The hardest countries to find on a map

Every day, thousands of people try to find countries on a blank 3D globe in Borderline — no labels, no borders highlighted, just the world. Over 250,000 guesses later, here is what that experiment says: all 166 countries, ranked by how often players put their first tap inside the right borders.

The spread is enormous. Brazil and Russia are found by 98% of players. Timor-Leste, by 25%. Half the countries of West Africa sit below 40%. These are not trick questions — the game names the country and shows the whole planet. People simply do not know where these places are.

Try today's five countriesfree, no signup, ~2 minutes

The ten hardest

1. Timor-Leste 25%

   South-Eastern Asia · capital Dili. Players hover a median 9s before daring a tap.

2. Liberia 28%

   Western Africa · capital Monrovia. First guesses land an average of 637 km north-east of it.

3. Sierra Leone 31%

   Western Africa · capital Freetown. First guesses land an average of 866 km east of it.

4. Burkina Faso 31%

   Western Africa · capital Ouagadougou. Guesses scatter across a circle 1,989 km wide.

5. Senegal 32%

   Western Africa · capital Dakar. First guesses land an average of 446 km east of it.

6. Brunei 33%

   South-Eastern Asia · capital Bandar Seri Begawan. Players hover a median 10s before daring a tap.

7. Guinea 34%

   Western Africa · capital Conakry. The most common wrong answer is Sierra Leone.

8. Vanuatu 34%

   Melanesia · capital Port Vila. Players hover a median 10s before daring a tap.

9. Gabon 37%

   Middle Africa · capital Libreville. First guesses land an average of 437 km north-west of it.

10. Zambia 37%

    Eastern Africa · capital Lusaka. First guesses land an average of 732 km north-west of it.

The ten easiest

Brazil (98%), Russia (98%), Australia (96%), France (96%), Canada (95%), United States (94%), Mexico (92%), China (92%), India (92%), South Korea (90%). Big, famous, or both.

The full ranking

Every country with enough guesses to measure (minimum 30 first attempts each; most have hundreds).

Found by fewer than 40% (13 countries)

Country	Region	Find it first try
Timor-Leste	South-Eastern Asia	25%
Liberia	Western Africa	28%
Sierra Leone	Western Africa	31%
Burkina Faso	Western Africa	31%
Senegal	Western Africa	32%
Brunei	South-Eastern Asia	33%
Guinea	Western Africa	34%
Vanuatu	Melanesia	34%
Gabon	Middle Africa	37%
Zambia	Eastern Africa	37%
Gambia	Western Africa	37%
Mauritania	Western Africa	37%
Djibouti	Eastern Africa	38%

40–54%: coin-flip country (51 countries)

Country	Region	Find it first try
Ghana	Western Africa	40%
Cameroon	Middle Africa	41%
Costa Rica	Central America	41%
Guinea-Bissau	Western Africa	42%
Albania	Southeast Europe	43%
Mali	Western Africa	44%
Niger	Western Africa	44%
Uganda	Eastern Africa	44%
Bahamas	Caribbean	44%
Angola	Middle Africa	44%
Suriname	South America	44%
Turkmenistan	Central Asia	44%
Eritrea	Eastern Africa	45%
Malawi	Eastern Africa	45%
Guatemala	Central America	45%
Zimbabwe	Eastern Africa	46%
Kenya	Eastern Africa	46%
Slovenia	Central Europe	46%
Chad	Middle Africa	46%
Tanzania	Eastern Africa	46%
Solomon Islands	Melanesia	46%
Benin	Western Africa	47%
Guyana	South America	47%
Namibia	Southern Africa	47%
Mozambique	Eastern Africa	47%
Czechia	Central Europe	48%
Lebanon	Western Asia	49%
Slovakia	Central Europe	49%
Bulgaria	Southeast Europe	49%
Trinidad and Tobago	Caribbean	50%
Nigeria	Western Africa	51%
Honduras	Central America	51%
Hungary	Central Europe	52%
Moldova	Eastern Europe	52%
Croatia	Southeast Europe	52%
Serbia	Southeast Europe	52%
Ivory Coast	Western Africa	52%
North Macedonia	Southeast Europe	52%
Burundi	Eastern Africa	53%
Fiji	Melanesia	53%
Armenia	Western Asia	53%
Ethiopia	Eastern Africa	53%
Myanmar	South-Eastern Asia	53%
Cyprus	Southern Europe	53%
Azerbaijan	Western Asia	53%
Romania	Southeast Europe	54%
Jordan	Western Asia	54%
Tajikistan	Central Asia	54%
Montenegro	Southeast Europe	54%
Nicaragua	Central America	54%
United Arab Emirates	Western Asia	54%

55–69%: most people get there (49 countries)

Country	Region	Find it first try
Botswana	Southern Africa	55%
Eswatini	Southern Africa	55%
Togo	Western Africa	55%
Republic of the Congo	Middle Africa	55%
Uruguay	South America	56%
Kuwait	Western Asia	56%
Lesotho	Southern Africa	56%
Rwanda	Eastern Africa	57%
Libya	Northern Africa	57%
Syria	Western Asia	57%
El Salvador	Central America	57%
Thailand	South-Eastern Asia	58%
Dominican Republic	Caribbean	58%
Paraguay	South America	59%
Sudan	Northern Africa	59%
Belize	Central America	59%
Central African Republic	Middle Africa	59%
Estonia	Northern Europe	61%
Algeria	Northern Africa	61%
DR Congo	Middle Africa	61%
Bolivia	South America	61%
Philippines	South-Eastern Asia	61%
Kazakhstan	Central Asia	61%
Afghanistan	Southern Asia	61%
Equatorial Guinea	Middle Africa	61%
Latvia	Northern Europe	62%
Laos	South-Eastern Asia	62%
Lithuania	Northern Europe	62%
Uzbekistan	Central Asia	62%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Southeast Europe	62%
Qatar	Western Asia	63%
Georgia	Western Asia	63%
Switzerland	Western Europe	63%
Kyrgyzstan	Central Asia	63%
Yemen	Western Asia	64%
Bhutan	Southern Asia	64%
Belarus	Eastern Europe	65%
Peru	South America	65%
Colombia	South America	65%
Nepal	Southern Asia	66%
Haiti	Caribbean	66%
Ecuador	South America	66%
Oman	Western Asia	66%
South Sudan	Middle Africa	66%
Indonesia	South-Eastern Asia	67%
Iraq	Western Asia	68%
Somalia	Eastern Africa	69%
Austria	Central Europe	69%
Luxembourg	Western Europe	69%

70–84%: hard to miss (32 countries)

Country	Region	Find it first try
Jamaica	Caribbean	70%
Netherlands	Western Europe	70%
Bangladesh	Southern Asia	70%
Kosovo	Southeast Europe	71%
Malaysia	South-Eastern Asia	72%
Cuba	Caribbean	73%
Venezuela	South America	73%
Saudi Arabia	Western Asia	74%
New Zealand	Australia and New Zealand	74%
Japan	Eastern Asia	75%
Tunisia	Northern Africa	76%
Poland	Central Europe	76%
Cambodia	South-Eastern Asia	76%
Iran	Southern Asia	76%
Denmark	Northern Europe	76%
Madagascar	Eastern Africa	77%
Papua New Guinea	Melanesia	77%
Panama	Central America	78%
Belgium	Western Europe	78%
Morocco	Northern Africa	78%
Chile	South America	79%
Finland	Northern Europe	79%
Italy	Southern Europe	79%
Sri Lanka	Southern Asia	79%
Ukraine	Eastern Europe	80%
Israel	Western Asia	80%
Norway	Northern Europe	80%
Iceland	Northern Europe	81%
Argentina	South America	82%
Mongolia	Eastern Asia	83%
Portugal	Southern Europe	83%
Egypt	Northern Africa	84%

85% and up: unmissable (21 countries)

Country	Region	Find it first try
Sweden	Northern Europe	85%
Vietnam	South-Eastern Asia	85%
Greece	Southern Europe	85%
Türkiye	Western Asia	86%
Pakistan	Southern Asia	87%
Germany	Western Europe	88%
South Africa	Southern Africa	88%
Ireland	Northern Europe	89%
Spain	Southern Europe	89%
United Kingdom	Northern Europe	89%
North Korea	Eastern Asia	89%
South Korea	Eastern Asia	90%
India	Southern Asia	92%
China	Eastern Asia	92%
Mexico	North America	92%
United States	North America	94%
Canada	North America	95%
France	Western Europe	96%
Australia	Australia and New Zealand	96%
Russia	Eastern Europe	98%
Brazil	South America	98%

How this was measured

Borderline gives every player the same five countries each day and records where the first tap lands. A find means the first tap was inside the country's borders. Water taps within 50 km of the right coastline count as finds — a fingertip slip into the sea is aim, not ignorance. Data covers June to August 2026, 166 countries, over 250,000 guesses. Country outlines from Natural Earth.

Curious about a specific country? Start with the most mislocated: Where is…?