How to guess country shapes
Find the country from its outline in six guesses.
Look at the outline
The outline shows the country’s main land, north up. It is scaled to fit the card, so its size does not show the country’s real size.
Choose a country
Each guess shows the distance to the answer and an arrow that points from your guess toward it. Use the km/mi menu to change distance units. Neighbor means that the two countries share a land border.
Name the country
Follow the distance and the arrow to come closer. You win when you name the country of the outline.
Frequently asked questions
Why are some islands missing?
The outline shows the country’s main land. Land far from it, such as Alaska and Hawaii for the United States, is left out so that the shape stays clear.
How do you calculate distance?
The distance and the arrow go from the center of the country you guessed to the center of the answer.
Where do the outlines come from?
From a fixed copy of the World Bank Official Boundaries, version 3. They do not update live. The Sources page credits this dataset.
When does the shape change?
A new shape arrives at midnight in your time zone. An untouched puzzle updates automatically; otherwise, select Play today when you’re ready. Your saved progress stays. Classic, Flags and Shapes have separate games and statistics.
How can I play more?
Sign in and switch to Unlimited to play more shapes, or play Wherestan Classic or Flags.
Where are my statistics?
Select the statistics icon at the top of the page. In the Daily game, the leaderboard opens from there; only wins recorded while signed in appear on it. When you are signed out, your games are saved only in this browser. When you sign in, they are also saved to your account, so they show on every device where you sign in.