While memorizing the location of countries on a world map can be a daunting task, you can make this process easier for yourself in a number of ways. Be careful to use an up-to-date map and review it continent by continent so that studying is not so intimidating. You can provide additional context to what you memorize by incorporating current events. You can also have fun studying by downloading geography apps, visiting educational websites, and posting a map at home. Color printed maps and test yourself with them and try to solve a puzzle in the shape of a world map.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Study the Map
Step 1. Use an updated map
You must be careful that the map you use to study is up to date. You can look for maps online at reputable and regularly updated websites and print one of them if you prefer to study with a paper map. Otherwise, you could buy a new map at an office supply store, bookstore, or online so you can study.
For example, you can find up-to-date and accurate world maps by going to the National Geographic website
Step 2. Scroll by continent
In order not to overwhelm you, you can only focus on one or two continents at a time when studying. If you try to cover the entire map at once, your concentration will be interrupted and memorization will be difficult for you. If necessary, you can cover the parts of the map that you will not focus on so that your eyes can stay focused.
For example, you can dedicate one day of the week to the study of each of the five continents: America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania
Step 3. Prioritize the countries that you have trouble identifying
Isolate those countries that you have difficulty remembering and pay particular attention to them when studying (for example, look at the other countries and bodies of water that surround them). Make a list of all the countries that you have tried three or more times without guessing. When testing yourself, make an effort to first identify the countries that are hard to remember and not those that you can easily recognize.
Step 4. Test yourself in alphabetical order
You can test yourself in alphabetical order as a way to reinforce your knowledge of the location of countries on a world map. Choose a continent and make the effort to name all the countries that comprise it in alphabetical order. By making the study process more complex, you will improve your focus on the material and pose a more thorough challenge.
It may also help to ask a friend or family member to put you to the test. This could present you with a greater challenge. They don't need to test you in alphabetical order but they might ask you questions like "What are the countries that border Laos?" or "What is the southernmost country in America?"
Step 5. Incorporate current events
Use global news and current events as a way to contextualize the countries you are trying to locate. For example, you could research and memorize which countries are currently making the headlines to get a better idea of the geographic context of that news story. Alternatively, if you have trouble memorizing some countries on the world map, you could search Google News for them to get more information about them and build stronger mental associations.
Step 6. Use the loci method
To memorize countries on a world map, you can try the loci method, which is a technique Roman speakers used to remember long speeches. Imagine the countries of a continent within the infrastructure of a well-known building (for example, your home or your workplace). Imagine memorable things happening in every room, section, or hallway, and assign countries on the map accordingly. You want to make the story memorable enough that it can stay in your mind, incorporating the connections you make with the world map.
For example, you can associate the countries of Europe with the cubicles of your colleagues at work and imagine an absurd story that is useful to remember it (for example, you could remember Portugal and Spain by imagining the cubicle of one of your colleagues, which It may have shrunk to contain a child-sized desk and chair and be located in the corner of another colleague's cubicle, which is large enough to accommodate flamenco dancers)
Step 7. Create a mnemonic resource
Mnemonic devices are silly phrases or rhymes that are helpful in remembering the order of things. They do not have to make sense, and sometimes the phrase is easier to remember if it is very absurd. You can try to come up with mnemonic devices to remember the order of certain countries from north to south or from east to west.
For example, this could be a mnemonic to name the Central American countries from north to south: Big Babies Study History, They Don't Eat Bread (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama). This phrase uses the first letter of each country
Method 2 of 2: Have Fun with Geography
Step 1. Download geography apps
You can find many educational applications available for download that can be useful for memorizing the locations of different countries on a world map. By using these apps, you will have the convenient option to study on the go whenever you get the chance (for example, when traveling by bus). You can download the following free apps to try:
- Learn World Geography - This is a free iPhone and iPad app that repeats flashcards for optimal memorization.
- TapQuiz Maps World Edition - This is a free iPhone and iPod application that can help you master geography through a fun quiz game.
- World Map Quiz: this is a free application for Android that teaches you to play a world map game in capitals or flags format.
Step 2. Visit educational websites
You can find various geography websites at your disposal that can help you improve your knowledge of the countries of the world in a fun way. On websites, you can find games, quizzes, and general culture that make memorizing countries on a world map less tedious and more interactive. You can visit the following websites to learn in a fun way:
- Seterra Online - A website that offers free trial map games that use map exercises for memorization.
- Lizard Point - An educational website where you can find free quizzes and general knowledge.
- World Atlas - An interactive website where you can explore a world map by country with detailed visual aids.
Step 3. Decorate with maps on the walls
You can develop strong visual memories of the world map and the countries it contains by decorating one of the walls of your house with a large map. If you want the map to be more interactive, you can hang a large map on a cork notice board so that you can use thumbtacks to mark the countries as you study. You can get wall maps (as well as a bulletin board and thumbtacks) at an office supply store or online.
Step 4. Print maps that you can color and study
You can memorize the countries by printing copies of a world map that you can color or use for study. You may find it helpful to color-code the different continents and countries to develop visual associations, as well as being a fun and relaxing activity. Blank maps can be used to study and test yourself for the location of countries.
Head over to this website to create a free custom world map with your own choice of colors and your own descriptions
Step 5. Work on a puzzle in the shape of a world map
By putting a puzzle together, you exercise multiple brain functions at the same time, particularly reasoning, sequencing, and problem-solving skills. Since you are already exercising your brain muscles, you can make the most of it by incorporating your study of the world map into this activity. Prolonged examination of the world map puzzle, as well as work of the mind at an analytical level, will help you to retain the locations of the countries.