get the boss to visit those places, if he hasn't already.
 
  • #23
TheStatutoryApe said:
I'll perhaps make some others who did not do all that well feel better by saying I only got 37.

That's better than my first time. Keep at if for a few weeks and watch what happens!
 
  • #24
OmCheeto said:
Must have wasted a good 30 seconds trying to figure out how many names England goes by.

England doesn't go by any other names. The country you were looking for, however, is called the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). It's amazing the number of people who thing England and the UK are synonymous.
 
  • #25
cristo said:
England doesn't go by any other names. The country you were looking for, however, is called the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). It's amazing the number of people who thing England and the UK are synonymous.

That would be me.
 
  • #26
cristo said:
England doesn't go by any other names. The country you were looking for, however, is called the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). It's amazing the number of people who thing England and the UK are synonymous.

When was the last time it was even called England?
Some people can be way out of the loop. I talked to a guy a little while ago who thought Czechoslovakia was still a country.
 
  • #27
I'm going to a vacation in the USSR.
 
  • #28
I got 62. I'd say there were about 30 I really had no clue about.
 
  • #29
Newai said:
That's better than my first time. Keep at if for a few weeks and watch what happens!

This will be the new geek challenge that my friends and I play for at least a night. Doing it again so shortly afterwards, and seeing the list of answers, seems like cheating though.

It will be a good way to educate myself and refresh my memory.
 
  • #30
leroyjenkens said:
When was the last time it was even called England?

The UK is made up of Great Britain (which is the big island, in turn made up of England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. So England is a country, but the sovereign state is the UK, which encompasses all four countries.
 

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