Original Link: https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/  This article is regularly updated with new tips, tricks and techniques. - [GeoGuessr Modes](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#geoguessr-modes) - [Fundamental Techniques](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#fundamental-techniques) - [Highway Numbering Systems](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#highway-numbering-systems) - [General Clues](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#general-clues) - [Meta](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#meta) - [License Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#license-plates) - [Languages](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#languages) - [How To Identify Every Country In North America](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#how-to-identify-every-country-north-america) - [How To Identify Every Country In Europe](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#how-to-identify-every-country-europe) - [How To Identify Every Country In Oceania](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#how-to-identify-every-country-oceania) - [How To Identify Every Country In Africa](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#how-to-identify-every-country-africa) - [How To Identify Every Country In Asia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#how-to-identify-every-country-asia) - [How To Identify Every Country In South America](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#how-to-identify-every-country-south-america) This article is for everyone from the GeoGuessr novice to expert. It begins with the basics then covers all the important elements including identifying: license plates, bollards, utility poles, languages, highway signs, highway numbering systems, camera generations, visible Street View cars and much, much more. The lower section of this article provides the key clues and idiosyncrasies that will help in recognising each country in the (GeoGuessr) world. **An Introduction to GeoGuessr ** GeoGuessr ([https://geoguessr.com/](https://geoguessr.com/)) is a game in which a semi-random Google Street View location is presented to you. You are permitted to move along the street akin to Google Street View and must use Sherlock-esque logic (not the type of logic used in the recent poorly executed ‘Holmes and Watson’ movie that has a generous 10% on Rotten Tomatoes) to decode precisely where on earth your initial Street View location is. On an adjacent map, you are required to click a location and your guess’s proximity to your actual Street View position is awarded with points. The point score will range from 0 for an antipodean guess, which is hard to achieve in itself, to a maximum 5000 points for a guess within about 150 metres for the standard GeoGuessr game. A GeoGuessr game consists of 5 rounds and if my abacus is calibrated correctly, that means a potentially perfect score of 25,000 awaits. The primary purpose of GeoGuessr is that it is (everyone say this in unison) “fun and educational”. Other reasons to play involve lauding your geographical superiority nous over your friends or couples settling disputes about who is better at giving directions whilst driving. In pragmatic terms, GeoGuessr may only be useful if you are kidnapped and taken blindfolded to a random location on earth with the captor providing you the chance to escape once your blindfold is removed if you can identify your location accurately to within 150 metres. The captor must then proceed to take you to 4 other locations and repeat said process. I smell a new reality TV show MTV. Incidentally, MTV if you are reading this I copyright this concept; saying copyright counts as copyright, right? **Settings** [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/geo-smirk.png) Before embarking on a standard GeoGuessr game, you are presented with various options on a screen that looks uncannily like a smirking face, aware of the difficult locations that await you. Challenging others by clicking on the predictably named ‘challenge’ button will allow you to invite friends or foe to play the same map against you to see who really is superior in a very esoteric task that has very little real-world purpose. By using the ‘default settings’ you can play moving GeoGuessr at your own leisurely pace. There are other GeoGuessr variants that are played around the four corners of the round globe. Before starting a game, toggle ‘default settings’ and like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you will be transported to a magical world with talking animals, mythical beasts and more restrictive GeoGuessr settings (at least one of these three things is true). The settings include: viewing a still Street View image in which any moving, zooming or panning is forbidden and shall be punishable by death. This is the most challenging version of GeoGuessr and if the image provided is of a grass hill, then good luck in recognising the individual blades of grass if your name isn’t Blinky (the Roger Federer of GeoGuessr). Another version of GeoGuessr allows users to pan left, right, up and down but moving and zooming are prohibited. A further version of the game allows panning and zooming but no moving; something akin to being dropped in a location with binoculars whilst your legs are tied up. It is frowned upon to use external websites whilst playing GeoGuessr (although this website you are reading now should be used). Everyone has a shady cousin whose scent whiffs of recreational drugs that they claim is a new deodorant, flirts with the legal-illegal line and possibly flirts with other cousins too- this is the type of person I would expect to use external help in GeoGuessr but lie and tell people they have suddenly memorised every road name in Ghana. ## GeoGuessr Modes - [Maps](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#maps) - [Explorer Mode](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#explorer-mode) - [Country Streaks](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#country-streak) - [USA State Streaks](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa-state-streak) - [The Daily Challenge](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-daily-challenge) - [Maprunner](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#maprunner) - [Multiplayer](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#multiplayer) - [Battle Royale- Countries](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#battle-royale) - [Battle Royale- Distance](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#distance-battle) - [Duels](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#duels) - [Party](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#party) - [Quiz](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#quiz) - [GeoGuessr Pro](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#geoguessr-pro)  **Maps**  You can play GeoGuessr in one of several variations. Firstly, by clicking on ‘Single player’ then ‘Classic Maps’ you will be presented with a range of map themes. The most commonly played is the world map which may come as a surprise to some Americans. Other popular maps include: Famous Places, United States (I take back my previous remark), The European Union and European Stadiums. If you search for your city/state/country, there will likely be a map for your location- note: this may not be true for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The standard version of GeoGuessr allows players to navigate along roads for an infinite period of time. In theory, you could be provided a location in Eastern Russia and spend a fun 3 week period on your computer clicking along Siberian roads until you reach a recognisable Paris and thus trace your path back during another fun-filled 3 week period resulting in 5000 points but on the flip-side, 6 weeks will be lost from your life. It’s a tough decision. I occasionally dabble in this version of the game but my impatience means that I prefer timed version of GeoGuessr. You are permitted to enter a time limit per round of somewhere between 10 seconds to 10 minutes. This will ensure that rounds don’t surpass the age of the observable universe. **Explorer Mode **   Another variant of GeoGuessr is Explorer Mode. Once inside Explorer Mode (which can be found in the ‘Single player’ section), click on a country to play that specific map. To earn a bronze medal you must score above 5,000 points, silver requires 15,000 plus and the elusive gold requires a score of 22,500 or more. Are the point requirements for medals seemingly arbitrary numbers? Yep. Is it fun to play Explorer Mode, excluding the featureless Mongolian map? Absolutely. Once you complete a country, scoring above the aforementioned thresholds, the country will turn the appropriate colour on the map. Certain countries in Explorer Mode (such as Mongolia) are virtually impossible to earn gold on unless you play through all of the locations and memorise them (or take notes and wait for repeats).  **Country Streaks**  Perhaps the only positive to come out of the year 2020 is the GeoGuessr Country Streak mode. The GeoGuessr ‘streak modes’ can be found in the ‘Single player’ section and appears as an apocalyptic-looking (and 2020 appropriate) lightning bolt. The challenge is to correctly identify each country you are placed in to form your longest possible correct streak. There is a small loophole in this challenge- if you notice an unfamiliar flag, you can click on a country on the guessing map to match the flag. **USA State Streaks**  The assortment of fine folk at GeoGuessr HQ have gifted us another GeoGuessr variant, this time in the form of the ‘US State Streak’ mode. US State Streaks doesn’t describe a potential future challenge for GeoWizard in which he must streak across each US state. Rather the true US State Streak premise is simple- you must continually determine which US state you are placed in to accumulate a streak. There are a number of things you will need to learn to be certain of which state you are in. For this mode, the most important section of this article to read, memorise and perhaps get tattooed on your body is the [US Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa-highways) section. Learn how the US road network numbering system operates and commit to memory the unique state highway shield of each US state. The next key to success in the US State Streak mode is to be aware of the identifiable [USA Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa-plates) and to know [which US states require just rear plates vs both front and rear](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa-license-plate-extras). Finally, read the [USA](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa) section of this article that provides further potentially useful tidbits such as the various landscapes across the US. I yearn for the day that GeoGuessr add a ‘Mongolian Province Streak’ mode in which players must correctly identify which of the 21 Mongolian provinces or ‘aimags’ they are placed in. **The Daily Challenge**  Each day there is a new and addictive Daily Challenge game (to reach it click on ‘Single player’) in which you can test yourself against other GeoGuessr-philes. There is a 3 minute time limit, you are permitted to move and will be situated somewhere on the planet that is widely known as earth. There are no strict and formal rules for the Daily Challenge meaning you technically aren’t forbidden from Googling however you will be frowned upon by some players if you do. **Maprunner**  In Maprunner, you begin with 10,000 points (I refuse to call them ‘energy points’). You need to make accurate guesses to maintain your points. If you score 4,000 points, you will lose \*checks calculator\* 1,000 points. You get to choose the path you take to the finish line and what maps you prefer to play. GeoGuessr HQ have also managed to squeeze power ups and energy restorations into Maprunner. **Multiplayer**  If you are brave (or foolish enough) to click on ‘Multiplayer’ you will find arguably the most exciting (and stress-inducing) versions of GeoGuessr. These are Battle Royale Countries, Battle Royale Distance and Duels. These are all variants of GeoGuessr in which you battle against players in real time. I’m glad that finally good variants of something have been released upon the world. By playing ‘Multiplayer’ you will receive a global rating (akin to a chess rating) and rank (position where you rank in the world and an extra number that you can lie about). There are also unranked versions of each of these multiplayer formats, although I don’t understand why people play these unranked versions. Update: I’m reliably informed that apparently some people are not hyper-competitive about every activity in their waking lives.  Global leaderboard distribution of ratings as of March 15 2022. (Image source: reddit user MATTISINTHESKY).  Percentiles of GeoGuessr ratings as of March 15 2022. (Image source: reddit user MATTISINTHESKY) If you play enough Multiplayer GeoGuessr during the week, you should qualify for the weekend series and finally have a good reason to be anti-social on the weekends too. The Multiplayer game mode also currently extends to seasons. I’ve written an explanation below about how to succeed at the three Multiplayer GeoGuessr modes: Battle Royale Countries, Battle Royale Distance and Duels. **Battle Royale Countries **  In Battle Royale Countries, you can play versus a motley assortment of GeoGuessr-philes from around the world. Contrary to the name, Battle Royale Countries isn’t a ferocious fight to the death between Prince Harry and Prince William in which the last prince standing inherits the throne (although I would pay money to see this). The GeoGuessr Battle Royale Countries mode entails using your geographic knowledge to identify the country you are placed in. The last player standing is the victor. There are some tactics to increase your chances of winning. Firstly, be aware that not all countries are included in GeoGuessr. There is a map slightly further down this article in the ‘Fundamental Techniques’ section that depicts the countries included in GeoGuessr. Minus Taiwan, this map largely reflects the countries included in Battle Royale mode. There are gameplay tactics that you should utilise in Battle Royale. If there are a large number of players left and you are unsure of your location, wait until others have made their guesses. The flags of the incorrect countries guessed will be displayed in the top right corner- you can exclude these countries thus hopefully increasing your chances of victory. Always keep an eye out for these flags- you don’t want to guess a country that has already been excluded. In the first round, there is no hurry to make your guess as all the players will go through if they guess correctly before the stress-inducing timer runs down. If you can definitively narrow down the location to three or less countries, then there is no point waiting- quickly make the three guesses. For example, if you are certain the location is South Africa, New Zealand or Australia, then quickly guess these places rather than heading off down the road in search of kangaroos. During the early rounds with less experienced players, you can afford to take your time. If you are down to two or three players, it is often worth locking in a guess before the timer commences. I always lock an intuitive guess in before the timer commences when there are 2 or 3 players left. As each round is loading, you can see a blue-coloured version of the next location. Use this time to examine the location and hopefully ascertain subtle clues. Save the 50-50 feature for a location where you are unsure, have used up two incorrect guesses or have explored and are running low on time. Many members in the community frown upon using the 50/50 option when you are down to the last 2 players.  Use the 50/50 feature in Battle Royale after you have had 2 incorrect guesses and are unsure where you are. When you are down to your last opponent and know the location, it is often worth waiting until the yellow section almost runs out before locking in your guess. This will reduce the chances that your opponent will make a guess solely because you have locked in one early. On any occasion that you lock in your guess before the timer commences, keep moving around rather than waiting to see if you guessed correctly. More advanced Battle Royale techniques to be aware of are listed in the ‘flag trick’ section further down this article. Try to specialise in quickly recognising the quirks of all the Battle Royale relevant countries. Each country has idiosyncrasies that can lead to it being promptly recognised. The bottom section of this article describes what to look for in order to quickly and correctly identify every country in the world. There are variants of Battle Royale Countries that provide a different time limit, a different number of guesses per round and/or no moving, panning or zooming (NMPZ) restrictions. **Battle Royale Distance**  The GeoGuessr developers have gifted us another Battle Royale variant, this one is known as Battle Royale Distance. This version of the game could easily be used in cardiologists’ offices in which patients’ hearts need to be monitored whilst performing a stressful activity. Battle Royale Distance begins with a maximum of ten people who have no idea of the distress that awaits them. Each player must place a pin on the map where they believe the Street View location is situated. From the ten players, the person whose pin is furthest from the actual location after one minute has elapsed is eliminated. This process repeats until there is one person standing who shall be crowned the victor (and also crowned the person with the sturdiest heart). You begin Battle Royale Distance with a certain number of guesses depending on the variant. For each round you advance, you are gifted an extra guess. Extra guesses are also awarded for being close and guessing the correct country. Like Formula-1 qualifying, once you have placed a guess, you can sit back and watch whether others have made a closer guess and thus whether you need to make further guesses to avoid elimination. You are permitted a maximum of three guesses per round. Your username will be displayed among the live leaderboard for each round. Above your name will be a number indicating how many kilometres the person positioned ahead of you is closer to the actual location. Beneath your name will be a number showing how many kilometres the person positioned behind you trails you by. These numbers can be useful if you are weighing up whether to make more guesses to ensure that you advance to the next round. Be mindful that if you are only 30km behind the first person in Russia, you likely have made a sufficient guess. If you are 30km behind the first person in Andorra, you have likely made a poor guess (and you may also be a liar as Andorra’s width is less than 30km). Before making your second, third, fourth guesses, be aware of where you are on the leaderboard and the gap between you and the person above you. If your subsequent guesses reduce your gap, it is a clue as to which direction your future guesses should be in. If you subsequent guesses don’t reduce the gap then avoid that direction and opt for guesses in a different direction. Try to avoid waiting until the last 10 seconds to make your first guess. If your first guess happens to be inaccurate, you will have little time left to make another guess. I like to look around for the first half of the time limit (especially in urban rounds or areas that may provide directional signs) then make a guess. I then try and determine whether I need to make a subsequent guess and where this guess would be, depending on my confidence in the location and where I am ranked. Throughout each round you should always be considering where you will make another guess if need be. At present, there seems to be a disproportionate number of capital cities being represented in Battle Royale Distance. For example, if you are in a city in Ukraine, it may be worth guessing Kiev. Tactically speaking, the only aspect to focus on in Distance Battle is not being last (although I generally recommend guessing if you are second last and in many instances third last). Once you are down to the last few players, you can use up your stash of saved guesses to a maximum of three per round. In the latter rounds, if you are certain that you are in a specific country and have few other clues to go on, it may be wise to disperse your guesses around the country, whilst looking at the leaderboard to see if you are getting closer or further away hence tailoring your future guesses. Only your closest guess will count. This is akin to dating lots of people at the same time and hoping that one is a reasonable human being (and interested in GeoGuessr). If you only have one saved guesses in the very last round versus an opponent who has three guesses, it may be worth waiting until the last 15 seconds (or less) to use your guess. If you use it early, your opponent’s distance to you will be displayed enabling them to gauge whether their future guesses are getting closer to the actual location. There are variants of Battle Royale Distance in which you start with a different number of guesses, have a different time limit per round and/or no moving, panning or zooming (NMPZ) restrictions. **Duels**  If you think it’s impossible for a wholesome game of geography to descend into a game in which you try to destroy your opponent- then you are wrong. Welcome to ‘Duels’. In the Duels game mode you compete against one opponent with the aim of vanquishing them with your GeoGuessr knowledge. You and your opponent will each begin a Duels game with 6,000 life points. After each round, the difference between you and your opponents scores for that round (according to traditional GeoGuessr scoring) will be tallied. This value will be deducted from the loser’s life points. The first player to lose all of their life points will be declared the loser of the duel. In round 5 the loser will be deducted 1.5 as many life points. This increases incrementally by 0.5 each subsequent round to x2, x2.5, x3 etc. Some further Duels notes: As soon as the first player makes a guess, the countdown clock will begin and the other player will be required to make their guess within 15 seconds. You are also only permitted to make one guess per round. In terms of tactics for ‘Duels’, it is often a good idea to guess quickly if you notice an identifying feature of a country- for example Polish bollards. This will prevent your opponent from moving around too much to determine the country. If your opponent guesses first, place a pin down but never press guess. Utilise the extra 15 seconds looking for further clues. The system will automatically lock in your guess where your pin is once the 15 seconds have elapsed. If you notice a sign down the road or other clue in the distance that may provide a city/region name or clue, don’t guess quickly but rather travel to the sign. If you guess quickly in this scenario and the sign is less than 15 seconds away, you are allowing your opponent to see it but depriving yourself of this experience. It’s not typically worth spending time pinpointing 5,000 point rounds in Duels. Most of the time, once you work out your general location, guess as quickly as possible and put the pressure on your opponent. **Party**  If you click on ‘Party’ you can play the various GeoGuessr modes described above with friends (or enemies that you wish to crush with your GeoGuessr prowess). In addition to the game modes already mentioned, you can also play ‘Bulls Eye’ which is a co-op mode: words not in my vocabulary. You must work together (more words not in my vocabulary) to narrow down the location. Place circles over a region with the smaller circles earning more points, if accurate. **Quiz**  The GeoGuessr boffins have managed to squeeze another game mode out of the GeoGuessr concept. Welcome to ‘Quiz’. In Quiz mode you will race against the clock to answer quiz questions. Typically, the faster you answer, the more points you will earn. Some questions will require you to select countries on a map whilst other modes will have you playing GeoGuessr and working out where in Street View you are placed. **GeoGuessr Pro ** From the dawn of time to August 2019, GeoGuessr was a free game with almost all the features (besides to ability to make maps) available to the masses. GeoGuessr are required to pay Google a small fee each time a player uses Street View or Google Maps. Google recently increased this ‘small’ fee by 1400% and this has forced GeoGuessr to make some changes. Personally I’m boycotting Google and will be reverting to search engine Alta Vista…. Okay, I’m reliably informed by that Alta Vista no longer exists. The post August 2019 version of GeoGuessr requires players to become ‘Pro’ users to utilise the range of features and this costs US$1.99-$2.99 a month. Using the Pro service you can make maps and play all maps to your heart’s content. For those unable or unwilling to pay this Pro fee, GeoGuessr can still be played by creating a free account. With a free account, challenges on all maps can be freely played to your hearts content. Click ‘join challenge’ on any of the [hundreds of challenges on the GeoChallenges subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/geochallenges/) and presto, you can continue to play for free to your heart’s content. Personally I believe the right to play GeoGuessr is a basic human liberty akin to having water, food and shelter. \*Insert a rant involving something to do with the Geneva Convention\*. Hopefully GeoGuessr will last for a long time into the future, surviving any impending nuclear war, outliving the cockroaches and even the Kardashians. ## Fundamental Techniques - [GeoGuessr Coverage](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#geoguessr-coverage) - [Prevalence of Location](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#prevalence-of-location) - [Poor Picture Quality](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#poor-picture-quality) - [The Sun](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-sun) - [Left vs Right Driving](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#left-vs-right-driving) - [Roads](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#roads) - [License Plate Basics](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#license-plates2) - [Tactics](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#tactics) - [How To Move Fast](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#how-to-move-fast) - [YouTubers](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#youtubers) **GeoGuessr Coverage** By now you have listened to far too much of my ramblings that are perhaps more suited to graffiti on a toilet wall. I will finally start detailing the techniques required to be victorious in GeoGuessr. There are large pockets of the world that aren’t covered by Street View and thus being cognizant of these locales will improve your GeoGuessr game. The map below indicates what countries are covered by Street View and thus likely GeoGuessr. There are some caveats to the below map. Firstly, I have never seen a street in Antarctica on the game and in fact I was unaware that Antarctica was a thriving metropolis that has frequent traffic jams. Some countries including China appear in the game but only as landmarks and the streets aren’t fully navigable thus you should be able to determine that you are in these countries. For a detailed explanation of which places Street View covers and to what extent, [see the link here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coverage_of_Google_Street_View). If you are an even more hard-core GeoGuessr player, [then this linked map](https://imgur.com/r/geoguessr/Lp3oTwV) showing GeoGuessr location based on a certain number of game simulations may be pleasing to your eyeballs. A lower section of this article features maps showing more specific coverage within each continent. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svc.png) A map showing Street View coverage as of July 2025. Image source: [https://sv-map.netlify.app/](https://sv-map.netlify.app/) **Prevalence of Location** Whilst playing the GeoGuessr world map, it is important to be aware of the distribution of countries. If you perpetually select Eswatini, whilst neglecting the rarity of Eswatini appearing, then you will score poorly. Russia, the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Norway and the rest of Europe account for a significant portion of GeoGuessr locations. This is crucial information. Learning the idiosyncrasies of these countries is imperative. Also, when tossing up between countries, skew your guess to one of these aforementioned areas. For all of the glory of GeoGuessr and its founder Anton Wallén (all hail Mr. Wallén), the disproportionate nature of countries appearing can make some rounds rather repetitive (I now have a useless knowledge of obscure Russian roads taking up space in my brain). There are egalitarian GeoGuessr maps that can be fun to play that contain a more equal distribution of countries, less poor quality locations and typically hand-picked places. Think of these maps as the communism of GeoGuessr, if that communism is a computer game involving geography largely outside of communist countries. - A Community World map can be [played here.](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/62a44b22040f04bd36e8a914) - The Balanced World map can be [played here.](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/5d73f83d82777cb5781464f2) - The Improved World map can be [played here.](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/5b0a80f8596695b708122809) - A Pinpointable World map can be [played here.](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/6029991c5048850001d572a9) - The AI Generated map (providing further evidence that computers are plotting to take over the world) can be [played here.](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/5dbaf08ed0d2a478444d2e8e) If trying to distinguish between different shades of grass and different bitumen road laying techniques isn’t your thing whilst playing GeoGuessr’s largely rural maps, then perhaps strictly urban maps will be more to your liking. You will get to decipher clues within only cities; from written languages, cars, people and cultures to muggings. - The Urbanguessr map can be [played here.](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/5b0a4b154559f41f70bba679) - The Famous Places map (which also features some famous rural areas) can be [played here.](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/famous-places) **Poor Picture Quality** Have you ever played GeoGuessr and then a place pops up causing you to make an appointment with an optometrist? Intermittently you will come across a location on GeoGuessr with image quality that looks like it has been photographed by a Nokia 3315 phone. This is doubly remarkable for this phone considering it didn’t have a camera. As annoying as these locations are (they typically don’t exist on the maps listed above) they do provide some insights other than being somewhere that employs blurry sign writers. The blurry locations in GeoGuessr are almost certainly in the USA or Australia. Further information can also be deduced from these places. They will likely be a more remote region; often in the central corridor of the USA and not a large city. In Australia, the blurry locations are normally outback areas and away from the major cities (this still includes most of Australia). Why the economically deprived country of Botswana has crystal clear images whilst the filthy rich countries of Australia and USA have blurred photos is largely due to the outdated cameras used on the Street View car in the USA and Australia from several years ago. Also, horror movies portray these areas as dangerous and no-one from Google will sign up to drive through these regions for Street View; a movie idea- A Street View driver captures their own death on Halloween as they are killed by monsters. Trademark.  Poor picture quality locations in GeoGuessr indicate that you are in the US or Australia. They don’t indicate that you need to make an appointment with an optometrist. **The Sun** The sun isn’t just useful for helping sustain life on earth but is also one of the key instruments in GeoGuessr. Which of these traits is more useful is debatable. In Street View, if the sun is clearly in the Northern Hemisphere then you are probably in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. There is a compass in the corner of the GeoGuessr game that always orientates you north at the start of every round. The red end of the compass indicates north and rotating your computer around won’t move this compass. My first process when playing GeoGuessr is to determine which hemisphere I am in. The easiest way to do this is by looking at the shadows. If the tip of a shadow is pointing south then you are likely in the Southern Hemisphere and if a shadow tip points north then you are probably in the Northern Hemisphere.  The red compass point always points north. In this example, we are facing west.  Note the direction of the compass (the red end being north) and the shadows’ tips also pointing north. The direction that the shadow’s tip points generally indicates what hemisphere we are in- in this case the Northern Hemisphere. If the shadows are unclear then panning up to the sky to find where in the sky the sun is can be useful. Often the sun is shrouded in clouds however a bright patch of sky can be observed (make sure the sun is in the centre of your screen for accuracy). If the sun is in the Northern Hemisphere then you are in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In some scenes, the sun and shadows are obscured but part of a rolling hill or building is illuminated and you can thus determine where the sun likely is. This sun-hemisphere determination process akin to some ancient civilisation’s infatuated worshipping of the sun, can be problematic. The closer the sun is to the northern or southern horizon, the more accurate guide it is. On some occasions the sun will appear overhead and you will then possibly be between the Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer. There are few guarantees with the sun due to the variance in season that the Street View location was photographed.  In this example, we are facing north (as indicated by the red compass). The sun is therefore in the northern hemisphere, making our location the southern hemisphere. Another technique I use if the sun is obscured is to exploit society’s addiction to TV and search for visible satellite dishes. These almost universally point towards a satellite orbiting above the equator in geostationary orbit. If a satellite dish points south then you are likely in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. A satellite dish pointing directly upwards means you may be near the equator. On occasions I have played a timed round and stumbled across a satellite dish in Brazil and its angle has helped me determine an approximate latitude. I for one stand against streaming services such as Netflix due to their potential destruction of TV satellite dishes potentially jeopardising future usage of satellite dishes for GeoGuessr rounds.  Notice the dish facing south at quite an extreme angle (almost perpendicular to the ground). This indicates that we are in the Northern Hemisphere and probably relatively far north. **Left vs Right Driving**  The red countries drive on the right side of the road and the blue countries drive on the left side of the road. The grey countries aren’t in GeoGuessr. (Image source: Avery Johnson). Another key clue to pinpoint the country you are placed in within GeoGuessr is to note the side of the road that vehicles are driving on. This of course ignores drunk drivers, hoons and those overtaking the chug-chug steady paced Google Street View car. As a general rule, countries of British origin (not Canada) drive on the left hand side of the road as well as island countries (not the Philippines or Iceland). Most other countries drive on the right-hand side of the road. Finding a left-hand side of the road car in GeoGuessr is akin to finding a dragon’s egg, wrapped in unicorn hair in the possession of a justifiably famous Kardashian.  Noting the side of the road that the cars are driving on/parked on can be useful in GeoGuessr. In this example, the car is driving on the left, which significantly narrows down the country. Within the restricted versions of GeoGuessr and in some remote locations, cars aren’t visible (they aren’t invisible, there are just no cars around). In these instances other clues must often be attained to determine what side of the road the drivers are using. A fairly accurate indicator is to look for signposts. They tend to lie on the side of the road that drivers drive on. For instance a ‘warning Lannister army approaching’ sign situated by the right hand side of the road (from your perspective) will likely mean that drivers in that country or fictional HBO world drive on the right side of the road.  Although there are no cars visible, we can see a sign facing drivers who drive on the left. This suggests that we are in a country that drives on the left. In some areas, an antenna is visible on the back of the Street View car (behind the camera). Also, on many rounds, if you look down, the side mirrors of the car are visible by shadow. These are in front of the Street View camera. By using either of these entities, you can determine if the Street View car is driving on the left or right of the street.  If you look carefully on this occasion you will see a floating antenna. This is mainly found on the back of the Street View car. In this instance we can determine that people drive on the right in this country. If the road is one way, you suspect a drunk driver is not obeying the country appropriate side-of-road driving law or cars are parked facing both directions then a handy tip is to look for what side of the car the steering wheel is situated; a left side of car steering wheel (from the driver’s perspective) indicates a right side of the road driving country and vice versa.  In almost all locations, right side of the car steering wheels= a left side driving country and left side of the car steering wheels= a right side driving country. In this image, the steering wheels are on the left (from the driver’s perspective) thus the cars drive on the right side of the road. **Roads** To most muggles, roads are made from asphalt and concrete. Enter the magical world of GeoGuessr where so much more information can be gained from glancing at the road. Line markings are particularly useful in determining what region you are in. Yellow centre lines are prevalent from the top of North America to the base of South America (an exception is that most of Chile has white lines). The odds are if you see a yellow centre line you are somewhere on the American continents. A faded yellow middle line normally indicates Mexico or a country south of this. South Africa also has the occasional yellow centre line as does Japan. White centre lines are more predominant throughout Europe and Australia.  This map shows the most common road lines used in each GeoGuessr relevant country in the world. A larger version of this map can be [found here.](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PB4I2imcVAukng-aLB6teAfDewkEnFWFWf-hEQsEa-8/edit#slide=id.g13d44f3196b_0_103) I don’t know who created this map but thank you whoever you are- it is one of the most important maps for GeoGuessr players.  Most of North and South America have some iteration of yellow centre lines.  Most European and Australian roads have some form of white centre lines. Dashed white lines on the edges of roads are quite common in the countries of Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Sweden. Norway tends to have yellow centre lines and Sweden tends to have white centre lines. Finland often has centre yellow lines and centre white dashed lines; it doesn’t have dashed lines on the edges of its roads. Russia has a road line that is thinner than other country’s road lines. There are of course exceptions to these rules. One such exception is that parts of France occasionally pop up with dashed white street lines. Another exception is the Dutch islands south-west of Rotterdam that are connected to the Netherlands via road bridges. This area mainly has dashed white lines on the sides of their roads.  Dashed white lines on both sides of the road are most commonly found in Sweden, Norway and Iceland.  Norway also commonly has yellow centre lines and white side lines.  Sweden commonly has the aforementioned white dashed side lines and a white centre line.  Many main roads in Denmark have this distinct short-dashed edge marking. The four countries of South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho tend to have simultaneous yellow edge road lines and white road centre lines for their major roads.  Yellow side lines and white centre lines are a common sight in South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho. The condition the road is in tells us information about the type of country we find ourselves. The richer a country, the better maintained their roads are on average. Russian’s lengthy road network can sometimes be easy to detect due to the crumbling roads. Another road quirk I’ve noticed involves the typical width of roads in certain regions. European roads tend to be fairly narrow, contrasting the wide roads of the USA and Canada. Although roads in Turkey are often wide with many lanes.  Smooth and well-maintained roads are typically found in Western Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan as well as other richer nations. If you see a road that has many cracks, faded road lines or has been poorly maintained, you are likely in Eastern Europe, Asia or Africa. License plates are typically blurred in Street View due to something called privacy. At least there is some privacy left in the world and we don’t live in a dystopian future in which society has crumbled and the major companies and governments of the world are able to track everyone all the time via a magical tracking device that everyone carries around with them in their pocket. UPDATE: I’m reliably informed this has already occurred. License plates are useful in GeoGuessr for three reasons. Firstly, some locations have coloured license plates ie yellow that will make it easier for you to guess the location. Secondly, certain countries and areas have short license plates whilst other places have long license plates. Finally, some locations won’t have front licence plates. There is a detailed license plate section in the ‘General clues’ section of this article that provides all of the important license plates to learn. Some basic ones are covered here.  License plates in Europe are generally long and skinny. They also typically have a blue section on the left of the plate. Long and skinny license plates are rarely found outside of Europe.  License plates in some other western countries outside Europe, such as the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia are typically short.  In Europe, yellow license plates are mainly found in the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In Asia, yellow plates are mainly found in Japan, Oman and Israel. In South America, yellow plates are found in Colombia. In Africa they are found in Namibia. The UK, Sri Lanka, Botswana, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda are the main locations with yellow rear plates but white front plates.  If you notice a car without a front license plate, you are most likely in the south-eastern US or perhaps a state stretching up to Michigan or a southern state stretching across to Arizona. **Tactics** Whether you are trying to win a game of chess, attempting to rig a FIFA World Cup vote or trying to score highly in GeoGuessr, tactics are required. When the location loads it is often a good idea to initially analyse your surroundings and rotate around 360 degrees. On occasions, a player who races off down the street will miss a sign behind their back or some other clue. This patience and rotation is also useful in timed games and the various GeoGuessr modes. \*Insert more updated tortoise and hare reference\*. Firstly I will mention some basic gameplay tactics. To move one step at a time, click on one of the two white arrows that appear below you (more arrows will appear at junctions). There is a quicker way to move in GeoGuessr- The location on the road you place your computer’s cursor will show up with a circle containing an arrow akin to a symbol resembling some superheroes logo (GeoGuessr Man- He doesn’t save lives but improves people’s esoteric geographical knowledge slightly). As you hover this logo further down the road, the circle will become narrower. As soon as you click, you will be transported to this location. If the superhero logo becomes a parallelogram in shape and you click, you won’t be able to move forward to your desired location, instead you will probably move forward just the one space. To move a great distance, place the circular superhero logo as far down the road as you are permitted, making sure it doesn’t transform into the parallelogram and then click.  On the left of this image is the circle containing an arrow. Placing this as far down the road as possible whilst it retains its circular shape is the key to moving quickly. On the right appear two white arrows that will move you one step at a time. The flag icon on the left of screen takes you back to the start point and is useful for attaining a perfect score once you have moved around and worked out your general location. When you do move, remember the path you have taken and direction you have moved in; this will come in useful when retracing your path or if you find a familiar sign.  Clicking on the flag icon will take you back to your starting point. The below icon indicates a checkpoint. You can use this function to essentially save a location that you may wish to return to instantaneously later. I tend to utilise the checkpoint in three main scenarios. Firstly, if I am on a remote road and have moved in one direction for a significant time, I will set a checkpoint before clicking the flag icon, returning to the start and moving down the road in the opposite direction. In this instance, I may find the opposite direction has a dead end or it may be even more remote (cue Australia) thus I return to the checkpoint and continue on my original way. The second scenario involves setting a checkpoint at a minor road number sign or at a sign with smaller town names. I will then explore further, work out the vague area I am situated, return to the checkpoint and use the sign to work out more accurately where I am located. The third scenario I will use a checkpoint is if I reach a junction and am unsure which way to go (an apt metaphor for life, which unfortunately doesn’t dispense checkpoint saves). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cpoint.png) This icon indicates a checkpoint. You can click on it to save a location which you will be able to return to when you wish. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/controlc.png) If you ever set a checkpoint that you no longer want, don’t fear! You can erase your saved checkpoint and set a new checkpoint by holding down shift and clicking the checkpoint icon. This sets a new checkpoint. The image below is the undo icon. If you click on it you will undo your last move. It is most useful if you find yourself quite contently travelling along a highway before you randomly appear on a side street that you don’t know how you arrived on. You can click the undo icon multiple times to undo multiple moves- something I wish I could use for my life’s choices. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/undo.png) This is the undo icon that will undo your last travel move in GeoGuessr. If you are the type of person who listens to podcasts on quantum mechanics at 4x speed then you can probably skip this paragraph. There are some GeoGuessr keyboard short cuts to shave seconds off your game play time. In case you are using a laptop, press + and – to zoom in and out of Street View. The left and right arrows are used predictably to pan left and right. Previously in GeoGuessr I was acting like an elderly person who crosses the road absentmindedly then gets honked at by an obstructed car and then takes a prolonged time to turn around to examine said car by which time said car has long passed. The left and right arrows have changed this. The up and down arrows are useful in moving back and forward in case you have just narrowly passed a sign and want to go back and look at it. Double clicking on the map will zoom in to that location faster than the conventional zoom buttons on the map. Using a mouse makes GeoGuessr gameplay much easier and efficient. The mouse wheel of the non-rodent variety can be used to zoom in quickly on Street View signs as well as the map. Playing on a laptop touchpad is disadvantageous and akin to not having one of those secret motors some cyclists use in races. If you aren’t sure what specific buttons to press with your setup then I recommend pressing random buttons and observing what happens, much like how this article has been written. You don’t need to click the green ‘guess’ button, which can double as advertising for the clothing company, to lock in your guess. If you click on the spacebar, you will lock in your guess. This spacebar technique is faster and particularly useful in quick rounds. When decided on the direction to travel, heading towards nearby signs, houses, shops, major roads, towns and around corners can be useful. When faced with a dilemma as to which way to travel, think of yourself as a lazy, hitchhiking busker- they will want to travel downhill, towards a town and preferably onto a main road. The downhill aspect of travelling is important as interesting things seem to lie at the bottom of hills such as towns, rivers, bridges and key roads. There are the occasional exceptions. Sometimes you will be stuck in a town or city and unable to work out where you are. In these instances, it can be beneficial to exit the town/city to find its name or other useful signs. If you see the name of a towns on a sign, eg XYZ 6 km away and ABC 56 km away then generally search the map for the town further away (or preferably both towns) as the further away town is likely to be bigger and easier to spot on a map. Depending on how far you have narrowed down your region, it can be sensible to even search for tiny towns on the map. This is often contingent on the region’s size. For instance, if I notice a Dutch town name, I know the Netherlands is small and I can zoom quite far in on the map and look for towns matching the name I have found. Contrastingly, this won’t work well in vast Russia.  If you encounter a sign with the name of multiple locations you don’t recognise, search the map for the location that is furthest away as it is likely to be larger hence easier to find on the map. In this example, we would search for Rosario. When I am uncertain on a country whilst playing a timed version of GeoGuessr, I brainstorm a handful of countries that I think might match where I am and try and work through each of them- looking at how well they fit the environment around me. The zoom feature in the form of the plus sign in the GeoGuessr Street View format is one of the most useful tools in the game. It turns what are optometry tests in the form of signs that are illegible into slightly easier optometry tests. Zooming in to view any writing anywhere in Street View is key to working out clues to tessellate together. Zooming into the map can make more information appear. For instance, you often need to zoom in a specific amount to see the name of states. The below image shows a dotted border, indicating a state border. Zooming in to the correct level will reveal street names, house shapes and if you zoom in the maximum amount and then use an electron microscope, you may be able to just make out my integrity.  Zooming into the map makes more things appear like these Peruvian state names. If you are not quite sure on the precise location and want to click somewhere, try and match the road direction you are on to one going the same way on the map. You can always determine the road direction by using the compass. Cue my defacing of a perfectly good photo.  In the top image, I’m facing north (as determined by the red compass). The red, diagonal arrow in the top image shows the direction of the road (north-east to south-west). I can then match the direction of the road onto the map to look for suitable roads facing in the same direction. The most accurate way to determine the true direction of the road is to pan down completely and face north.  If you wish to determine the exact direction that the road is facing, which is often a useful process in GeoGuessr, then pan so you are looking straight down. Make sure you are facing north and the road beneath you will be running in its true direction. If you are keen for a perfect score and have narrowed down the street, try counting houses to get to your precise start location and match this with houses visible on the map. If no houses are around, try and survey your surroundings and match up a bend in the road with where you are or some other feature.  The dark gray rectangles on the zoomed in map represent structures such as houses. It can be useful to match these to your Street View surroundings if you are after a perfect score. When travelling, make a map in your head of the general path you are moving from the starting point. When you start a round, take note of any distinguishing features of your starting location: this may include rivers, lakes, bridges, railway tracks, specific shop names etc. doing both of these things will come in useful if you have to pinpoint in a timed round. For instance, you may work out the town you are in or near and now know what direction you travelled to get to the town. If you started on a bridge, you can probably pinpoint rather easily unless you are in Venice. After you have made your guess and found out how far you are from the real location, take some time to zoom in to the actual location so you can learn what the real place looks like on the map. Also, try and see if you missed any clues near the real location such as towns or geography that you can learn from. Essentially, try and learn from your mistakes every round. If you are after a perfect score and are trying to pinpoint the final place on a flat stretch of road with no markers, one technique is to count the number of forward clicks required to move to the nearest notable feature eg a bend in the road. Do this for both directions then work out the ratio you are away from each feature in order to make an accurate guess. Always remember to drop a pin down in time games. It is easy to be so engrossed in a game of GeoGuessr that time seems to fly by (the opposite of what happens during school). As soon as I have a general idea of the area, I zoom in and place a ‘safety pin’ down before I try and narrow down the region further. By developing this habit you won’t have to worry about getting zero points thanks to being timed out. It can often be challenging to determine where in a country you should place your pin. If I see French bollards and houses that look slightly Belgian, I will place the pin somewhere in France near the Belgium border. By looking at many types of clues and balancing them, you should begin to develop an idea of where in a country to place pins. Use this technique whilst looking at the colours on the map corresponding to certain landscapes. Also use the general weather as a guide i.e. if you see a blue sky in Japan, you are probably in southern Japan, closer to the equator as opposed to the cold northern Japan. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/okinawa.png) When weighing up where in a country to place the pin, examine how similar the region you are located in is to nearby countries. In the above image, there are vertical yellow and black stripes on the utility pole which are Japanese. The landscape looks more Taiwanese therefore we can deduce that we are on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, near Taiwan. Scoring well in the 3 minute Daily Challenge involves several techniques (this version passes in about 10 seconds for me due to my slow Australian internet. It seems that everything on the screen goes slowly for me….besides the countdown clock). Firstly, the key is to have fast internet. Secondly, travel at the speed of an F1 driver (who isn’t driving on wet roads) searching for a city sign or highway sign. Whilst travelling, try to pick up clues as to what country you are in. Try and recall the route you have taken in order to quickly pinpoint if you later spot a useful sign. I’ve linked to several GeoGuessr experts’ YouTube videos at the end of this section and watching them play the Daily Challenge is a good guide to the best techniques in GeoGuessr. The most sure-fire way to improve at GeoGuessr is like most other things (skydiving not included) by failure. By making mistakes and learning, your game will consistently improve. Also, don’t compare yourself to people getting 25,000 point perfect scores in 10 second world rounds. Some of these people cheat. There is a way to cheat in GeoGuessr that I won’t describe here that gives you the co-ordinates for the location and these high scorers cheat. They are the athletics dopers of the GeoGuessr world. Having said that, there are some genuine GeoGuessr geniuses (or is it spelt genuses?) out there. These supernatural beings with eidetic memories are capable of identifying familiar patches of road; I’m looking at you Boky (the Tony Hawk of GeoGuessr). These rare humans are capable of a genuine 25k score in quick rounds. **How To Move Fast**  If you want to move quickly in GeoGuessr, press enter while holding down on an arrow using your cursor. If you release your cursor but continue to hold down enter, you will move at lightning speed down the road. Personally, I enjoy aimlessly clicking for hours on end while traversing a remote Mongolian road. However, if you for whatever reason don’t like moving slowly in GeoGuessr, there is a solution. Click on one of the large directional arrows that appear in GeoGuessr. While pressing down on the arrow, hold down either enter or spacebar (I recommend pressing enter, as spacebar can inadvertently send your guess). A rectangular box will appear around the arrow (as pictured above). You can now let go of your mouse—you need to continue to press enter—and you will move quickly down the street. This is how GeoGuessr pros move. This is the best way to move in GeoGuessr, especially when you are stranded in a rural location that will take hours to escape. While using this technique, be wary not to pass any useful signs. Also, I would be cautious about using this technique in urban areas. In certain circumstances I recommend it; however, I wouldn’t always use when there is lots of useful information around. **YouTubers** Practicing GeoGuessr and familiarising yourself with what different regions and countries look like is key to the game. Another excellent way to improve your game is to watch YouTube videos of GeoGuessr experts playing. For light hearted fun I recommend watching GeoGuessr Wizard’s YouTube channel, [found here.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW5OrUZ4SeUYkUg1XqcjFYA) To improve your GeoGuessr game, I recommend those channels that show players getting perfect 25k scores or close in the Daily Challenge. Other useful videos include those attaining ridiculously long country streaks. - Zi8gzag’s [channel is here.](https://www.youtube.com/c/zi8gzagGeoguessr/videos) - BarrBarrBinks’ [channel is here.](https://www.youtube.com/@BarrBarrBinks1/videos) - Jake Lyons [channel is here.](https://www.youtube.com/@jakelyonsgeo/videos) - GeoPeter [can be found here.](https://www.youtube.com/c/GeoPeter/videos) - Chicago Geographer [can be found here on YouTube.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwt6YbD6Uf_HWOwMHNjO7kQ) - Geography Challenges GeoGuessr [videos can be viewed here.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_aTJ6xK5q96pMVZSDfeZ6w) - Rainbolt and his tournament videos [can be seen here.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_slDWTPHflhuZqbGc8u4yA/videos) - RC’s [channel is here.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLQP9xPo-Urjb9fkx8_RsTQ) - Simi’s [YouTube is here.](https://www.youtube.com/user/Simi99855/videos) - SubSymmetry’s [YouTube videos are here.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgwY0BL6GcOaDGtFwr2evUQ) - RadoX1988 has [his channel here.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgMQ_ogXpkg4vKv8yGAcF2A) - The GeoGuessr Esports [videos are here.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKIGBBdTN4IDZRHRo91E3RQ/videos) The [GeoGuessr subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/geoguessr/) has many challenges in which you can compare yourself to the best players in the world. ## Highway Numbering Systems - [USA Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa-highways) - [Canadian Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#canadian-highways) - [Mexican Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#mexican-highways) - [Brazilian Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#brazilian-highways) - [European E-Roads](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#european-e-roads) - [General European Road Numbering Signs](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#general-european-roads) - [Russian Federal Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#russian-federal-highways) - [Great Britain Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#great-britain-highways) - [Spanish Roads](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#spanish-roads) - [Norwegian Roads](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#norwegian-roads) - [Swedish Roads](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#swedish-roads) - [Finnish Roads](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#finnish-roads) - [Japanese Highways](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#japanese-highways) - [Warning Signs](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#warning-signs) Any serious GeoGuessr player will get slightly aroused when they encounter a road sign. These are perhaps the most important clues within the entire GeoGuessr game. Those teenagers that have a stolen a ‘Booger Hollow Rd’ sign and hung it up in their bedroom should be themselves hanged by the country on account of depriving GeoGuessrs’ their rightful signpost clues. **Location Names** The crème de la crème of signs in this game are place names. Often a larger city with a direction sign will help narrow down your region. Local street names or highway numbers may further tighten your search. Even if a location name isn’t known by you, if it is large enough population-wise, you may be able to find it whilst searching on the map. The street names and locations on signs should help you to at least determine the country or region you are in. I will elaborate on languages in a subsequent section. Often you will encounter signs with a place name followed by a number e.g. New York 42. This indicates the distance until you reach the place. In this instance you are 42 miles away from New York. (Be mindful of the kilometres vs miles differentiation depending on the country). Using the compass in a situation that you encounter a sign like New York 42 is vital. You can determine the general direction the road is travelling using the compass (don’t rotate and then drop your computer) and then work out approximately which road approaching New York you are on and estimate about 42 miles along this road. **Highway Number Signs** Most countries on Street View tend to have some form of highway numbering system. If you are in Japan and see a highway 112 sign, then by zooming in on the map you will see Japan’s numbered highway network. Sometimes it takes some time to pinpoint the precise highway on the map but persistence is key. Actually scrap that- intelligence is key. Maybe ingenuity is key. Let’s say decisiveness is key. Try and determine the pattern of the country’s highway system you are searching. If you are looking for highway 112, then finding highways number 110-120 might lead to the adjacent or intersecting highway 112. I will detail some specific (and Pacific) highway numbering systems in this section. As a handful of countries make up most of the GeoGuessr locations, it’s important to be familiar with their highway signs and how to pinpoint these numbers on the map. ### USA Highways Warning: prepare to be bored. **USA County Highways:** As an alien to the USA, the highway system took me some deciphering akin to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Apparently there is something logical to this system. Firstly, the smallest highways that are numbered in the USA are county highways. County Highway signs typically have the word “county” on them as seen below. These highway signs appear on the map as bland rectangular shapes also as seen below. County highways are largely useless unless you recognise the name of the county. The amount of zooming in required on the map makes county highways often useless to GeoGuessr players without further information.  The symbol for US County Highways as it appears on the map.  An example of a US County Highway sign  Another example of a US County Highway sign **Texas Farm Roads:** These are essentially the Texas equivalent of County Highways. They provide more useful information than standard county highways as they tell you explicitly that you are in Texas with flashing lights (really just the word printed as ‘Texas’). A typical Texas farm road sign appears below. Each Texas road has a unique number (sometimes with a letter) making them useful for zooming in on the map and detecting. They appear on the GeoGuessr map as bland rectangular shaped signs. You need to zoom in quite significantly on the map to see these signs.  A Texas Farm Road as it appears on the map (the same symbol as US County Highways) **State Highways:** These types of highways traverse a solitary state (not liquid, gas or solid). Virtually each state has its own unique state highway sign with a few exceptions: Iowa, Mississippi, Delaware and New Jersey (the cultured area that gifted the world the TV show Jersey Shore). These four states share the same state highway sign that is essentially a black background enclosing a white circle. Also the proximate states of Maine and Massachusetts have signs that I can’t distinguish between featuring a white square with a thin black border. On the GeoGuessr map, the state highway numbers appear as quasi round white shapes. In order to notice the state highways on the map, you will be required to do some zooming but not quite as much as the aforementioned County Highways. State Highway shields are useful to spot in GeoGuessr as they narrow down your map search to a single state. If you see a state highway sign that you don’t recognise, it may be the outline of a state which you can determine by matching it up with the map.  State Highways in the USA appear with this symbol on the map.  A map showing the specific State Highway shield for each USA state. Note that in 2016, North Dakota’s state highway sign switched to an outline of their state with the words ‘North Dakota’ above it. (Source: Mdcastle, reddit) **United States Highways:** These highways cross more than one state and the signs appear as a white shield with a black number and black outline to the shield. These highways appear on the map as the same design as the signs. US Highways appear on the map as yellow roads. There is a numbering system to US Highways (hallelujah!) that enables you to not waste time (let me change that to ‘more time’ as according to muggles playing GeoGuessr wastes time). Odd numbered US highways typically run in the general direction north-south. Contrastingly, even numbered US highways normally run in an approximate east-west direction. If you spot a US highways sign numbered ‘40’ you immediately know that it runs across at least a couple of US states in an east-west general direction.  The symbol denoting United States Highways on the map  The United States Highway Shield US Highways are numbered with 1, 2 or 3 digits. Highways numbered with 1 or 2 digits eg 7 or 49 are major US Highways. Routes numbered with 3 digits eg 160 are spur roads. These spur roads veer off from their parent road inheriting their 2 ^nd and third digits from their parent road. US highway 160 spurs off from US highway 60 in Missouri. US 260 spurs off from US 60 in Oklahoma, US 360 veers off from US 60 in Texas and US 460 and US 560 spur off from US 60 in New Mexico. There is a numbering system to US highways amongst all this craziness. Odd numbered US highways increase in number from east-west. Remember that odd numbered US highways are north-south running. Given this information, US highway 1 is north-south running and hugging the east coast. Contrastingly, US highway 97 runs through the western states north-south. Even numbered US highways tend to increase in number from north to south. Remember that even numbered highways run east-west. Given this information, US highway 2 snakes just below the Canadian border and runs east-west. US highway 98 runs east-west through the southern states of Alabama and Florida. If I haven’t bored you by running through the US highway numbering system, I will try and provide a technique to remember this information. I remember the fact that US highways that are even run east west by thinking of the Canadian-US border and thinking that the line is very even. Everything parallel with this line is also even. I remember that US highway that are odd run north south by thinking of the rugged coastline of the US as being uneven or ‘odd’. I remember the method of the increasing number that the US highways follow by thinking of the state of Maine which is in the north east corner of the US. This is the corner where the lowest number for both east-west and north-south highways originate. Every highway west of Maine increases in number and every highway south of Maine increases in number. **USA Interstates:** Congratulations if you managed to read through the last section. Now onto the El Chapo of US roads- interstates. These freeways run across the country. Signs are conspicuously blue and red and explicitly and creatively state ‘Interstate’. On the map they appear identically as blue and red shields and can be viewed fairly far out without much zooming in required.  Interstate Highways as they appear on the map  The shield indicating Interstate Highways for the USA. Interstates that are odd numbered run north south and even numbered interstates run east-west. This is the same directional system as the previous section: US highways. What is slightly confusing is that Interstates are numbered in the opposite manner to US highways. In other words, even numbered (east-west running) interstates contain low numbers in the south and increase as you head north to the higher numbers near the Canadian border. Odd numbered interstates (north-south running) contain low numbers on the west coast and increase in number towards the east coast. I remember this interstate numbering system by thinking of California as the state with the lowest numbers both odd and even. Every interstate to the north increases and every interstate to the east increases.  This map shows some of the even numbered US interstates that run east-west. The map also highlights that even numbered US interstate highway numbers gradually increase the further north you travel (I-10 is in the south of the US whilst I-90 in the north). Note: only the US interstates ending with ‘0’ are shown on this map so as to provide an idea of the US interstate highways system. Other even numbered US interstates aren’t shown but they do exist! (Image source: CCP Grey, Youtube).  A map showing odd numbered US interstate highways. Notice that these odd numbered interstates run north-south. Also observe that they gradually increase in highway number as you travel east (I-5 is on west coast whilst I-95 is on the east coast). Note that only the odd numbered US interstates ending in ‘5’ are shown on this map so as to provide an idea of how the US interstate numbering system works. The other odd numbered US interstates aren’t shown however they do exist. (Image source: CCP Grey, Youtube). **US Interstate Minors** Three digit interstates are called ‘interstate minors’. These interstate minors run-off from interstate major highways and share the last two digits of the interstate major they run off. If an interstate minor highway has an even first digit it will deviate off from the interstate major and connect back to it. If an interstate minor highway has an odd first digit, it will deviate off from the interstate major and not connect back to it.  ‘Interstate minors’ are interstates consisting of three digits with the 2nd and 3rd digit being the same as the interstate major that it runs off. For example, the interstate minor ‘470’ runs off the interstate highway 70. As the 470 starts with an even number, it connects back to the interstate highway 70. As the above map indicates, the I-470 deviates around Topeka.  Another interstate minor example is pictured above The interstate minor 180 runs off from the interstate major 80. As the 180 begins with an odd number, it will never connect back to the interstate major 80. To elaborate on the memory side of things: US highways with a black and white shield have lowest numbers in Maine. Interstate highways with a blue and red shield have lowest numbers in California. Both of these road types have odd numbers north-south running (like the uneven US coast) and even numbers east-west running (like the even Canada border). ### Canadian Highways **Trans-Canada Highways:** as the name suggests, these highways span across the country of Canada. They are denoted by a marijuana leaf (I’m reliably informed that it’s actually a maple leaf) of white colour on a green background. The state is also sometimes listed on Trans-Canada Highway signs.  Trans-Canada Highways as they appear on the map  A shield indicating a Trans-Canada Highway **Provincial highways:** Like the USA, Canada has an array of highway types that are bamboozling. Each state has its own unique highway shield that is valuable within the GeoGuessr game and these can be viewed below. They appear on the map typically in a similar fashion to their real world appearance (I went outside and experienced this ‘real world’ once). Often there is no state provincial shield visible but rather a white trapezium shaped sign with a black outline. The map matches the real world mostly in these cases.  A possible symbol indicating a Canadian Provincial Highway on the map  One of many possible signs indicating a Canadian Provincial Highway  A map showing the various Canadian Provincial Highway shields. (Source: Pyrobove, reddit) ### Mexican Highways Federal highways in Mexico feature a black and white shield with a number and the word Mexico at the top of the shield. These highways are easily visible when zooming in on the map. Nonetheless, the numbering system of these highways starts in the north-west of Mexico and increases towards the south-east. North-south running federal highways are odd and east-west federal highways are even numbered (the same pattern as the aforementioned US). Essentially don’t worry too much about learning this system as the federal highways of Mexico aren’t like playing Where’s Wally/Waldo.  A Mexican federal highway shield. Note the curved sides and word Mexico on top. These features distinguish the shield from a state highway shield. State highways in Mexico have a slightly different shield; with straight as opposed to curvy sides. The state abbreviation is written at the top of Mexican state highways which can prove particularly helpful. If you zoom into the map of Mexico to the right level, the states are named and it is fairly self-explanatory to correlate the state highway abbreviation to the associated state. The only slight room for confusion with Mexican state highways involves the state of Mexico which surrounds Mexico City. State highways here are abbreviated on signs as ‘MEX’ and shouldn’t be confused with the federal Mexican highways which have ‘MEXICO’ written on them.  A Mexican state highway shield. Note the straight sides and flat top of the shield. The letters on the shield denote the specific state that the shield is from. By zooming in to the right level on the GeoGuessr map, you can work out the matching state. For this example, ‘SON’ represents the Mexican state of Sonora. ### Brazilian Highways I love Brazil. Its highway system is easier to explain than some previous countries \*Cough USA Cough \*. **Brazilian Regional Highways:** These highways are numbered xx-yyy with the xx denoting the name of the state that the highway is running in and the yyy representing a number. An example is highway SP-280 which means the highway is in the state of São Paulo. Conveniently, the Brazilian states are listed on the GeoGuessr map (as well as the state initials) so you don’t require an in depth knowledge of them and can simply match up the initials with the state names. You can view the state’s names and initials at different levels of being zoomed in on the map. The below chart indicates what state the initials for each Brazilian regional highway represent. You don’t really need to memorise these as they are fairly self-explanatory and can be worked out in the spur of the moment whilst playing GeoGuessr. DF= Federal District AC= State of Acre AL= State of Alagoas AP= State of Amapa (an appropriate name) AM= State of Amazonas BA= State of Bahia CE= State of Ceara ES= State of Espirito Santo GO= State of Goias MA= State of Maranhao MT= State of Mato Grosso MS= State of Mato Grosso do Sul MG= State of Minas Gerais PA= State of Para PB= State of Paraiba PE= State of Pernambuco PR= State of Parana PI= State of Piaui RJ= State of Rio de Janeiro RN= State of Rio Grande do Norte RS= State of Rio Grande do Sul RO= State of Rondonia RR= Roraima SC= State of Santa Catarina SE= State of Sergipe SP= State of Sao Paulo TO= State of Tocantins I’m in a state of disbelief that Brazil has so many states. After this poorly given, impromptu Brazil geography lesson, I should emphasise again that all of these Brazil regional highway abbreviations can be matched on the map using initials and without memorising the above list. Just remember to zoom in the appropriate amount to view state initials and zoom in slightly further to see the full state names. **Brazil National Highways:** These are the highways that span multiple Brazilian states. They are named with the structure BR-xxx. BR denotes the country of Brazil and it can be handy to see these signs when playing GeoGuessr and immediately knowing what country you are in. The xxx doesn’t denote something rude but rather three numbers. There is a reasonably logical numbering system concerning these Brazil National Highways. Any number from: 000-099 denotes a highway travelling radially from the capital, Brasilia. In other words, think of Brasilia as a sun and any rays from the sun are these highways. 100-199 denotes highways running north-south. 200-299 denotes east-west running highways. 300-399 denotes diagonally running highways. Odd numbered highways run in the direction south-west to north-east whilst even numbered highways run south-east to north-west. 400-499 denotes a highway that connects two other highways.  A Brazil National Highway sign ### European E-Roads Unlike every other thing in the world that begins with a single ‘E’, the ‘E’ in E-Roads doesn’t stand for ‘electronic’, nor does the name represent the outdated TV show ‘E Street’. Now I’ve mentioned what E-Roads are not, I’ll say what they are. E-Roads are a network of roads that stretch across Europe. Some numbered E-road span several countries. In tandem with E-roads, every country in Europe has their own localised road numbering system with non-E-roads.  A map showing the vast E-road network that spans Europe. Even numbered E-roads (eg E-34) are typically East-West running. Odd numbered E-roads (eg E-37) are typically North-South running. The numbering of E-roads increases as you progress in a southerly and easterly direction. This means that E-1 appears in Ireland and Portugal as these are the westerly parts of Europe. E-99 appears in Turkey as this is an eastern part of Europe. For the even numbers, E-4 appears in Sweden and E-98 appears in Turkey. E-roads that end in a 0 or a 5 are cross-continental European roads. E-Roads that contain 3 digits (eg E-451) are connecting roads known technically as class-B roads. The exception to this is odd numbered 3 digit E-roads numbered 101 or greater- these are major, E-roads. E-road signs are green with white lettering.  E-road signs have a green background with white lettering. ### General European Road Numbering Signs [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/euro-roads.png) A map showing the road numbering systems and signs for each GeoGuessr relevant country in Europe. Note that the road sign that appears the highest on each country in the map is the more major type of road in that country. The road types gradually become smaller as you look down each country on the map until the bottom road of each country on the map is minor. [A larger version of this map can be seen here.](https://i.redd.it/1o72b693cxr61.png)(Source, reddit user, u/Melongated). ### Russian Federal Highways Ah yes, we meet again my old foe. Russian highways are confusing partially due to some being renamed/renumbered and the original signs still being in place. Russian Federal Highways have either an M, A or P/R prefixing the road number. M: Roads numbered M-1 to M-10 connect Moscow with a neighbouring country or connect Moscow with a Russian administrative centre. P/R: Roads with a ‘P’ prefix are actually written in Russian with the ‘R’ symbol due to their writing system of Cyrillic. These ‘R’ symbols as they will appear in Russia are followed by a number. ‘R’ roads link administrative centres in Russia. I have noticed on a map that these roads tend to be numbered with lower numbers further north (numbers less than 120 being north of Moscow typically) and higher numbers further south of Moscow (above 120) but I haven’t read of this system online so be skeptical of my possibly crazy ramblings. A: Access roads in Russia have the prefix ‘A’. Once again, be skeptical of my observations but roads numbered A100-A110 seem to commonly be cyclic roads around the outskirts of Moscow. Roads A146-A164 seem to be in the south-west corner of Russia.  Look for signs like this in Russia. This one says road A-166 in smallish writing. These 3 types of Russian roads are the best maintained types of roads in the country and are normally paved and relatively well maintained. In the far east of Russia some of these roads may still be gravel. A [map of Russian Federal Highways can be found here.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Russian_federal_highways.svg) **Road Markers:** Fortunately, amidst the geographical and language barriers of Russia there are some further clues. Poles (the objects not the nationality) on the side of the Russian roads with blue signs have numbers on them. These numbers indicate the distance to the start/end of the road. The numbers are printed on both sides of the poles e.g. 6 and 31. In this instance you can determine the road is 37 kilometres long and you are 6 kilometres from one end and 31 kilometres from the other end. In this case it is usually wise to travel towards the closest road end e.g. the 6 kilometre one and to try and gain information at the roads end/junction. An important stipulation with Russian km markers; as you approach a sign and read it as the driver of a vehicle, it tells you how far you have travelled on the highway, the other side of the sign which you have to turn around to see once passing it tells you how far you have left on the highway. For instance, if you are travelling on a 100km highway and have travelled 99km and are only 1km away from the end, the marker will say 99km. Contrastingly, if you have just started driving on the 100km highway and have travelled only 1km, the sign will say 1km. If a Russian road has numbers above 1000km on it, the road is likely the one to Vladivostok (the city situated just slightly north-east of North Korea).  A typical Russian road marker pole. This one shows that the road has extended 238km to this point. ### Great Britain Highways **M Roads** Motorways on the island of Great Britain start with an ‘M’ followed by a number eg M23. These motorways are major roads that are fairly easy to find on the map. Nonetheless, there is a method to their numbering system. The first digit of M roads indicates what region of GB the road resides in. For instance, if you are on the M53, then you focus on the first digit of 53 which is 5. On the below map, the M53 road must be in the zone marked ‘5’.  A map showing motorway zones for Great Britain. If you find a road starting with an ‘M’, the first digit of the road will indicate which area on the above map the road is in. (Source: Nilfanion and Dr Greg, Wikipedia) **A and B Roads** ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads in Great Britain are typically harder to find on the map than M roads and thus you should read this section more carefully than the previous section (I should have put this before the previous section). Roads that start with an A or B prefix will follow with a number eg A606. The first digit of this number will determine where in GB this road can be found. The below map indicates these zones. You need to learn, nurture and perhaps even grow to love the below map.  A map showing the zones for ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads in Great Britain. The first digit of the ‘A’ or ‘B’ road indicates which of the above zones that road will be in. An example is that road A299 is found in the zone marked ‘2.’ (Source: Liftarn, Wikipedia) It should be noted that Northern Ireland’s road numbers and letters resemble Great Britain’s road numbers and letters but they in fact have their own system. Be mindful that if you are spending an inordinate amount of time looking for a road in GB, it may actually be in Northern Ireland. ### Spanish Roads Anagram the country ‘Spain’ and you end up with ‘pains’. This is an apt description of their seemingly complexly numbered road network. Despite their challenging veneer, pinpointing roads in Spain can be done before you can say Don Quixote, just read ahead (and keep reading the rest of the article unless you for some reason are just a Spanish road aficionado). Interurban motorways in Spain typically start with A or AP followed by a number eg AP-71. Radial motorways (R roads) and National roads (N roads) are two more types of roads in Spain. European roads (E roads) are clearly labelled and easy to find across Spain and indeed all of Europe. These European roads are doubly unique in Spain as they appear on signs with a dash between the E and the number eg E-90. This contrasts most of Europe that has no dash between the E and the number eg E25. This can make recognising or excluding Spain easy just by looking for the dash on E roads. Many road numbers in Spain start with the letter(s) representing their region. Eg ‘EX-202’ for a road in the region of Extremadura. The following is a list of road code abbreviations and their corresponding Spanish province. AC= A Coruna AG= Galicia A= Alicante AL= Almeria ARA= Aragon AV= Avila AI= Aviles AS= Asturias B= Barcelona BI/GI= Basque Country Bu= Burgos C= Catalonia CA= Cadiz CM= Castile-La Mancha CT= Cartagena CS= Castellon de la Plana CO= Cordoba CV= Cuenca CV= Valencian Community EL= Elche EX= Extremadura GJ= Gijon GR= Granada H= Huelva J= Jaen Le= Leon LL= Lleida LO= Logrono LR= La Rioja LU= Lugo M= Madrid MA= Malaga MA= Balearic Islands MU/RM= Murcia (How Americans pronounce “America”) O= Oviedo P= Palencia PO= Pontevedra PT= Puertollano SA= Salamanca SC= Santiago de Compostela SE= Seville SO= Soria T= Tarragona TO= Toledo V= Valencia VA= Valladolid VG= Vigo ZA= Zamora Z= Zaragoza There are some more Spanish road prefixes e.g. for Andalusia, the ‘A’ prefix exists with green or orange signs, contrasting the blue ‘A’ signs for interurban motorways. The Spanish regions don’t appear on the GeoGuessr map. Despite this, memorising the Spanish regions isn’t necessary as on most occasions the region is named after the major city within the region. If you see a road sign eg TO-22, then look at the GeoGuessr map for large Spanish cities starting with ‘T’ or ‘To’. You will notice the city of Toledo just south of Madrid and within a few seconds you will see the road: TO-22.  A map showing the provinces of Spain. Many Spanish road numbers have letters preceding them indicating the province they are found in. (Source: [http://www.travelrepublic.co.uk](http://www.travelrepublic.co.uk/)) LZ, FV, GC, TF, HI, LP, GM/CV before a number indicates the specific island a road is on within the Canary Islands: LZ= Lanzarote, FV= Fuerteventura, GC= Gran Canaria, TF= Tenerife, HI= El Hierro, LP= La Palma, GM/CV= La Gomera. ### Norwegian Roads Norway! The country that brought the world IKEA, ABBA and Swedish meatballs. I’m now informed this wasn’t Norway. Something Norway definitely did bring the world is Norwegian National roads. Signs for these roads look similar to E-roads without the E. The signs have a green background and white lettering. National roads contain between 1 and 3 digits. The first digit denotes where in Norway the road is located.  National roads in Norway appear like this on the map. Primary county roads in Norway contain between 1 and 3 digits. The signs are white with black lettering. The first digit also denotes where the road is situated.  Primary county roads in Norway appear like this on the map. By simply looking at the first number of the National or primary county road, you can determine the region in Norway you are located. I created the child-like quality map below to provide a general idea of the zones of the first digits of Norway’s roads. There are the occasional exceptions to the zoning number rules such as routes 12 and 17 appearing in the North of Norway as opposed to where they should occur around Oslo (if you are reading this Norway government, please change these roads. Also, I would like to thank your country for IKEA, ABBA and Swedish meatballs.). It’s a good idea to get a general idea of the Norway road number zoning system so you can quickly zoom into the map in the right area.  A general guide to where Norway’s roads are located. By simply looking at the first digit of the road number, you can work out which region you are in. For instance, if your road starts with a 4 eg 42, then you are in the south or Norway. The roads that defy the zoning, numbering rule are routes 12 and 17 which are located in the north of Norway. (Map source: Poorly made by me). ### Swedish Roads If stereotypes are true, the Swedes produce attractive roads (and people). It is these attractive roads that I’ll be focusing on today. National roads in Sweden are denoted by blue background signs with white lettering. National roads will contain 1 or 2 digits and always be less than 100. Locating national roads in Sweden is fairly easy. The numbers gradually increase from low numbers in the south of Sweden to high numbers in the north of Sweden. If you see National road number 9 in your travels, you know to focus on the southern part of Sweden on the map to find the corresponding road. If you see National road number 99 then you know to look at the northern part of Sweden. If you see number 9 and ¾ you are playing the wrong game and should be playing Harry Potter.  One and two digit roads in Sweden with this blue sign denote national roads. The numbers increase the further north you travel in Sweden. Road number 9 is in the south of the country and road 99 is in the very north of the country.  This is what Swedish national roads look like on the map. Swedish county roads have the same signage as the national roads- blue background and white lettering. The Swedish county roads are unique as they contain 3 digit numbers as opposed to the national roads’ 2 digit numbers. Swedish county road numbers range from 100 to 404. Incidentally, this 404 number seems to pop up regularly on my computer screen. Like the national roads, the numbers increase the further North you travel. This means road number 100 is in the south of Sweden and road number 404 is in the north of Sweden.  Swedish county roads contain 3 digits and range from 100 to 404. The lower numbers are in the south and numbers increase as you travel north.  This is what Swedish county roads look like on the map. ### Finnish Roads The efficient and simple road numbering system in the Nordic countries comes to a grinding halt (or a ‘Finish’) when we encounter the Finnish. The 1 ^st class main roads in Finland are denoted by red signs with white lettering. These 1 ^st class roads range in number from 1 to 39. The 1 ^st class roads in Finland connect the major Finnish cities. The 1 ^st class roads numbered 1-7 radiate away from Helsinki with the numbers increasing in a clockwise direction. 1 ^st class roads 8-10 radiate in a clockwise order away from the city of Turku and 11 and 12 radiate in a clockwise order away from Tampere. The remainder of the 1st class roads- 13 up to 39 begin in other large Finnish cities.  1st class Finnish roads range in number from 1-39. These roads connect major Finnish cities. These road numbers appear with a red background on signs.  1st class Finnish roads appear like this on the map. The 2 ^nd class main roads in Finland are denoted by signs with yellow backgrounds and black lettering. These roads range in number from 40 to 99. 2 ^nd class main roads connect regional centres in Finland. As a general rule, 2 ^nd class main roads in Finland increase the further north you travel. This means roads numbered closer to 40 will typically be in the south of Finland and roads numbered closer to 99 will normally be in the north of the country.  2nd class Finnish roads range in number from 40-99. These roads generally increase in numbering as you travel north in Finland.  2nd class Finnish roads as they appear on the map.  This map of Finland illustrates that 1st class roads (those with red signs, shown with red lines) connect the major Finnish cities. The map also shows that 2nd class roads (those with yellow signs, shown with yellow lines) connect regional centres in Finland. (Source: Migro, Wikipedia) The third type of road in Finland are regional roads. These roads contain 3-digits ranging from 100 to 999. Regional roads are denoted by signs with a white background and black lettering. These roads increase in numbering as you travel north. This means road number 100 is at the South of Finland and road number 999 is at the north of the country. This must be somewhere so unimaginably cold that I can’t use a metaphor to imagine it as it’s unimaginable.  Regional roads in Finland contain 3 digits. They increase in numbering as you travel north. This means road 100 is in the south of Finland and road 999 is in the north of Finland.  Regional roads in Finland as they appear on the map. The last type of GeoGuessr relevant road in Finland are connecting roads. These road numbers contain 4-digits ranging from 1000-9999. The Finns really are fond of using numbers instead of road names aren’t they. Connecting roads feature a sign with a blue background and white lettering. Connecting roads increase in numbering as you travel north. This means that road number 1000 is at the south of Finland and road 9999 is at the north of Finland. These 4-digit connecting roads often stem from the aforementioned 3-digit regional roads. In other words roads 5511, 5512, 5513 and 5514 will all be near regional road number 551 as they share the first 3 digits of 551. Based on this, if you see a sign for road number 4576, it may be worth looking for the regional road 457 and hopefully 4576 will be somewhat nearby. I have now reached the ‘Finnish line’ for this section  Connecting roads in Finland contain 4 digits. They increase in numbering as you travel north in Finland. This means road 1000 is in the south of Finland and road 9999 is in the north of Finland.  How connecting roads in Finland appear on the map. ### Japanese Highways In Japan, prefectural roads are denoted by a blue hexagonal logo containing a number. These are difficult to find on the map without more markers and if you decide to search for these numbers on the map without any clues, say goodbye to your weekend.  How Japanese prefectural roads appear on the map (they are hard to find).  How Japanese prefectural roads appear on signs: a number within a hexagon. The most useful road numbers in Japan are the national highways. Their logo features a blue ‘triangle’ with rounded edges. \*Cue hordes of mathematicians shaking their calculator carrying fists at me for calling the shape a triangle.\*  How Japanese national highways appear on the map.  The triangle with rounded edges denotes Japanese national highways. These national highway numbers can be found on the map. If you don’t wish to learn the Japanese national highway numbering systems (described below), the best way to find a national highway on the map is as follows- Say you see the national highway number 153 on a sign. Zoom in to the map of Japan and look for highway numbers on the map that are near 153. These may be in the 143 to 163 range. After panning up and down the map of Japan, you should see one of these numbers within a few seconds. As the highway numbers generally get higher as you go south, you can then zoom in closer on the map and look just above or just below the number you spot. If you see the highway number 149 on the map whilst looking for 153 then simply look in the area just south of highway 149 for highways 150, 151, 152 and 153. You will know you have gone too far south if you reach 154. This technique to find Japanese highways always works for me and using it will mean you can find highway numbers on the map fairly quickly. If you don’t like the above approach, you can memorise where the Japanese national highways are located. Below appears a table explaining the numbering mechanism of these national highways aka curved triangle roads.  A table indicating where to look for specific Japanese national highway numbers (the roads denoted by rounded triangles containing a number). An explanation of this table occurs in the next paragraph. (Source and more info on Japanese roads: [https://sites.google.com/site/roadnumberingsystems/home/countries/japan](https://sites.google.com/site/roadnumberingsystems/home/countries/japan)) The top section of the table details 1 and 2 digit national highway roads whilst the bottom section explains where to find 3 digit national highway roads. The right half of the table refers to roads on the northern island of Hokkaido and the left column of the table refers to the remainder of Japan. The place names e.g. Aomori to Okinawa explain where a specific road is found. Aomori is on the northern part of the main island and Okinawa Island is south of the main island. Using the table to find road numbers can take a bit of practise. If we see road number 338 within a ‘triangle’ in GeoGuessr we look at the table to see where it fits. “338-390 Aomori- Okinawa, direction of increase N-S”. This information tells us that road number 338 will appear near Aomori at the northern tip of the main island. The road numbers will get larger until road number 390 is found near Okinawa at the southern part of Japan. A road numbered half way between 338 and 390 e.g. road 365 will be found approximately half way between these points. **Other Countries Highways:** If anyone is actually reading this article and has read this far then you deserve a congratulations. I won’t go through any more countries highway systems at present. If you would like the highway numbering system of a country poorly explained by me then please leave a comment and I’ll update this article to include a new country. Some [other countries highway shields can be found here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_shield) **Mile and Kilometre Markers** Mile and Kilometre Markers: I have already touched on the kilometre markers used in the vastness of Russia but many other countries also have signs with numbers on the sides of their highways. There is no universal rule for these numbered signs and even within the same country, different types of numbered signs indicate different things. Some countries have markers indicating how far the nearing exit road is, how far the nearest state is, how far the nearest county is, how far until the end of the road and various other listings. These mile and kilometre markers can be useful to GeoGuessr players as you decide which way to move in the game, it’s often sensible to move towards a zero marker indicating a new road/state or some other potential information. Also you may decide to change direction if you see mile marker 999 then 998 then 997 unless you want to spend the foreseeable future travelling on a desolate road. **Junctions** Junctions are sometimes the fantasies of GeoGuessr players. JCT is often the abbreviation used on signs which much to my surprise doesn’t stand for a new RnB group but the word ‘Junction”. These JCT signs pop up typically around 400 metres away from an intersection. **Warning Signs** Warning Signs: An object whose purpose is to inform citizens of impending danger has positive connotations within GeoGuessr. Warning signs that are diamond shaped and yellow are ubiquitous in North and South America, Australia (and New Zealand if you count it as a real country), Ireland (it’s very useful for picking Ireland from the rest of Europe), Japan and South-East Asia. If you spot a triangular warning sign with a red outline and a yellow colouring then you are in luck; not because you may be perilously close to a cliff but because only a handful of eclectic countries use these warning signs. These countries include: Greece, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, North Macedonia and South Korea. These yellow coloured and red bordered signs are useful for distinguishing Finland, Sweden and Iceland from the white coloured and red bordered signs of Norway and Denmark. Other shaped signs (such as circle-shaped signs) in Finland, Sweden and Iceland also have this unique red outer and yellow colouring. Poland is unique as it has the red outline and yellow filling but the red outline is very thin. Virtually the rest of the GeoGuessr world uses the standard triangle with a red border and white centre to warn of foreboding doom.   Road warning signs around the world. (Source: Fry1989, Wikipedia). A larger map can be [viewed here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warning_sign#/media/File:Road_Warning_signs_around_the_World.svg)  This type of warning sign (a thick red outline with yellow colouring) with various images on it occurs in Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Greece, North Macedonia, Vietnam and South Korea.  This type of warning sign (thin red outline and yellow coloured) with various images on it occurs only on Poland.  This type of warning sign (yellow and diamond shaped) occurs throughout virtually all of North and South America as well as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan and most of south-east Asia.  This type of warning sign (with various images on it) featuring a red outline and white middle occurs throughout most of Africa, Asia (not south-east Asia) and Europe. ## General Clues - [Geography](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#geography) - [Houses](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#houses) - [Flora](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#flora) - [Cars](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#cars) - [Utility Poles](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#utility-poles) - [Bollards](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#bollards) - [Flags](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#flags) - [Flag Trick (Battle Royale)](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#flag-trick) - [Internet Domain Name Suffixes](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#internet-domain-name-suffixes) - [Other Clues](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#other-clues) **Geography** Geography isn’t just a subject you choose at school if you want to bludge. It’s also a useful aspect to navigating and pinpointing locations within GeoGuessr. If you see what resembles the sea to your East and you are in the USA, then you know you are probably on the east coast of the country gazing wishfully into the Atlantic Ocean. If you see a mountain range to your north and you are in some obscure and tiny European country then placing the pin on the map just south of the mountain range is sensible. Even if you just see the semblance of a hill in the background, you can use this knowledge to your advantage. The map on GeoGuessr, when zoomed in to the precise amount will show mountains. Forests are also clearly visible on the map and this is another factor to consider when placing yourself. One of the most important aspects to GeoGuessr is to match up the colours of the grass and plants you are looking at in GeoGuessr with the colours on the map. For instance, if you think you are in the USA and you see lush, green surrounds then look on the map for what parts are coloured dark green; the eastern and far western parts of the country. If you see dry grass around you that is tinged yellow then click on the map where there is yellowish colours such as the central and western parts of the USA. This process holds true for the entire world when the map is relatively zoomed out- match the grass colours in GeoGuessr with the colours appearing on the map. Once you zoom in on the map to the point that the colour yellow vanishes, the meaning of the colour green changes to represent forests and national parks.  Note the colour of the grassland and lack of vegetation.  The above GeoGuessr location was located within southern Saskatchewan which is depicted on the map as a similar colour to the grassland. The GeoGuessr map, when zoomed in to the correct degree provides clues about the landscape around the world and thickness of vegetation.  When you zoom in further, the meaning of the colours on the map changes. Green represents forests and national parks at these higher zoom levels. The grassland colours are no longer relevant at these zoom levels. **Houses** Becoming aware of the types of houses in different countries and regions is of the utmost importance in GeoGuessr. A general guide to determining what country you find yourself in is to evaluate the expensiveness of the houses. If you have a mansion in front of you then it’s unlikely you are in the midst of Uganda, unless it’s some warlord’s house. Are we still doing the stop Kony movement? Houses can look vastly different in the same country depending on whether they are in an urban or rural area. This section is mainly focused on the houses you will see outside of large cities as large cities are often crammed with apartments. These are the main houses to be aware of in GeoGuessr. In the individual country section I’ve also included some more esoteric houses. North America  The north-east part of the US tends to have this grand, Colonial style of wooden, (typically white-coloured), two-storey house that has a fairly steep roof. Ranch style houses often appear in the southern USA states. California bungalows appear (as the name suggests) throughout California. Conch houses are found in Florida.  The eastern parts of Canada have many houses that are made from horizontal pieces of wood.  Urban Mexico (which is where most of the population lives) often consists of houses and buildings that have walls on the narrow footpath. The buildings are typically made of concrete. Europe  The majority of houses in the rural part of Ireland have some semblance to the house pictured. They are generally either white coloured or stone and have these dark roofs. Looking at the houses from the road, they tend to be wide but not very deep (they look like a rectangle from above). They are normally one or two storey. Brick is rarely visible in Irish buildings whilst it is quite common in Great Britain. Ireland tends to have longer driveways than Great Britain.  Scotland tends to have a higher percentage of grey coloured houses and buildings than England.  Townhouses, like those pictured, are common in the U.K. Bricks are used to construct a large portion of houses in Great Britain whilst in Ireland, brick is very rare.  Many Portuguese houses are white or light-coloured and many have tiled, terracotta coloured roofs.  Spanish houses are generally either white or a shade of some warm colour such as red, orange or yellow.  Buildings in Andorra are typically multi-storey, affluent looking and made of gray stones compressed together. This unique, stone building style is the best way to identify Andorra.  French towns typically consist of two-storey buildings made out of visible stone. The buildings virtually join one another and are built right on the edge of the footpath.  Houses in Brittany, a western region of France, are coloured white with dark roofs.  Many houses in Belgium have an older look to them. Houses with a visible red brick exterior are a common sight in Belgium. Most of the houses in Belgium have slanted roofs.  Townhouses are the most common form of abode in the Netherlands. Some townhouses have flat roofs whilst others have extremely steep roofs.  Houses of this distinct reddish-brown colour are a common sight in the Nordic countries.  Greenland tends to have a range of colourfully painted houses.  Houses in Denmark are typically painted light colours. They also have steep roofs with new-looking tiles. Although Danish houses can have visible brick, visible brick houses are much more common in Belgium, the Netherlands and France.  Much of the German Street View coverage is focused around greater cities. German houses in these areas tend to be apartments between 3 and 5 stories high, painted fairly drab colours and situated very close to the road or footpath.  Austrian houses often have slanted, dark-terracotta coloured roofs. The houses are often two-storey, well-maintained and are painted light colours. The houses regularly have TV satellite dishes.  The houses in Switzerland are often wooden and multi-storey with terracotta-coloured slanting roofs. Swiss houses are known for their high number of window shutters.  Polish houses often have small wooden or metal fences around them.  Rural Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian houses often have eternit roofs (that look like corrugated iron) that are different shades of gray/silver. The roofs tend to face the road. These houses are one of the easiest ways to identify the Baltic countries.  Slovakia and Czechia houses are typically cream-coloured with slanted terracotta roof tiles that have a unique shade.  Slovenian houses are typically fairly close to white (often a very light pink) in colour and two-storey. They often have pronounced, triangular roofs. Roofs are commonly brown or terracotta coloured. Sometimes the very top, pointed part of the roof is flat (see the far house in the right of the image).  Single storey houses are more common in Hungary. These houses have lower roofs than many of the previous countries that have been mentioned. Hungarian houses are often a light colour such as pink. The standard roofs are a pink/red/terracotta colour. The roofs are less likely to be like a triangular half-open-book shape than the previously mentioned countries. The roof edge elevations tend to meet together at a few common points on top.  Houses in inland Croatia tend to come in more of a range of colours and styles than many of the previously mentioned countries. The roofs’ colours tend to be shades of terracotta with more of a range of these colours than some other countries. Croatian houses are commonly two-storey.  Greek houses are usually white or light coloured. They typically all share the same shade of terracotta as their roof colour. Like Albania, Greece has some water heaters on the roofs of their houses.  Small Romanian towns often have houses with pyramid shaped roofs. The houses are commonly separated from the footpath by metal fences.  Although Albania is full of two-storey houses, the houses are typically run-down and look unfinished and lack windows or bricks. Water heaters also commonly appear on Albanian roofs.  Houses in North Macedonia mainly have terracotta tiled roofs and multiple chimneys. They are often two-storey and occasionally you will see houses with a curved front element; for example, the house on the left has front windows that curve outwards.  Montenegrin houses tend to come in a range of styles and colours. They most commonly have the terracotta coloured roofs.  Serbian homes are another great way to recognise the country. They often look like cottages and are typically fairly run-down. They often also have square-prism shaped chimneys.  Bulgarian houses feature roofs that aren’t very steep. The roofs also tend to be the same shade of terracotta. Bulgarian houses are predominantly light coloured or have a brick exterior. The houses are often run-down.  Rural Ukrainian houses come in a range of styles. Those houses pictured, with a triangular prism roof, small window upstairs and made of wood are common in Ukraine. Wooden fences are common around Ukrainian houses.  Russia has a range of house styles. One of the more common are wooden houses that have triangular-prism shaped roofs. Wooden fences are also common around Russian houses.  Streets in Maltese cities are narrow, often with high rise, old buildings that are the same creamish colour. Oceania  Houses in the Australian state of Queensland are most commonly made of horizontal pieces of wood. They are also often elevated off the ground (not necessarily as high as the house pictured).  Bungalow style houses are particularly common in the Australian suburbs.  New Zealand houses are often white in colour and bungalow-styled. White coloured houses are much more common in New Zealand than Australia and this can be another clue to help distinguish between the two countries. Africa  High walls and fences around houses are a common sight in South Africa.  Ghanaian shops and houses often have corrugated iron roofs.  The urban areas of Senegal typically feature brick buildings painted white or light colours. These structures often show signs of wear such as parts of the building crumbling or the painting having eroded away. Asia  Bhutanese houses and apartments can be quite elaborate looking. They often feature flat roofs that extend beyond the walls, white walls, arch windows and detailed wooden elements.  There are a number of common house styles in Japan. The first of these is the house with a compacted square-based pyramid for a roof. Japanese houses are often two-storey. This style of house also has a roof for its lower storey.  Most South Korean residents live in apartments. Despite this, there is quite a range of house styles in the country. A common feature of South Korean houses involves having elaborate roofs. This includes having decorations, protrusions or stylised parts to the roof. In addition, the corners of the roofs often have pieces that arch upwards.  Many Cambodian houses are elevated on posts. Some homes will have part of the home elevated on posts and the other part of the home on the ground.  Thai houses and buildings come in a huge range of styles. They often have corrugated iron roofs or roofs made from tiles like the image above. Thai houses can best be distinguished from Cambodian houses as Thai houses are much less likely to be elevated on stilts. Many Thai houses can also look quite affluent and be two-storey and fairly large. Affluent houses seem rarer in Cambodia.  Taiwanese houses are most commonly boxy in shape.  Most houses and buildings in the UAE are white or light coloured. They also tend to be boxy in shape and have flat roofs.  Apartments are often this cream colour in Jordan. This style of building tends to be 3-4 stories high, a rectangular prism in shape with a flat roof and many windows.  Cream-coloured apartments spanning at least several stories are the most common form of habitation in most of Israel and Palestine.  Mongolia has many small villages and towns. These areas are often contained by wooden fences. The houses tend to have bright roofs of different colours.  Indonesian houses most commonly have terracotta/brown coloured tiles on their roof. Some of the more remote Indonesia houses/businesses have corrugated iron roofs. These corrugated iron roofs are more common on Sulawesi, Borneo and Sumatra.  A large number of houses in Malaysia tend to have some form of vertical column as part of the house or holding up the verandah. This is a fairly unique feature that is rarely found in other countries. Malay houses often have corrugated iron roofs that are triangular prism shaped.  Houses in the Philippines come in a wide range of styles. The most common roof type in the Philippines features corrugated iron, normally in a triangular formation. The second most common roof type in the Philippines is a hand woven roof that uses something resembling reeds.  Sri Lankan houses most commonly feature terracotta tiles on their roofs. There are normally concrete walls separating Sri Lankan houses from the narrow, paved paths that are found everywhere in Sri Lanka.  Houses in Singapore tend to be double storey and very affluent.  Many Turkish residents live in apartments that are a number of stories high with a terracotta, tiled roof. Some of the higher Turkish apartments have flatter roofs. South America  Brazilian houses come in wide range of styles. They are made from various materials, can have virtually every style of roof and can come in a range of colours.  Argentina and Uruguay tend to have flat roofs, visible brick making up lots of houses and if not visible brick then painted brick. The bricks are often quite large in these countries.  Ecuadorian houses come in a high range of styles. They can also have any roof style from tiles to corrugated iron to vines. Ecuadorian houses are most commonly built with gray coloured bricks. This contrasts most other South American houses which are mainly built using red brick.  Colombia often has colourful houses with corrugated iron roofs.  Peruvian houses can often be brick or be painted a range of colours. The Peruvian roofs tend to be flat. The houses are typically very low in height. If a Peruvian houses is built out of brick, it is often a brown-coloured brick. This brick colour is fairly rare in South America outside of Peru.  Bolivian houses tend to look quite similar to Peruvian houses. They are mainly made of red brick and have flat roofs. The bricks tend to be quite large. This contrasts the browner, smaller bricks used in Peru.  Houses in the south of Chile (and Southern Argentina) tend to be wooden, painted a range of bright colours and have slanting roofs made from corrugated iron. Houses in central Chile are more likely to have terracotta tiled roofs. If you are interested in extending your architecture knowledge and learning from someone who actually knows about architecture and housing styles, then I recommend Simi’s European architecture videos. He has made over 11 hours of videos explaining the subtle differences between European architecture. View them [here.](https://www.youtube.com/user/Simi99855/videos) **Flora** I won’t pretend to know anything about trees/plants (I know so little that I can’t think of any more categories of flora to list). If you do have a botanical-bend then I doth my fedora to you. Birch trees are found only in the northern hemisphere and if you are in the USA and see a bunch of birch trees then you are probably fairly northern. Eucalyptus trees are found almost exclusively in Australia and they can be useful for identifying this country on bland expanses of road (if you are interested in how not to rescue a koala from one of these trees, [read my experience here](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/how-not-to-rescue-a-koala-a-true-story/)). Pine trees are mainly found in the northern hemisphere. Fir trees AKA Christmas trees are located in the northern hemisphere with colder northern areas and mountain regions home to these trees in abundance. A good general rule to determine your location using coniferous trees is to examine the density of these trees in the region. If you have wall to metaphorical wall of these trees then you are probably close to the Arctic region. If these trees are intermingling with other trees then you are likely further south. Savanna trees have a unique look especially the umbrella thorn acacia and point to you being in Africa. Trees with leaves matching the colourful hues of the sunset are found mainly in North-Eastern USA and South-Eastern Canada in autumn months. When it comes to GeoGuessr, I rarely look at individual trees before guessing. I tend to look at the general landscape and get a vibe of where I am positioned. Having said that, this is a guide of how to do well in GeoGuessr. If a guide on performing neurosurgery said ‘just get a vibe of things’ rather than going into details, it wouldn’t end well. For this reason, I’ll give this tree describing business a shot.  North-western USA largely consists of thick forests with this specific type of tall tree.  Cornfields are most common in the US and Southern Europe.  A map showing the corn production distributions across the USA. The areas that are coloured dark-green are where you are most likely to be positioned if you are next to a corn field in GeoGuessr. (Source: The US Department of Agriculture).  A map showing corn production regions of Europe. Note that the primary corn countries are France, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Hungary (Source: Eurostat).  Olive trees can be found around the Mediterranean.  Olive tree distribution in Europe appears above in a coincidental ‘olive’ colour. Mostly Mediterranean areas are home to olive trees, with the bulk in Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal.  The Irish landscape often has hedges alongside the road. Hedgerows are also very common among the southern part of England.  Birch trees are only found in the Northern Hemisphere and are typically found north of the 40th parallel. If you see birch trees (the white coloured ones) on the side of a European road, you are likely in a Nordic country. Finland seems to have more birch trees than Sweden and Norway. The further north you travel, the thicker the density of birch trees. They can be found elsewhere in Europe, including the northern Baltic areas. Birch trees can also be found in North America, namely right across Canada and the northern parts of the US.  The eastern half of Russia contains many of these trees. They have a thin trunk, are relatively short and have pine needles. They are often found in large groups and can be a great way to work out if you are in eastern Russia.  Trees often have black coloured bark in the northern part of Australia, especially around Darwin.  Australia stands out thanks to Eucalyptus trees. They are typically tall with white bark.  These short trees are a common sight in parts of Botswana. They often don’t have leaves in the Street View imagery.  Japan’s northern most island- Hokkaido (and sometimes northern Honshu) house this unique cabbage looking vegetation.  These trees, known as oil palms, are found in Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand.  These trees (similar to Australian Eucalyptus) are found in the Andes.  Parana pines are these unique looking pine trees that have no branches until the top section of the tree. The branches span from the tree almost horizontally. Parana pines are most commonly found in the Brazilian state of Parana and the two states to the south of Parana- Santa Catalina and northern Rio Grande do Sul.  These trees (that remind me of African acacia) are found in the northern part of Peru.  Pine trees are mainly found in the Northern Hemisphere.  A fir tree. These are typically found in colder regions.  This umbrella thorn acacia is found across large swathes of Africa and parts of the Middle-East.  A type of palm tree. Palms are typically found in the tropics. The palm tree, as seen above, has many variations that typically include a similar type of leaf. Even to fellow tree ignoramuses they should stand out and can help in pinpointing your location. The below map shows the distribution of palm trees across the world. They are mainly found in South America, Central America, Florida and California, Africa, Southern Asia and Northern Australia.  A map showing the distribution of palm trees across the earth. If you actually understand trees then the below map may be of interest to you. It shows the woodland and forested areas on this pale, blue dot we call earth. It also indicates the specific type of tree found in each area. Warning: you may need to be a tree expert or someone treading the fine line between tree enthusiast and tree lover to interpret the map.  A map showing the forest and woodland distribution across earth as well as the specific type of tree found in each forest and woodland area. A larger map can be [viewed here.](http://www.technologystudent.com/joints/forest2a.html) If you are interested in learning about what trees/plants are native to which parts of the world, then I highly recommend checking out [Alok’s amazing interactive map.](https://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Landscape-and-Vegetation-Guide/U1ZwTHRDGL) It focuses on trees and plants but also covers some landscapes. In addition, if you wish to improve your knowledge of where certain vegetation is located, you should play ‘ [A skewed world](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/6165f7176c26ac00016bca3d) ’ map. If you play no moving, panning and zooming, you won’t be able to use clues like road lines, meta and cars as you face away from the roads. You will be forced to pick up vegetation clues and grow like the very trees you are looking at. Play ‘A skewed world’ here: [https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/6165f7176c26ac00016bca3d](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/6165f7176c26ac00016bca3d) **Cars** Stereotypically, ppl who rite lyk dis are car enthusiasts. These types of people are useful to have around in GeoGuessr but not necessarily in other aspects of life. Much in the same ilk as being ignorant about trees, I have a similar blind spot for cars so please forgive any inaccuracies that I write. Within the GeoGuessr game, there is an assortment of things blurred out; sometimes this extends to car logos. Such is my automobile naivety, I struggle to identify specific car brands without the logos. In the USA I have noticed a large amount of ‘expensive utes’ also known as personal trucks. Excluding major cities, a high portion of cars I see while moving along the street are these ‘expensive utes’. These ‘expensive utes’ are often Ford F150s and indeed this is the best-selling car in most parts of the USA, excluding coastal states. Canadians like the Ford F-Series. Brazil has the Chevrolet Onix as their most popular car whilst Argentina has the Toyota Hilux. Australia and South Africa also have an abundance of Toyota Hilux. Japan likes Toyota Aqua cars and Koreans enjoy Hyundai cars (as well as Korean food). European cars are typically smaller than cars in the USA and cover an assortment of European car brands. In France there is an abundance of Renaults, in Sweden Volvos rule, Norway= Volkswagen, Finland= Skoda, Denmark has many Peugeots, in Italy there are plenty of Fiats and in Spain, Romania and Bulgaria there are lots of Dacia Sanderos. Russians have a penchant for Hyundai cars and typically Russia and Eastern Europe have rectangular shaped cars as more prevalent as opposed to curved cars. I personally mainly zoom in to determine car brands when I’m in Europe as this can help pinpoint or narrow down possible countries quite dramatically. South-east Asia has motorbikes as their primary transport. If you spot people on bicycles then the location is more likely to be Western Europe as opposed to North America. Below are maps showing the most popular cars for areas  This map indicates the top selling car model for each country in the world. The map can be useful if you observe a certain model of car repeatedly in GeoGuessr. A larger version of the map can be viewed here: [https://uk.parkindigo.com/en/news/blog/the-worlds-top-selling-car-model-in-every-country](https://uk.parkindigo.com/en/news/blog/the-worlds-top-selling-car-model-in-every-country)  According to this study I found ([https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1700035114](https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1700035114)) if you notice more sedans than pickup trucks in an American city, there is an 88% likelihood that you are in a Democrat area. If you notice more pickup trucks than sedans, there is an 82% likelihood that you are in a Republican area. This means that by examining whether there are more sedans or pickup trucks around you in the US, you should have an idea whether you are in the blue or red area on the above map: Blue= Democrat vs red= Republican. (Image source: Kingofthedead, Wikipedia). If you notice more boats around you, then you are probably in the sea (or a boat museum). **Utility Poles ** Keeping a record of countries with a specific type of esoteric utility pole is only a step away from keeping a rock as a pet. In the future I may keep this checklist and alas the obligatory rock as a pet. This ‘utility poles’ section features the most useful, abundant and distinctive utility poles from around the world. Update 1: In the bottom section of this article, I’ve now added each country’s most common utility pole. Update 2: My pet rock is doing well. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/world-poles.png) A map showing what utility poles are made from around the world. The brown countries have a strong majority of wooden poles. The dark gray countries have a strong majority of concrete poles. The blue countries have a strong majority of metal poles. The other countries mainly have some mixture of the above combinations. (Image source Zi8gzag). A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://postlmg.cc/pm6wznjz)  Taiwanese utility poles are everywhere. They are cylindrical in shape and typically have their lower section covered in diagonal black and yellow stripes which stretch all the way to the ground. South Korea also has diagonal black and yellow stripes on their utility poles however in South Korea the black and white stripes don’t reach the ground.  South Korea has diagonal yellow and black stripes on many of its utility poles, much like Taiwan. It also similarly has cylindrical utility poles. Taiwanese stripes mainly stretch all the way to the ground whilst the stripes in South Korea shouldn’t reach the ground. Note: Japan also rarely has South Korean style stripes on their utility poles.  Japan has cylindrical shaped utility poles that occur throughout the country. Japan also has unique yellow and black vertical stripes on many of its poles. On rare occasions, the stripes are diagonal in Japan. In Taiwan and South Korea, they also have the yellow and black markings on some poles however these countries have diagonal stripes, not vertical like the standard Japanese stripes.  The red and white striped arrow pointing downwards indicates that you are in Japan, most likely on the island of Hokkaido or possibly on the island of Honshu near mountains.  Malaysia commonly has these black rectangles with white lettering on their utility poles. These black rectangles only occur on the Malaysian mainland and never on Borneo. Utility poles on Malaysian Borneo are generally slightly thinner than utility poles on mainland Malaysia.  Utility poles in Thailand comes in all shapes and sizes. Fortunately, they can be easily recognised as they virtually all have small holes in them, running vertically. They look like someone has drilled into them. This small hole facet of the poles is rarely seen in utility poles across the rest of the world (they do occur in Belgium).  South Korean utility poles stand out as they mainly have what resembles a long, sharp, pointed spike extending upwards from the top of the main pole.  Stobie poles are the utility poles used in the state of South Australia. These poles essentially aren’t used outside of this state. The poles consist of steel on both sides and concrete in the centre.  The Northern Territory in Australia uses these metal utility poles with holes in them.  Approximately 50% of utility poles in the Australian state of Tasmania have these olive metal wrappings around the pole, generally around 2 metres above the ground. These wrappings are often hard to see unless you zoom in as they are a similar colour to the utility pole. These olive colouered wrappings aren’t seen outside of Tasmania.  New Zealand utility poles come in several forms however regardless of form, they mainly have a lone piece of metal (normally silver or white coloured) wrapped around most of the pole.  These concrete utility poles with large holes that go all the way down to the ground are mainly found in Romania and Hungary. In the country specific section further down this article, I’ve posted the primary utility pole from each country.  Romania can often be recognised thanks to their concrete, hollow poles featuring a dash of yellow paint (Hungarian poles sometimes also have a bit of yellow paint too). In addition, a large number of Romanian utility poles are painted with a white base (Ukrainian utility poles sometimes also have a white base).  Hungarian utility poles are thinner and narrower than Romanian utility poles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/poland-holes.png) Poland has concrete utility poles with holes in them. Polish poles are distinct from the utility poles of Hungary and Romania as the holes don’t go all the way to the ground- they stop about half a metre above the ground.  French utility poles can have holes as well however these are often smaller holes.  This is another variant of French utility poles. Spain can have similar utility poles that are white in colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/french-poles-1.png) France also contains many wooden utility poles (as do many other countries around the world). The French wooden poles are unique as they often feature a blue rectangle on them. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/belgium-pole1.png) This is the most common type of Belgian utility pole. It is square shaped and contains small holes running up it- much like the Thai utility poles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/belgium-pole2.png) This is the second most common type of Belgian utility pole. It contains oval shaped hole section. This pole is also occasionally found in France.  Portugal has two main types of utility poles. The first type is more unique looking and has small holes running vertically up it. Sometimes Portuguese utility poles of this style will have less holes. The second type of Portuguese utility pole is wooden. It often looks fairly rudimentary and can have lumps on its surface.  In Ireland, approximately one third of utility poles have a yellow, triangular ‘danger’ sticker on them. These stickers are sometimes visible in the UK however they tend to be rarer there.  There are a number of types of utility poles used in Lithuania. They mainly have a large number of pine cone looking things pointing upwards near the top of their poles.  Latvian utility poles come in several styles but they often have the ‘pine cone’ looking things that hang upwards at different levels. In the image above, the three ‘pine cone’ looking things are at three different levels.  Estonian utility poles are more likely to resemble a crucifix. Utility poles are one of the best ways to distinguish between the Baltic countries. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/baltic-aframe.png) A reasonable portion (approximately 25%) of poles in the Baltic countries consist of a pole resting against another pole. This is a much rarer sight across the remainder of Europe.  This concrete cylindrical pole is the most common type of utility pole found in Czechia and Slovakia. It is also found in a number of other places. The Czech and Slovak poles often have several small metal circles going around the pole. They also sometimes have a small white box and a wire running up the pole, as pictured. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sweden-pole.png) Norway, Sweden and Finland (as well as a number of other countries around the world) all use these standard wooden, circular poles.  Many Ukrainian utility poles have their base section painted white (as do many Romanian poles). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/russian-pole-image.png) Russia typically uses square, concrete poles. These sometimes have a short, horizontal metal bar on top. Several other countries use similar utility poles to Russia, including Ukraine.  Turkey uses a wide range of utility poles. Some of the more recognisable poles are metallic with large holes in them.  Nigeria’s most common utility poles often have a number of indents, like sections have been cut out but not quite enough has been cut out to form holes.  Senegalese utility poles typically have three of these pine cone shaped objects either pointing upwards or downwards.  This is the second type of Senegalese utility pole. Note the pine cone shaped objects pointing down. Also note the indents in the pole, similar to the Nigerian utility poles.  Brazilian utility poles can comes in a range of styles. The most common type is wider at the base and narrower at the top. They also have indents in them. They look similar to Chilean poles however Chilean utility poles have one long indent whilst Brazil typically has 3 indented sections.  Chilean utility poles have one long indent that runs up the pole.  A large number of Peruvian utility poles have part of their lower section painted. There is no single colour they are painted; some are black, blue, yellow, etc or some mixture of colours. Also, some are only painted a few feet up whilst others are painted almost half-way up.  Octagonal shaped utility poles are some of the most common in Mexico and seeing them can be an easy way to identify the country. These poles are rarely seen in other countries however they do sometimes occur in Colombia.  The US and Canada have cylindrical, wooden utility poles- as do many other countries around the world. The US and Canada’s poles sometimes stand out because they can have a singular hook on top of the pole, as pictured (this can be seen in several other countries however it is more common in the US and Canada).  Square utility poles are common in the Dominican Republic. There is now a folder on my computer named “Distinguishable utility poles from around the world”. What a shameful day for my family if they discover this… I won’t post all the utility poles here- just the most imporant are posted. In the bottom section of this article that lists every country’s identifiable features, I’ve posted these poles. **Bollards ** Bollards (that my autocorrect keeps changing to bollocks) are also useful indicators in determining where you are. The bollards listed in this section are the bollards most worth knowing. This is due to their frequency, unique features and/or usefulness in distinguishing one country from another. Additional and more esoteric bollards are mentioned lower down this article in the country specific section.  Although bollards are relatively rare in the UK compared to some other European countries, they are rather unique looking and consist of black and white sections with a large red rectangle on top.  Portugal uses these fairly generic bollards. The front contains a vertical, white rectangle encased in the black section. This helps distinguish the country from Spain. The back of Portuguese bollards feature two white circles in the black section. Similar looking bollards can be found in Luxembourg, Sweden (without the circles on the back) and Latvia (narrower bollards). There is a rarer type of Portuguese bollard that has a fatter orange rectangle in place of the white rectangle.  Spanish bollards are fairly unique. They feature the standard European black and white bollard with a bright yellow rectangle encased in the black section of the bollard.  There are two types of French bollard, both are the same distinct shape and different from typical European bollard shapes. This is the first type with a gray reflector strip running around it.  This is the second type of French bollard. It has a red reflector strip running around it. Like the first type of French bollard, it has a unique shape, different from standard European bollards.  A few types of bollards are visible in the Netherlands. This type is the most commonly seen. Similar looking bollards are found in Turkey and Australia.  This is the front view of a German and Luxembourg bollard; they look rather generic. The back of the bollards contain two white circles in the white section. Portugal and Sweden have similar bollards to Luxembourg.  The most common Italian bollard has a front that features a vertical, red rectangle inside a black, diagonal strip. Note that the black part goes to the top of the bollard- this is rare in the bollard world. Albanian bollards look similar however bollards are rare in Albania. The rear of Italian bollards have a white rectangle rather than the red rectangle of the front.  The island of Sardinia (Sardegna) has similar bollards to mainland Italy however the rectangle is orange in colour.  This is the type of bollard found in Sicily. Note the rectangle’s width and the fact that it can be orange or red in colour.  Albania has the same looking bollards at Italy featuring a red rectangle in the black section of the bollard that extends to the top. Bollards are fairly rare to see in Albania compared to Italy. Albanian bollards have a white rectangle on their rear.  Finnish bollards are either cylindrical or look cylindrical from the front. This cylindrical shape isn’t shared by the bollards of the other Nordic countries. Otherwise, Finnish bollards look like fairly generic, black and white, European bollards. Finnish bollards look similar to Estonian bollards.  This is what the front of bollards in Denmark look like. They are a unique looking bollard and occur abundantly throughout the country. The rear of the bollard lacks the yellow section.  These distinctive yellow bollards are visible right across Iceland.  The reflectors on the front of Austrian bollards are either blackish or dark red in colour. Seeing this black reflector and the black hat on the bollard is one of the easiest ways to tell that you are in Austria. No other countries have both of these features on their bollards. Slovenian and Montenegrin bollards look similar however they have a bright red rectangle.  Swiss bollards are often this curved-cylindrical shape. This is the front of the bollard. The back of the bollard features two white dots in the black section.  Polish bollards have a red diagonal stripe wrapping around the bollard.  This is what the front of Lithuanian bollards look like- they have a white rectangle on the rear instead of orange. These plastic bollards (that look like wood) with an orange rectangle are one of the best ways to distinguish Lithuania from the other Baltic countries (and other European countries). Latvia and Estonia both have bollards with a white rectangle on the front and white dots on the back. Bollards are found every few metres on well-frequented roads in Lithuania. The Lithuanian bollards are thinner than typical plank bollards.  The most common type of Latvian bollard is a thin plank with a generic white rectangle on the front. The rear of the most common type of Latvian bollard has two white circles.  Standard Estonian bollards are cylindrical. This contrasts the narrow plank bollards of Lithuania and Latvia. The front of Estonian bollards have the white rectangle encased in the black section, similar to the Latvian bollards. Estonian bollards will on rare occasions have a yellow rectangle rather than the white rectangle. Estonian bollards have two white circles on their rear. Estonian bollards look similar to Finnish bollards.  The is a Czech and Slovakian bollard. Both Czech and Slovakian bollards have these unique fluro orange stripes in the black section of the bollard. The back of Czech and Slovakian bollards have a white rectangle in the black section.  This is the front view of Slovenian and Montenegrin bollards. Serbia also have similar looking bollards- albeit with the red rectangle far to one side. Slovenian and Montenegrin bollards look like many Austrian bollards however Austria has a black or darker (blacker) reddish rectangle.  This is the front view of Hungarian, Bulgarian, Croatian and North Macedonian bollards. These countries also share the same white (rather than red, like the front) rectangle on the back of their bollards.  This is the main type of Serbian bollard. It resembles the bollards of Slovenia and Montenegro however the difference is that the Serbian red rectangle is always to one side- not in the centre.  This is the rarer version of Serbian bollards. Note that the red rectangle is also to one side. The rear of the bollard has a white rectangle. Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and North Macedonia have similar looking bollards but instead have the red rectangle centred.  This is the most common type of Ukrainian bollard. It has a red rectangle that is wider than the rectangles of Hungary, Bulgarian, Croatia and North Macedonia. Ukrainian bollards look like Russian bollards however Russian bollards are attached to a narrow support pole. Ukrainian bollards are typically run-down with the rectangle often damaged.  This is a Russian bollard. Russian bollards often have a unique feature- a narrow support pole on one side of them. This makes them unique from Ukrainian bollards. Russian bollards are primarily found at intersections.  The first type of bollard in Australia features a red rectangle. This bollard looks similar to bollards in Turkey and the Netherlands.  The second type of Australian bollard features a red circle.  Rural bollards in the state of Western Australia often have these brown/gray segments on their base.  New Zealand has unique bollards lining their highways that have a red/orange strip that stretches around the higher part of the bollard.  These narrow, red and white signs are in some ways the bollard equivalent in South Africa. They are very common.  The front and back view of Japanese bollards.  Cambodian bollards look a bit like fat matches. They have a white body and red head.  Thai bollards have an obelisk shape. They have alternating black and white sections.  Malaysian bollards have two red rectangles on them. Some bollards have two gray rectangles on one side.  Kyrgyzstan has bollards painted white with a black section. They look like thick planks of wood.  Mongolian bollards remind me of the pins from ten-pin bowling. Sometimes they lack the stripes and are just white.  Bangladeshi bollards look like chimneys and are painted in alternating red and white sections. Sometimes the bollards are shorter than this image and thus have less red and white sections.  These bollards are a common sight throughout Turkey and resemble the Australian and Netherlands bollards however they have a slightly fatter rectangle in Turkey.  Ecuador has a number of different shaped bollards. The type pictured is the most common- featuring two red stripes. Another Ecuadorian bollard contains just one red stripe.  Peru’s most common bollards look like cigarettes. They sometimes have the black stripes pictured here but on other occasions they lack these black stripes.  Mexican bollards are white and cigarette shaped. They have a black section on the base of the bollard or near the base. A Google Spreadsheet document showing the bollards used in every country can be [viewed here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Glk_gUpSThPqof22DKI3_ol73CULxCeKxEC99z_BM30/edit#gid=0). It was created by Mahbows on reddit. In the country specific section of this article, further down, more esoteric bollards are described. **Flags** There are many state and national flags flying around the world that serendipitously pop up in GeoGuessr. Being aware of the flags of the world (or at least flags of GeoGuessr countries) is vitally important. The national colours of countries also make frequent appearances on Street View. These appearances can include anything from the colours of chairs, colours of signs to writing on advertisements. For instance, if you know you are in Europe and spot a red, white and green setup of chairs then you may be in Italy, Bulgaria or Hungary.  Flags of Europe. (Source for all flag- world map images is Transparent 6lue, Wikipedia)  Flags of North America  Flags of South America  Flags of Asia  Flags of Africa and a bit of the Middle East Being aware of the USA state flags can also be of importance in GeoGuessr as these are often visible. Below is a map featuring these state flags:  USA state flags. (Source: SiBr4, Wikipedia) **Flag Trick (Battle Royale) ** If you are engaging in an epic Battle Royale mode GeoGuessr skirmish to the death, there are some unscrupulous techniques some players use to reign victorious. Think of it as kicking someone in the nether regions whilst in a fight- it’s a frowned upon, cheap trick. The incorrectly guessed Battle Royale countries are denoted by flags in the top-right corner of the screen. Before making your guess, you will likely check the flags to ensure you don’t guess an already deemed incorrect country. What certain countries lack in creative flag designs is sometimes exploited by GeoGuessr players. For example, if a player is certain they are in Ireland, they may select the Ivory Coast on their first guess. The flags are so similar, many of the other players will be confused and thus avoid guessing the correct country of Ireland. Although this is a real jerk move that ostracizes the flag-trickster from other players and is tantamount to cheating… normally these sentences end in a positive. I’ve thought of one- people may be forced to brush up on their flag knowledge. I only mention the ambiguous flags trick in order for players reading this article to be aware that other players (not me) may try this dirty trick (once again not me). It’s important to be cognizant of these other dodgy characters (not me) playing GeoGuessr who are fixated on winning at all costs (once again, I emphasise- not me). The ambiguous flags are listed below.  The above flags are similar enough that you may be able to trick opponents in Battle Royale. For example, if you are located in Romania, you can guess Chad. The Chad flag will then be displayed in the list of incorrect guesses. The other players will likely think that Romania has been ruled out (due to the similar looking flags) and hence avoid guessing Romania. (Source: Gilabend, Reddit). **Internet Domain Name Suffixes** Another useful clue in the game is finding internet suffixes on buildings or signs. The letters after.com. indicate the country of the domain name. For instance [www.google.com.au](http://www.google.com.au/) means you are in Australia with the AU suffix. Some suffixes of note that are conspicuous for their letters not matching the country’s name in English or not being 100% clear are:.at= Austria,.ch= Switzerland,.de= Germany,.ee= Estonia,.es= Spain,.hr= Croatia,.ie= Ireland,.is= Iceland,.sz= Eswatini.ua= Ukraine and.za= South Africa. Below are all of the internet domain name suffixes for the GeoGuessr relevant countries. The list is in alphabetical order according to the domain name suffixes. .ad = Andorra .ae = United Arab Emirates .al = Albania .ar = Argentina .as = American Samoa .at = Austria .au = Australia .bd = Bangladesh .be = Belgium .bg = Bulgaria .bo = Bolivia .br = Brazil .bt = Bhutan .bw = Botswana .ca = Canada .ch = Switzerland .cl = Chile .co = Colombia .cr = Costa Rica .cz = Czechia .de = Germany .dk = Denmark .do = Dominican Republic .ec = Ecuador .ee = Estonia .es = Spain .fi = Finland .fo = Faroe Islands .fr = France .gb = Great Britain .gh = Ghana .gi = Gibraltar .gl = Greenland .gr = Greece .gt = Guatemala .gu = Guam .hk = Hong Kong .hr = Croatia .hu = Hungary .id = Indonesia .ie = Ireland .il = Israel .im = Isle of Man .in = India .is = Iceland .it = Italy .je = Jersey .jo = Jordan .jp = Japan .ke = Kenya .kg = Kyrgyzstan .kh = Cambodia .kr = South Korea .kw = Kuwait .la = Laos .lb = Lebanon .lk = Sri Lanka .ls = Lesotho .lt = Lithuania .lu = Luxembourg .lv = Latvia .mc = Monaco .me = Montenegro .mg = Madagascar .mk = North Macedonia .mn = Mongolia .mo = Macau .mp = Northern Mariana Islands .mt = Malta .mx = Mexico .my = Malaysia .ng = Nigeria .nl = The Netherlands .no = Norway .nz = New Zealand .pe = Peru .ph = The Philippines .pl = Poland .pr = Puerto Rico .ps = Palestine .pt = Portugal .re = Reunion .ro = Romania .rs = Serbia .ru = Russia .se = Sweden .sg = Singapore .si = Slovenia .sj = Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands .sk = Slovakia .sm = San Marino .sn = Senegal .sz = Eswatini .th = Thailand .tn = Tunisia .tr = Turkey .tw = Taiwan .ua = Ukraine .ug = Uganda .uk = UK .um = United States Minor Outlying Islands .us = The United States of America .uy = Uruguay .va = Vatican City .vi = US Virgin Islands .vn = Vietnam .za = South Africa **Other clues** Richer countries are more likely to have better maintained roads and thus you can use this information to include or exclude certain countries from your calculations. Also the general levels of poverty are worth noting. If you spot any people in GeoGuessr then use their appearance to match up to a mental list of possible countries of origin. As you zoom into a city on the map, the name of the city written on the map is typically where the centre of the city is. It is generally possible to use ratios to determine where you are if you see distances to towns that you can locate on the map- see the images below.  If you notice a distance sign to towns, it is generally possible to get a fairly accurate idea of where you are positioned using ratios. Firstly, locate some of the towns on the map. In this example, I would look for Crafers (7km away) and Bridgewater (14km away). I would then look at the general direction that the road is travelling beyond the sign (in this case, east). Finally, I would work out the ratio of the locations. In this example, Crafers is located half-way between my current location and Bridgewater. I would then look at the map (below).  Using ratios, I would place my fingers over the map and measure the approximately distance between Bridgewater and Crafers and extrapolate that again, thus working out my approximate location. When ratios are more complicated, eg once location is 17km away and another is 104km away, I would round the numbers off to 20km and 100km. I would then determine that there are 4x20km sections between the towns (1/4 of the distance) and that is the approximate distance between me and the closest location. Photospheres are locations in GeoGuessr that haven’t been captured by the Google Street View car but rather a real humanoid (apparently they exist). These locations often appear at monuments, attractions or indoors e.g. at shops. Some of my favourite aesthetically pleasing GeoGuessr locations have been at photospheres of lakes. Often these human captured photospheres mean that you can’t move. There are a few tips to be aware of if you encounter a photosphere. Firstly, you can tell that it is indeed a photosphere because the photographer’s name appears in the bottom right corner of the picture (as opposed to the words ‘Google’ and a year). This provides a big clue into the location of the photosphere. Try working out the language origin of the photographer’s name. If they aren’t on vacation, then you are well set to make your guess. For instance, the photosphere below has the photographer’s name: Casper Van Hooren. This tells us that he is likely Dutch and thus we are likely in the Netherlands (we are actually in New York so this was probably a bad example). It also tells us that he either legally changed his name to Casper to honour the 90s movie ghost franchise or Casper is his real name. On the whole, photosphere locations are typically places not covered by Google Street View and thus they are places that don’t regularly pop up on GeoGuessr. India seems to have a high proportion of all photosphere locations.  In the bottom right corner of this photosphere appears the name ‘Casper Van Hooren’. Analysing the name’s origins can be useful in determining the photosphere location. Look at these nice round numbers: 1 mile equals 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet or 63,360 inches. In contrast, look at these arbitrarily and hodgepodge numbers: 1 kilometre equals 1000 metres or 100,000cm. For some reason only the sensible USA, UK and the might of Liberia and Myanmar use miles (Liberia and Myanmar aren’t in GeoGuessr- perhaps as part of some grand conspiracy theory involving using miles). In contrast, every other country on earth uses kilometres. When will the other countries catch up to these four avant-garde areas? Nonetheless, signs on Street View often denote speed limits or distances using kilometres or miles. If you see miles, then you are probably in the USA or UK. This technique is especially useful for distinguishing Canada from the USA.  The colour of post boxes around the world. I find this most useful in distinguishing Canada (red post boxes) from the USA (blue post boxes). A larger image can be viewed here: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Map\_of\_colours\_of\_post\_boxes.svg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Map_of_colours_of_post_boxes.svg) Source: NuclearVacuum, Wikipedia.  By looking at the soil colour alone, it is possible to make surprisingly accurate guesses. For example, the Brazilian state of Goias has reddish soil, which contrasts the soil colour across most of South America. Playing the potentially unintentionally pun-named map ‘A Soiled World’, you can improve your soil expertise: Play NMPZ- [https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/607d8ba950996a00015439cc](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/607d8ba950996a00015439cc)  A map of chevron designs around the world. Chevron are signs with arrows on them that generally indicate a corner on a road. (Source: Bullfrogggy) A larger version of this map can be [seen here.](https://i.gyazo.com/ee6c0f9167edbed1d33c224ce0aa2c0f.jpg)  A map showing what style of stop sign is used around the world. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PB4I2imcVAukng-aLB6teAfDewkEnFWFWf-hEQsEa-8/edit#slide=id.g13d44f3196b_0_97). Thanks to whoever made this map.  A map showing deserts around the world. Note that the orange colour on the map indicates a semi-desert which is somewhere that receives a low amount of rainfall but not as little as a desert. (Source: [https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/](https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/))  A map indicating the maximum speed limit by region. The key shows both km/h within the red circle and miles/h written on the black and white sign. (Source: Amateria1121, Wikipedia) Note that NZ has a maximum speed limit for most of the country of 100km/h (only two of its roads have a limit of 110km/h). A larger map can be [viewed here.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/World_Speed_Limits.svg)  Most major cities have distinctive street signs. Whilst some of the more notable unique street signs are mentioned in this article, there are hundreds that are worth knowing. Militantcyclist has created [this amazing 45 page long document](https://docs.google.com/document/d/128vE8uD4XB7gU1WBXbC3nQkPPcdCtBRelmRNVLYkMkI/edit) that shows the unique street signs by major cities across the world.  In countries or areas with few main roads, it is important to look at the road orientation before you guess. This is particularly true in areas including Patagonia, Botswana, Mongolia, Jordan and outback Australia. As there are so few major roads in these areas that you can be on, by looking at the road orientation, there is a high chance you can guess the precise road you are situated on. Firstly, pan down so you are facing the road directly, secondly, orientate your position so the compass is facing north and finally, look for roads on the map that run in the same direction as your road. If you are situated in a remote area, unsure of which direction to travel, then it may be worth keeping an eye out for tyre marks stemming from any driveways- do they turn left or right?. These tyre marks will likely lead in the direction towards civilisation. Another trick in remote areas is to determine which direction the Street View car came from. This is more likely to be a main road than the direction it is heading. If you can’t determine the direction the Street View car came from, you may be able to look for dirt that the car has stirred up, which will be at its rear.  If you are in a remote area, there are a number of clues you can use to determine the best direction to travel to reach civilisation. One clue is to look for dirt tracks stemming from driveways. These will generally head towards civilisation. In the above image, the dirt tracks lead to the far side of the road, and cars drive on the left in this country, therefore, civilisation is likely to the left. If there are no clues on which direction to travel in a remote area, it may be worth travelling in the direction the Street View car came from as it more likely that the car came from a major road than it is heading towards one. Travelling downhill is also generally a good idea. ## Meta - [Street View Car Hints](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#street-view-car-hints) - [Rifts](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#rifts) - [The Escort Car](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-escort-car) - [Camera Generations](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#camera-generations) **Street View Car Hints** Certain events have occurred in the historical competitive arena that aren’t in the “spirit of the game”. These include Australia’s Trevor Chappell rolling a cricket ball along the pitch to a New Zealand batsman who couldn’t get under the ball to hit it over the fence. Another such incident occurred in a Major League Baseball game in which the St. Louis Browns signed up a player with dwarfism, Eddie Gaedel, who stood 3 feet 7 inches high to bat for their team. His strike zone was so small, the pitcher couldn’t pitch into this area and he walked to first base. This not in the “spirit of the game” conundrum hits GeoGuessr too. This comes in the form of various, different looking Street View cars being visible and a range of cameras being used helping lead to country identification. In a handful of countries, if you pan down to look at the ground under the car, the Street View car you are driving in has 4 ends of bars that protrude from the car. The countries these bars are almost certainly visible in are: Guatemala, the Faroe Islands, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Senegal, Ghana and Kenya. Curaçao, a Dutch, Caribbean island, also has bars visible. Some further countries also have the 4 bars visible but only in certain regions of their country, such as Bangladesh and Nigeria. Also the couple of small towns in Laos that are covered by Street View outside of Vientiane will have bars. Many players use this knowledge to their benefit whilst playing GeoGuessr despite these metal bars not being a fixture of the environment. Being a more honest player, I accidentally bang my arm causing a reflex action that results in my right hand fingers serendipitously parting and hitting the laptop touchpad and click button simultaneously resulting in the GeoGuessr view panning down to reveal bars or no bars on the Street View car.  If you pan down in certain countries, the bars protruding from the Street View car are visible. This occurs in: Guatemala, the Faroe Islands, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, the Dominican Republic, the US Virgin Islands and Curaçao. Parts of Bangladesh, parts of Nigeria and parts of Laos also have the bars visible. Ghana has black pieces of tape around one of the four bars.  Ghana can be recognised as it has a piece of black coloured tape around one of its four bars. The Kenyan Street View car also sometimes has this black protrusion protruding from the front left corner of the car. This is often visible without having to pan down.  Kenya sometimes has the bars visible as well as a black ‘snorkel’ at the front of the Street View car. Seeing this snorkel indicates that you are in Kenya. In Uganda, the sides of the Street View car are visible. This isn’t true in the small sections of Ugandan National Parks that occur in GeoGuessr. Ugandan Street View coverage is centred around Kampala.  The white edges of the Street View car and the black, side view mirrors can easily be seen in Uganda. Mongolia can be recognised thanks to the bars appearing underneath the car in tandem with either red coloured side mirrors or something resembling camping equipment under the car. Kyrgyzstan has the bars underneath the car with only black/white coloured side mirrors.  This ‘camping equipment’ look is often found under the Street View car in Mongolia along with the bars.  The rear side mirrors are an alternate option to the ‘camping equipment’ view and also indicate Mongolia.  Kyrgyzstan has the bars under the car visible as well as black/white side mirrors.  Guatemala has the bars visible as well as the black mirrors. There are a number of countries that have a transparent, ghostly, floating part of the Street View car visible. In Argentina this floating, ghostly part of the car is the front part of the Street View and is almost always black. In newer coverage it appears white in Argentina however this is rare. For most purposes, black ghost car= Argentina. Uruguay also typically has the black car. These countries stand out from the rest of the Americas which largely have a white car although Peru and Colombia sometimes have the black car.  The front of the Street View car is normally this ghostly, black colour in Argentina and Uruguay. Occasionally, in updated coverage it will appear white but this is rare. Across the Americas, this black car is rare although you will sometimes see it in Peru. Much of the South Americas can have the back of their ghostly car as white coloured or perhaps this is the first indisputable proof caught on camera that ghosts are real. I tend to note it most commonly in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia.  The back of the Street View car appears white in much of South America. I tend to see a floating white section of the car (like the one pictured above) most commonly in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. Ecuador can typically be recognised thanks to the car having a short antenna. This can often be hard to see so don’t think you will fail an eye-test if you can’t always see it.  If you pan down, Ecuador has a short antenna under the back of the car. Sometimes it can be challenging to see. Large parts of Chile can be recognised thanks to something resembling a white vacuum cleaner that is actually the back of the Street View car.  The majority of Chile can be recognised thanks to the white rear of the Street View car being visible. The southern African countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana almost always have the white Street View car visible. The remainder of Africa largely doesn’t.  South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana should have the white car as visible. This contrasts the rest of Africa in which the white car generally can’t be seen. In South Africa, you will see the white car or a large, blurred circle under the car.  Pictured above is the Kenyan car that took the new coverage. The car sometimes lacks the snorkel and/or antenna or has a double antenna. The alternative Kenyan car has bars and a snorkel (pictured further up this meta section). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/rwanda.png) This is the Rwandan car (which is more of a black truck). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nigeria-more-1.png) This car (or a variant of it) took most of the new Nigerian coverage. The old Nigerian coverage is still on Street View and includes black and yellow bars beneath you and a large blur. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/senegal2-1.png) Parts of the new Senegal coverage was taken with this white truck. The old coverage is still on Street View and consists of standard bars beneath you when you pan down. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nami1.png) Half of Namibia’s coverage features this white vehicle- with the antenna leaning left. The other half of the coverage features a blur covering the vehicle- however, the left-leaning antenna is typically visible floating.  The remainder of the new Senegal coverage was taken with this silver truck. If you pan down, most of Ukraine has a red car with a long antenna, visible. This can be particularly useful if you are pondering whether you are in Ukraine or Russia.  Most of Ukraine has a red car with a long antenna. The majority of Russia has a ghostly, black car visible as well as an aerial.  If you pan down in most of Russia, you should see some semblance of a black car with a long aerial. Norway and Denmark typically have a blue Street View car that is normally only visible if you look rather carefully. On some occasions, the blue is so faint that by recognising it, you would be worthy of being on one of those ‘Superhuman’ TV shows.  If you pan down in Norway and Denmark, you should see a very faint blue Street View car. Sometimes it can be hard to tell that it is indeed blue unless you possess superhuman abilities or are of a different species. Limited Qatar coverage was taken in this white truck.  This white car is used in the Qatari coverage (although it may appear blurred). It looks similar to the white Senegal car; however, the Qatari car has a narrow antenna on the far-left. In contrast, the white Senegal car has s stubbier, black antenna on the front-centre. Distinguishing between Jordan and the United Arab Emirates can be challenging on landscape alone. If you pan down in Jordan, you will see a black car whilst if you pan down in the UAE, you will see a white car.  A black car is visible if you pan down in Jordan.  If you pan down in the United Arab Emirates, you will see a white car or truck. This can be a good way to distinguish the country from Jordan which has a black car. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman12-1.png) Oman has this white pick-up truck. You can tell where in the country you are by the direction the antenna on the end of the truck points. Kazakhstan is famous for many things, including Borat and the white truck that captured the entire country’s Street View.  Kazakhstan can be easy to identify thanks to this white truck that captured the entire country’s Street View imagery. The Dominican Republic is recognisable thanks to the bars on the Street View car containing thick, centred, black, parallel lines. The Dominican Republic car is also especially long.  These bars with thick black lines indicate that you are in the Dominican Republic or Mongolia. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-car.png) If you pan down in the US Virgin Islands, you will see a bulky ute (pick-up truck) that has the bars visible and a tray in the rear. The vehicle will be white on the two northerly islands and either red or white and lacking the black antenna holder on the main southern island. Japan and Switzerland’s Street View car is recognisable thanks to two reasons- 1. If you can see some semblance of its shape, it appears wider than the normal Street View car. 2. The cameras are lower to the ground. Rarely this low camera is also used in Taiwan and Sri Lanka.  The Japanese and Swiss Street View car appears wider than the normal Street View car. Rarely the Taiwanese car will also appear wide.  Japan and Switzerland both have a lower than normal camera positioning on their Street View cars. This means you will feel lower to the ground when you look around Japan and Switzerland. Rarely Taiwan and Sri Lanka also uses the low camera. Sri Lanka is easy to recognise due to its Street View car resembling the French flag- blue, white and red stripes.  Sri Lanka’s Street View car has blue, white and red stripes, resembling the French flag.  In the Philippines, you should generally see some sort of white outline of the edge of the Street View car.  Across almost all of Eastern Europe, the Street View car’s aerial is visible. It is also visible in a number of other places in the world.  North Macedonia and Serbia are the two countries in the Balkan region (and largely Eastern Europe region) where you shouldn’t see the Street View car’s aerial. There are instances where you will see an aerial but it is rare. The rest of Eastern Europe typically has the aerial visible (although on occasions it won’t be).  In Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Czechia, you will sometimes see tape on the Street View car’s antenna.  In Israel, you should often see the Street View car’s long aerial. Alok has produced the goods and created an excellent map indicated the colour/type of Street View car visible in certain countries around the world. This can be valuable information when it comes to determining where you are located.  This map indicates what you are likely to see when you pan down to look at the Street View car. (Source: Thanks to Alok for producing this brilliant map!) A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SUcuQkmDgVZMqNLe7XuNEhmJulonpnSQuSiJAOqfhtY/edit#gid=1975001994) This article just covers the primary visible cars you will encounter in GeoGuessr. If I included all of the unique cars e.g. for tiny island territories, this article would be so long, it would stretch beyond the observable universe. [This document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HpnL9YjJdwDAfuIs3h3Cjmg8IUCoEMb-AlZt3Qvamf8/edit#gid=0) by Winston Qin lists all of the cars you will observe via country or territory. [This document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ilhy3SReIdRntPwTUum9DELidV8XBoKVw9hBiRG-Q1Y/edit#gid=0), also by the prolific Winston Qin, is close to the length of the observable universe. It describes every type of distinct car/form of transport for the Google camera that can be seen across the globe, by region. If you wish to play GeoGuessr the way it was intended, without an unnaturally occurring car beneath you, there is a script you can use to place a giant blob over the Google Street View car. This can be [found here.](https://openuserjs.org/scripts/drparse/GeoNoCar) **Rifts** If you pan up in Senegal, you should see a few things. The first of these is a majestic sky (sometimes covered in clouds), that obscures the vastness of the mysterious universe. You will also sometimes see giant lines- a remnant of the Street View images being morphed together. Which of these two things is more awe-inspiring is debatable.  If you pan up in Senegal, you will sometimes see giant rifts in the sky. You should also see the giant rifts across almost all (but not quite all) of Montenegro. I have made a map documenting where you will and won’t see the rift in Montenegro.  Everywhere approximately outside the red oval, you will see rifts in Montenegro. Within the red oval, the sky should appear normal. Albania also has rifts in seemingly random positions throughout the country. Other than Senegal, Montenegro and Albania, you shouldn’t generally see rifts in the sky other than for very minuscule areas of some countries. These include: Portugal, UAE, Croatia, Serbia, Uruguay and the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. Once again, these latter areas generally won’t have rifts except for the rarest locations.  Albania has rifts in some parts of the country. Montenegro has rifts across almost all of the country. **The Escort Car** There are three countries in GeoGuessr that can have a 4-wheel drive/SUV following the Street View car. If you feel paranoid in these countries and come to develop the belief that you are being followed- then you are right to be paranoid. You are being followed. What is technically happening is that you are being given a private escort (of the car variety) throughout these countries. In some of Nigeria, almost all of Tunisia and large parts of Kenya, the car will be following you. Sometimes it will be a few metres behind you, on other occasions it will be up to 100 metres behind you. On rare occasions it will be in front of you.  Across some of Nigeria, a 4-wheel drive escort follows the Street View car. This 4-wheel drive is silver coloured in greater Lagos. If you are followed by a white pick-up truck with police lights you are outside of Lagos. A black 4-wheel drive follows the Street View car in two small areas in Nigeria: Benin City and the E1 south of Logbara. The full details of this following car’s colour in specific, Nigerian areas are in the Nigeria section further down this article.  This dark green Mazda follows the Street View car in almost all of the Tunisian Street View coverage (note the red and black license plate). There is a map situated in the front- centre of this car’s window in Sfax and Gabes. There are some small parts of the country that the dark green Mazda doesn’t follow the Street View car. A darker green Toyota follows the Street View car in Tunis.  Some of the time in Kenya, you will see a 4-wheel drive following you that is providing an escort to the Street View car. The car can come in different colours. Sometimes the car will be 100 metres behind you. In Alaska they double-booked the Street View car. They didn’t follow the 4 Seasons Total Landscaping methodology of getting out of double-booking so both cars drove around parts of Alaska. In Alaska you will sometimes see another Street View car down the road from you with an elevated camera on top.  In some parts of Alaska you will see another Street View car down the road from you will an elevated camera on top. **Camera Generations** Earlier in this article I mentioned the hotspot locations for really blurry Street View locations (parts of the US, Australia and New Zealand). These were taken with the generation 1 Street View camera. If you encounter a generation 1 camera with poor image quality, the goal should be to reach a more major road than you are currently on; this will hopefully mean more crystal clear images. There is another clue that can be used when it comes to the Street View camera’s quality of images. Certain generations of Street View camera are used in specific countries. By identifying the camera used (from generation 1 to 4), you can sometimes narrow down you location. The generation 2 camera sometimes shows up when it produces a halo (not the game) around the sun as seen below. Other features of this camera involve brighter colours and slightly worse picture quality than the typical Street View images (but nothing like the really blurry, generation 1 images). The generation 2 images also lack a visible aerial on the Street View car. If you notice this camera has been used by seeing a halo around the sun or spotting the camera’s other features then you can narrow down the country you are in. This generation 2 camera is used in large parts of Mexico and is useful for distinguishing this country from the USA in which the generation 2 camera has seldom been used. The generation 2 camera is also used in large parts of Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Additionally Canada, Norway and Finland also have many locations covered by this camera. If you are in the southern part of mainland Africa and note the generation 2 camera then you must be in South Africa as Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho don’t use generation 2. South Africa also uses generation 3. Google will eventually update images in all of these countries so this information will eventually be out-of-date. A Google docs spreadsheet created by Alok details which of the four generations of Street View cameras (or which combination) are used in each country. He also created the map that can be viewed below. Both the spreadsheet and larger version of the map can be viewed [here.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SUcuQkmDgVZMqNLe7XuNEhmJulonpnSQuSiJAOqfhtY/edit#gid=0)  A map indicating which generations of Street View camera are used in each GeoGuessr relevant country in the world. (Source: Many thanks to Alok for creating this amazing map). A larger version of this map can be [viewed here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SUcuQkmDgVZMqNLe7XuNEhmJulonpnSQuSiJAOqfhtY/edit#gid=229203721)  The generation 1 camera is of ridiculously poor quality and is easy to spot. If you encounter it, you must be in the US, Australia or New Zealand.  The generation 2 camera produces bright colours and slightly inferior image quality relative to the generation 3 and 4 cameras.  The generation 2 Street View camera often produces a halo around the sun, shows images as bright and is of slightly worse image quality than the subsequent cameras. If you recognise that this generation 2 camera has been used, you can narrow down the country you are in.  The generation 2 camera also tends to produce a circular blur beneath the Street View car.  The generation 3 camera is the most commonly used in Street View. It produces good quality images. Identifying this camera is rarely useful as it is so ubiquitous.  The generation 4 camera produces more vivid colours and has a higher quality image than generation 3. Identifying this camera can prove useful as it is not used in large parts of the world (see the above map).  The generation 4 camera often produces a ghostly, blue car if you pan down. If can often be difficult to distinguish between the generation 3 and 4 cameras and it takes practice. This information can prove useful if you are aware of the above map.  If you notice the generation 2 camera has been used in southern Africa, (and you are considering Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana and South Africa, then you must be in South Africa, as these other countries don’t use the generation 2 camera.  Across the entire German coverage, the generation 2 camera is used.  If you are tossing up between the USA and Mexico and notice the generation 2 camera has been used then you are likely in Mexico as the USA generally doesn’t use this camera much.  Large parts of Europe around the Mediterranean use the generation 2 camera.  The generation 2 camera is predominantly used in a number of small countries or regions. These include: Monaco, San Marino, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Macau.  If you are in Latin America and notice the generation 4 camera has been used/you see a blue car then you are in Mexico, Brazil or occasionally Argentina. The other Latin American countries don’t use the generation 4 camera/have a blue car. Mexico, Brazil and Argentina also use other generation cameras in tandem with the generation 4 camera.  A map showing the distribution of generation 1 coverage. Note: Japan no longer has any generation 1 coverage. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/895281643638632459/912287539409350656/unknown.png?width=1221&height=643) Image source: I don’t know who created these 4 maps but thank you whoever you are!  A map showing the distribution of generation 2 coverage. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/895281643638632459/912287474670260244/unknown.png?width=1221&height=643)  A map showing the distribution of generation 3 coverage. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/895281643638632459/912287633022025758/unknown.png?width=1221&height=643)  A map showing the distribution of generation 4 coverage. Note that Switzerland also recently got some generation 4 coverage. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/895281643638632459/978071533585072138/unknown.png?width=1221&height=643) - [European Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#european-plates) - [USA Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa-plates) - [Canadian Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#canadian-plates) - [Australian License Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#australian-license-plates) - [Asian License Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#asian-license-plates) - [African License Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#african-license-plates) - [South American License Plates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#south-american-license-plates) - [European License Plate Extras](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#european-license-plate-extras) - [Russian License Plate Extras](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#russian-license-plate-extras) - [USA License Plate Extras](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa-license-plate-extras) - [Canadian License Plate Extras](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#canadian-license-plate-extras) **The Colour of Blurred License Plates** One of the first things I do when facing a location in GeoGuessr is to breathe. After breathing has been established I try and find a license plate. Despite the blurring, the colour of plates is still visible and sometimes the colour of the lettering or a design is also vivid. If a country isn’t mentioned here, it is not because they have rampant crime due to not using license plates. Rather, they likely use white, non-descript plates that are useless (for GeoGuessr purposes). **European Plates **  The blue stripe on the left of the license plate is visible despite the blurring in GeoGuessr and indicates a European location. Most of Europe have long license plates with a blue vertical stripe on the left end. These plates are clearly visible in GeoGuessr. Only several European countries have yellow license plates which are easy to identify besides the blurring: the Netherlands and Luxembourg have yellow front and rear plate. Contrastingly, the UK, Cyprus and Gibraltar have yellow rear plates and white front plates. France (and Corsica) had yellow rear plates allowed until 2009 so it’s common to spot some yellow rear plates still in these areas. Specifically, southern France Street View imagery is outdated so you are more likely to see yellow plates here. It’s especially lucky to immediately realise you are in Europe and see a yellow plate meaning probably the UK (just yellow, rear plates) or Netherlands. Only commercial vehicles in Hungary and Denmark have yellow plates. I will show images of the significantly coloured license plates from around the world. These will be blurred and appear like they do in GeoGuessr.  A license plate from the Netherlands. The Netherlands and Luxembourg have these yellow European front and rear plates. The UK has yellow rear plates and white front plates. France has a small number of vehicles with yellow rear plates. Portugal can be recognised because drivers normally have a yellow vertical stripe on the right hand side of the license plates to go with the vertical blue stripe on the left hand side of the plate.  A license plate from Portugal. Note the yellow vertical stripe on the right to go with the standard European vertical blue stripe on the left. Italy stands out because it has a light blue vertical stripe on both the left and right edges of its license plate. Albania also has a blue vertical stripe on the left and right edges of its license plate.  A license plate from Italy. Albania has similar plates. Some French cars have a thin blue stripe on the right of the plate. This is thinner than the blue stripe on Albanian and Italian plates.  Some French license plates have a narrow blue section on the right of the plate (as well as the standard, thicker blue on the left. In Belgium, the license plates are in red lettering which can sometimes just be distinguished despite the blurring. The blue vertical stripe may appear on the left (like most of Europe) or the right of the plate.  A license plate from Belgium. The lettering is red and this red hue is just visible. Whilst most of Europe has the blue vertical stripe on the left of their license plates, some countries lack this idiosyncrasy: Iceland, Russia, Switzerland, most of Croatia and parts of North Macedonia plus an assortment of small territories or miniscule countries have no blue stripe. In these areas, it’s the lack of colouring on the license plate that makes them stand out for Europe.  A license plate from Switzerland. In Europe, Switzerland, Iceland, Russia, most of the Croatian plates and some plates in North Macedonia are white. These stand out for lacking the typical blue, left, vertical stripe of Europe. Prior to 2016, Croatia had license plates that were just white. Post 2016, they have the quintessentially European blue, left vertical stripe. Due to this oddity, most cars on Street View in Croatia at present don’t have the blue stripe. The license plate is a useful way of distinguishing Russia from other Cyrillic writing places. Russia doesn’t have a blue stripe whilst Ukraine often has light blue and yellow in place of the left stripe (which may be hard to detect depending on the blurring).  A license plate from Ukraine. Notice the small amount of yellow and blue on the left side. The second most common license plate in Albania has a red section on the left.  The second most common license plate in Albania has a red section on the left. The most common Albanian plates are listed further up and have a blue strip on each side. The Isle of Man has a small vertical red stripe on the left side of the plate.  **USA Plates ** Examining license plates is particularly useful in the USA to determine which state you are probably in. Many USA states do have a range of different looking and different era plates making plate identification sometimes hazy. The following are the license plates that I recognise despite the blurring that deviate from the standard white plate. Alabama has license plates containing a yellow top horizontal third with the remainder of the plate an inconspicuous light blue and green.  The main feature of the Alabama plate is the top third being yellow. Green and blue are more subtle colours on the rest of the plate. Alaska has 3 types of plates. Most common in Alaska are yellow license plates, second most common are plates with a blue upper horizontal stripe and yellow bottom horizontal stripe and third most common are plates with an orange centre and green/blue outer.  Alaska has many yellow license plates.  The other common license plate in Alaska contains a blue upper horizontal stripe and yellow lower horizontal stripe.  This is the third most common license plate in Alaska. It features an orange glow in the centre and blue/green outer. Arizona has a few different plate designs. Their most common appears below.  Californian plates mainly look white however you may be able to see a small amount of red across the top and in the top-right section.  Most of the time Californian plates will appear white. If you look carefully, you may be able to see a slight red upper glow and red upper-right corner on Californian plates. Connecticut has blue on the upper portion of their plates.  Connecticut has a light blue colour on the top of their plates. Delaware has the wildly imaginative grey coloured plates.  Delaware has grey plates. Florida has a big orange coloured orange (the fruit) in the middle of its license plate and it’s recognisable despite the blurring.  Florida has an orange in the middle of its license plates. Georgia has a number of plates. The most common and distinctive has an orange lower section and green upper section.  You will see a range of plates in Georgia. This plates featuring a green upper section and orange lower section is one of the most common and recognisable in Georgia. Hawaiian plates will often look white. You may be able to make out a faded rainbow on the plates.  Most of the time, Hawaiian plates look white. If you look carefully, you may be able to see a rainbow on the plates that arcs around. Idaho has a brown/maroon horizontal line covering the top ¼ of the licence plate.  Idaho has a brown/maroon thick line across the top third of its plate. These are similar to Ohio plates. Illinois have some blue and white plates in various forms. The blue portion will either appear on top of the white or vice versa.  Illinois plates have blue and white on them with the blue either appearing on the top or bottom of the plate horizontally.  This is another fairly common plate in Illinois, featuring a large, blue upper-right section and white remainder of the plate. Iowa has a blue stripe along the top of the plate and a stripe that appears as yellow when blurred along the bottom of the license plate. The Iowa plate looks similar when blurred to the Pennsylvania license plate.  Iowa has a plate with a blue top stripe and yellow bottom stripe. Kansas mainly has blue plates with a small, white section at the base.  Kansas plates are mainly blue with a square white section near the base of the plates. Kentucky has various versions of blue and white plates.  Kentucky has blue and white plates in various forms. Louisiana has a wide variety of plates. One of their most common plates features black shading.  Louisiana has a wide variety of plates. This type, featuring black shading, is fairly common. Maryland’s most common plates appears (thanks to the blurring) to have an orange fire coming from its base.  Maryland’s main license plate has what appears to be a fire colour on its base, almost forming the shape of a pyramid. Most Massachusetts plates have a faint red writing that is visible.  Massachusetts plates tend to have a faint red writing that can be seen if you look carefully. Michigan has a number of different license plates. One of the most common plates features two blue, vertical lines and blue horizontal line on top. The other most common plate has a blue blotch near the base of the plate.  Michigan has a number of license plates with two most commonly occurring. This is one of these most common plates, featuring a dark blueish glow comprising two, vertical stripes. There is also a blue, horizontal line on top.  Michigan’s other most common plate has a blue blotch near its base. Minnesota license plates have a light blue, upper, horizontal stripe.  The plates of Minnesota have a sky blue upper blue section. Montana has a number of different plates. One of the most common features a blue glow.  Montana has a number of license plates. One of the most common has a blue glow across the entire plate. Nebraska has a number of different plates. The plate featuring an orange/gray section near its top is relatively common.  Nebraskan plates vary however this is one of their most common. It has a faint, orange-gray horizontal section on top. Nevada has some blue plates.  Nevada has some blue plates. New Hampshire has many partly green plates.  New Hampshire has green on the right side of their license plates. The widespread plates in New Jersey have a yellow upper section.  New Jersey plates have this upper section of yellow. New Mexico has a mixture of blue and yellow plates.  New Mexico has a portion of bluish coloured plates.  As well as blue plates, New Mexico also has many yellow plates. New York State has gold coloured plates. (Although on newer coverage, they have a large portion of white plates).  New York State now has now replaced their distinctive yellow plates with white plates. On older Street View coverage, you will see a majority of yellow plates. On newer coverage, you will still see some yellow plates, but the majority will be white. North Dakota has bluish plates with especially the top half of the plate appearing blue.  North Dakota has the top of the plates as light blue. I remember this as the ‘north’ of the plate is blue therefore North Dakota. Ohio have some plates with a red top stripe, white middle stripe and blue bottom stripe.  Some plates from Ohio have a red top stripe, a white middle stripe and blue lower stripe. These are similar to Idaho plates. Oklahoma sometimes has the left section of the plate appearing blue.  Not all but some Oklahoma plates have this blue pattern. Oregon has a light green strip running vertically down the middle of the plate.  Oregon has a green mid-section of their plates. I remember this as a partial anagram of Oregon: ‘o-gren-o’ which to me looks a bit like the word ‘green’ in the middle. Pennsylvanian plates have a blue top horizontal strip and yellow bottom horizontal strip. The Pennsylvanian plate appears similar to the Iowa plate.  Pennsylvania has a blue upper part of the plate and yellow lower part of the plate. These plates appear frequently in the TV show The Office. The Pennsylvanian plate appears similar to the Iowa plate. Rhode Island’s license plates depict a blue sea and wave.  Rhode Island’s license plate features a blue base and blue wave emanating from the base. South Carolina has two most common plates. The first has the bottom 2/3 ^rd of the plate horizontally appearing orange. The second has a blue border and white centre.  South Carolina has the bottom section of their plate as orange.  South Carolina also have a plate with a blue outer and white mid-section. South Dakota has license plates featuring an outline of Mount Rushmore.  South Dakota plates have an outline of Mount Rushmore. Tennessee plates can appear white but they are actually olive coloured.  Tennessee plates have some form of olive colour. The olive colour can often be hard to see therefore they regularly appear white. Utah has either orange as a horizontal 1/3 ^rd strip across the top of the plate or a large orange pyramid shape.  Many Utah cars have the outline of a large orange pyramid on the right of their plates.  The second type of Utah plates have an orange top section. Vermont has green plates.  Vermont has green on their plates. This can be remembered as Vermont (verd mont) means “green mountain” in French. Washington State contains many plates with a wispy shaded, light blue colour on the bottom of the plate.  Washington State contains this blue smudge on many of its plates. West Virginia has a number of plates. The most common has a blue, solid, upper 1/4 and blue glow elsewhere.  West Virginia has a range of plates. The most common has a blue upper section and blue glow around the bottom 3/4. Wyoming normally has an almost all blue plate with yellow across the base and left of the plate.  Wyoming plates are mostly blue with yellow appearing on the base and left side of the plate. An image of a USA license plate for every state [can be found here.](https://www.thisisinsider.com/every-us-state-license-plate-2018-4#alabama-1)  USA license plates are useful for determining what state you are in. **Canadian Plates ** Canadian provinces have their own unique colouring and design of license plates and these [can be found here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_licence_plate_designs_and_serial_formats) Sometimes certain province’s license plates can be recognised despite the blurring. Cars in New Brunswick and Alberta tend to have license plates with red lettering. The lettering on the license plates of Newfoundland and Labrador are also commonly red but this province can be distinguished from New Brunswick due to the lack of front plate for Newfoundland and Labrador. Cars in Saskatchewan normally have green lettering. Nova Scotia typically has plates with blue on them. Manitoba has a distinctive green section on the left and right sides of their plate much like someone who eats healthy food. Plates in Quebec are either white or mainly white with a slightly blue hue in the upper left and upper right sections.  The above plate is from New Brunswick and has red lettering that can just be distinguished. Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador also have similar red lettering on their plates.  Saskatchewan plates have green lettering that can normally just be seen.  Nova Scotian plates typically contain blue.  Manitoba has a green section on the left and right parts of their license plate.  Quebec has either white plates or plates with a delicate blue colouring in the upper right and upper left sections of the plate. Australian license plates also provide clues as to where you are located. About one quarter of New South Wales license plates you see are yellow and clearly visible through the blurriness.  About 1/4 of license plates you see in the state of New South Wales in Australia are yellow. Plates in the Northern Territory have a hint of red. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nt-plates2.png) The Northern Territory in Australia has plates with red lettering which appear as a slight red blur.  New South Wales is located on the eastern side of Australia. Northern Territory appears in the top-centre. Sorry to Tasmania for chopping you off from Australia. License plates from Indonesia, Malaysia and Macau are commonly black and clearly visible despite the blurring.  Indonesia, Malaysia and Macau have variations of black license plates.  The most common type of Indonesian plates have black areas which divide the plate into three white sections. This contrasts Malaysian plates which are divided into two white sections.  The most common type of Malaysian plates have black areas which divide the plate into two white sections.  Singapore has many different types of license plates. Some cars have black plates, some have yellow rear and white front plates and some have almost square-shaped plates with black on the sides. The Philippines stands out in Asia for its green license plates.  The Philippines has various iterations of green and white plates. Laos has yellow license plates.  Laos typically has yellow license plates. Bhutan has distinctive red coloured licence plates.  Plates from Bhutan have a unique red colour. Kyrgyzstan plates typically have a red vertical stripe on the left side of the plate.  Note the distinctive red vertical line on the plates of Kyrgyzstan. Japan often has yellow plates.  Israel has yellow license plates, both front and back. They have a blue vertical stripe on the left of their yellow plates.  Plates from Israel shouldn’t be confused with UK or Netherlands plates despite their similarity. Israeli plates are narrow, yellow and have a vertical blue stripe on the left. The front Sri Lankan licence plates are white and the rear plates are yellow. The initials on the left side of the license plates consist of two letters that indicate the region of Sri Lanka. CP= Central Province, EP= Eastern Province, NC= North Central Province, NE= North Eastern Province, NW= North Western Province, WP=Western Province, SB= Sabaragamuwa Province, SP= Southern Province and UP= Uva Province. Hong Kong and Botswana also have yellow rear plates and white front plates. These are two areas you don’t normally see in the same sentence.  The rear of Sri Lankan plates are yellow and the front plates are white. Hong Kong and Botswana also have yellow rear plates and white front plates. In Africa, Tunisia mainly has black plates that are long and skinny.  Tunisia has black plates that are narrow and long. Some plates in Tunisia have a red left section whilst the remainder of the plate is black.  Some plates in Tunisia have a red left side and black remainder. Ghana has many yellow plates.  Many plates in Ghana are yellow. Senegal has blue license plates.  Senegal has blue license plates. The old license plate style in Kenya was yellow back plates and this is still largely visible across the country.  Many Kenyan back plates are yellow. Ugandan license plates are white for front plates and yellow for back plates. Sometimes the plates are more elongated than the below image.  An example of a plate from Uganda. Sometimes the plates in Uganda are more elongated than this image. Rwanda has yellow rear plates and white front plates.  License plates in Rwanda are elongated. There are yellow rear plates and white front plates. In Nigeria, plates tend to have a slight greenish colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nigerian-plates.png) Nigerian license plates have a greenish tinge. **South American License Plates**  Colombia has a reasonable portion of yellow plates. Argentina has plates with a black mark in the middle. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ab1.png) Many Argentine cars have a black blob on their license plates. Argentina also has plates with a blue horizontal line on top. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/argentina-blue-stripe.png) Some plates in Argentina have a blue, horizontal stripe along the top of the plate. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/brazil-license-1.png) License plates in Brazil are large and white, perhaps most closely resembling the size of European license plates. Brazilian plates are visibly larger than the license plates found across the rest of Latin America. Argentina occasionally has long license plates that feature the blue top section as seen above this image. Brazilian trucks often have red license plates.  Trucks in Brazil have red coloured plates. **License Plates Extras ** Pray for a glitch in the matrix and the Google algorithm to be flawed in allowing us the heavenly sight of a non-blurred license plate. License plates are often blurred in GeoGuessr but on occasions they are visible to various degrees. If you see a long and skinny license plate with a blue end (often visible despite the blurring) then you are probably in Europe in a country belonging to the European Union. Each European country has its own system of combining letters and numbers for their license plate and a full list of what combination each country has [can be found here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Europe)  A typical example of a European license plate. Note the letter on the left hand side of the plate. In this instance, the letter ‘E’ is visible. This means the license plate is from Spain (Espanol).  How the most widespread European license plate appears when blurred in GeoGuessr. Notice that the plate is long and skinny and has a blue vertical stripe on its left edge. On the left hand side of European license plates (often under the country’s flag or European Union symbol of a blue background and white stars) is a one, two or three letter abbreviation denoting what country you are in. Sometimes it takes looking at cars for a while before you see a license plate that hasn’t got the country symbol blurred out. The following country symbols represent each country: AL= Albania AND= Andorra AM= Armenia A= Austria AZ= Azerbaijan BY= Belarus B= Belgium BIH= Bosnia and Herzegovina BG= Bulgaria HR= Croatia CY= Cyprus CZ= Czech Republic DK= Denmark EST= Estonia FIN= Finland F= France G= Georgia D= Germany GR= Greece H= Hungary IS= Iceland IRL= Ireland I= Italy LV= Latvia FL= Liechtenstein LT= Lithuania L= Luxembourg MK= Macedonia M= Malta MD= Moldova MC= Monaco MNE= Montenegro NL= Netherlands N= Norway PL= Poland P= Portugal RO= Romania RUS= Russia (although this appear on the right of the license plate) SRB= Serbia SK= Slovakia SLO= Slovenia E= Spain S= Sweden TR= Turkey UA= Ukraine GB= United Kingdom In many countries around the word, if the heavens part and there is a glitch allowing you to glimpse into the soul of a license plate and read its actual letters/numbers then you can deduce what specific part of a country you are in. For example, the below plate reads: B KJ414. The B indicates that you are in Berlin. A map of all the German district license plate initials and correlating areas can be [seen here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Germany#/media/File:Kfz-Kennzeichen_in_Deutschland.svg) This license plate letter deduction process extends beyond Germany to many other countries.  The capital ‘B’ at the start of this license plate indicates that it’s from Berlin. Many cities and regions can be deduced or guessed if you see an actual license plate as opposed to the blurring. Russia has license plates with a small Russian flag on the right hand side. Above this flag is a two digit (occasionally three digit) number denoting what part of Russia the car is from. Cars do move throughout administrative regions of Russia so be aware of this. Seeing a second plate number to confirm the region is rare (although unicorns may appear twice). Some buses and other vehicles have the number printed largely on their rear above the letters ‘RUS’. The map below shows the number (sometimes several numbers) associated with each region of Russia. Only few players have memorised all regions. I’m guessing that SubSymmetry has (the Magnus Carlsen of GeoGuessr).  An example of a Russian license plate. Note that the number above the Russian flag (in this case 78) indicates the administrative region of Russia that the license plate is from. 78 corresponds with St. Petersburg.  Note the number ’24’ on this bus above the ‘RUS’. This denotes the bus being from the region marked ’24’ on the below maps  A map showing the Russian license plate codes (the number that appears above the Russian flag) for each region in West Russia. Note that a list version of this information can be found here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle\_registration\_plates\_of\_Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Russia) (Source: fremantleboy, Wikipedia)  A map indicating the Russian license plate codes for every region in East Russia Most states in the USA require a front license plate in tandem with a back license plate. There are however a large number of states that don’t require a front license plate. This is a big clue in GeoGuessr in narrowing down where you are in the USA. The states not requiring front license plates are: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and West Virginia. Most of these states are located in the South-East of the USA, with a band across the south of the country excluding Texas and a region stretching north to Michigan and Pennsylvania, excluding Ohio and Virginia.  A map indicating the states of the USA that don’t require front license plates. This can be particularly useful if you spot the lack of front license plates on cars. If you are lucky enough to see a USA license plate that isn’t blurred, then the state’s name may be written on it. A useful Canadian license plate fact is to be aware of is which provinces have rear only licence plates vs both front and rear. Just 4 Canadian provinces require front and rear plates: British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Ontario. I remember these 4 provinces not by name but by numbers: 1,4,5,7. These are the positions of the provinces starting at British Columbia on the bottom row of Canadian provinces and moving from left to right. The remaining provinces and territories require just rear plates. This is illustrated in the below image/map/thingy.  A map showing which Canadian states require just rear license plates (blue states on the map) as opposed to both front and rear plates (green states on the map). (Source: bryan89wr, Reddit). One aspect of license plate spotting that I should have preceded this entire section with is the fact that cars move. Unlike signs which remain static unless they sound like a humorous word and thus end up in teenagers bedrooms, cars can move between states and countries so be wary of this. ## Languages - [Asia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#asia) - [South America](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#south-america) - [Western Europe](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#western-europe) - [The Nordic Countries of Europe](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-nordic-countries-of-europe) - [North-Eastern Europe](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#north-eastern-europe) - [Eastern Europe (Excluding Cyrillic)](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#eastern-europe) - [Cyrillic](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#cyrillic) As someone who has a tenuous grasp of my only language: English, the plethora of signs and foreign writing appearing in GeoGuessr was initially overwhelming. You don’t need to understand the meaning of words in other languages within GeoGuessr, often a sufficient task is to be able to identify what language is written eclectically and thus narrow down a specific country. A useful technique to identify a language you have read in Street View is to zoom in on the map to a country where you think this language may originate from and see if the place names use similar letters/symbols. If you are reading this article, then I assume you can read and identify English (unless you are using Google translate) in which case \*Google could not translate this very funny joke\*. ## Asia **Japanese:** At first glance this language looks similar to Chinese and Korean. Japanese is different in that is uses many simple curved strokes that make up their characters such as ノ, シ, い and く. There are two scripts of Japanese writing: one simple and appearing below and one more complicated and easily confused with Chinese. Some simple Japanese writing appears below:  **Korean:** The key aspect distinguishing Korean from other East Asian written languages is their usage of circles for instance 요 and 안. Other than the idiosyncratic circles, Korean looks quite blocky and rigid in its writing. Some Korean writing appears below:  **Chinese:** This language is spoken in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and China. Chinese tends to have more complicated characters than Japanese and Korean. Chinese characters tend to be made up of more strokes than Japanese. For example, 麼 and 名. Some Chinese writing appears below:  **Hebrew:** This language is spoken in Israel. I identify this language by noting that many of the letters look like a lower case ‘n’ with an extra line added sometimes. Apologies for overwhelming you with these technical language terms. Some Hebrew writing appears below:  **Arabic:** This language is largely spoken across the middle-east and northern Africa. Its countries include: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. Note than many of these countries aren’t included in GeoGuessr. I recognise this written language due to its similarity to calligraphy and many of the words having a line underneath them. Some Arabic writing appears below:  **Thai:** Spoken in Thailand, the written Thai Language has many similarities to the Cambodian language of Khmer. I distinguish these languages by the abundant usage of small circles on the ends of most Thai symbols. The Cambodian written language does contain circles but these are far less common and not typically on the end of symbols. Some Thai writing appears below:  **Cambodian:** The Cambodian language, known as Khmer is quite similar visually (for me at least) to the above mentioned Thai language. I look for the small hooks on the top of almost every Cambodian symbol to recognise the Cambodian language. These hooks point to the right. The Thai written language lacks these ‘hooks’. Some Khmer (Cambodian) writing appears below:  **Indonesian:** This language is spoken in Indonesia and is distinguishable for its common usage of the letter ‘a’ within words. This letter occurs in a large portion of words sometimes more than once throughout the word. The Indonesian language is also recognisable thanks to the suffixes ‘kan’, ‘an’ or ‘i’ appearing frequently at the end of many words. Visually, Malay, (unsurprisingly spoken in Malaysia) is very similar to Indonesian. Below is an example of some Indonesian writing:  **Lao:** This language is spoken in Laos. It is fairly similar visually to the Thai language as it contains small circles in some characters. I distinguish it from Thai by looking for curved letters. The Lao written language has virtually every part of every character curved. This contrasts the Thai written language that contains a straight component to almost every character. Below is an example of the Lao written language:  **Sri Lankan:** The primary language spoken in Sri Lanka is Sinhala. The written letters of this language appear visually to resemble the letter ‘C’ either forwards, backwards, upside-down. There are many smaller C’s branching off from the original larger C’s comprising each letter.  **Bangladesh:** The main language spoken in Bangladesh is Bengali (also known as Bangla). This is also the official language of some of the far eastern states of India that border Bangladesh however these regions rarely feature in GeoGuessr. Bengali is notable for having a horizontal line over its letters. The letters themselves remind me of musical notes all in the same line. The written language is different from Hindi as it sometimes has small triangles that point to the left.  **India:** The primary language in India is Hindi. This language is rather similar to Bengali however there are some subtle differences. I recognise Hindi for letters that resemble upside-down and backwards lowercase ‘h’. Hindi also tends to have letters that look like backwards capital ‘F’.  ## South America In the real world, South America is home to English, French and Dutch however the countries who speak these languages aren’t included on Street View thus we focus on Portuguese and Spanish. **Portuguese:** A key dichotomy in GeoGuessr is the distinction between Spanish and Portuguese. Portuguese is only spoken in Brazil (and Portugal and to a lesser extent Macau). Portuguese contains the ã character, which is a (I’m about to overwhelm you with technical jargon) ‘squiggle’ over the letter ‘a’- note that this is different from an accent. This ã character appears frequently and is in words such as São meaning saint. Ç is also a symbol that appears in Portuguese but not Spanish (it also appears in French). If you notice a word ending in ção, then you can be certain the language is Portuguese. Portuguese uses the letter “e” for “and”. **Spanish:** This language is spoken in Spain, Mexico, much of Central America and all of the South American GeoGuessr countries excluding Brazil. Spanish doesn’t use the previously mentioned ã but does, like Portuguese, have a similar letter with an accent over the á. Spanish also has the letter ñ that appears in Portuguese as ‘nh’. In Spanish, the word “and” is represented by the letter ‘y’. This contrasts Portuguese which uses “e” for “and”. Microsoft Word now thinks I speak Spanish so virtually every word is misspelt according to spellcheck. **Europe:** Now onto the melting pot continent of languages which is great to celebrate but unfortunately involves some research for GeoGuessr players. ## Western Europe **French:** This language is spoken across France, in the western part of Switzerland, in the south of Belgium and in Quebec, Canada (and partially in New Brunswick, Canada). It is reasonably easy to recognise if you read the words out loud and they sound French. Letters include the ç (also found in Portuguese), ë, è, é, ï and à. **German:** This language is spoken across Germany and Austria, most of Switzerland and South Tyrol: a province in northern Italy. The language, like French is fairly identifiable if you read the words out loud and it sounds German. Letters of German include: ä, ü and ö. In Germany, the letter ß is also used. **Italian:** This language is spoken throughout Italy and in the region to the south of the Alps in Switzerland. If you read the language out loud, it sounds Italian. Features of the language include: ì and à as well as ‘gg’ and ‘cc’. Most words end with a vowel in Italian. **Dutch/Flemish:** These languages are spoken across the Netherlands and in the northern part of Belgium. Commonly occurring features are the abundance of z and w letters as well as the letter e appearing together as ‘ee’ and i and j appearing together as ‘ij.’ **Welsh:** This language is spoken only in Wales. The language sometimes appears concurrently with English on signs. The letters ll appear together commonly and there are a high proportion of y, w and c letters occurring. **Basque:** This language is spoken in a part of Spain known as Basque country. Basque is spoken in parts of northern Spain and south-west France. The signs that appear in this region often have both Spanish and Basque on them. The letter x appears frequently in this language. **Greek:** Although Greece is technically in Southern Europe, I’ll lob it into this section. Greek is spoken only in Greece and the southern region of Cyprus. This language uses the well-known Greek alphabet containing the letters alpha, beta, gamma, delta etc. α, β, γ, δ. Make sure not to confuse it with Cyrillic. ## The Nordic Countries of Europe **Swedish**: This language is spoken in Sweden and features å, ä and ö. **Finnish:** This language is spoken in Finland and contains ä and a plethora of double letters such as aa and ii. **Danish:** This language is spoken in Denmark and contains æ, å and ø. This ø is only used in Danish and Norwegian. Ø also means “island” in Danish. **Norwegian:** This language is only spoken in Norway and contains æ, ø and å. ## North-Eastern Europe **Estonian:** This language is only spoken in Estonia and has significant parallels to Finnish however Estonian also has the letter: õ. **Latvian**: This language is spoken only in Latvia and contains many letters with different accents above or below them. These include: ļ, ķ, ņ with the line below the letter and ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ž with some form of line above the letter. **Polish:** This language is spoken only in Poland and is a fairly easy language to recognise due to its abundance of the letter z (it’s only worth 1 point in Polish Scrabble). The letter z is often paired with other letters such as: rz, sz and cz. The letter ł (Ł) which is an l with a short line through it is also unique to Polish. Other curious letters used in Polish include: ó, ł, ż, ś, ȩ and ń. **Lithuanian:** This language is spoken only in Lithuania. The language is unique as it contains ė as its 9 ^th letter of the alphabet. Essentially this e with a dot above it is only found in Lithuanian. The language also contains: š, ž, ū and č. ## Eastern Europe (excluding Cyrillic) **Slovak:** This language is spoken in Slovakia. It belongs to the Czech-Slovak group of languages hence is similar to Czech. Slovak uses: á, é, í, ý, č, š and ž. To distinguish the language from Czech, look for ä, ľ, ĺ, ŕ, ô, dz and dž. **Czech:** This language is spoken only in the Czech Republic. It contains: á, é, ý, č, š, ž, ě, ů and ř. To distinguish it from Slovak, look for: ě, ř and ů. According to a Czech mate I’ve got, the letter ‘z’ is fairly abundant in this language. **Hungarian:** This language is predominantly spoken in Hungary. It contains the letters: é, á, í, ó, ú, ü, ű ő and ö. Look for the letter ő with italic like lines above the o as this letter is unique to Hungarian. The letter ű with two italic lines above the u is also unique to Hungarian. **Slovenian:** Not to be confused with Slovak, this language is spoken in Slovenia. Slovenian is littered with the letter j. If you remember the capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana (containing two j’s) then this may help you remember the j and Slovenia link. Slovenian also contains: ž, š and č. **Croatian**: This language is spoken in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The language uses: š, ć and č. **Romanian:** This language is spoken in Romania and uses: ş, ƫ, ă and ȃ. **Turkish:** This language is spoken in both Turkey and the Northern region of Cyprus. The language contains: ö, ı, ğ and ş. Most signs I see in Turkey have the ‘ş’ letter appearing and this helps me confirm that the country I’m in is Turkey. **Albanian:** This language is spoken in Albania as well as Kosovo. It features a glut of q and j letters appearing. It also contains ë and ç. ## Cyrillic We meet again Cyrillic. If you desire consistently high scores in GeoGuessr then a prerequisite is recognising Cyrillic which is not a language but a writing system. A second requirement for high scores in GeoGuessr is to know how to read Cyrillic; this isn’t as daunting as it sounds and working out how to sound the letters out to read place names can be done including memorisation within 10 minutes. Cyrillic is widely used across Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Countries such as Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia use a writing system that combines both Cyrillic and Latin. Countries using Cyrillic include: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Depending on the country and variant of Cyrillic used, there will often be unique letters/symbols that can help pinpoint your country. The below image shows what letters/symbols are unique vs which ones are shared for certain written languages.  A Venn diagram showing which Cyrillic symbols are shared and which are unique to GeoGuessr relevant countries. If you see a Cyrillic letter used by one country then you are in that country. (Source: reddit, Porodicnostablo. Updated by: reddit, olsnes.) As the above Venn diagram indicates, “Ёё”, “ъ”, “ы” and “Ээ” are Russian letters not used in Ukrainian. Alternately, “Ґґ”, “Єє”, “Іі” and “Її” are Ukrainian letters not used in Russian. Spotting any of these letters can inform you of which country you are in if you are undecided between the two. If you don’t want to remember these obscure symbols that resemble hieroglyphics, the simplest memory technique to distinguish between Russian and Ukrainian written language is to look for the letter “ï” or “i” as this letter only occurs in Ukrainian, not in Russian. A method teaching how to [learn to read Cyrillic in a fun manner is here.](https://i.imgur.com/bCiPTU5.jpg) The below image indicates the Cyrillic letter on top and the sound it makes below. Most of the letters are the same as English but there are some exceptions you will need to know. An example of this being useful is if you see a sign saying “POCTOB” and you can break it down letter by letter. P=R, O=O, C=S, T=T, O=O B=V hence the sign reads ROSTOV.  If you don’t want to learn Cyrillic, an alternative is to use the GeoGuessr map to make translations of Cyrillic words. If you zoom into Russia on the map, you will see each city with its English name on top and Cyrillic name on the bottom. You can use the map as a translation guide to the Cyrillic word you wish to translate. For instance, if you want to translate the Cyrillic letter ‘B’ then zoom in on the map and look or a Russian city containing a ‘B’ in its Cyrillic name. One city on the map is ПCKOB which has its English translation of PSKOV written above it. You can correlate these letters and determine that the Cyrillic B is the English ‘V.’ Another option in Cyrillic countries if you see a sign for a major city is to simply scan the map, looking at the Cyrillic names of cities to find the city you are seeking. A flow chart appears below that helps to distinguish European languages by unique letters. A larger version of the chart can be seen here: [https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/33070800](https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/33070800) Should you keep reading this GeoGuessr article? -> Yes or -> Yes.  This flow chart indicates which letters are unique to which European languages. A larger image can be seen if you click on the chart in this website: [https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/33070800](https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/33070800) (Source: Scutigera, duolingo) As I mentioned earlier, I lack language skills full stop (or exclamation mark, I’m not sure) so please forgive any mistakes I’ve made in this section, it serves only as a guide to help you pinpoint places. A more extensive explanation discussing language recognition can [be found here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Language_recognition_chart) ## How To Identify Every Country In The (GeoGuessr) World If you have read this far into the article then congratulations- I gave up after the first sentence- You must be an obsessive GeoGuessr player. My devotedness to the game has started to provoke instances in my personal life in which the real world and GeoGuessr world intersect. I dub this process ‘The GeoGuessr Effect’. If I see a photo on the wall, on someone’s phone or on TV of a random location in the world; my GeoGuessr instincts kick in and I imagine a world map in my head and I pinpoint the location. Disappointingly, I am seldom awarded with points and instead rewarded with loneliness. This article is longer than intended and in order to save words and give GeoGuessr the serious respect and worship it deserves, I will try and stop waffling on from now onwards and focus on cold, hard facts. Many clues have already been mentioned as to how to distinguish one place from another however there are some further hints to help you deduce the continent, country or region within a country. Those countries written in brackets aren’t included in Battle Royale. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/world-coverage.jpg) This map shows the individual GeoGuessr road coverage across the world. It is not 100% accurate but it is fairly accurate. (source: reddit u/baubauciaociao). A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://i.redd.it/y6hbx1hzlvs51.jpg) ## How To Identify Every Country In North America  North American Street View coverage. The dots indicate Photo Sphere locations (ignore them). - [USA](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#usa) - [Canada](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#canada) - [Puerto Rico](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#puerto-rico) - [The Dominican Republic](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-dominican-republic) - [Costa Rica](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#costa-rica) - [Mexico](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#mexico) - [Guatemala](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#guatemala) - [US Virgin Islands](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#us-virgin-islands) - [Bermuda](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#bermuda) - [Panama](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#panama) At the beginning of this article I told a lie. I showed a map featuring entire countries covered by Street View and thus GeoGuessr. In reality, only parts of certain countries are typically covered. North American Street View coverage includes USA, Mexico and mainly southern Canada. Guatemala is also covered. Costa Rica is barely covered despite the above image indicating otherwise. It also typically consists of coverage where you are stuck on the footpath. Puerto Rico and the odd Caribbean island are also covered. Bermuda is covered as are Anchorage, Fairbanks and a few other towns are covered in Alaska including paths between these areas. The Dominican Republic has its two major cities covered. A yellow line in the middle of the road is prevalent in North America in usually distinguishing the continent from Europe (although South America also has a yellow middle line widespread). The street width in the USA and Canada seems to be greater than Europe. That is, if you see wide streets and are tossing up between Europe and North America, then pick a North American location. Adopt-a-Highway signs are prevalent in Canada and the USA. As far as I can determine, they encourage people to take part of the highway bitumen home with them in the hopes someone will care, nurture and even love the bitumen. These signs often have the state/province name on them.  If a road is marked in North America, it will typically have some form of yellow centre lines. This contrasts the majority of Europe which tends to use white centre road lines. On average, roads tend to be a bit wider in North America than in Europe. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/adpot.png) An example of an Adopt-a-Highway sign. This one is from Colorado. Adopt-a-Highway signs are found in Canada and the USA.  North America predominantly uses narrow license plates. This contrasts Europe which uses elongated plates. ### USA The USA is arguably the most diverse looking country in the world. Mountains are fairly scarce in the USA with a few exceptions. If you notice an amalgamation of desert and mountains then you may be in the Utah-Colorado region. The American Rocky Mountains on the western side of the country tend to be more significant in GeoGuessr as opposed to the Appalachian Mountains on the Eastern flank. The Appalachian Mountains are typically green, tree covered and comprise of rolling hills. Contrastingly, the Rocky Mountains are true to their name and resemble the 1976 boxing movie that I’m reliably informed they are named after. Also they look rocky. Sometimes there will be sand alongside the road in the South-East corner of the USA such as Florida and surrounding states (AKA the ocean). The South-East corner is also recognisable as it is generally swampy. The prairies in the US run through the central corridor of the US and continue up into the southern part of Canada. These areas lack trees and mainly consists of grass. A frequent occurrence within the US is to be landed adjacent to a corn field. Knowing a general location of this corn field is useful. Fortunately there is a concentration of corn fields in: Iowa, Illinois and southern Minnesota. Some of the surrounding states have a sprinkling of corn fields including Nebraska however the rest of the country is largely void of corn fields. If the GeoGuessr location is blurry (it looks as it has been captured with a poor quality camera) and is in the northern hemisphere, then try and determine if the land is flat. If so, then flat and blurry= likely North or South Dakota. If you pan down in the USA, you will rarely see the Street View car’s aerial (except in Hawaii where you should typically see it). An easy way to distinguish the USA from Canada is via their speed limit signs. Signs from the USA explicitly say ‘SPEED LIMIT’ whilst Canadian signs say ‘MAXIMUM’. If you are firmly in North America and tossing up between Canada and the USA, then searching for a symbol of American patriotism in the form of a flag is useful. There are flags scattered across the entire USA in front gardens and on buildings which direct you to a USA location. If you travel through a town and don’t see any American flags then there is a good chance you are in Canada. The USA tends to use metal signs posts with small holes in them. In contrast, white, wooden poles are more prevalent in Canada. In general, Canada has a colder climate and more cold weather trees than the US. The generation 2 Street View camera is fairly commonly used in the Mexican deserts. This camera is rarely used in the USA. If you see this camera in use and are tossing up between the US and Mexico, you are almost certainly in Mexico. A detailed explanation of the US highway numbering system can be found in the ‘Highway Numbering Systems’ section further up this article. Every identifiable US license plate is also pictured further up this article, in the ‘License Plate’ section.  The USA often uses a double, yellow, centre line. This contrasts Canada which mainly uses a single, yellow, centre line. The USA will sometimes use the single, yellow line but it is less prevalent than in Canada.  US Flags are a common fixture in the United States and are commonly sprinkled throughout towns.  In the USA, they write the words ‘SPEED LIMIT’ on their signs indicating the maximum speed in the area. This contrasts Canada which writes ‘MAXIMUM’ on their equivalent signs.  The USA tends to use metal signs posts, often with small holes in them, to hold up road signs. In contrast, Canada mainly uses wooden sign posts, often painted white. Canada does use some metal sign posts but they are less prevalent than US sign posts.  The US uses wooden, cylindrical utility poles. Canada also uses these poles, as do many other countries around the world. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/us-po.png) If you are trying to find the name of the state and town you are located in within the USA, it is often a good idea to look for the town’s post office. These are commonly located on the main street (typically creatively named ‘Main St’). In this example, we are in Spencer, TN which is Tennessee. Let’s hope for GeoGuessr purposes that people don’t realise that letters are an outdated form of communication and these post offices continue to exit.  The Rocky Mountains running down the western part of the USA tend to be true to their name and rocky. They also tend to be higher and drier than the Appalachians.  The Appalachians running down the eastern side of the country tend to be greener, smaller is size and more akin to rolling hills than the Rocky Mountains.  Many roads in the south-eastern US states contain sand along their sides.  North-western USA largely consists of thick forests with this specific type of tall tree.  If you have a poor image quality location in the northern hemisphere that has fairly flat terrain, there is a good chance you are in either North Dakota or South Dakota.  In parts of Arizona and other sections of the south-west you may see large rock formations amongst the dry desert.  The southern and south-western US states are generally dry with large parts of these areas lacking vegetation and comprising desert.  Many parts of the far north-eastern US and some parts of south-eastern Canada, had their coverage taken during the autumn months. This means you will see colourful leaves.  Alaska is a mountainous state with tall trees and spectacular scenery. Additionally, Alaska typically has generation 3 coverage. This contrasts the northern Canadian territories which were covered with generation 2. This means if you see generation 3 coverage in northern North America, you should be in Alaska.  Hawaii looks quite different from the contiguous USA. The dual presence of Hawaiian and English with hilly, sometimes volcanic terrain and tropical flora makes it a unique location. Hawaii also contains the typical American mainland signs.  The Street View car’s short aerial is typically visible in Hawaii. You will rarely see an aerial in mainland USA.  The centre of many Hawaiian roads contain small yellow reflectors approximately every 5 metres. These are often found in between the two yellow lines.  Many parts of Hawaii contain a soil that has a reddish colour. It is often obscured by grass but if visible, it has a recognisable colour.  An example of the treeless prairies that run through the central US up into southern Canada.   A map indicating the regional grass lengths of the USA Prairies. Light green = short grass, medium green = mixed grass and dark green = tall grass. (Source, Wikipedia: user: Theshibboleth)  Seeing corn fields in the US can significantly narrow down your location to the upper-central US states.  A map showing the corn production distributions across the USA. The areas that are coloured dark-green are where you are most likely to be positioned if you are next to a corn field in GeoGuessr. (Source: The US Department of Agriculture).  US cities often have a horizontal bar stemming from utility poles or traffic lights at intersections. This horizontal pole holds up street name signs, other signs and traffic lights.  This image shows the state-specific bollards that are found in the US. Although bollards are relatively rare in the US, knowing these 5 bollards can be useful. (Image source: I don’t know who compiled this image but thank you whoever you are!)  A number of US states tend to have a larger gap between the two central, continuous road lines. The states with the wider gap include: Oregon, Washington, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. This image shows a wide gap- the gap between the two yellow lines is larger than the width of a car tyre.  These are the road lines in Pennsylvania (ie with a typical US road line gap). Note how the lines are closer together and the gap is smaller than a tyre gap. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/texas-roads.png) One of the best ways to identify Texas is to look at the roads. Texan roads tend to be fairly grainy and speckled with black dots sprinkled on a light coloured road. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oregon-speed.png) Oregon is the only US state that doesn’t have ‘speed limit’ on its signs. Oregon just uses the word ‘speed’.  It’s common for signposts in Texas to have a yellow white band around them.  The north-east part of the US tends to have this style of white-coloured, two-storey house that have fairly steep roofs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/california-utility-poles.png) In California, yellow horizontal reflectors are particularly common on utility poles. They mainly appear in groups of three and are seldom seen in other states.  California can sometimes be identified thanks to its road lines. The yellow, central road lines will often have a black line in the middle of them.  Almost every pole in Northern Wisconsin and the peninsula of Michigan (this is north-east of Wisconsin) have these white stickers with orange sections.  Sometimes in Alaska you will see another Street View car that is about 100 metres away from you.  A map indicating the states of the USA that don’t require front license plates. In the ‘License Plate’ section of this article, each recognisable license plate in the US is pictured. Cars lacking a front license plate are fairly rare in the world outside parts of the USA and Canada. By looking at street/avenue signs in the USA, you may be able to narrow down your location. The word ‘street’ to indicate the suffix for a road name is largely used in Iowa, southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, eastern Nebraska and Kansas. The below map shows the prevalence for different road suffixes across the USA. I’ve noticed a correlation between the above corn map and Street suffix map. Coincidence or conspiracy involving the government’s road naming department, corn growers and aliens?  A map showing the most common suffixes to denote roads across the USA. Note the yellow region representing the abundant usage of the word ‘Street’. (Source: TIGER/Line) Spotting a speed limit sign in the USA can be useful in narrowing down the state you are in (it can also be a useful guide in obeying the speed limit). On rural freeways, the maximum speed limit in the western half of the country (not Oregon or California) is 75 or 80. The maximum speed limit in the eastern half of the country is normally 65 or 70. The below map shows the specific maximum speed limits by jurisdiction. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/speed-limit-us.png) If you spot a speed limit sign in the USA, especially on a rural freeway, the number written on it can help you determine in which state you are in. The 75 and 80 speed limits are mainly in the western states and the 65 and 70 limits are mainly in the eastern states. (Source: Terrorist96, Wikipedia) Yes, that’s actually his name. If you are trying to pinpoint your location in the USA, then the small, house satellite dishes may be able to help you. There is a satellite in geosynchronous orbit located just to the south of Texas. USA small satellite dishes almost universally point to this satellite. Using this to exploit higher scores in GeoGuessr isn’t too challenging. If you know you are in the USA and spot one of these small satellite dishes, observe which direction it’s pointing. If a dish is pointing south east, you on the west side of the country, if a dish is pointing south west, you are on the east side of the country and if a dish is pointing south, you are in the centre of the country. Also, observe not just the east-west general direction that the dish is pointing but the north-south direction. This can place you in one of the northern states or southern states (the dish will pointing close to east-west).  In the US, the direction home TV satellites point can help you narrow down your location. TV satellites on homes in the US point to a location just south of Texas. In this example, we can see the satellite pointing south-west. From this information we can tell that we are in a state north-east of the south of Texas satellite location- in this case we are in Arkansas.  In this example, the home’s satellite dish points in a south-southeast direction. This puts us north-northwest of the satellite that is just south of Texas. In this instance we are in Salem, Oregon.  According to this study I found ([https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1700035114](https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1700035114)) if you notice more sedans than pickup trucks in an American city, there is an 88% likelihood that you are in a Democrat area. If you notice more pickup trucks than sedans, there is an 82% likelihood that you are in a Republican area. This means that by examining whether there are more sedans or pickup trucks around you in the US, you should have an idea whether you are in the blue or red area on the above map: Blue= Democrat vs red= Republican. (Image source: Kingofthedead, Wikipedia). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/us-area-codes-map.png) This map shows the telephone area codes in the US. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://external-preview.redd.it/7GprafJgYSY3-qLLktwZtpQmf6vjQ2qw1aGd8XRi5Yw.png?auto=webp&s=1f4f38242f121667fb5884a8dc0a8780e2f86244) Whilst many states have multiple area codes and there is no clear pattern to their numbering, it can be useful to know some of the states that only use one number for their area code. (Source: allareacodes.com). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/us-area-code-example.png) On the above billboard, the numbers 701 precede the phone number. This is the area code (often these numbers will be seen in brackets). In this example, we can tell we are in North Dakota based on the above map as 701 is found right across the state of North Dakota. *Additional resources to region guess in the USA* - [Traffic Signals of the United States](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nNwxiXr1L0NnZWrK5NDbccorawjq_ObjhNpYwySF-M8/edit#gid=493860385) by SpringyRubber. - [United States Comprehensive cheat sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P7LRYb13phYIYWlu4KSXxTosMGV44tHFU_EgqQvEXVQ/edit#gid=0) by rumilb. ### Canada  Canadian Street View coverage is clustered around the southern parts of the country. There is very little coverage in the northern territories or even the northern sections of the southern provinces. There are numerous regions in the USA that resemble Canada and vice versa. This air of ambiguity regarding the USA vs Canada has a few clues leading to resolution. One key tidbit I use is to look at the pole holding up any form of road sign. Canada normally uses wooden poles, often painted white. Contrastingly, the USA typically has metal poles holding up their signs. Spotting signs showing the speed limit can another clue to determining if you are in Canada or the USA. The USA has signs saying ‘SPEED LIMIT’ and Canada has signs saying ‘MAXIMUM’. Additionally, the USA uses miles and Canada uses kilometres. In general, Canada is colder and has more cold-climate trees. There are swampy areas of land around Saskatchewan and partially neighbouring provinces. The prairie provinces in Canada are: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. These areas especially in the southern parts consist of typically just grass. The western province of British Columbia is very mountainous as is the western part of Alberta. The eastern provinces tend to be flatter and a mixture of grassland and trees. In Canada, if you look up and see a number of white spots floating in the sky and often some large black spots, you are probably somewhere remote in the northern part of the country. Alternately, you may have a dirty computer screen. If you pan down in Canada, you will rarely see the Street View car’s aerial. The Canadian province of New Brunswick is bilingual so you may spot signs in French and English. Contrastingly, Quebec is an only French speaking province. The Canadian highway system is explained in detail in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section further up this article.  In Canada, road signs are typically held up by wooden poles that are sometimes painted white. This contrasts poles from the US which are metal.  Letterboxes are more of a common fixture in the US. They rarely appear in front of houses in Canada.  This speed limit sign is Canadian as is says ‘MAXIMUM’. This contrasts US speed limit signs which say ‘SPEED LIMIT’.  A single, continuous, yellow, centre road line on a road otherwise void of lines suggests that you are in Canada. Single yellow, continuous road lines are more prevalent in Canada than the USA where double, continuous, yellow roads lines are more common. Canada will sometimes have double, yellow road lines and the USA sometimes has single, yellow road lines.  The eastern parts of Canada have many houses that are made from horizontal pieces of wood.  The south-western Canadian province of British Columbia is largely mountainous as is the western part of the next province to the east- Alberta.  The Canadian Prairies stretch across much of southern-central Canada, This includes: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Canadian Prairies feature a largely flat landscape with little vegetation other than grass.  The eastern Canadian provinces tend to have thicker, green vegetation.  In general, Ontario and Quebec tend to have a mixture of grasslands and areas with trees.  Manitoba is notable for these trees that look like a miniature forest. The trees are often found in small clusters or lining the sides of the road.  These tall trees, that remind me of Christmas trees, are particularly common in the eastern parts of Canada, especially on the far-east island of Newfoundland.  Prince Edward Island (the island just north of Nova Scotia) often has a reddish soil that seems out-of-place in Canada.  If you see exposed rock in Canada, you will mainly be in either the eastern half of Ontario or the western half of Quebec.  The Canadian province of New Brunswick has words on signs in both English and French. On this sign we can see the English word ‘West’ and the French equivalent ‘Ouest’.  The French province of Quebec has French as its only official language. You will therefore rarely see English in this province. On the sign above, there is only the French word for North on the sign.  Nova Scotia typically has double yellow lines which contrast most road lines in Canada which are single yellow.  The French word ARRET appears on stop signs in Quebec.  Stop signs in New Brunswick will typically have both words ‘STOP ARRET’ on them. On occasions, they will just display the word ‘STOP’.  This checkerboard black and yellow sign is unique to Canada.  This version of the sign, on a rectangular backing, is only found in Newfoundland.  If you notice a barrel, like the one pictured, near a house, it is a bin from Newfoundland.  The back of some (but not all) signs in British Columbia are green.  Ontario often has this black section covering 1/5th of the bottom part of the ‘Maximum’ signs. The remainder of Canada doesn’t have this.  Within Canada, these red and white chevrons are only found in Quebec.  Saskatchewan can sometimes be identified thanks to its road lines- the yellow road lines will sometimes contain short, white dashes between them.  Other than Alberta’s primary bollard that is mentioned above, bollards are fairly rare in Canada. This image shows each Canadian bollard and its location. (Image source: I don’t know who created this amazing image but thank you!)  Ontario and British Columbia both have a number of electricity poles with spirals coming off them making them resemble a person.  Most utility poles on Prince Edward Island (the island just north of Nova Scotia) have these small white rectangles on them.  Canada uses wooden, cylindrical utility poles (as does the US and many other countries). The hook on top of the pole is quite common in Canada and the US are is rarely seen outside of these countries.  If you are tossing up between the US and Canada, then imperial vs metric measurements on signs can be useful. Kilometres= Canada, miles=USA. Pinpointing which Canadian province or territory you are in can be done relatively easily through license plates.  A map showing which Canadian states require just rear license plates (blue states on the map) as opposed to both front and rear plates (green states on the map). (Source: bryan89wr, Reddit). Canadian Front and Rear Plates British Columbia: Front and rear plates + white (or small red section).  Plates in British Columbia can be only white or white with a small red section. New Brunswick: Front and rear plates + red lettering.  New Brunswick plates have red lettering that can be distinguished despite the blur Manitoba: Front and rear plates + distinct green triangles on left and right edges.  Manitoba has a green section on the left and right parts of their license plate. Ontario: Front and rear plates + white. Distinguished from British Columbia as British Columbia is largely mountainous.  Plates in Ontario tend to be white. Canadian Just Rear Plates Saskatchewan: Just rear plates + green lettering.  Saskatchewan plates have green lettering that can normally just be seen. Alberta: Just rear plates + red lettering.  Alberta has red lettering on its plates. Quebec: Just rear plates + white plates or slightly blue in the upper left and upper right sections. French makes Quebec stand out in general.  Quebec has either white plates or plates with a delicate blue colouring in the upper right and upper left sections of the plate. Newfoundland and Labrador: Just rear plates + red lettering. These areas can be distinguished from Alberta as Alberta is partly a prairie province whilst Newfoundland and Labrador has long sea coasts. (It should also be noted that Labrador- the continental part of this province essentially isn’t covered in Street View so only focus on Newfoundland).  Newfoundland and Labrador have red lettering on their license plates. Nova Scotia: Just rear plates + partly blue coloured.  Nova Scotian plates typically contain blue. The northern Canadian territories stand out for then environment rather than their plates. I haven’t listed the province of Prince Edward Island here, either for a long running grudge I have against this island or because their license plate set up is a bit too diverse (although they do have just rear plates).  White and black spots that are visible when you pan up indicate that you are in a remote Canadian area, most likely in the northern part of the country. The northern Canadian territories also typically have generation 2 coverage. In contrast, Alaska should have generation 3 coverage. This means if you spot the circular blur beneath the car or other generation 2 clues, you should pick the northern Canadian territories over Alaska.  If you see a gravel road and are tossing up between Canada and the US, you are much more likely to be in the Canada. Whilst Alaska has some gravel roads, they are very rarely found in the rest of the US. In contrast, Canada has a reasonable number of gravel roads.  If you notice the generation 2 camera has been used and are tossing up between Canada and the US, you are much more likely to be in Canada. The US rarely has generation 2 coverage whilst this coverage is relatively common in Canada. Generation 2 coverage is denoted by a circular blur under the Street View car, a halo around the sun and more vivid colours with imagery of a slightly inferior quality. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/canada-area-code-map.png) This map shows the phone area codes for the Canadian provinces and territories. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://www.allareacodes.com/maps/canada-area-code-map.png) (Source: allareacodes.com). ### Puerto Rico  Street View coverage in Puerto Rico is centred around San Juan. It also extends down to Caguas, west over to Ponce and further west to Mayaguez. The coastal areas of Puerto Rico are also covered. Most cars in Puerto Rico lack a front license plate, the area looks tropical and Spanish is the dominant language.  The Street View car in Puerto Rico has the car’s aerial protruding from the front-right of the car (see the right of the image) and there should be a fairly subtle blur beneath you. The Northern Mariana Islands and Guam also have an aerial protruding from the front-right of the car and they also have the blur beneath you however the blur is more vivid in the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/prnew.png) Puerto Rico now has some limited, new, generation 4 coverage where there is a large circular blur beneath you and the antenna is shorter and appears not on the right but in the centre. The camera is slightly lower than normal with this coverage.  Cars in Puerto Rico typically have no front license plate. For me, this is one of the easiest ways to recognise Puerto Rico.  Spanish is the dominant language in Puerto Rico although English appears on occasions.  Puerto Rico uses the word ‘PARE’ on their stop signs like South America. The Dominican Republic in Central America also use ‘PARE’ on stop signs.  Puerto Rico uses kilometres in contrast to the USA which uses miles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/pr-sign.png) In Puerto Rico, you will see these small rectangular signs every 100m or so on main roads. The number (in this case 21.2) informs you of how far away San Juan is in kilometres. If you are travelling on the other side of the road, the number will also be 21.2. These numbers are very helpful in terms of telling you where in the country you are located. If you are in south-western Puerto Rico, you will see numbers up to 180km (the furthest point from the capital). If you are on the ring road that circles Puerto Rico, you may see a sign with 80km on it. This means you can be 80km clockwise or anti-clockwise from the capital. You can tell which of these location you are positioned in by travelling eg clockwise and noting whether the numbers get smaller or bigger.  These red and white ‘Clasificados Online’ signs are everywhere in Puerto Rico.  There are a wide range of utility poles in Puerto Rico. Many of the poles are painted with a white or gray base. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/pr-pole2.png) Some cities in Puerto Rico and parts of San Juan can be identified thanks to the colour combination that the base of their utility poles are painted. For example, many utility poles in Fajardo are pained with two shades of light blue. I won’t list every colour combination-city combination here however if you are a Puerto Rico-fanatic, this information is useful.  There is quite a tropical feel in Puerto Rico. Much of the land is undulating and there are often many electrical wires connecting utility poles.  The Puerto Rico landscape can be quite varied. In general, Puerto Rico is relatively tropical looking and green. ### The Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic has coverage just around Santo Domingo and Santiago de Los Caballeros. The country can be recognised thanks to the bars beneath the Street View car that contain thick black, parallel lines (only parts of Mongolia also have these thick black lines on the bars). The Dominican Republic has many peach coloured buildings. The Spanish language is spoken and the license plates are typically only on the rears of vehicles and consist of a yellow top half and white bottom half. The word ‘PARE’ is written on their stop signs. This contrasts Mexico and Guatemala which use the word ‘ALTO’ on their stop signs.  Street View coverage in the Dominican Republic is largely limited to Santo Domingo and Santiago De Los Caballeros. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/dr-bars.png) The Dominican Republic is the only place in the world (other than parts of Mongolia) to have these thick black lines running along the Street View car’s bars. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/dr-white.png) As well as the bars, the white front of the Street View car is visible if you pan down in the Dominican Republic.  The Dominican Republic car is unique as it is particularly long.  Many cars in the Dominican Republic lack front license plates.  License plates in the Dominican Republic have a yellow top half and white bottom half. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/green-street-signs.png) These distinctive, green street signs with a white border and white lettering are common throughout the Dominican Republic.  Buildings in the Dominican Republic are rarely white and often a range of colours. The peach colour pictured appears commonly on buildings throughout the country. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mountains-north.png) The easiest way for me to tell if I’m in Santo Domingo or Santiago De Los Caballeros is to find a clear road or space that allows me to see to the north. Santiago De Los Caballeros has mountains to the north (as pictured) whilst Santo Domingo doesn’t. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/dr-cars.png) Santo Domingo has more of a city feel with generally more cars and higher buildings. In contrast, Santiago De Los Caballeros feels like more of a town, with less cars and smaller buildings. Santo Domingo (the busier city) is pictured above. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/dr-up.png) One of the easiest ways to tell if you are in Santo Domingo or Santiago De Los Caballeros is via the utility poles. In Santo Domingo you should more commonly see a yellow base on utility poles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gray-poles.png) In Santiago De Los Caballeros you should mainly see a gray base on utility poles and will only rarely see poles with a yellow base. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/dr-square.png) Square utility poles are also common in the Dominican Republic. ### Costa Rica There is no Street View car coverage in Costa Rica and coverage is limited to a person walking around with the Street View camera. As a result, you will be restricted to footpaths in Costa Rica and won’t be able to travel onto the road. The limited coverage is centred around San Jose and the odd small section of Costa Rica such as a small part of the western coast.  Street View coverage in Costa Rica is limited to footpaths as it was captured by a person walking around and not a car.  A big clue in identifying Costa Rica is that you won’t be able to leave the footpath. You will also reach dead ends and will only be able to move in a narrow area.  License plates in Costa Rica have a blue blur on both front and rear plates.  The word ‘ALTO’ appears on stop signs in Costa Rica. Mexico and Guatemala also use the word ‘ALTO’ on their stop signs.  Costa Rica’s landscape on Street View features lush, green vegetation. The roads appear high quality and well maintained. ### Mexico Mexico has quite a diverse landscape. The southern parts of the country are tropical and resemble the thick jungles of Guatemala. The northern parts of the country are desert. A generation 2 camera was used to capture large parts of the Mexican desert. This camera was seldom used in the US hence this can be a good method to distinguish the deserts between these countries. Guatemala and Mexico both have the word ‘ALTO’ written on their stop signs. This can distinguish the countries from South America where the word ‘PARE’ is used on stop signs. In Mexico there is an abundance of signs with the letters “S.A de C.V.” written on them, typically after a company name. If you spot these initials, you are in Mexico. Mexico City is noticeable for its fleet of pink coloured taxis. There are lots of powerlines in Mexico and their most common utility poles resemble crucifixes. In more remote areas of Mexico, it’s common to see Eiffel Tower-like structures holding up the power lines. Mexican towns and cities have houses that typically are made of concrete. There tends to be a very narrow footpath separating the walls of these houses from the roads. Spanish is spoken in Mexico. Most of the country (apart from the desert) consists of undulating land. The details of the Mexican highway system can be found in the ‘Highway Numbering Systems’ section further up this article.  If you pan down in Mexico, you will sometimes see the Street View car’s short, stubby aerial. Within Latin America, you may also see this aerial in Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil. You shouldn’t see it in the US (except Hawaii) nor should you see it in Canada.  If you are in Latin America and notice that the generation 4 camera has been used/you see a blue car, then you are in Mexico, Brazil or rarely Argentina.  Pink coloured taxis are endemic to Mexico City. It should also be noted that Mexico City is known as ‘Ciudad de México’ in Spanish (hence the letters CDMX on the pink taxis). There are many signs with these words in Mexico City.  If you see ‘S.A de C.V.’ written on a sign, then you are in Mexico. Many Mexican businesses have these letters displayed on them.  ALTO is written on stop signs in both Mexico and Guatemala. This contrasts South America in which the word ‘PARE’ is written on stop signs.  Mexican bollards are white and cigarette shaped. They have a black section on the base of the bollard or near the base.  Mexican electricity counters are visible on most Mexican houses. They are circular in shape and normally on an outer wall of the house. This is one of the best ways to identify Mexico. Similar electricity counters can be found in Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.  Mexico often has large amounts of visible power lines.  A common type of utility poles in Mexico resembles a crucifix.  Octagonal shaped utility poles are some of the most common in Mexico. These poles are rarely seen in other countries however do sometimes occur in Colombia.  In rural areas, these Eiffel Tower like structures carry the power lines.  PEMEX are a common petrol station (gas station) company throughout Mexico.  Urban Mexico often consists of houses and buildings that have walls on the narrow footpath. The buildings are typically made of concrete. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mex-buildings.png) In Mexico, it is a fairly common convention for only the front of buildings to be painted with the sides having visible brick.  These large, black water tanks are a common sight above Mexican houses.  Large parts of Mexico (away from the northern deserts) are undulating. Smaller trees and rambling bushes are common in Mexico.  The southern parts of Mexico have a tropical feel that resembles the jungles of Guatemala.  Parts of Mexico bordering the Yucatan Peninsula are lush and tropical.  The Yucatan Peninsula area also commonly has small, rock walls.  The northern section of Mexico is largely occupied by desert. Generation 2 imagery is often used in this part of Mexico yet seldom appears in the southern US deserts. Looking for signs of the generation 2 coverage can help identify the Mexican desert. These signs include: the circular blur beneath the Street View car, the halo around the sun and the slightly inferior image quality with more vibrant colours. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nayarit.png) License plates in the south-western Mexican state of Nayarit most commonly have a reddish or blue coloured lower, horizontal section. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/yucatan.png) The state of Yucatan, located on the far east of Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula mainly has license plates with a top, horizontal green section. Another potentially useful tidbit is that Mexico has narrow plates whilst most of South America has wider plates. Other identifiable Mexican plates are at the link at the bottom of this Mexico section.  It is possible to work out where in Mexico you are located by looking at the first digit of phone numbers, as this map indicates. (Image source: Aromovf, Wikipedia.)  In this example, the phone number begins with a ‘5’. This means, looking at the above map, we are in Mexico City. *Additional resources to region guess in* Mexico - [Applicably guessable Mexico plates documentation](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e_bOWMiVESqB4bvhNuR_REq9x7hPZz5p4nD-ZN3Zm_Q/edit) by Harvd. - [Test your ability to identify Mexican license plates in this map](https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/60ba84f84f508e000112a30e) made by Bullfrogggy. ### Guatemala Guatemala has bars beneath the Street View car and the side view mirrors are also visible. The country is very hilly and even the urban areas are often undulating. Urban areas in Guatemala typically have a grid pattern. The Guatemalan jungle is lush, green, dense and tropical. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guat-bars.png) Guatemala has the bars under the Street View car visible as well as the side view mirrors of the car.  Guatemala is a very hilly country and it is rare to find a flat section. The landscape is largely a lush, thick and green jungle with a tropical feel.  Even urban Guatemala is often hilly, such is the undulating nature of the country. Like Mexico, there are often plentiful electrical wires overhead. Some urban parts of Guatemala have these cobbled streets.  Like Mexico, the word “ALTO” appears on Guatemalan stop signs. This contrasts the word “PARE” appearing on South American stop signs.  Guatemalan utility poles are sometimes painted towards the bottom of the pole. Some Guatemalan utility poles are completely green. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guatemala-km.png) These signs, which are found right across Guatemala, indicate how far away Guatemala City is. If you see a high number (typically over 300km), you will be in the north of the country as this extends further from Guatemala City. If you see a lower number (less than 200km) and note a flatter landscape, you should be in the southern part of Guatemala. Note: the numbers on the signs will be the same on both sides of the road. ### US Virgin Islands [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-location.png) The US Virgin Islands are located in the Caribbean, to the east of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-map.png) The Street View coverage of the US Virgin Islands incorporates the three largest islands. St Thomas is the west most of the northern islands, St John is the east most of the northern islands and St. Croix which is the large south island. The US Virgin Islands is easy to identify thanks to the bulky ute that is visible if you pan down. The front of the ute is very wide, the mid-section contains visible bars and the rear contains a large tray. Nowhere else on Street View uses this car. The northern two islands of St Thomas and St John have a white version of this ute whilst the southern and main island of St Croix uses a red version of the ute or a white version lacking the black antenna holder and antenna. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-north.png) The US Virgin Islands stand out from the rest of the world as a bulky car (ute) is visible. You can distinguish the two northern islands from the large southern island in the US Virgin Islands by panning down. The two northern islands (St Thomas and St John) in the US Virgin Islands are covered by this white vehicle whilst the large southern island (St Croix) is covered by the equivalent red vehicle or a white vehicle lacking the antenna and antenna holder. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-north-2.png) The rear of the white vehicle resembles a ute (pick-up truck). Note that the bars are visible in the US Virgin Islands. Note that this vehicle covers the two northern islands (St Thomas and St John) and the tray is white in colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-2.png) This vehicle covers small pockets of the west of St. Croix (the main island) located south of the other two islands. The front of the vehicle is identical to the vehicle for the northern islands however the rear of the vehicle has a black coloured tray. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-south.png) The large southern island of the US Virgin Islands, known as St Croix is mainly covered by a red vehicle. Note that small pockets in the west of St Croix are covered by the white vehicle that lacks the antenna and antenna holder. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-south-2.png) The rear of the vehicle on the south island of St Croix is black in colour and also has bars visible. In summary, if you remember the rear of the vehicle is black on the southern island of St Croix (regardless of the front colour) and white on the northern islands of St Thomas and St John then you are set.  Other than the red car, the white car is sometimes visible on the southern island although it is distinctive as it lacks the black, antenna holder on the front-left of the vehicle and the antenna on the front right (both of which are seen on the northern islands- see the below image).  The black antenna holder on the left and the antenna on the right are only visible on the Virgin Island car on the northern islands. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-landscape.png) Cars drive on the left in the US Virgin Islands, contrasting the US. Marked roads will typically have a double yellow line in the middle. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-rural.png) Many parts of the US Virgin Islands feature overgrown flora. Large parts of the islands also consist of rolling hills. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-shield.png) The US Virgin Islands has a highway shield consisting of a white circle. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-wooden.png) The US Virgin Islands use wooden, cylindrical utility poles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-flag.png) This image shows the US Virgin Islands flag alongside the US flag. These flags will often be seen in tandem around parts of the islands. The US Virgin Islands use English. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/usvi-plates-2.png) The US Virgin Islands has several common license plates. In general, license plates here contain some form of blue on them. Some plates also feature an orange centre marking as well as the blue. Two of the most common plates are pictured above. The US Virgin Islands generally use both front and rear plates. ### Bermuda Bermuda is a British overseas territory located in the Atlantic Ocean. It is English speaking and in many ways the island chain is the quintessential tropical paradise. Bermuda is English speaking and the vehicles drive on the left. Bermuda has recently been added to Battle Royale.  Vehicles drive on the left side of the road in Bermuda and there is most commonly a single, yellow centre line on the roads.  Houses in Bermuda are rather unique looking. They are typically painted a semi-faded shade of a bright colour. In addition, the roofs are almost always completely white. The roofs look like they are newly painted and they are so white, they blend in with the sky. The houses’ window frames are also painted with this same white colour.  In Bermuda’s official Street View coverage, you will see either a black truck, a jagged blurred car or both, as pictured below. This is all the same vehicle taking the Street View imagery, just sometimes the black truck has been completely blurred out. In the unofficial coverage, you will see the word ‘Bermuda’ on a big blue circle beneath you when you pan down.  Bermuda has real tropical island vibes with lots of palm trees and a holiday resort feel. These small walls, as seen on the left of the image, are also common.  License plates in Bermuda are fairly long and narrow. If you look very carefully, there should be a slight blue section on the top-central and bottom-central part of the plate. ### Panama  Street View coverage in Panama is mainly centred around the country’s largest urban areas. All of Panama City is covered; this means if you land in Panama in an urban area, you are most likely in Panama City. The roads between the largest cities in Panama are also covered.  The Street View car in Panama has this unique antenna that is found nowhere else on Earth. It should be visible when you pan down- although not necessarily as visible as this image.  The Street View car itself is another easy way to recognise Panama. The car is big and bulky. It should appear white or transparent blurred (or both, like in this image).  Arguably the best way to region guess in Panama is based on the taxi numbers. Every taxi plate in Panama begins with a number. This initial number tells you where the taxi is from. (Image source: Reddit user AlbertELP).  The order of the taxi numbers in the Panama provinces isn’t random. It’s in alphabetical order. This map shows the names of the Panama provinces. The most important province to remember is Panama Province whose taxis begin with the number 8. The second most important province to remember is Panama Oeste Province, whose taxis begin with the number 13. These two provinces account for most of Panama’s Street View coverage. (Image source: Wikipedia,123Hollic)  This taxi begins with a 4, which tells us (based on the above map) that we are in the west Panama province of Chiriqui. Taxis in Panama also often say the city/province name beneath their number; however, these can be hard to read. In this example, the taxi says ‘DAVID-CHIRIQUI’. David is the largest city in the province of Chiriqui.  One of the easiest ways to tell you are in Panama is by looking at the cars. Cars in Panama typically don’t have front plates. Be careful not to confuse the country with Puerto Rico, which can look similar and also lacks front plates.  The west part of Panama tends to be more dry.  Panama has yellow central road lines (either dashed or continuous), Mexican style houses and tropical trees. Although not pictured, it also has ALTO written on its stop signs like other Central American countries.  Panama flags can be seen everywhere in Panama City. ## How To Identify Every Country In Europe  A map showing specifically what parts of Europe are covered by Street View. - [Ireland](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#ireland) - [The U.K.](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-uk) - [The Isle of Man](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-isle-of-man) - [Jersey](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#jersey) - [Portugal](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#portugal) - [Spain](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#spain) - ([The Canary Islands](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-canary-islands)) - [Andorra](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#andorra) - [(Gibraltar)](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#gibraltar) - [France](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#france) - [Belgium](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#belgium) - [The Netherlands](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-netherlands) - [Luxembourg](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#luxembourg) - [Italy](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#italy) - [San Marino](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#san-marino) - [Norway](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#norway) - [(Svalbard)](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#svalbard) - [Sweden](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#sweden) - [Finland](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#finland) - [Denmark](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#denmark) - [The Faroe Islands](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-faroe-islands) - [Iceland](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#iceland) - [Greenland](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#greenland) - [Germany](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#germany) - [Austria](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#austria) - [Switzerland](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#switzerland) - [Liechtenstein](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#liechtenstein) - [Poland](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#poland) - [Lithuania](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#lithuania) - [Latvia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#latvia) - [Estonia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#estonia) - [Czechia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#czechia) - [Slovakia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#slovakia) - [Slovenia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#slovenia) - [Hungary](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#hungary) - [Croatia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#croatia) - [Albania](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#albania) - [Greece](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#greece) - [Romania](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#romania) - [Montenegro](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#montenegro) - [Serbia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#serbia) - [North Macedonia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#north-macedonia) - [Bulgaria](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#bulgaria) - [Ukraine](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#ukraine) - [Russia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#russia) - [Malta](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#malta) There are large holes across European Street View coverage. Very little is covered of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus and Moldova. If you land in one of these places you are likely in a largish city. At first glance, Europe tends to stand out from other continents due to the presence of older architecture. Europe also tends to have narrower roads than much of the world, especially North America. Most of the time, European roads have white lines. Yellow centre lines like those in North America rarely occur in Europe.  Most countries in Europe have marked roads consisting of some form of white central road line. This contrasts North America and South America which almost always use yellow central road lines.  The standard license plate in Europe is elongated and white with a vertical blue stripe on the left that can be seen despite the blur. There are a few European countries with deviations of this generic plate. Elongated license plates are relatively rare outside of Europe. Another quintessentially European sign (that isn’t an actual sign) are the black and white reflection posts (bollards) that skirt many rural roads. These appear along certain roads every few metres in Europe.  Knowing the subtle differences between each country’s bollards is useful in Europe. A further way to distinguish Europe from other continents is by the use of the blue pedestrian signs that litter the continent and are quintessentially European. Virtually every country in Europe has a variant of this road sign. Some notable variants include the Iceland sign which has a yellow coloured triangle as opposed to white and the Poland sign which has one straight horizontal black line as opposed to several vertical black lines that the pedestrian is walking on. Also, the Ireland sign is unique as it is yellow and diamond shaped like the road warning signs.  A chart showing the pedestrian crosswalk signs across Europe. (Image source: Simco\_, from Wikipedia).  A map showing the above pedestrian sign types across Europe. A larger version of this map can be found here. I don’t know who created this map but thanks whoever you are. Whilst there are several mountain ranges in Europe, including the Pyrenees on the French-Spanish border, the Carpathian Mountains arcing from the Czech Republic to Romania and the Apennine Mountains running along Italy, the most mountainous region in Europe is the Alps, centred around Switzerland. If you see snow-capped peaks somewhere in Europe the odds are it’s the Alps. These mountains stretch across France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Slovenia but their heart lies in Switzerland.  A map showing elevations across Europe. Note the high mountains centred around Switzerland. (Source: worldatlas.com) Corn grows in specific regions of Europe. If you are placed near a cornfield, it can be useful knowing the corn growing epicentres of Europe. The corn hotspots tend to be in France, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Hungary (ironically). If you are reading this and pondering if I have a corn infatuation (that sounds like something else when said quickly) as I keep mentioning corn, I can reassure you that I am neutral towards corn and don’t have any strong positive or negative feelings towards this specific grain.  A map showing corn production regions of Europe. Note that the primary corn countries are France, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Hungary (Source: Eurostat). As well as corn, another common sight in Europe is olive trees. The below map shows their distribution in Europe. Olive trees appear across the entire country of Portugal, in Southern and Central Spain, Southern and Central Italy, coastal parts of Greece and many islands in the Mediterranean. It should be noted that olive trees also occur in Northern Tunisia although these don’t appear on the map.  Olive tree distribution in Europe appears above in a coincidental ‘olive’ colour. Mostly Mediterranean areas are home to olive trees, with the bulk in Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal.  Olive trees.  Within Europe, these roadwork signs featuring a yellow centre and red outline are commonly used. They shouldn’t be confused with warning signs. Only a handful of countries in Europe have this style of warning sign. If you enter a town or city in GeoGuessr but see what appears to be a random assortment of letters on a sign like someone has grabbed a handful of Scrabble tiles, don’t fear. European countries have recognizable town and city signs, meaning you can deduce your location by memorizing the unique signs pictured below. There are a few caveats to the below image. Firstly, some Swiss town signs can be white and secondly in Belgium some town signs may be yellow.  European city and town signs. If you don’t recognise a city/town name then the sign’s appearance will lead you to the country you are in. Note: Switzerland can also have white signs whilst Belgium can also have yellow signs. (Source: Europamapas)  The second part of the European city/town signs. (Source: Europamapas) [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/city-signs-europe.png) A map showing the town/city signs in European countries. This is the information appearing just above this in a map form. (Source: reddit user, Melongated). A normally European convention that is a regular feature of travelling through this continent is the sign framing a town name with a red line through it. This indicates the end of the built up area of a town.  A red line through a town’s name indicates that you have reached the end of the built up area of that town.  The chevron colour schemes for each country in Europe are pictured here. These are essentially the arrows that appear on the outside of curves on the road. Chevrons are most common in Turkey (red arrows on white background), the Austrian alps (yellow and red or white and red) as well as the mountainous parts of the Balkans, which vary in colour depending on the country. (Source: reddit u/isaacSW.) How to say “street” in Europe:   How to say “Street” in Europe. Source: [https://github.com/fabiencelier/](https://github.com/fabiencelier/) and [https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/words/street](https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/words/street) [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/europe-road-numbers.png) A map showing the road numbering systems and signs for each GeoGuessr relevant country in Europe. Note that the road sign that appears the highest on each country in the map is the more major type of road in that country. The road types gradually become smaller as you look down each country on the map until the bottom road of each country on the map is minor. [A larger version of this map can be seen here.](https://i.redd.it/1o72b693cxr61.png) (Source, reddit user, u/Melongated).  This map shows the road quality in Europe by country. The darker pink countries have the worst road quality, while the darker green countries have the best road quality. (Image source: viborc)  This map shows the colour of reflectors on European guardrails, by country. (I don’t know who made this map but thank you whoever you are!) An example of every reflector and every guardrail type from every European country can be found in [this document.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Lp5nuqYLsKQ5WgK3GDnXEu7scLzkXgrFHJf2iRjRD48/edit#gid=1613620957)  This map shows the shape of guardrails by European country. An example of A-profile, B-profile and thin B-profile are provided below. (Once again, thanks to whoever created this map!)  This is an example of an A-profile guardrail (red areas on the above map). The top row, the bottom row and the middle indent are all curved.  This is an example of a B-profile guardrail (the purple areas on the above map). Note that the top row, bottom row and middle row all consist of 90 degree angles.  This is an example of the Thin B-profile (yellow on the above map). Note that the the central hollow section is about the same height as 3 of the top rows. This contrasts the standard B-Profile guardrails which (as shown in the picture above this one) have a central hollow that is the same height as just one top row. ### Ireland Ireland is a unique country in GeoGuessr for several reasons. For starters, it stands out in Europe as one of only three places that drive on the left- the other two being the U.K. and Malta. The easiest way to distinguish Ireland from the U.K. is to look at license plates. Ireland has both white rear and front plates whilst the U.K. has yellow rear plates. Ireland also has yellow, dashed, edge lines on their roads, which is rare in the U.K.. Ireland is rare in Europe as English is commonly found on shops, buildings etc however both English and Gaelic normally appear on Irish road signs. Ireland can also be distinguished from the U.K. as the Irish use the metric system, hence distances to nearest towns and speed limits will mention kilometres not miles. Ireland also has different warning and pedestrian signs to the rest of Europe. Irish signs are diamond shape and yellow. The Irish landscape is very green and lush with hedges or small rocky walls often lining the streets. Irish roads are often narrow and windy.  Irish cars drive on the left- which is a rarity in Europe with only the U.K. and Malta also driving on the left out of the Street View covered countries.  Irish license plates look like typical European plates- white and elongated with a blue vertical stripe on the left. They do however help distinguish the country from the other major European left side of the road driving country: The U.K., which has yellow rear plates.  Irish road signs will typically contain both English and Gaelic. The majority of the writing around Ireland such as on shops and buildings is in English. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ireland-crossing.png) Whilst the rest of Europe has blue pedestrian crossing signs, Ireland has their pedestrian/s trapped in a yellow diamond. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ireland-yellow-warning.png) Ireland stands out as it is the only place in Europe with yellow, diamond shaped warning signs.  Another key difference between Ireland and the U.K. is that Ireland uses the metric system. As a result, you will see kilometres on Irish signs as opposed to miles in the U.K.  The majority of houses in the rural part of Ireland has some semblance to the house pictured. They are generally either white coloured or stone and have these dark roofs. Looking at the houses from the road, they tend to be wide but not very deep (they look like a rectangle from above). They are normally one or two storey. Brick is rarely visible in Irish buildings whilst it is quite common in Great Britain. Ireland tends to have longer driveways than Great Britain.  Low, rocky walls are a feature of Ireland although these often occur in the UK and on other islands.  The Irish landscape is green, lush and often has hedges or small walls alongside the road. Green paddocks are also common. The country has many narrow, windy roads. In general Ireland has a great resemblance to parts of the U.K..  A good method to tell Ireland apart from the U.K. is to look for yellow, dashed edge lines on the road. These are quite common in Ireland but very rare in the U.K.. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/irish-sticker.png) Approximately one third of Irish utility poles have a yellow, triangular ‘danger’ sticker on them. These stickers can also been seen in the UK however they are rarer there. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/dublin-car.png) This electric car in Ireland can be found along the eastern part of Ireland as well as patches in the north-west.  It can often be challenging to distinguish between Ireland and the UK. However, on farms, Irish metal gates typically have rounded corners, whereas in the UK, they have square corners. Note: Northern Ireland have the same square corners as the rest of the UK. ### The U.K. The U.K. stands out in GeoGuessr for a number of reasons. The easiest way to recognise the U.K. immediately is via the yellow rear license plates in combination with white front plates. France did have this combination of plates but now on Street View most of France has white plates. Some plates on Corsica are yellow reared and white fronted however Corsica looks vastly different in landscape from the U.K.. The U.K also stands out in Europe for driving on the left. The only other GeoGuessr relevant European countries to drive on the left are Ireland and Malta. The U.K is also one of only two GeoGuessr relevant countries in the world to use miles, yards and pounds; the other being the U.S. This can be useful if you see a sign stating that a town is 10 miles away. The UK can be relatively easy to navigate is you travel towards roundabouts. Signage indicating the nearest large town is often present at these roundabouts and thanks to the UK’s small size, it usually doesn’t take long to scan the map and find the appropriate town. Like Ireland, the U.K,’s roads are largely skirted by hedges with small rocky walls also being prevalent. The U.K. has their home satellite dishes facing in a south-easterly direction. Townhouses are particularly common in the U.K. and they tend to be double-storey and squished side-by-side. There tends to be the same looking townhouse all the way down the street in the U.K. In other words, if you see a townhouse on a U.K. street, the same variant of townhouse will likely run down the whole street. The Great Britain highway system is explained in detail in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section further up this article.  One of the easiest ways to recognise the U.K. is via their yellow rear license plates. UK cars have white front plates. This combination of plate colours is particularly rare in the rest of the world.  Cars in the U.K. drive on the left which is a rarity in Europe with only Ireland and Malta also driving on the left.  The U.K. also stands out as one of only two Street View covered areas to use miles, yards and pounds- the other being the US.  Roundabouts are a common fixture in the UK. They often provide useful information about nearby town names and road numbers.  The UK often has two continuous yellow road lines on the sides of marked roads.  Small rocky walls are a common fixture in the U.K., especially in Scotland (Ireland also has an abundance of these walls as do some islands). It is fairly rare to see rocky walls in the southern part of England.  A good technique to determine what part of the UK you are positioned in is to look at the sides of the roads. If there are hedgerows then you are more likely to be in the southern part of England. Stone walls are more common in the rest of the U.K.  It can often be challenging to distinguish between the UK and Ireland. However, on farms, UK metal gates typically have square corners, whereas in the UK, they have rounded corners. Note: Northern Ireland have the same square corners as the rest of the UK. A confirmatory sign you are the UK is to look for house satellite dishes. These all point to the south east in the UK.  TV satellite dishes in the UK point south-east. Continuing on the grey theme, grey buildings are more of a common sight in Scotland than in England.  Scotland tends to have a higher percentage of grey coloured houses and buildings than England.  Townhouses like those pictured are common in the U.K. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gb-brick.png) Bricks are used to construct a large portion of houses in Great Britain whilst in Ireland, brick is very rare. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/uk-bollard.png) Although bollards are relatively rare in the UK compared to some other European countries, they are rather unique looking and consist of black and white sections with a large red rectangle on top.  Although rather rare, Scotland has these white, cylindrical bollards that have either a red or white horizontal ring. France has similar looking bollards with the red ring that are far more common. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/london-car.png) New coverage has recently been added to parts of London, meaning that you will sometimes see this black car beneath you.  The U.K. has a varied landscape. Northern Scotland has few trees.  Much of the U.K. has narrow, windy roads, hedges skirting the sides of the roads and green fields. ### The Isle of Man [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-location.png) The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea, midway between Ireland and Great Britain. As the Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency, it has inherited many of the same features as the UK. The two easiest ways to identify the Isle of Man are via the camera generation and the license plates. Across the entire Isle of Man, the generation 2 street View camera has been used. If you pan down, you will see a large, circular blur. The Isle of Man uses white front license plates and yellow rear license plates- like the UK. The Isle of Man is unique however as they use a red stripe of the left of their plate, not the blue stripe of most of Europe. The Isle of Man looks similar to large parts of the UK. It does however tend to be more rural and have even narrower roads than the UK. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-front.png) The Isle of Man has a distinct red, vertical stripe on the left of their license plates. Only Albania and Kyrgyzstan share the red stripe on the left of their license plates. The front Isle of Man plates are white. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-rear.png) Like the UK, the Isle of Man has yellow rear plates. Unlike the UK, the plates have a red stripe on the left. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-gen-2.png) The Isle of Man imagery was captured exclusively by the generation 2 Street View camera. As a result, there will be a circular blur when you pan down, slightly inferior image quality and brighter colours. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-landscape.png) The Isle of Man has very narrow, windy roads and often bushes alongside the roads. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-empty.png) The majority of the Isle of Man is sparsely populated with the occasional houses popping up in the largely rural areas. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-left.png) Cars drive on the left in the Isle of Man, their language is English and in most respects, the Isle of the Man has identical features to the UK. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-bollard.png) Like the UK, the Isle of Man uses these black, white and red bollards. The rear of the bollard has a white rectangle instead of the red rectangle. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iom-orientating.png) These green directional signs provide useful road number and town direction information when navigating in the Isle of Man. Major roads are ‘A’ roads (despite being major for the Isle of Man, they are often small and narrow) whilst minor roads are ‘B’ roads. ### Jersey [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-location.png) Jersey is the southernmost of the major Channel Islands. The other major Channel Island’s island of Guernsey has no Street View coverage. Jersey has many similarities to the UK however there are some key differences that help distinguish it. Road lines in Jersey often feature yellow continuous edge lines with a white, dashed centre line (minor roads will just have the white, dashed centre line). License plates in Jersey lack the blue stripe of Europe. Front plates are all white (with occasionally a tiny dash of red on the left) whilst rear plates appear all yellow (sometimes with a white stripe on the left). I mainly distinguish Jersey from the UK thanks to the blue sky that is typically visible in the Jersey coverage- a blue sky is quite rare in the UK. I also notice the generation 2 camera that has been used right across Jersey producing a large, circular blur beneath you. Jersey also has an abundance of French town and street names. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-blur.png) Imagery in Jersey was captured on the generation 2 Street View camera. As a result, you will see a large, circular blur if you pan down, a halo around the sun, lower image quality and brighter colours. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-1.png) The island of Jersey largely has a blue sky on Street View. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-road.png) Jersey’s road marking feature yellow, continuous edge lines and white, dashed centre lines. This combination of road markings is rare in Europe. Sometimes you will just see a white dashed centre line, especially on narrow roads.  In Jersey, you will often see a yellow line that covers the road at intersections. This is a great way to distinguish Jersey from the remainder of the UK. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-land.png) Jersey has a real abundance of narrow, winding roads. There are often bushes and stone fences lining the roads. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-landscape.png) Jersey has a flat landscape that often features grass fields beyond the road hedges. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-french.png) Jersey has English and French as official languages. The majority of town and street names are in French and general signs mainly appear in English. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-roads.png) These directional signs provide useful information for pinpointing in Jersey. ‘A’ roads are the major roads in Jersey although these roads are often small and narrow. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-front-plate.png) Front license plates in Jersey most commonly appear elongated and completely white. You may sometimes notice a slight touch of red on the left side of the plate but this is nothing like the distinctive red on the left side of Isle of Man plates. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jersey-rear.png) The most common rear license plates in Jersey feature either an all yellow, elongated plate or a yellow, elongated plate with a white stripe on the left. You will seldom see the blue stripe of Europe on Jersey plates. This is a good way to distinguish Jersey from the UK. ### Portugal The easiest way to recognise Portugal is via its unique license plates. These have a vertical yellow stripe on the right of the plate to go along with the vertical blue European stripe on the left of the plate. Most of the country has white coloured (or at least fair-coloured) houses, many with terracotta coloured tiles on their roofs. The Portuguese landscape has a real Mediterranean vibe. There are rolling hills mainly in the north of the country and much of Portugal is covered in olive trees. Only Portugal and Brazil speak Portuguese in the entire GeoGuessr world (although Macau also use the language). There are three key factors to help identify Portuguese from Spanish. Portuguese has the ‘Ç’ symbol, many words in Portuguese end in ‘ção’ and Portuguese has the symbol ã which is a squiggly line over the ‘a’ which is different from an accent.  Portugal stands out for its license plates. The right side of the plates have a vertical yellow stripe that is clearly visible. Portuguese plates also have the standard, European blue, vertical stripe on the left of their plates.  Many Portuguese houses are white or light coloured and many have tiled, terracotta coloured roofs.  Parts of Portugal (especially the north of the country) are hilly. Olive trees are a common sight right across the country.  Much of Portugal has a warm, Mediterranean vibe. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/port-real.png) Portugal looks very dry and is largely undulating. It can look similar to Mediterranean parts of Eastern Europe however Portuguese roads tend to be better maintained.  Portugal uses these fairly generic bollards. The front contains a vertical, white stripe encased in the black section. There is a rarer type of Portuguese bollard that has a fatter orange rectangle in place of the white stripe.  This is the fairly generic rear of the Portuguese bollards.  Portugal has two main types of utility poles. The first type is more unique looking and has small holes running vertically up it. Sometimes Portuguese utility poles of this style will have less holes.  The second type of Portuguese utility pole is wooden. It often looks fairly rudimentary and can have lumps on its surface as opposed to being smooth.  Portuguese ‘no hunting’ signs will sometimes appear on the edge of farms. These signs come in two forms- the tiny red and white diamond as pictured above or a small, red and white sign that looks identical to the Indonesian flag.  If you are in a Portuguese town/city, you should see a sidewalk. Portuguese sidewalks are unique and consist of small white squares placed together at a diagonal from the road. They resemble a mosaic.  Portugal and Brazil are the only Portuguese speaking locations in GeoGuessr (although Macau also uses the language). There are a few easy ways to tell Portuguese from Spanish. Portuguese has the ‘Ç’ symbol whilst Spanish doesn’t. This is a regularly occurring symbol in Portuguese so many signs will house it. Another tell is that many words in Portuguese end in ‘ção’. Finally, Portuguese has the symbol ã which is an ‘a’ with a squiggle on its top (this is different from an accent).  The island of Madeira is one of two autonomous regions of Portugal. It is recognisable thanks to the Portuguese licence plates with the yellow vertical stripe on the right, the utility poles which have horizontal strats and often holes, the white blocks along the sides of some roads and notably the mountainous terrain across the entire island.  The second autonomous region of Portugal is the Azores. The Azores archipelago has Street View coverage on São Miguel Island (the island that houses Ponta Delgada) and Terceira Island (the island that contains Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória). Although the Azores has the same license plates and utility poles as Madeira, it stands out as it is much flatter and whilst having some rolling hills, lacks the steep mountains of Madeira. ### Spain Spain stands out for being a country with high quality roads, having a Mediterranean vibe and a warm and dry climate. The Pyrenees Mountains span the Spanish-French border and are rather rocky where they meet the road. The Pyrenees are normally packed full of trees and have high quality roads. Olive trees are found across Spain. Spanish houses are normally either white or a shade of a warm colour such as red, yellow or orange. The Spanish bollards have a yellow, narrow rectangle inside the standard European black part of the bollard. This bollard is unique to Spain. Dacia Sandero cars are found right across the country. These cars are also common in Romania and Bulgaria. The Spanish language is a good indicator that you are in Spain. This language is fairly easy to identify just by reading it. There are some key differences between Spanish and the similar Portuguese. Spanish has the word ‘y’ meaning ‘and’. This letter appears everywhere as a word in Spain. Finally, the letter ‘ñ’ which is an ‘n’ with a squiggly line on top is found in Spanish but not Portuguese. The Spanish highway system is explained in detail in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section further up this article.  Spanish bollards are fairly unique. They feature the standard European black and white bollard with a bright yellow, narrow rectangle encased in the black section of the bollard.  Dacia Sandero cars are found across much of Spain. They are also found abundantly in Bulgaria and Romania. They can be identified by their logo, pictured.  Other than the written language sounding Spanish, there are some specific things to look for to identify Spanish and distinguish it from Portuguese and other languages. Look for is the letter ‘y’ as its own word. This means ‘and’ in Spanish. Also, Spanish sometimes has the letter ‘ñ’ appear which is the letter n with a squiggly line over the top. The Basque language is spoken in a small pocket of north-eastern Spain. This region has signs in both Basque and Spanish.  The Pyrenees Mountains stretch across North-Eastern Spain and continue into France. The hill bases next to the roads are often rocky, there are many trees and the roads are typically high quality.  Spain is one of the hot spots for olive trees with the southern 2/3rds of the country being particularly full of them.  Most of Spain has a warm feel. The main roads are typically of a high quality and much of the country has a Mediterranean vibe.  Spanish houses are generally either white or a shade of some warm colour such as red, orange or yellow. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/rural-spain.png) The Spanish landscape tend to be undulating with the vegetation looking very dry. Rural Spain can look similar to the Mediterranean parts of Eastern Europe however Spain can generally be distinguished thanks to its better maintained roads.  This map shows the annual rainfall distribution across Spain. The orange coloured areas receive such little rain that they resemble a desert. The northern blue and purple coloured areas receive high amounts of rainfall and are therefore lush. (Image source: Iberia Nature).  This is the orange coloured part of Spain on the above map, (between Madrid and Murcia). Due to the lack of rain, the area resembles a desert.  This is the blue/purple part of Spain on the above map (the northern section of Spain). Due to the high rainfall, the area is very green and lush.  Guardrails in Spain have these yellow-orange reflectors which are typically found every few meters. These yellow-orange reflectors can also be found in Italy.  Scattered right across rural Spain on the outskirts of rural Spanish properties are small flags. The most common of these flags are black and white in colour and indicate ‘no public hunting’. Although the black and white small flags are by far the most common, there are small flags featuring a number of colours on Spanish properties including red as well as green and white. These small, Spanish flags are typically mounted on tiny stakes around 50cm high. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/spain-up.png) Spain has a number of different types of utility poles. The type pictured isn’t the most common pole but it does stand out thanks to its numerous indents. France can have similar looking indented poles however Spanish poles are whiter in colour. Portugal can have similar poles with less indents and featuring holes.  The green top on Spanish bollards only occurs in Extremadura in Spain- Extremadura’s location is on the below map.  The location of Extremadura in Spain- where there are green tops to the Spanish bollards. (Image source: TUBS, Wikipedia).  The word ‘CALLE’ means ‘STREET’ in Spanish and often appears throughout Spain and Latin America. ### The Canary Islands The Canary Islands don’t feature on Battle Royale. The Canary Island are unique in being a Spanish island group off the coast of Africa. They stand out for their volcanic islands with generally sunny weather. They have the standard European bollard with an orange rectangle inside the black section- similar to Portugal’s bollards.  The Canary Islands stand out for their volcanic rocks, blue skies and steep drops into the ocean.  This type of bollard with the typical European white and black style enclosing an orange rectangle is found in the Canary Islands. Similar looking bollards are also found rarely in Portugal. ### Andorra The tiny landlocked country of Andorra, that is wedged in between Spain and France, is a favourite in Battle Royale mode. It is normally fairly easy to identify thanks to its unique look. Most of the time in Andorra, you will be placed on roads in the bottom of valleys with mountains rising up around you. The mountains are normally a mixture of trees and rocks. Andorran buildings are normally multi-storey and look rather nice. Often they are made of stones compressed together. Andorran license plates are less elongated than standard European plates and lack the European blue vertical stripe. Instead, they have an orange blob on their left. Standard European plates are also often found in Andorra.  Andorran locations are mainly at the bottom of a valley with mountains rising up around you. The mountains are a blend of trees and rocks. The roads look well-maintained.  Buildings in Andorra are typically multi-storey, affluent looking and often made of stones compressed together. This unique, stone building style is how I identify Andorra.  Andorran license plates are less elongated than typical European plates. They also lack the blue vertical stripe of standard European plates. The left side of Andorran plates feature an orange blotch. It should be noted that some European plates venture into Andorra.  These tall and distinctively coloured snow marker poles line many roads in Andorra. ### Gibraltar Gibraltar doesn’t feature on Battle Royale. Gibraltar is a British overseas territory situated by the southern tip of the Spanish section of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar’s Street View car has an antenna stemming from its rear. What is unique about this antenna is its white tip that resembles a magic wand. Gibraltar has the same license plates as the UK with a yellow rear plate and white front plate. Cars drive on the right in Gibraltar unlike the UK. English is used in Gibraltar. The limestone monolith known as the Rock of Gibraltar is a dominant feature in the territory. The landscape is also notable for the sea which acts as a gateway into the Mediterranean. The buildings in Gibraltar are typically tall and either beige or white in colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gi-aerial.png) Gibraltar is easily recognisable thanks to the Street View car’s antenna having a white end. It looks somewhat like a magic wand. You will seldom see this aerial outside of Gibraltar. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gi-plates.png) Vehicles in Gibraltar mainly feature yellow rear plates and white front plates- the same style as UK plates. Sometimes you will see standard European plates in Gibraltar thanks to its proximity to Spain. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gi-mopeds.png) Mopeds are particularly common in Gibraltar. Vehicles drive on the right in Gibraltar which contrasts the UK where vehicles drive on the left. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/rog.png) The steep limestone monolith that is the Rock of Gibraltar stands out in the territory of Gibraltar. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gi-steep.png) A reasonable portion of Gibraltar’s landscape consists of steep and narrow roads. The territory of Gibraltar skirts the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and the sea is often visible. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gi-land.png) Buildings in Gibraltar are typically white or beige in colour. They are generally multi-story with high rise buildings being particularly common. ### France There are several different things to look out for to determine that you are in France. One of these primary things is French brand cars. The French roads are full of Renault, Citroen and Peugeot. If you spot a few cars featuring any of these three logos then there is a good chance you are in France. Another key giveaway for France is the French language. The French language is easy to identify because well…it sounds French. If you say the words you see out aloud and it sounds like French then it probably is. Visually, the French letters include the ç (also found in Portuguese), ë, è, é, ï and à. France stands out in Europe for its uniquely shaped bollards. These are cylindrical shaped, white in colour and have a red or gray reflector stripe going around them. They are a different shape to typical European bollards. France also uses the unique department signs that are a yellow rectangle enclosing the letter ‘D’ followed by a number. The French road numbering system is rather cumbersome but seeing these small, yellow rectangles ensures that you are in France. French roads are also distinct from the rest of Europe. Firstly, they tend to be better maintained than those found in Eastern Europe. Secondly, they often have rather long white dashes on their sides. Some Nordic countries also have white side dashes but the French dashes stand out because they are extra long. There are a few more clues that help out in France. The word ‘rue’ means ‘street’ and you will often find this word on metropolitan street signs. France has standard, European license plates that typically don’t help identify the country however some parts of France such as chunks of the south still have the outdated generation 2 Street View camera images. As a result, you may see the now outdated yellow, rear French license plates in the odd instance. The French landscape is rather diverse however many rural locations have a narrow road surrounded by greenish fields. If I see green, European fields in GeoGuessr (in the absence of other clues), then by default I tend to guess Poland. My second choice in this scenario is France. The French landscape has a Mediterranean vibe in the south and a distinctly different mountainous feel in the eastern Alps. If you are a French person reading this, then I must say “Where is Brian?” “Brian is in the kitchen”.  One of the best ways to identify France is by looking for French car brands. The above image shows the Renault logo.  Citroen cars are another common French car brand. The above logo is the Citroen logo.  France has many license plates that have a thick blue stripe on the left and a rather narrow blue stripe on the right. Albania and Italy have similar plates however Albania and Italy have thick stripes on both sides of the plate.  The French language is my favourite language in the world as each sentence sounds like poetry. As well as France, French in Europe is spoken in western Switzerland and southern Belgium. It’s also fairly easy to identify if you read the words aloud and they sound French. Letters include the ç (also found in Portuguese), ë, è, é, ï and à.  There are two types of French bollard, both are the same distinct shape and different from typical European bollard shapes. This is the first type with a gray reflector strip running around it.  This is the second type of French bollard. It has a red reflector strip running around it. Like the first type of French bollard, it has a unique shape, different from standard European bollards. Note: Scotland very occasionally has bollards that look similar to this French red and white bollard; however, Scottish bollards are wider.  This is one version of French utility pole. Note that there are no holes but rather indents. Spain can have similar utility poles that are whiter in colour.  This is another fairly common French utility pole. The concrete pole has holes in it. Romania, Hungary and Poland have holes in their poles however these countries have less holes than French utility poles. Turkey can also have holes in their metal utility poles.  Some wooden French utility poles have a small, blue rectangular shape on them.  French towns typically consist of two-storey buildings made out of visible stone. The buildings virtually join one another and are built right on the edge of the footpath.  Minor roads in France are known as ‘D’ roads (departmental roads). They are denoted by the letter ‘D’ and a number inside a yellow rectangle. If you want to learn the D road numbering system- don’t! It is insanely complicated and illogical.  Many French roads have these very long, white dashes along both sides of the road. Nowhere else in Europe has such long side dashes as French dashes. In rare cases, France has shorter dashes on the sides of the road.  The word ‘rue’ translates from French to English as ‘street’. On metropolitan street corners, it’s standard to see the word ‘rue’ on signs.  The most common French license plates you see will be the standard European plate, which isn’t particularly useful for GeoGuessr purposes.  Parts of southern France are still covered by the generation 2 Street View camera. As a result, you may rarely see the odd yellow license plates on the rears of some French cars.  France is a diverse looking country. It has many grass fields and after Poland is the second country I will guess if I see a European grass field without other clues. France is a country with a neat cycling race and a neat division of telephone number prefixes. If you spot a phone number in France (often listed on businesses) starting with certain numbers, you can narrow down where you are in the country. The area around Paris has a 01 prefix, the north-west corner has 02, the north-east corner has 03, the south east corner has 04 and the south-west corner has 05. 06 and 07 prefixes don’t indicate some obscure French region that doesn’t make its way onto maps but rather mobile numbers. The below map should be fairly easy to remember- starting in the north-west quadrant with 02 and working clockwise by quadrant until 05.  The above map shows telephone prefixes for France. For example, if you spot 03 at the start of a phone number in France, you are in the north-east quadrant of the country. (Source: Babsy, Wikipedia)  This map indicates the French secondary department phone area codes. If the first two digits of a French phone number are visible (eg 01, 02, 03, 04 or 05) you can work out what quadrant of the country you are situated in based on the map above this one. The two digits following 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 provide you with the specific department you are situated in (as seen in this map). For example, if you see a French phone number beginning with (02) 98, you know you are in Brest, in the north-western corner of France. If you see a number (04) 95, you know you are in the northern half of Corsica. (Source: I don’t know who made this amazing map but if you know please tell me so I can credit them).  Based on the above two phone area code maps, if you see the above phone number you can tell you are in the south-eastern quadrant of France thanks to the (04) first two digits. You can also tell you are specifically in the Lyon region thanks to the 72 third and fourth digits. If you are in France and notice bilingual road signs, you are likely in Brittany: the North-Western region of France or on the island of Corsica. Some towns in Alsace, a region in North-Eastern France, have bilingual road signs as does Basque Country.  The French region of Brittany in north-western France has bilingual road signs featuring both French and Breton.  The bilingual road signs indicate the French region of Brittany. Houses in the French western region of Brittany are distinct and are white with black roofs.  Houses in Brittany, a western region of France, are coloured white with dark roofs. Three French cities are divided into ‘arrondissement’ or districts- Paris, Lyon and Marseille. A number followed by ‘arr’ is visible on most street signs in these cities (eg. 12 ^th arr). If you look at the GeoGuessr map at the right zoom level, arr are visible on the map.  Street signs in Paris will typically have a number followed by ‘Arr’ on them. In this example 15th Arr is displayed. ‘Arr’ means arrondissement which is the equivalent of a district. Paris is divided into 20 arrondissement and these appear on the map.  If you zoom in the correct distance on the map, the 20 arrondissement in Paris are visible. The street sign in the image above this one shows that we are in the 15th arr. We can see the 15th arr above.  As well as Paris, Lyon and Marseilles are also divided into arrondissement. In this example we are in the 3rd Arr in Lyon. We can zoom into the map of Lyon and find the 3rd arrondissement.  A street sign from Marseille. Notice ’14th Arr’ on the top of the sign. This indicates that we are in the 14th arrondissement of Marseille which we can find on the map. The below map shows where French towns with certain names can be found. For example if you see the French town of ‘Frignicourt’ you can examine the below map and notice that French towns ending in ‘ourt’ are found in the north-north-east of France. In addition to those mentioned below, French towns ending in ‘-heim’ are likely to be in the east of France, closer to Germany. French towns ending in ‘-az’ are likely to be found in the French alps, typically around Annecy.  A map showing where the names of different French towns are distributed throughout France. Some notes: ‘Commence par’ means ‘starts with’, ‘Fini end’ means ‘ends with’ and ‘Contient’ means ‘contains’. (Source: Clement Bouchere).  Many towns in France are situated on a river and this is reflected in their name. In these instances, the town will be called ‘name s/ river’ or ‘name sur river’. In the above example, the town is called Cosne S/ Loire. This means we need to look along the Loire River for the town. The French island of Corsica has a Mediterranean feel and the middle of the island has mountains. Many roads on Corsica have short, white dashed lines along the sides of the road. There are a reasonable percentage of yellow, rear license plates on Corsica.  The French island of Corsica often has shorter, white dashes on the sides of the road. It also has mountains in the centre of the island and a Mediterranean feel elsewhere.  Many rear license plates in Corsica are yellow with the vertical, blue left stripe of the standard European plates. *Additional resources to region guess in* *France* - [France’s departements and other stuff.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1H9OMVjgmyLuUD9zcoA9nhfOz4Mrf6C-ydjXFImOd22w/edit#gid=0) (This includes: departements, a sticker cheat sheet, area codes, rivers that share a part of a departement, a wine map, regional metas and general French metas) by Bullfrogggy. - [A number of maps showing where French town suffixes are distributed throughout France](https://imgur.com/a/blfQT3m) by TontonNestor. ### Belgium The easiest way for me to identify Belgium is via its license plates. These have red lettering on them which shows up on Street View as a faint, yet distinctly recognisable red blur. Belgium plates also have the blue vertical stripe that is common on European plates however on some occasions, this is found on the right side of Belgium plates. No other countries have this widespread combination of a red blur on European plates making it a good way to identify Belgium. Belgium cities typically have their name on every street sign. This is normally in smaller writing than the street name. Belgium has its northern section as Flemish (Dutch speakers) whilst its southern section speak French. Very tiny parts of its eastern flank speak German. Belgium houses have an older, sturdy look to them. They are often made out of bricks that are all visible on the exterior. In rural areas, the Belgium landscape consists of grass fields. There are so many different types of bollards used in Belgium, it’s probably not worth memorising them all. Belgium roads are well-maintained and sometimes have cycling paths running alongside them.  The easiest way to identify Belgium is via its license plates. Belgium has the standard European plates with a unique red lettering. This appears as a faint red blur on Street View. Sometimes the blue vertical line of the European plates appears on the right of Belgium license plate instead of the regular left.  In Belgium cities, it is common to have the city’s name on street signs. In the above example, the city name ‘Liege’ is written on the street sign.  A map showing which language is spoken where in Belgium. Gold= Flemish (Dutch), Red= French and Blue=German. (Source: Vascer, Knorck, Wikipedia).  Many houses in Belgium have an older look to them. Houses with a visible brick exterior are a common sight in Belgium. Most of these houses have slanted roofs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/belgium-pole1-1.png) This is the most common type of Belgian utility pole. It is square shaped and contains small holes running up it- much like the Thai utility poles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/belgium-pole2-1.png) This is the second most common type of Belgian utility pole. It contains oval shaped hole section. This pole is also occasionally found in France.  The rear of certain types of signs in Belgium (some circular and some rectangular) are coloured this distinctive orange colour.  Approximately 1/3rd of the time in Belgium, I experience generation 2 Street View coverage, featuring the circular blur underneath, inferior image quality and halo around the sun. Very rarely in Belgium (in non generation 2 coverage) you will see a red car beneath you. The red car is much more common in Ukraine.  Belgium has well-maintained roads and sometimes the roads will have bike paths running alongside them. The rural parts of Belgium often consist of fields. ### The Netherlands Identifying the Netherlands is particularly easy in GeoGuessr thanks to the Netherlands having both yellow front and rear plates. The plates also have the standard, vertical, blue European stripe on the left. The only other license plates to resemble the Netherlands are Luxembourg and Israel. Luxembourg is much more undulating than the Netherlands and Israel has a vastly different landscape. It’s important not to confuse Dutch license plates with those from the U.K. which have yellow rear plates but white front plates. The Dutch landscape has many narrow paths that are often tree-lined. It is also arguably the most bike friendly country on earth. This is reflected in its bike lanes, visible bikes and red and white directional signs specifically for cyclists. The Netherlands is remarkably flat, has well-maintained roads and features many canals and waterways. It also has blue directional arrow signs with white lettering for motorists. These signs appear at many intersections and provide distances and directions to the nearest towns and cities, providing valuable information for pinpointing your precise location. The Dutch language is only spoken in three locations in the GeoGuessr realm- the island of Curaçao, northern Belgium and right across the Netherlands. It is a very distinct language characterised by many letter z’s and w’s. Double letters also appear frequently in the language such as ‘ee’. Another common Dutch letter combination is ‘ij’. English also appears across the Netherlands, mainly on shop signs and some advertisements. The Netherlands has several different looking bollards however the most common is a white post with an elongated red, vertical rectangle encased near the top of the post. This looks similar to the bollards of Turkey and Australia however the Dutch bollards feature a more elongated rectangle than Turkey and Australia. Dutch street names provide a further clue into the Netherlands location. ‘Weg’ means road in Dutch and ‘Straat’ translates as ‘street’. These suffixes particularly appear at the end of many road and street names. The Netherlands often has townhouses that have some similarity to UK townhouses such as being monochromatic coloured. Dutch townhouses and apartments typically have either flat roofs or really steep roofs. The Netherlands also has another visual oddity: The Dutch islands south west of Rotterdam that are connected to the Netherlands via road bridges largely have dashed white lines on the sides of their roads- one of the few non-Nordic places in Europe to have this look.  License plates in the Netherlands are the easiest way to identify the country. Both front and back plates are yellow with the blue, vertical, European stripe appearing on the left. Plates from Luxembourg and Israel look the same as the Netherlands. The Netherlands’ landscape looks flatter than Luxembourg and vastly different to Israel.  The Dutch language appears across the Netherlands. It can often be recognised due to an abundance of ‘z’ and ‘w’ letters as well as double letters such as ‘ee’. The letters ‘i’ and ‘j’ also commonly appear together as ‘ij.’  English words often appear on shop signs in the Netherlands.  Townhouses are the most common form of abode in the Netherlands. Many townhouses have flat roofs.  Other Dutch townhouses are notorious for their steep roofs.  The Netherlands stands out for its lack of utility poles. The entire country seemingly has their wires underground. Only street lights line the streets.  In Dutch, the ‘weg’ suffix means ‘road’ and the ‘straat’ suffix means ‘street’.  Islands in the Netherlands situated south-west of Rotterdam tend to have dashed white lines along the sides of their roads. These dashed lines can also be found on smaller N roads. Dashed lines in the Netherlands indicate a maximum speed limit of 80km/h.  Narrow, well-maintained paths are a common sight in the Netherlands. They are often tree-lined.  A few types of bollards are visible in the Netherlands. This type is the most commonly seen. Similar looking bollards are also in Turkey and Australia although these countries have a less elongated red rectangle.  In the Netherlands, it is common to see these blue arrow signs with white lettering. They point to the nearest town or city and make pinpointing much easier.  Red and white coloured signs provide directions for cyclists in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is arguably the most cyclist friendly country in the world. There are many bike paths, cyclists and cyclist directional signs to be seen.  Canals and waterways are a common sight in the Netherlands. The entire country is flat and it is rare to see anything resembling an incline across the country, ### Luxembourg Luxembourg is one of the easier countries to recognise in GeoGuessr thanks to the country using yellow, rear and front license plates. The plates also feature the standard blue, vertical, European stripe on the left. The only other countries to use similar looking plates to Luxembourg are the Netherlands (which is virtually an entirely flat country, contrasting Luxembourg) and Israel which looks vastly different. The U.K. also has similar looking yellow plates but these are only positioned on the rear of U.K. vehicles with the front U.K. plates being white coloured. The Luxembourg landscape is almost always undulating and consists of typically a gentle slope. There are many green grass fields around Luxembourg. The Luxembourg bollards are rather generic looking so may not be too useful however they are white and have a diagonal black stripe. On the front of the bollards (in the black section) is a vertical, white rectangle and on the back of the bollards (also in the black section) are two white circles. A reasonable portion of Luxembourg is covered by the rare generation 2 Street View camera. This can be recognised as if you pan down, you will see a blurred circle. If you look up, you may see a halo around the sun. Also, this camera captures images as bright looking so it can often be immediately recognised. Recently, generation 4 was coverage was added for signficant parts of Luxembourg. The country has three languages- Luxembourgish, German and French.  Luxembourg stands out for its yellow front and rear license plates. They also feature the standard European vertical blue stripe on the left. Luxembourg plates look the same as the Netherlands and Israel. Luxembourg has undulating terrain distinguishing it from the Netherlands and it has a vastly different landscape to Israel.  Across most of Luxembourg, the country has undulating terrain. This is rarely steep and often consists of gentle slopes. It is rare to see much dead-flat land in Luxembourg (something that the Netherlands has a lot of). Much of the Luxembourg landscape consists of green grass fields.  Around 1/3rd of Luxembourg is covered by the rare generation 2 Street View camera. This means a blurry circle is visible if you pan down, a halo is often visible around the sun and the imagery consists of much more vivid colours than the other camera generations. 2/3rds of Luxembourg has generation 4 coverage.  This is the front of a Luxembourg bollard. These bollards are identical to German bollards, except for one subtle difference. Luxembourg bollards have three bolts on the silver section of the bollard, whereas German bollards have two bolts.  This is the back (also rather generic) view of Luxembourg bollards. ### Italy The easiest way to identify Italy is via the license plates. Italian front and rear plates have vertical blue stripes on both the left and right side of the plate. There is only one other country with these plates- Albania. Albania generally looks poorer than Italy. Another way to distinguish the countries immediately is that the Street View car’s antenna should be visible in Albania and generally not visible in Italy. There are many other mechanisms by which to recognise Italy in GeoGuessr. The Italian language is spoken right across Italy (as well as southern Switzerland) and it easily identifiable. Most words in Italian end in a vowel- in some instances, every word in a sentence will end in a vowel. This is rare in most other languages. Like the other Mediterranean countries, Italy has a specific southern European feel across most of the country. This includes warm weather, dry landscapes and white buildings with terracotta roofs. Almost the entire country consists of rolling hills or at least non-flat land with mountains to be found in the north. Another aspect to look for in Italy is the bollards. These are white coloured posts with a black diagonal strip that envelops the top of the post. Many other countries have similar bollards to Italy however these other bollards don’t have the black section extending to the top of the post. Italian bollard fronts contain a red rectangle. The only other country with identical bollards to Italy is Albania. Italian towns and cities have street signs often appearing on corners and intersections. These regularly feature the word ‘VIA’ which translates from Italian to English as ‘street’. Italy also has a large percentage of Fiat cars on the roads.  The easiest way to recognise Italy is via its license plates. Italy is one of only two countries in the world to have blue vertical stripes on both sides of the plate. This applies to both the front and rear plates. The other country with similar looking plates is Albania. Distinguishing the countries is easy. Italy seldom has the Street View car’s aerial as visible whilst in Albania you should see the car’s aerial.  Fiat cars are a common sight in Italy.  Italian is spoken across Italy and in southern Switzerland. Italian can be recognised as most of its words end in a vowel. In some cases, every single word in Italian sentences ends in a vowel.  These abundant signs in Italy, with the words ‘Passo carrabile’ on them often have the name of the city (commune) on them at the top. In this example, we have Commune di Firenze (Florence)  Italy has a diverse landscape. Most of the country has a dry, Mediterranean feel. Rolling hills are also common throughout the country.  The most common Italian bollard has a front that features a vertical, red rectangle inside a black, diagonal strip. Note that the black part goes to the top of the bollard- this is rare in bollard world. Albanian bollards look similar however bollards are rare in Albania.  The back of Italian bollards.  In Italian towns and cities, the street signs often have the word ‘VIA’ on them. This translates to English as ‘street’.  Directional arrows that point to Italian towns are blue with a white end. These arrows look relatively similar to the Czechia town directional arrows however they are distinct. Italy also has a useful telephone prefix system. This is perhaps the only time in my life I can use my Primary School Italian lessons that involved years of learning to count from 1 to 10. Standard phone numbers in Italy begin with a 0 and range from 01 (uno) to 09 (nove). 01 numbers are in the north-west of the country and the numbers gradually increase to 09 in the south of the country. Italian mobile numbers are less useful and start with the digits 3 (tre) and 10 (dieci). It turns out that my Italian counting knowledge wasn’t that useful after all.  Italian phone prefixes. The numbers gradually increase from 01 in the north-west of the country to 09 in the south of the country. Note that mobiles in Italy start with a 3 or a 10. (Source: Maximilian Dörrbecker, Wikipedia). The Italian island of Sardinia (also known as Sardegna) is rather hilly and has a similar dry feel to most of Italy. The bollards on Sardinia have a black section that extends all the way to the top of the bollard- like mainland Italy.  The Italian island of Sardinia (Sardegna) has a Mediterranean feel. The island is rather hilly,  The island of Sardinia (Sardegna) has similar bollards to mainland Italy however the rectangle is orange in colour.  This is the rear of the bollards on Sardinia (Sardegna). The Italian island of Sicily is full of twisting roads and is also hilly. Like Italy and Sardinia, the bollards have the black section extending to the top of the post however something resembling more of an orange or red square shape is found in the black section.  The Sicilian landscape is also rather hilly with twisting roads and a Mediterranean feel.  This is the type of bollard found on Sicily. Note that the rectangle can be orange or red in colour.  The back of Sicilian bollards. ### San Marino San Marino is its own microstate landlocked in the north-central part of Italy. It is very hilly and features plain, white license plates with a slight blue tinge.  San Marino has many license plates that are white with a slight blue tinge, as pictured. These plates lack the blue vertical stripe of Europe. A number of Italian license plates can also be seen in San Marino. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sm-crossing.png) One of the best ways to identify San Marino and tell it apart from Italy is to look for these pedestrian crossings that feature blue and white markings on the road and often a middle metal pole splitting into two. Italy only rarely have these crossings and if they do, they lack the unique pole splitting into two that holds the pedestrian crossing signs.  The San Marino landscape feels colder and less Mediterranean than much of Italy. It is also very hilly. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sm-chevron.png) The chevron in San Marino feature yellow backgrounds and red arrows. This contrasts the black and white chevron of Italy.  San Marino has a large number of these light-green coloured bins. Bins in San Marino often have a waves logo on them, like the green and blue waves on the bin pictured above. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/rsm.png) Somewhere on the rear of around 10% of cars in San Marino will be a white oval sticker containing the letters RSM standing for Repubblica di San Marino. In most instance the letters will be blurred and you will just see a white oval. ### Norway I am now going to go through the Nordic countries. This covers- Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. These countries are all rather cold looking (with Denmark being less so). These countries also commonly have wooden houses that are often painted a distinct, reddish-brown colour. Norway stands out amongst the Nordic countries for its landscape. The defining feature of Norway’s landscape is its undulating and mountainous terrain. It is rare to find a completely flat section of Norwegian land throughout the entire country. Some of Norway has gentle and subtle slopes however much of the country is mountainous. There are more likely to be rocky mountains found in the south of the country. Much of the Norwegian-Swedish border is also mountainous hence some of these mountains seep into Sweden. The rest of the Nordic world is largely void of mountains. Finland is largely flat as is Sweden. Denmark is very flat whilst Iceland has some mountains (often in the distance) but much of the country is flat, especially where Street View covers. Nonetheless, Norway looks vastly different from Iceland and generally has many more trees and slopes. Another key factor when considering Norway is to look at the roads. Norway has three fairly distinct road types. Firstly, roads with yellow lines in the middle and white side lines are common in Norway. Secondly, roads with white dashes on the sides are regularly seen in Norway. They are found in other Nordic areas so there is an easy way to tell if they are the Norwegian- The lines are longer than the gaps between the lines. Other Nordic countries have the gaps as longer than the lines. The third type of distinctive Norwegian road are narrow roads that are winding. The next key thing to look for in Norway are warning signs. Norwegian warning signs have the standard European triangle with a red border and white filling. These however are rare in the Nordic countries making it a great way to tell that you are in Norway. Iceland, Finland and Sweden have warning signs with a yellow filling. Denmark has the same warning signs as Norway but its landscape is vastly different and dead-flat. If you pan down in most of Norway, you should see some semblance of the blue Street View car. This can sometimes be hard to see however it’s visible across most of the country. Denmark has the same blue Street View car visible. Norway uses the suffix ‘…vei’ or ‘…veien’ on its street signs indicating the word ‘road’. Norwegian directional signs are yellow with black lettering. This contrasts the rest of the Nordic world except for Iceland which also uses yellow directional signs. Finally, Norwegian is similar to the other Nordic languages. One thing to look for to identify Norwegian is the symbol ø which occurs fairly frequently. This symbol also features in Danish. The Norwegian highway system is explained in detail in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section further up this article.  Houses of this distinct reddish-brown colour are a common sight in the Nordic countries  Virtually the entire country of Norway is undulating, hilly or mountainous. This contrasts the other Nordic countries which are in general flat. Iceland can have some mountains but the majority of the Street View coverage is flat. Also, Iceland typically has much less vegetation than Norway.  The far north of Norway stands out for its low-lying and patchy vegetation.  In general, the further south you travel in Norway correlates with thicker vegetation, more vegetation, taller vegetation and less birch trees. This image is from southern Norway.  Norway has two common types of road markings. The first is yellow centre lines and white side lines.  The second type of Norwegian road marking is the dashed white lines on the side of the road. Other countries also have this however Norway’s dashed lines stand out as the lines themselves are longer than the gap between the lines.  Narrow roads that are winding are more common in Norway than the other Nordic countries.  Norway has unique warning signs compared to the other Nordic countries (but normal European signs). These warning signs feature a triangle with a red outline and white colouring. From the Nordic countries only Denmark has the same warning signs as Norway. Iceland, Finland and Sweden have yellow colouring rather than white on their warning signs.  Norway uses wooden, circular utility poles. Sweden and Finland also uses these poles, as do many other countries around the world.  In most (but not all) of Norway, if you pan down, you will see some semblance of a blue car. Denmark also has this blue car across most of the country.  Norway uses ‘…vei’ or ‘…veien’ on their street signs indicating ‘road’.  Norway uses yellow directional signs. This contrasts the blue and white of Swedish and Finnish signs and the red and white of Danish signs. Iceland has similar looking directional signs to Norway. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/norway-signs-2.png) Signs in the north of Norway are often written in both Norwegian and Sami. In areas near the Norwegian-Finnish border, signs typically house both Norwegian and Finnish.  In Norway, commercial vehicles use green license plates.  The Nordic languages are rather similar with fairly subtle differences. One of the easiest ways to identify Norwegian is to look for the ø symbol. This appears fairly commonly in Norwegian and also only occurs in Danish. ### Svalbard Svalbard doesn’t feature in Battle Royale. Svalbard is a Norwegian owned archipelago situated north of Norway. It is an island group characterised by barren, black mountains. There are a sprinkling of houses in Svalbard that tend to be wooden and painted bright colours. If you pan down in Svalbard on land, you will most commonly see a small vehicle’s side view mirror. Some Battle Royale, Country Battle players will intentionally select Svalbard on the map when the location is Norway. This is in order to mislead other players as a Norwegian flag will appear when Svalbard is selected.  Svalbard is an archipelago owned by Norway that is situated part way between Norway and the North Pole. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svalbard-location.png) [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svalbard-coverage.png) There is very little Street View coverage on Svalbard. There is some boat coverage off the north-western coast however land coverage tends to be in small, autonomous sections. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svalbard-meta.png) If you pan down in Svalbard, most of the time you will see the small Street View vehicle’s side view mirror. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svalbard-boat.png) Svalbard has some boat coverage, mainly off the north-western coast. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svalbard-landscape.png) Svalbard’s landscape is very barren. There are always dark coloured mountains visible that are void of flora. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svalbard-houses.png) Houses in Svalbard are made of wood and come in a range of bright colours. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/svalbard-plate.png) Although there are few vehicles in Svalbard, they have this distinctive license plate that is a mixture of gold and black. ### Sweden One of the best ways to distinguish Sweden from the other Nordic countries is via its roads. Sweden often has white dashes on the sides of its roads. These dashes are different from the Norwegian dashes as they are shorter than the space between the dashes. Swedish road paint is typically white which contrasts Finnish and Norwegian roads which sometimes feature yellow road paint. Swedish roads are typically wider than standard Norwegian and Finnish roads. Another defining feature of Sweden is its warning signs. These are triangular shaped with a red border and yellow shading. The only other European countries to have similar warning signs are Finland, Greece, North Macedonia and Iceland. Poland has similar looking signs but they have a thin red outline as opposed to the thick red outline of the aforementioned countries. Sweden also has the same colour scheme for its circular speed limit signs- a red outline and yellow filling. The Swedish landscape is generally flat with some gradual undulations. The Swedish-Norwegian border is home to mountains but the rest of the country is largely void of sharp rises. Like both Norway and Finland, Sweden has thick vegetation. The country uses generic looking black and white European bollards and these occur quite frequently. Swedish street signs often end in the suffixes ‘…gatan’ and ‘…vägen’. Swedish directional signs are blue with white lettering- the same type used in Finland but different to the other Nordic countries. The Swedish language has three letters that occur in few other languages. These are ä, ö and å. Finnish has similar letters but has many double letters in words- something that Sweden typically lacks. The Swedish highway system is explained in detail in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section further up this article.  Sweden commonly has white dashed side lines and a white centre line. The Swedish dashes on the sides of the road have the gap between the dashes as longer than the dashes themselves. This contrasts Norway’s side dashes in which the dashes are longer than the gaps.  Sweden is one of only a few countries in Europe to have this type of warning sign. It is triangular, has a thick red border and yellow colouring. Finland, Greece, North Macedonia and Iceland are the other European countries that have the same warning sign. Poland has similar looking warning signs with a very thin red border.  Swedish Speed limits are also written in a circle with the same colour system as their warning signs.  The Swedish landscape is much flatter than Norway’s landscape (other than the Sweden-Norway border which is mountainous). Like Finland and Norway, the country has thick vegetation. The Swedish roads are typically fairly wide and commonly have some form of white centre line.  A typical scene from a Swedish town. Note the brownish-red houses, the warning and speed signs with a red border and yellow filling and thick vegetation in the distance where the town ends.  Sweden mainly has fairly generic European bollards. Bollards are a regular sight in Sweden.  The back of Swedish bollards.  Sweden uses wooden, circular utility poles. Norway, Finland and a number of other countries also use these poles.  Swedish street signs end in the suffixes ‘…gatan’ and ‘…vägen’.  Swedish directional signs are blue coloured with white writing. These are the same colours as the Finnish directional signs. The other Nordic countries have different coloured directional signs to Sweden.  It is often possible to work out where in Sweden you are located, just from the town name. For example, towns ending in ‘…vaara’ are most common in northern Sweden. (Image source: [Xseros](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/906267049016328223/910710857988718652/4ot8bj1vgm171.png))  The Swedish language has ‘eyes’ (two small dots) over the a and o sometimes: ä and ö. The letter ‘a’ also sometimes has a circle above it: å. Finnish has similar letters but stands out for its glut of double letters- something Swedish largely lacks. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Sweden* - A [21 page guide to Swedish islands](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RSZVBrrQmHqyjx51WvaLODiwdVmbCTBxGxyYqJVdI_4/edit) by KiribatiForLife. - [Bus signs of Sweden](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gelvt6Dq9cadKlPlkLXYcEnuIGI_iY2JlFkAKKLlVaw/edit#gid=0) by Siggestaexs ### Finland Finland has unique road markings that can make it identifiable from the other Nordic countries. On marked roads, Finland inevitably has white continuous side lines. In combination with this it often has centre yellow lines concurrently with centre white dashed lines. The alternative Finnish markings are the white continuous side lines with two yellow, continuous centre lines. Contrasting the other Nordic countries, it doesn’t have dashed lines on the edges of its roads. If I am ever in a Nordic country on a dirt or gravel road, I will always guess Finland. Finland uses the warning signs that are fairly rare across Europe. These entail a triangle with a thick red border and yellow filling. The other European countries to use these signs are: Sweden, Iceland, Greece and North Macedonia. Finland also uses the same red border and yellow filling colouring scheme for its circular speed limit signs. Sweden and Iceland also use this colouring scheme for speed limit signs. The Finnish landscape is generally flat. There are often birch trees lining the sides of the road in Finland and indeed these trees seem slightly more common here than in Norway or Sweden. As a general rule with these three countries, the further north you travel, the thicker the density of birch trees. I find that Finland also has a bit more of a wintery feel on average than Sweden. Finnish bollards are another good way of identifying the country. These bollards are either cylindrical or appear curved. This contrasts the normal European bollard shape. The Finnish bollards’ colours are black and white and they look like generic European bollard colours. If you see Finnish street names, they are most likely to end in one of two suffixes: ‘..katu’ and ‘…ntie’. Directional signs in Finland are either blue, like Sweden or green. The Finnish language stands out for its abundant use of double letters. Many words on signs will have double letters and this contrasts the other Nordic languages. It should be noted that the Estonian language also has many double letters. The Finnish highway system is explained in detail in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section further up this article.  Finnish road lines typically have white side lines and some form of yellow centre line with a secondary centre line. In this example, the secondary centre line is also yellow.  In this example, Finland has its standard white side lines and yellow centre line but it also concurrently has a white dashed centre line.  If you are in a Nordic country and see a dirt or gravel road, you are likely in Finland.  Finland uses warning signs that are triangular with a red outline and yellow filling. Across Europe, the same signs are used in Sweden, Iceland, Greece and North Macedonia.  Finland has these circular speed limit signs with a red border and yellow filling. Sweden and Iceland also have these signs.  Finland is generally a fairly flat country. If you see birch trees (the white coloured ones) on the side of the road, you are likely in a Nordic country. Finland seems to have more birch trees than Sweden and Norway. The further north you travel, the thicker the density of birch trees. I find that Finland feels a bit more wintery than Sweden in general.  A reasonable amount of Finland was captured with the generation 2 Street View camera. As a result, you may see a circular blur beneath you, a halo around the sun, more vivid colours and slightly worse image quality. Recently, some generation 4 coverage was added to Finland.  The other most common thing to see if you pan down in Finland is this blurred car with jagged edges. This car is also very common in the Baltic countries and Croatia.  Finnish bollards are either cylindrical or look cylindrical from the front. This cylindrical shape isn’t shared by the bollards of the other Nordic countries. Otherwise, Finnish bollards look like fairly generic, black and white, European bollards. Estonian bollards look the same as Finnish bollards  Finland uses wooden, circular utility poles. Norway, Sweden and a number of other countries around the world also use these poles.  Finnish street name suffixes are most commonly ‘..katu’ and ‘…ntie’  Finnish directional signs are blue or green coloured. Sweden also has blue directional signs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/finnish-signs.png) The south-western section of Finland often features road and directional signs with both Finnish and Swedish.  The Aland Islands situated between Finland and Sweden and belonging to Finland have roads with short dashes on the side- Sweden style. The roads also have a reddish tinge to them.  The Finnish language stands out from the other Nordic languages for its abundance of double letters. Estonian also has many double letters. ### Denmark One of the easiest ways to identify Denmark is via its road markings. These most commonly feature tiny, white squares along the sides of the road. If you are looking straight ahead, you may mistake these tiny squares for a continuous line however by panning down or looking lower you can distinctly see that they are tiny squares. Other Danish road markings exist including long white dashes on the sides of the road which have the smallest gap imaginable between them. Across the majority of Denmark, you will see some semblance of the blue Street View car although this can sometimes be challenging to see. On other occasions you will see the antenna on the back of the Street View car as opposed to the blueness. Denmark’s bollards are another quintessentially Danish convention. They consist of white posts with a distinct yellow quadrilateral on the front. Danish directional signs are another way to identify the country. These contrast the other directional signs across Europe and feature the colours on the Danish flag- red and white. There are lower versions of these signs that retain the same colours. These often appear at intersections and point the way to the nearest town, providing useful help in pinpointing your precise location. Denmark has standard European warning signs- triangular with a thick red outline and white interior. These contrasts the yellow interior of Finnish, Norwegian and Icelandic signs. Danish street/road signs will often end in the suffixes of ‘…vej’ and ‘gade’. Denmark’s landscape is very flat. There are many fields in Denmark and these often contain dry grass. The Danish landscape has a much warmer feel than the other Nordic countries and it features less vegetation than Norway, Sweden and Finland. It also features a different type of vegetation- more bush and less birch-style trees. Denmark uses the standard European style plates: white with the blue vertical stripe however their commercial vehicles use yellow license plates. I view the Danish language as a mixture between the other Nordic languages with a bit of a Dutch and German feel to it.  Most marked roads in Denmark will have small dashes along the sides.  A close-up view of Denmark’s most common roads markings.  There are other road markings in Denmark and these all tend to be rarer and consist of various white lines. In the above example, the road consists of very long, side dashes with a tiny gap.  Across the majority of Denmark (but not the whole country) you will see some semblance of a blue Street View car if you pan down. On some occasions you will see an antenna instead of the blue car.  This is what the front of bollards in Denmark look like. They are a unique looking bollard and occur abundantly throughout the country.  This is what the back of Denmark’s bollards look like. Note that the orange fluorescent stripe at the top of the bollard (both front and back) only occurs sometimes.  Danish directional signs have a unique blend of white background and red writing. If you see this colour scheme, you are in Denmark.  These low red and white directional signs are a key giveaway that you are in Denmark. They are also useful for pinpointing. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/danish-signs.png) Danish directional signs are often blue and white and in the same style as the red and white directional signs.  In Denmark, warning signs are a triangle with a thick red outline and white colouring. This is the same as most of Europe and Norway but contrasts Sweden, Finland and Iceland which have yellow colouring. Give-way and speed limit signs are also white and red in Denmark.  Denmark’s landscape is very flat. It has less vegetation that Norway, Sweden and Finland and has drier foliage and grass. There tend to be more fields in Denmark than the aforementioned places and a different type of vegetation that is less birch tree and more bushy trees and bushes. There also tends to be less vegetation in Denmark.  Houses in Denmark are typically painted light colours. They also have steep roofs with new-looking tiles. Although Danish houses can have visible brick, visible brick houses are much more common in Belgium, the Netherlands and France.  Danish street names tend to have the suffixes ‘…vej’ and ‘…gade’.  Denmark have these unique metal poles that hold up many of their circular signs. The poles curve around the top of the circular signs.  Commercial vehicles in Denmark have yellow license plates. Regular Danish vehicles have the standard European plates that are white with the blue, European stripe on the left.  This is a Danish guardrail. It is a B-profile guardrail which consists of 90-degree angles and a narrow central section. In Europe, this type of guardrail is only found in Denmark, Croatia, Serbia and Poland. It is also found in some parts of Turkey, North Macedonia, Ireland and Germany.  Examples of Danish language. I think of Danish as a mixture of the other Nordic languages with a tiny bit of Dutch and German influence. The ø symbol occurs in Danish as well as Norwegian. ### The Faroe Islands [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/faroe-location.png) The Faroe Islands are located north of Scotland. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/faroe-coverage.png) The Street View coverage is largely concentrated around the greater Torshavn area. The coverage also meanders around most of the roads, criss-crossing many of the islands of the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands is a unique looking part of the world that perhaps most resembles Iceland and Greenland. The Faroe Islands are renowned for their unique looking and steep mountains that merge into the sea. The landscape features just grass and rocks with no trees. There are most commonly white, long dashed side lines on the roads- similar to Norway. If you pan down in the Faroe Islands, you will see the two bars beneath the car and the side view mirrors. Not only this but unique to the Faroe Islands is a third bar traversing between the side view mirrors. The majority of the bar will be blurred but you will just be able to see one of its ends (or sometimes both ends). The Faroe Islands use the language ‘Faroese’ and the license plates look like typical European plates.  The Street View car in the Faroe Islands has bars visible as well as the car’s side view mirrors. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/faroe-3rd-bar.png) If you pan down in the Faroe Islands, there is a unique sight- a third bar is visible. This third bar spans the area between the two side view mirrors. The majority of this third bar is blurred however at least one side of the bar should be visible. If you notice this third bar- you are in the Faroe Islands.  The Faroe Islands’ landscape is void of vegetation other than grass. There are steep hills, colourful (and white) houses and lots of rocks. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/faroe-lines.png) The Faroe Islands have a few different types of road lines. The most common type feature long, white, side dashes, in a similar style to Norway. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/faroe-land-2.png) The Faroe Islands look similar to Greenland and Iceland. Within the Faroe Islands there will occasionally be grass on house roofs although most commonly the roofs are black in colour. There are unique looking red and yellow bollards used in the Faroe Islands. Cars drive on the right side of the road in the Faroe Islands. ### Iceland Icelandic roads are well-maintained but quickly merge into gravel, dirt and grass on their sides. The well-maintained roads contrast the desolate, vegetation-less environment around them. Icelandic road markings feature white lines. A regular sight in Iceland is to see dashed, white lines on both sides of the road. A quick way to identify Iceland is to look down. The Street View car will have a visible aerial in Iceland. Parts of Iceland will also have something resembling an aerial stemming from a visible white, blue and red section of the car. The Icelandic landscape is unique in the world. The roads are generally flat however there is typically mountains in the distance or at the least, undulating land around the flat road. Iceland is also famous for its volcanoes and glaciers and in some places, black coloured ground. Another distinctly Icelandic feature are the bollards. These are yellow posts. Iceland is also one of the few countries in Europe to use warning, give-way and speed signs featuring a thick red outline and yellow colouring. This colour scheme for warning signs is also found in Sweden, Finland, Greece and North Macedonia. Poland has similar warning signs but their red border is notably thinner. Iceland is one of only a few countries in Europe not to have the blue vertical stripe on the left of their license plates. Instead, Icelandic plates are pure white and elongated. Icelandic directional signs are normally low to the ground and are yellow and black coloured. Norway has similar coloured directional signs which are generally larger and higher above the ground. Iceland is the only place in Europe with a yellow background on their blue pedestrian signs. Iceland is one of the rare islands in the world who drive on the right. Iceland has a major highway that circumnavigates the country called 1. Icelandic road numbers are otherwise 2 or 3 digits and the first digit in the number tells you where you are in the country. 2 numbers are in the south and the numbers gradually increase in a clockwise direction around Iceland until you reach numbers starting with 9 in the east. Determining generally where you are in Iceland can be easy thanks to this simple road numbering system. Another method to determine where you are in Iceland involves the ocean. As almost all of Iceland’s Street View coverage is around the edge of the country, you can often see an ocean. From the ocean’s direction, you can tell approximately where you are. For example, if the ocean is to the south, you are probably in the south of Iceland.  Marked Icelandic roads have various versions of white lines.  Some Icelandic roads have the white, dashed edge markings. In Iceland, the grass tends to come all the way up to the road. Additionally, the roads are often this distinctive dark colour in Iceland.  The Street View car in Iceland sometimes has an aerial visible. Sometimes this white, red and blue section of the car will also be visible.  In addition to the aerial protruding from the white, blue and red part of the car, you may see a second aerial emerging from the car in Iceland. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct16.png) There is new generation 4 coverage in Iceland that was captured with a red or white pick-up truck. However, this truck is mainly blurred out, so you will typically just see a blurred outline of it.  The Icelandic landscape typically features no vegetation other than grass. The road is normally flat but there are generally hills and mountains in the distance and undulating land around the road. It also has volcanos and glaciers. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct15.png) Previously, just the perimeter of Iceland had Street View coverage. However, now much of central Iceland has coverage too. This region is quite desolate and a large amount of the coverage reminds me of the Moon.  These distinctive yellow bollards are regularly visible in Iceland.  Iceland has triangular give-way and warning signs with a thick red border and yellow filling. These are also found in Sweden, Finland, Greece and North Macedonia. Poland has a thin red line around its yellow warning signs.  Iceland is one of the few European countries without the blue vertical strip on the left side of its license plates. Icelandic license plates are simply elongated and white.  Iceland has these yellow and black directional signs. Norway has similar coloured signs that are typically larger and without the yellow part of the sign forming an arrow.  Iceland is the only European country to have a yellow background behind their pedestrian signs.  Iceland is one of the few island countries in the world to have its cars drive on the right. Determining where in Iceland you are can be easy by determining where the ocean is. For instance, if it’s to your north, you are probably in the north of the country.  The Icelandic language is fairly unique and contains many long words. If you see one of two symbols, you can guarantee that you are in Iceland- Þ (which looks to me like a new emoji featuring a tongue poking out) and ð.  Iceland’s Street View coverage is focused around the edge of the country. Road number 1 runs around the circumference of Iceland. Starting in the south of the country, Icelandic road numbers start with a 2. The first number of Icelandic roads increase in a clockwise direction around Iceland until the road numbers begin with a 9 in the east. ### Greenland  Greenland’s Street View coverage is very limited. It mainly includes small parts of small towns (and on the water) along the south, south-east and south-west of the country. Although Greenland is an autonomous territory, it belongs to Denmark. Greenland has a distinctive, cold and rocky feel. Street View coverage in Greenland is largely limited. It mainly includes a handful of towns and the waterways near a few towns. Colourful houses are a feature of Greenland and an easy way to identify it. There are so many different visible types of vehicles holding the Street View camera that you can see if you pan down in Greenland. This includes side view mirrors, boats, motorcyclist and cars with bars.  Greenland’s landscape is cold, rocky and undulating. Only very small parts of Greenland are covered by Street View. These are mainly towns and the nearby waters.  Greenland tends to have a range of colourfully painted houses.  There are so many different types of visible vehicles holding the Street View camera across Greenland.  If you pan down in Greenland, you are bound to see a unique and visible form of transportation holding the Street View camera. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Greenland* - [Unique Greenland Coverage](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qUfNiLM12Vtzpn_W9FwQTcL352eRe2vk0h7uSI8TWZY/edit#gid=0) by Winston Qin. This document shows each unique form of transport that captured the Street View imagery in Greenland, as well as where that form of transport can be found. By memorising these vehicles and locations, you can be sure to get a high score in Greenland. ### Germany In 2023, Germany gained Street View coverage across virtually the entire country. This was captured with the generation 4 camera. One thing I look for in urban Germany is the apartment buildings which typically line the streets. These are on average 3 to 5 stories high, are painted drab colours and are located very close to the road and footpath. The German language is another clue into Germany although Austria, most of Switzerland and some small sections of Europe also speak German. The German language has many umlauts. These occur on ä, ü and ö. The letter ß is another giveaway for German and this letter only occurs in Germany and Austria, not Switzerland which uses ‘ss’ in its place. Another thing to remember in Germany is the internet suffix which is ‘.de’.  In 2023, Google released new, generation 4 Street View coverage across virtually the entire Germany. This means you should see the blue tinge of the Street View car if you pan down.  Germany typically has really well maintained roads. The roads in some small parts of east Germany may have cracks or cracks filled in.  German cities typically have bland coloured apartments that are three to five storeys high.  The German cities of Frankfurt and Mannheim (as well as several others in the region) have these pink coloured edges around house and apartment windows. This is one of the best ways to identify these areas.  This is a typical German village- white houses with triangular, brown or red slanted roofs and with quite a large amount of foliage.  In Germany, brick houses are common in the north and north-west of the country.  This is the front of a German bollard. These bollards are identical to Luxembourg bollards, except for one subtle difference. German bollards have two bolts (sometimes none will be visible) on the reflector section of the bollard, whereas Luxembourg bollards have three bolts.  These thick, concrete utility poles are fairly common around the east part of Germany.  The far south of Germany is mountainous and resembles Austria and Switzerland.  This map shows the two-digit phone prefixes in Germany. It’s important to at least learn the first digit zones on this map. A short cut is- begin in west Germany with 2, then go in an anti-clockwise spiral in the northern half of Germany and you have 3, 4 and 5. 6 numbers are in the south-west of Germany then in another anti-clockwise spiral are the digits 7, 8 and 9. It should be noted that German phone numbers typically have a zero for a first digit when you see them on signs- the zero should be ignored and the next two digits are relevant. (Image source: Wikipedia, user: Chumwa).  This is an example German phone number. Note that German phone numbers typically appear beginning with a 0 but this digit should be ignored. We need to focus on the next two digits- 76. Based on the above map, we are in the south-western corner of Germany.  German is spoken across Germany and Austria. It’s also spoken in most of Switzerland, north Italy and a tiny speck of eastern Belgium. The language is fairly recognisable if you read it aloud. The umlaut appears regularly in German: ä, ü and ö. If you see the letter ß you are in Germany of Austria, not Switzerland which uses ‘ss’ in place of ß. Street signs in Germany are one of the best ways to determine which city you are in. This is because each city generally has different looking street signs.  Hanover street signs have this style. Note the metal ring around the sign which helps distinguish it from Berlin signs.  Cologne poles have silver street signs as pictured on the left. Street signs plastered on Cologne buildings are blue, like those on the right.  Bremen has near identical street signs to Cologne.  Munich street signs feature a blue background with white lettering and dark, almost square corner sections.  Dortmund signs have this style which is similar to the Munich style.  Leipzig has similar signs to Munich and Dortmund.  Hamburg street signs feature a metal ring around the blue sign.  Frankfurt street signs are blue with a thick, silver metal ring around the outside.  Nuremberg street signs are black withe white lettering. They also feature the metal outer ring.  Essen has blue street signs with a thick, silver border.  Dusseldorf has dark street signs with a white, metal ring around them.  Stuttgart has dark signs with white lettering.  Dresden has fairly plain looking street signs. This same style of sign will also often appear on a building.  Bonn street signs have a white background and thick, white outer section.  Mannheim street signs typically appear on buildings, not on poles. They feature the blue background and white lettering. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Germany* - [GeoGuessr- Germany](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uIKgS-bxcTJ2kPNcuwVdw_1608QuHohbgbDLrti6Vjo/edit) by Adw Steve. This document contains 42 pages of tips to guess which city you are located in within Germany. ### Austria Austrian Street View coverage stretches across the entire country however in the rural locations, there are very few minor roads covered. Austrian coverage is mainly cities and the more major roads connecting these cities. The general Austrian rural landscape is one of the easiest ways to recognise the country. There are rolling hills across much of Austria and lush green grasslands are often around the road. The roads are well-maintained and everything has a ‘The Sound of Music’ feel to it. Austrian bollards have little black caps on them. The reflectors on the bollards appear as either red, black or some reddish-black colour. Austrian houses are often double-storey, they have slanting, dark terracotta roofs and light-coloured paint. The houses are generally well-maintained and commonly have satellite dishes stemming from them. Austrian cities will often have blue signs with an arrow and the word ‘EINBAHN’. If you are interested in pinpointing, looking at the street sign colours is useful in Austria. (Attention: note the spelling of this country. Austria is not Australia. This comment is directed at the people who send the packages I order online to Austria instead of Australia). In Vienna, the street signs are blue coloured. In the city of Linz, street signs are white. In Graz the street signs are green not including the very centre of the city. The German language is used in Austria. The letter ß is used in Austria and Germany whilst the German parts of Switzerland use ‘ss’ in its place.  The reflectors on the front of Austrian bollards are often a blackish colour. Seeing this black reflector and the black hat on the bollard is one of the easiest ways to tell that you are in Austria. No other countries have both of these features on their bollards.  Some Austrian bollards have more of a bright red reflector.  The rears of Austrian bollards tend to have a light coloured rectangle. Note that some Austrian bollards, like this one, have an extra section protruding upwards from the black top.  Austrian houses often have slanted, dark-terracotta coloured roofs. The houses are often two-storey, well-maintained and are painted light colours. The houses regularly have TV satellite dishes.  The western part of Austria is more mountainous. It still has plentiful grass and rolling hills like the rest of Austria.  The main things that strike me about the Austrian landscape are the rolling hills across much of the country and the abundant green grass. I haven’t seen The Sound of Music but the same scenery features there.  In major Austrian cities, the word ‘EINBAHN’ is written on these blue signs everywhere.  The language of Austria is German. If you see the ß symbol, you are in Austria or Germany. Switzerland doesn’t use ß.  Vienna in Austria can be distinguished by its blue coloured street name signs.  Linz in Austria can be distinguished by its white coloured street name signs.  Graz in Austria has green coloured street name signs for everywhere except the very centre of the city.  These directional arrows are particularly common in the Austrian Alps. They are either red with a white arrow or yellow with a red arrow.  This wooden a-frame pole with a horizontal bar can often be found in Austria. It is not the most common pole (about 10% of poles are this) however it is unique to Austria. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vienna-map.png) Street signs in Vienna display a number indicating what district they are in. The above map shows where these numbered districts are located. These numbers begin in the centre of Vienna and spiral from 2 in the inner east, clockwise until 9 in the inner north-west. The numbers then begin in an outer ring with 10/11 in the outer south and increase clockwise until 22 in the outer east (with 23 in the outer south). Note that only 21 and 22 are on the east of the Danube River. A larger version of this map can be [viewed here.](https://i.redd.it/0ub5k4suv7t61.png) (Source: reddit, u/PiraatPaul) [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vienna-sign-2.png) Note the number 12 preceding the road name. This number indicates that we are in the 12th district in Vienna. Looking at the above map, we can determine that we are in Meidling which is located south-west of the city centre. ### Switzerland The most recognisable feature of Switzerland is the mountains. Switzerland is the hub of the European Alps and any time I see mountains or steep terrain in central Europe, Switzerland is my go to guess. Much of the Swiss landscape also resembles the Austrian landscape. Swiss houses can resemble the Austrian houses in the previous section or have wooden exteriors. Swiss houses commonly have terracotta-coloured roofs that slant. Another useful tip for Swiss houses is to look for window shutters. Swiss houses regularly have this feature that is rarely seen outside of Switzerland. The Swiss Street View camera (along with Japan and occasionally Taiwan and Sri Lanka) is lower to the ground than the rest of the world. This can be an easy way to recognise the country. As a result of this low camera, you will sometimes see the outline of the Street View car as wider than the outline of the Street View car elsewhere. Switzerland can also be recognised thanks to their white license plates. They are one of the rare European countries to lack the left, blue stripe of Europe. Swiss front plates are generally very small. Swiss rear plates are normally larger and more elongated. Sometimes some small amounts of red will be visible on the rear plates if you look extra carefully. There are numerous languages spoken in Switzerland. French is spoken in the part of Switzerland near France, Italy is spoken in the part of Switzerland near Italy and German is spoken across most of the country. If you see the German ß symbol, you can’t be in Switzerland and must be in Germany or Austria instead. Another thing to be mindful of in Switzerland is the internet domain suffix which is ‘.ch’.  The Swiss landscape often resembles the Austrian landscape. Almost the entire Switzerland is hilly and mountainous. If I see central European mountains in GeoGuessr, my default guess is Switzerland.  Tall mountains are a common fixture in Switzerland. The houses in Switzerland are often wooden and multi-storey with terracotta-coloured slanting roofs.  Switzerland and Japan are the only two countries in the world to have their images captured by the low Street View camera. This means that you will feel lower to the ground in Switzerland than other countries. Sri Lanka and Taiwan also occasionally have low camera imagery.  Due to the low camera on the Street View car in Switzerland, if you can see the outline of the car, it will appear wider than normal.  Switzerland is one of the rare European countries that lack the blue vertical stripe of Europe on their license plates. Front Swiss license plates are typically less elongated than the rest of Europe.  Swiss rear license plates are typically much more elongated than the front plates. They appear white but a hard-to-see red patch may be vaguely visible on the left side, right side or both.  A number of cars in Switzerland have these ‘CH’ stickers on their rear. CH stands for ‘Confoederatio Helvetica’ which are the Latin words for ‘Swiss Federation’.  Swiss bollards are often this curved-cylindrical shape. This is the front of the bollard.  The back of the most common type of Swiss bollard.  Switzerland are known for their high number of window shutters. This house is so Swiss they have six pairs of them! Wooden houses are one of the more common types of Swiss houses.  A map showing where in Switzerland certain languages are spoken. The majority of the country speak German, The western part speak French, the southern areas speak Italian and smatterings in the east speak Romansh. (Source: Tschubby, Wikipedia).  The bottom of the image shows the Swiss internet suffix which is ‘.ch’.  In this image, there is a German word with ‘ss’ used as opposed to ‘ß’. The ‘ss’ is used in Switzerland whilst the ‘ß’ is used in Austria and Germany. ### Liechtenstein [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct1.png) The Street View imagery in Liechtenstein was taken with a low camera. Switzerland and Japan are also covered with low camera imagery. Liechtenstein has 2024 copyright which can help distinguish it from the similar looking Switzerland. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct2.png) Liechtenstein has these black or grey plates that have a red and yellow section just left of centre. This is one of the best ways to identify the country. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct3.png) Front plates in Liechtenstein are often small and also contain the red and yellow smudge. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct6.png) The majority (but not all) of Liechtenstein’s coverage is on flat terrain in a valley, with tall surrounding mountains. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct7.png) Liechtenstein has alpine looking houses, similar to Switzerland. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct4-1.png) Bollards in Liechtenstein are virtually identical to Swiss bollards. This is the front view of Liechtenstein bollards, the rear view features two white circles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct5.png) Almost all signs in Liechtenstein are surrounded by thin, cylindrical metal. There is a gap between the metal and the sign itself. This is a great way to recognise the country. ### Poland Poland has a number of distinctive features that make recognising it easier. Poland has a huge number of grass fields on both sides of the road. If I ever see a flat, European country with a grass field (and no other clues) I will guess Poland. Poland also often has a row of trees on both sides of the road. Poland also has a scattering of trees that would normally be associated with cold climates. Polish houses often have small fence around them, like some Eastern European countries. Poland is the only country in the world with their unique looking warning signs. They are triangular with yellow filling and notably a thin red outline. A handful of countries in the world have similar looking warning signs however Poland’s are different as they have the thin, red outline. Poland also stands out for its utility poles. These have large holes in them. Only Hungary and Romania have similar holes in their utility poles and Romania often has a yellow mark on their utility poles. Polish utility poles are distinct from Hungarian and Romanian poles as the holes in Polish poles don’t go all the way to the ground. Polish bollards are also unique and have a red diagonal strip wrapping around the red bollard. If you pan down in Poland, you should see the Street View car’s antenna. The Polish language is a recognisable language. It is one of only a few European languages to have a high number of ‘z’. It also has many j, w and y. Other Polish letters include: ó, ł, ż, ś, ȩ and ń.  Poland is a flat country full of grass fields. If I see a European location with only a grass field to go by, Poland will be my first guess.  Fields on both sides of the road and a line of trees on both sides of the road are common sights in Poland.  Like some other Eastern European locations, Polish houses often have small wooden or metal fences around them. Polish flora often includes trees that are associated with relatively cold climates.  Poland is the only country in the world to have triangular warning signs that have a thin red outline and yellow filling.  Poland is one of three countries in Europe to commonly have these holes in their primary utility poles. The other two being Hungary and Romania. Polish poles are unique from Hungarian and Romanian poles as the Polish poles’ holes don’t go all the way to the ground like in Hungary and Romania. France very occasionally has hole-poles and like Poland, the holes also stop before the ground.  In the example above showing another variant of Polish utility poles, there are two poles converging into one.  The Street View car’s aerial is visible in Poland if you pan down. The aerial may appear long, short or attached to a white section of a car. Note that recently, some generation 4 coverage was added to Poland.  Polish bollards have a red diagonal stripe wrapping around the bollard.  This is a Polish guardrail (the silver guardrail). It is a B-profile guardrail which consists of 90-degree angles and a narrow central section. In Europe, this type of guardrail is only found in Poland, Croatia, Serbia and Denmark. It is also found in some parts of Turkey, North Macedonia, Ireland and Germany.  Poland has green coloured directional signs with white lettering.  Polish pedestrian signs are the only ones in Europe to have just one horizontal line behind the person.  The Polish cities denoted by red dots end with the letters ‘…OWO’. The Polish cities denoted by blue dots end with the letters ‘…ÓW’. This information can be useful if you are trying to work out if you are in the northern or southern half of the country. (Source: Gazeta.pl).  Polish is a fairly recognisable language. The frequent letter “z’s” are a good sign you are in Poland as is the letter ł (Ł). The letters j, w and y also occur abundantly. Other letters in Polish include: ó, ż, ś, ȩ and ń. ### Lithuania When it comes to the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in GeoGuessr, there are two identification aspects. Firstly, there are things to look for to identify a country as a Baltic country and secondly, there are things to look for to distinguish between the three Baltic countries. The three Baltic countries have many things in common that separate them from much of Europe. Firstly, all three countries have the Street View car’s aerial as visible. Most the countries to the north and west lack this. This is a significant help in working out if you are in a Baltic country. Secondly, the three Baltic countries have a generally similar landscape. There are often forests around and green grass near the road. The countries are flat and have similar trees. All three countries can also have diagonal support for some utility poles (although other types of utility poles are the norm in these countries). The Baltic countries also have a fairly unique back to their signs. The back of the signs have a subtle yet visible fold. The Baltic countries have fairly similar houses that in rural parts typically have eternit roofs (they resemble corrugated iron). There are also many unpaved paths in the Baltic countries. If I see an unpaved road in Europe, I am immediately thinking I am in a Baltic country or Finland. There are some things to look for to distinguish between the Baltic countries. The main things to focus on are: utility poles, bollards, the width of the unpaved roads, the flora and the language of the country. When it comes to Lithuania, they have different bollards to Latvia and Estonia. Lithuanian bollards are thin planks of plastic with an orange rectangle encased in the black section. Lithuanian utility poles are also unique from the other Baltic countries. Lithuania tends to have a glut of upward facing pine cone shaped bulbs on the top of their utility poles. The Lithuanian environment can also help distinguish it from the more northern Baltic countries. Lithuania tends to have more grassland around the road, less dense forests and forests that are further from the road. Lithuania also has less thin, white trees and small flowers along the sides of the road than the other Baltic countries. Finally, the Lithuanian language is similar to Latvian however it has a unique letter that is seldom found elsewhere in the world- ė. This is an ‘e’ with a dot on top. Lithuanian has several letters that are regularly occurring in their language that feature a small letter ‘v’ on top. These are: š, ž and č.  This is what the front of Lithuanian bollards look like. These plastic bollards (that look like wood) with an orange rectangle are one of the best ways to distinguish Lithuania from the other Baltic countries (and other European countries). Latvia and Estonia both have bollards with a white rectangle on the front and white dots on the back.  This is what the back of Lithuanian bollards look like. Bollards are found every few metres on well-frequented roads in Lithuania. The Lithuanian bollards are thinner than typical plank bollards.  If you pan down in Lithuania, the Street View car’s aerial should be visible. The aerial is also visible in the other Baltic countries of Latvia and Estonia and much of Eastern Europe. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lith-meta.png) If you pan down in Lithuania, you will often see a unique red and/or green glow near the side view mirror on the left of the Street View car. Estonia and Latvia lack this. In Estonia and Latvia you will occasionally see a black/white/gray on the left side view mirror.  Most of the time if you pan down in the Baltic countries, you will see a very blurred car with a jagged outline. This car is also fairly common in Croatia. Other parts of Eastern Europe tend to have a more subtle blurring of the car.  Some Lithuanian roads have the rare side dashed road markings although these are a bit less common than the standard European road markings in Lithuania.  Rural Lithuanian houses often have eternit roofs (that look like corrugated iron) that are different shades of gray/silver. The roofs tend to face the road. These houses are also found across the other Baltic countries. These houses are the easiest way for me to identify the Baltic countries.  There are a number of types of utility poles used in Lithuania. They mainly have a large number of pine cone looking things pointing upwards near the top of their poles.  Another common feature of Lithuanian utility poles is to have a diagonal supporting beam.  These types of trees are sprinkled across Lithuania and this part of the world. What I think of as Soviet-style apartments are found around parts of Lithuania.  These thin, white trees are less likely to be seen in Lithuania. As you travel north to Latvia and Estonia, these trees are more common and tend to grow in larger clusters. The other trees in picture are more common in Lithuania.  Lithuania is a flat country that has lots of grassland around its roads. The houses are modest and rarely look new. The country’s landscape is a bit of a mixture of the aforementioned southern Finland and Poland.  Right across Lithuania random objects are blurred. This may be due to a glitch in the software used to take the Lithuanian Street View imagery. You will commonly see street signs, company signs, trees, parts of the pavement and other objects randomly blurred across Lithuania. This can be a good way to identify the country.  Warning signs in Lithuania have a white border outside a thinner red border. Estonia has no white outside border and the same thickness of red border as Lithuania. In contast, Latvia has a white border outside a thicker red border.  Lithuania has orange reflectors on its guardrails. Latvia has red and white reflectors whilst Estonia doesn’t have reflectors on its guardrails.  Lithuania has different looking kilometre markers to the other Baltic countries. Lithuanian markers feature two signs on the one pole, pointing to the road. Estonian markers are at right-angles to the road whilst Latvian markers are parallel with the road. Whilst most Lithuanian markers are blue, like Estonian and Latvian markers, green Lithuanian markers can occasionally be seen (like the image above). These are typically seen on the A1/E85.  Towns and cities in Lithuania commonly end in the suffix ‘ai’. This suffix is quite rare across the rest of Europe.  The Lithuanian language stands out for having ė as its 9th letter of the alphabet. Essentially this e with a dot above it is only found in Lithuanian. Lithuanian also has three letters that have what is a small ‘v’ on top of them. These are: š, ž and č. I recognise Lithuanian mainly due to the fact that many of the words end in ‘….ai’ or ‘….as’. ### Latvia Within the Lithuania section above, I described how to identify the three Baltic countries from the rest of Europe. Distinguishing between the Baltic countries is more challenging. There are however some key things to look for in helping identify Latvia. Latvian utility poles are unique in the Baltic are and indeed the world. They have a few small pine cone looking bulbs coming from the pole. The key part of Latvian utility poles is that their bulbs are typically hanging at several different levels. The next key indicator of Latvia are the bollards. These are wooden planks that are narrower than standard bollards. Latvian bollards have a generic white rectangle in the black stripe. They look similar to Estonian bollards however Estonian bollards are cylindrical, not planks. Latvian bollards are different from Lithuanian bollards as Lithuania uses an orange coloured rectangle. Latvia has many unpaved roads that may be gravel/dirt. These roads are wide and generally at least wide enough for two cars. This contrasts the Estonian unpaved roads which are narrow- typically allowing only one car to travel on them. Finally, the Latvian language is similar to Lithuanian with some key differences. Latvian sometimes has the vowels with horizontal lines occurring over them: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū. It also shares Lithuanian’s small ‘v’ shape over the s: š. Latvian has a unique comma that sometimes occurs under three letters: ļ, ķ and ņ.  Latvian utility poles come in several styles but they often have the ‘pine cone’ looking things that hang upwards at different levels. In the image above, the three ‘pine cone’ looking things are at three different levels.  Latvian utility poles sometimes have the diagonal support beam.  The most common type of Latvian bollard is a thin plank with a generic white rectangle on the front.  The rear of the most common type of Latvian bollard has two white circles.  Warning signs in Latvia have a much thicker red border than those found in Estonia and Lithuania.  Like the other Baltic countries and most of Eastern Europe, the Street View car’s aerial is visible in Latvia.  Like the other Baltic countries, Latvian roofs are often eternit (they look like corrugated iron). Finding this style of house is the easiest way for me to recognise the Baltic region.  The Latvian landscape is flat and has a large amount of grass. There are many cold-climate trees scattered across Latvia. Utility poles can also often be seen across most of the country.  Latvia can often be distinguished from Estonia as Latvian unpaved roads are generally wide enough for two vehicles whilst Estonian unpaved roads are only wide enough for one.  In Latvia, the blue kilometre markers are parallel with the road (they face the road). This contrasts Estonia where they are at right-angles to the road and Lithuania where they are in an arrow shape. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/latvia-mirror.png) Occasionally the left, side view mirror of the Latvian Street View car will be slightly visible. It will be gray/white/black. Estonia has a similar coloured left, side view mirror that is occasionally visible. Lithuania has a more commonly visible left side view mirror that is red and green.  If you pan down in the Baltic countries, you will often see a significantly blurred car with a jagged outline. Croatia also commonly has this car. Other parts of Eastern Europe tend to have a more subtle blurring of the car.  The most notable feature of the Latvian language is the horizontal line occurring above the vowels on certain occasions. This looks like ā, ē, ī, ō, ū. The letter s sometimes has the small ‘v’ occurring above it: š. Finally, Latvian has what looks like a comma sometimes occurring beneath ļ, ķ and ņ. ### Estonia In the Lithuanian section, I described what to look for to identify the Baltic countries in general from the rest of Europe. Identifying Estonia from the other two Baltic countries is harder but there are some clear clues to be aware of. Estonia has a plethora of unpaved roads. These roads are narrow and typically only wide enough for one vehicle. This contrasts the wide, unpaved roads of Latvia. The Estonian landscape is another key factor in separating the Baltic countries. There are more likely to be thin, white trees in Estonia than the other further south Baltic countries. These trees are more likely to be found in larger clusters too. In addition to these trees, small flowers along the sides of the road are more prevalent in Estonia. Estonia tends to have more forests, thicker forests and forests closer to the road than the other Baltic countries. Estonian utility poles are distinct from Lithuanian and Latvian poles. Estonian poles have a semblance of a crucifix shape. Estonian bollards are also different looking from those found in the other Baltic countries. Estonia has cylindrical shaped bollards- something that Lithuania and Latvia lack. These are generally the generic black and white colours however the white rectangle will on occasions be yellow. Finally, the Estonian language is quite different from Lithuanian and Latvian. Estonian has more in common with Finnish. The main thing to look for in Estonian is double letters (like Finnish). Estonian is different from Finnish as it has the letter Õ. Other than the way it sounds, Estonian is different from the other Baltic languages as it has Õ and Ä.  If I see an unpaved, narrow, European road in GeoGuessr, I will guess Estonia. Estonian unpaved roads are typically only one vehicle wide. Estonia can often be distinguished from Latvia as Latvian unpaved roads are normally wider- wide enough for two vehicles.  These types of thin trees are more likely to be found alongside parts of the road in the northern Baltic country of Estonia. They are less likely to be found in the southern Baltic county of Lithuania.  The sides of the Estonian roads are often more forested than Latvian and Lithuanian roads.  Estonian utility poles are more likely to resemble a crucifix. Utility poles are one of the best ways to distinguish between the Baltic countries.  Like the other Baltic countries, Estonia will on occasions have a diagonal support pole for their utility poles.  Standard Estonian bollards are cylindrical. This contrasts the narrow plank bollards of Lithuania and Latvia. The front of Estonian bollards have the white rectangle encased in the black section, similar to the Latvian bollards. Estonian bollards will on rare occasions have a yellow rectangle rather than the white rectangle.  Estonian bollards have two white circles on their rear.  Small flowers along the sides of the road are more common in Estonia than the other Baltic countries.  Estonia is recognisable from the other Baltic countries as their blue, kilometre markers are orientated at right angles to the road. This is different from Lithuanian markers (these point in an arrow shape towards the road) and Latvian markers (parallel to the road). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/estonia-mirror.png) Occasionally the gray/white/black edge of the left Estonian side view mirror will be visible. Latvia has a similar coloured left, side view mirror that is also occasionally visible. Lithuania’s left side view mirror is more commonly visible and is green and red.  Most of the time, if you pan down in the Baltic countries, you will see a significantly blurred car with jagged edges. This car is also commonly visible in Croatia. Other parts of Eastern Europe tend to have a more subtle blurring of the car.  Estonian warning signs have no white border around the red border. This contrasts warning signs in Latvia and Lithuania which have a white border outside the red. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tartu.png) In the Estonian city of Tartu you will mainly (but not always) see pedestrian signs on blue and white striped poles.  Like the other Baltic countries and much of Eastern Europe, the Street View car’s aerial should be visible if you pan down in Estonia.  Like the other Baltic countries, Estonian houses often have eternit roofs (they resemble corrugated iron) that are grey/silver in colour. Identifying this house style is the easiest way for me to work out that I’m in a Baltic country.  Estonian road lines are white and occasionally you will see the white dashes along the sides of the road.  Much of the green landscape in Estonia tends to have a subtle greenish tint that distinguishes it from Lithuania and Latvia. This green tint takes lots of practice to be able to identify.  There is often a slight blur that is noticeable in the greenery within Estonia.  The Estonian language has a similar feel to the Finnish language (both languages have a glut of double letters). Estonian is fairly distinct from Lithuanian and Latvian and it contains Õ and Ä. These other Baltic languages lack Õ and Ä. Estonian can be distinguished from Finnish as it has the unique letter Õ, something Finnish lacks. ### Czechia (The Czech Republic) Czechia is one of the more challenging countries to identify in GeoGuessr. This is due to a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a small country and has many countries around it with similar features. Secondly, the Street View car went through the country at different times of the year. As a result, the imagery looks vastly different because of the differing seasons. Finally, the country hasn’t got any obvious factors that make identifying it easy. There are parts of the country that have rolling green hills like Austria. Other parts are more like grass fields with either green or dry grass. Other parts of the country look like Bulgaria or Hungary with winter coverage and bleak scenery. The Street View car in Czechia has a number of identifying factors. If you pan down you will see either: some vague semblance of a blue car, the car’s antenna or the car’s antenna with a piece of tape on it. Czechia have directional signs to towns that are a distinct shade of blue with white arrows. The utility poles are cylindrical and typically have a crucifix style top and often a wire running vertically down the centre of the pole itself. The bollards have two fluro orange sections and look similar to the Slovakian bollards except the Slovakian bollards have a black base. A certain type of diamond shaped sign are common in Czechia. They contain a yellow diamond in the centre and black rectangles below. The Czech language has a fairly high number of z’s but less than Polish. It also has many p’s. Czech has a large number of letters with symbols that appear on their tops: á, é, ý, č, š, ž, ě, ů and ř.  In Czechia, these distinctive and unique blue signs with white arrows point to the nearest towns. In the above image, the arrow points behind the sign however other signs have the large, white arrow on the end of the sign. Italian town directional arrows look relatively similar to these Czechia town directional arrows. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/czech-thick-sign.png) Town name signs in Czechia have a thick black outline around them. This contrasts town name signs in Slovakia that have a thinner black outline around them (pictured in the below, Slovakia section).  The Czechia landscape is one of the hardest in the world to describe and identify. The Street View car went through the country at different times of the year meaning the country looks vastly different on Street View depending on where you are in the country. Additionally, parts of the country resemble Austria with rolling hills whilst other parts are flat with green or dry grass.  In general, most of Czechia is relatively flat. In contrast, Slovakia mainly consists of more hills and bigger hills than Czechia. This can be a good feature to look for when deciding between the two countries.  Small parts of Czechia had their Street View coverage taken in winter. If you see a cold, depressing scene in Europe, often with trees without leaves you are likely in Hungary or Bulgaria but if not then Czechia. The trees shown on the left of the above image often line Czechia’s roads.  In rural Czechia, you will commonly see houses that have triangular prism shaped tops. This roof tile style is also common.  This is another common type of house in Czechia. Note the similar roof tiles to the previous house.  Czechia has several types of utility poles. This is the most common type across the country (it is also found in Slovakia and other places). It features a concrete cylindrical pole, often with a vertical line down the middle of the pole (a wire) and a white box. The top of the pole has a crucifix style horizontal part.  Czech bollards have these unique fluro orange stripes in the black section of the bollard. The Slovakian bollards look the same as Czech bollards.  The back of Czech bollards have a white rectangle in the black section.  These yellow signs with black rectangles beneath them are found right across Czechia.  If you pan down in Czechia, there are a range of things you might see. One of these things is tape on the Street View car’s aerial. Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania may also have this tape.  If you pan down in Czechia, you may just see a standard aerial without tape.  Parts of Czechia will have the hard-to-see, blue Street View car visible. Some other proximate countries, including Slovakia, recently had the blue car added to some of their coverage too. Although Slovakia’s generation 4 coverage tends to have a small antenna whilst Czechia’s doesn’t.  These guardrails which feature a wide central section (enough for 3 top sections to fit in) are only found in Europe within Czechia and Slovakia.  Street signs in Prague are red and feature the word ‘PRAHA’ which is the Czech name for the city. The word before ‘Praha’ refers to the district in Prague you are located in. in this example, we are in Bubenec. The districts of Prague appear on the map.  The Czech language is only spoken in Czechia. It has more z’s than most languages but less than Polish. Like Slovak, it has many letter p’s. It has numerous letters with symbols above the letter including: á, é, ý, č, š, ž, ě, ů and ř. To distinguish the language from Slovak, look for ř and ě. In general, the Czech language reminds me of Polish but with more marks over the letters. ### Slovakia Slovakia many similarities to the aforementioned Czechia and it is often challenging to tell these two countries apart. Indeed, Czechia and Slovakia were once one country. Both countries have identical looking bollards. They both have similar looking utility poles in which the wooden cylindrical pole has a crucifix style horizontal bar on the top. Slovak utility poles often have street lights on them, white boxes and a number of wires whereas Czech poles tend to have just one wire running down them. The Czech and Slovak houses can look similar with identical roof tile styles and colours. Czechia may have more wooden houses whilst Slovak houses may be more likely to have skylights and TV satellites. Slovakia is a tiny bit more mountainous than Czech. Slovakian Street View coverage was taken in the spring. Slovakia also doesn’t have any winter or autumn Street View coverage unlike Czech. If you pan down in Slovakia, you will mainly see an aerial (although this is mainly the case in Czechia too). The Slovak landscape largely consists of rolling hills, trees with few leaves and well-maintained roads. Slovakia recently had some generation 4 coverage added so Czechia isn’t distinguishable anymore, like it used to be, if you see generation 4 coverage The Slovak language is remarkably similar to Czech. Slovak has more z’s and p’s than most other languages. It also has the letters á, é, í, ý, č, š and ž. To distinguish the language from Czech, look for ä, ľ, ĺ, ŕ, ô, dz and dž. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/slovak-direction.png) Directional signs in Slovakia are rectangular and have small white arrows. This contrasts directional signs in Czechia which have a large arrow that forms the shape of the sign (pictured in the above Czechia section). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/slovak-thin.png) Town name signs in Slovakia have a slightly thinner black outline around them when compared to Czechia signs (a Czechia town name sign is pictured in the above Czechia section).  This is a typical scene in a Slovakian town. It looks rather similar to the aforementioned Czechia. There is only spring coverage in Slovakia whilst Czechia only has winter and autumn coverage.  The Slovak houses can look similar to the aforementioned Czechia. Note the colour and type roof tiles that are also common in Slovakia. Many houses have skylights in Slovakia as well as satellite dishes.  The Slovakian bollards generally look the same as the Czech bollards. There are a small number of Czech bollards that are painted a completely different colour from top to toe such as blue. Additionally, some standard Slovak bollards have a black base.  The rear of the Slovakian bollards also look the same as the rear of Czechia bollards. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/slovakia-new-bollard.png) Since 2022, Slovakia now has a small number of these bollards, which look identical to Hungarian, Bulgarian, Croatian and North Macedonian bollards.  Utility poles in Slovakia are concrete and cylindrical. They also look the same to the aforementioned Czechia utility poles (this same pole is also found in other locations). Slovak and Czech utility poles often have extras on them such as a street light, a white box and a wire running up them.  The Street View car’s aerial is visible in Slovakia. There will sometimes be tape on the antenna in Slovakia. Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Czechia also sometimes have tape on the antenna. Slovakia also recently had some coverage taken with the blue car.  The Slovakian landscape largely consists of rolling hills. The roads are well maintained. Trees with few leaves are also a common sight across Slovakia. If you are tossing up between Czechia and Slovakia, Slovakia has more hills whilst Czechia is flatter.  These guardrails which feature a wide central section (enough for 3 top sections to fit in) are only found in Europe within Slovakia and Czechia.  Slovakia has recently gained some generation 4 coverage. This generation 4 coverage tends to have a small antenna whilst Czechia’s lacks this small antenna.  The Slovak language has more z’s than most other languages. Like Czech, the letter p also appears abundantly. Slovak contains the letters: á, é, í, ý, č, š and ž. Slovak is very similar to Czech. To distinguish the language from Czech look for ä, ľ, ĺ, ŕ, ô, dz and dž. Slovak also has more “ia” and “ie” within their words compared to Czech. In general, the Slovak language reminds me a bit of Polish but with more marks over the letters. ### Slovenia Slovenia has traits of many of its surrounding countries. Most of Slovenia is a hilly and mountainous country that is largely covered by forests. There are numerous roads in the Slovenian hills that are twisting with foliage encroaching right up to the road. Even in the flatter parts of Slovenia, you may see hills or mountains somewhere in the distance. Like many other Eastern European countries, the Slovenian Street View car’s aerial is visible if you pan down. Slovenian bollards are almost identical looking to Montenegro’s bollards. The eagle-eyed may spot that Slovenian bollards tend to have a larger gap between the top of the red rectangle and the bottom of the black cap when compared to Montenegro. Serbia and Austria also often have similar looking bollards. Slovenian houses are typically light colours such as light pink or shades of white. The roofs come in two main styles- the triangle style and the straight-line arc style. The roofs are almost always brown or terracotta coloured. Slovenian houses are two-storeys high across most of the country. Most directional Slovenian signs are yellow and black coloured and most Slovenian signs in general have folded edged around the back of the sign. Slovenian utility poles come in many shapes and sizes but the most common types are rudimentary shaped akin to a cylinder. There are also many stand-alone street lights in Slovenia. Finally, the Slovenian language has a large number of the letter ‘j’. It also has three letters with the small ‘v’ over them- ž, š and č.  If you see a winding road in the hills of Europe with thick foliage very close to the road, then there is a good chance you are in Slovenia.  Forests are a common sight amongst the twisting roads of the Slovenian hills.  The Slovenian landscape often features hills or mountains in the background. Much of the country is covered by forest.  This is the front view of Slovenian bollards. They look virtually identical to Montenegro bollards. Serbia also have similar looking bollards. They also look like many Austrian bollards however Austria sometimes has a darker (blacker) reddish rectangle.  This is the rear view of Slovenian bollards- Montenegro and Austria have the same looking bollard rears too.  If you pan down in Slovenia, the Street View car’s aerial should typically be visible, like most of Eastern Europe.  Slovenian houses are typically fairly close to white (often a very light pink) in colour. They often have pronounced, triangular roofs. Roofs are commonly brown or terracotta coloured.  This is the other popular shape of Slovenian roof. This terracotta colour is a popular roof colour in Slovenia as is brown. There are a high number of two-storey houses across Slovenia.  Yellow and black coloured signs are used for several purposes across Slovenia, including indicating the direction of towns. These look similar to the Croatian signs.  A high percentage (the majority) of Slovenian signs have a yellow sticker on the back of them. The sticker is sometimes white.  Slovenian utility poles come in many forms. This plain looking pole is one of the more common Slovenian utility poles.  Most Slovenian towns and cities have a large number of stand-alone street lights.  This is a Slovenian kilometre marker which also houses information about the road number- in this case road number 439. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/slo-plates.png) Slovenia tends to have a majority of standard European license plates featuring the blue stripe on the left. It does however have a reasonable portion (around a quarter) or completely white license plates. These whit plates are rather rare in Europe with Switzerland and Croatia being the most geographically similar countries to have them.  The Slovenian language stands out to me as it has an abundance of the letter ‘j’. If you remember the capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana (containing two j’s) then this may help you remember the j and Slovenia link. Slovenian also has the three letters with the small ‘v’ over them: ž, š and č. ### Hungary Hungary can often be a challenging country to recognise. The Street View car drove through the country at different times of the year meaning close parts of the country can look vastly different. Hungary is one of three European countries that can have similar, bleak, winter scenery with trees without leaves and snowfall beside the road. The other two countries are Bulgaria and small parts of Czechia. In non-winter coverage (which is the bulk of the imagery), Hungary is a green country, with green grass fields, sometimes crop fields and typically a flat landscape. Hungary is one of three European countries with a number of distinctive utility poles- concrete with large holes almost akin to the Eiffel Tower. The other two countries are Poland and Romania. Romania’s poles can often be distinguished from Hungary’s as they have yellow markings on them (although Hungarian poles also occasionally have these yellow markings). Hungarian and Romanian utility poles have holes that reach all the way to the ground. In contrast, Polish poles have holes that stop approximately 50cm before he ground. Hungarian bollards have a red rectangle in a black strip. Similar bollards are found in Bulgaria, Croatia and North Macedonia. Hungarian houses are normally one-storey and are painted light colours such as light pink. Unlike many of the previously covered Eastern European countries, Hungary has few triangular, dominant or steep roofs. Hungarian roofs are generally shades of terracotta. The word ‘UTCA’ means street in Hungarian and you will often see this word on street signs. The Street View car’s aerial is visible across almost all (but not quite all) of Hungary. The Hungarian language stands out for the number of single or double apostrophe-like symbols on the vowels. It also stands out for the letter ő which is only found in Hungarian. If you notice a Hungarian road number, it should be fairly easy to find that road number on the map. This is because Hungarian roads are grouped together on the map by the first digit of the road number. This means all the roads starting with 1 are in the same area, all the roads beginning with 2 are near one another etc.  Hungary can look quite different on Street View, depending on when the coverage was taken and depending on the region of Hungary. Most of Hungary is flat. There are often grass fields or crop fields around. The country has many small villages and parts of Hungary have lots of foliage.  The Street View car drove through parts of Hungary during winter. As a result, you will often see a bleak, wintery scene in Hungary with trees without leaves and sometimes snow. Along with Hungary, there are two other European countries that can have similar wintery, bleak imagery- Bulgaria and sometimes Czechia.  This type of utility pole, with holes in the middle, is often found in Hungary. Within Europe, Poland and Romania also have these poles (they also rarely appear in France). Romania’s poles can sometimes be distinguished as they often have yellow marks on the poles (be warned that Hungarian poles can also have these yellow marks too). Hungarian and Romanian poles have the holes extending all the way to the ground whilst Polish poles have holes that stop 50cm before the ground. Romanian utility poles are thicker and wider than Hungarian utility poles.  This is the front view of Hungarian bollards. Bulgaria, Croatia and North Macedonia have virtually identical bollards front and back. Serbia have two types of bollards. One type is similar to these Hungarian bollards although Serbia has the red rectangle to one side.  This is what the back of Hungarian bollards look like.  There are a number of different utility poles used in Hungary. Plain looking wooden logs are common and sometimes there will be a secondary, diagonal, supporting log.  Hungary has plenty of these unique looking fire hydrants throughout the country.  Single storey houses are more common in Hungary. These houses have lower roofs than many of the previous countries that have been covered. Hungarian houses are often a light colour such as pink. The standard roofs are a pink/red/terracotta colour. The roofs are less likely to be like a triangular half-open book than the previously mentioned countries. The roof edge elevations tend to meet together at a few common points on top.  UTCA is Hungarian for street. Many street signs in Hungary will display this word.  The Street View car’s aerial is typically visible when you pan down in Hungary across almost the entire country. Sometimes there will be tape on the antenna in Hungary. Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania and Czechia may also have this tape.  Some commercial vehicles in Hungary (such as taxis and some trucks) have yellow license plates. Regular Hungarian vehicles have the standard European plates.  It is common for towns in Hungary to have the first part of their name named after the lakes, rivers or counties of Hungary that they are situated. In the above snapshot example, we can see six towns situated on Lake Balaton whose names all begin ‘Balaton’. Many town names in Hungary that are situated on the Danube begin ‘Duna’. Towns on the Tisza River begin ‘Tisza’. Towns in the counties of Zala, Somogy and Bihar amongst others also often begin with their counties name.  Hungarian road numbers are grouped together based on the first digit of the road number. The above map shows where the first digit of Hungarian road numbers are located. As an example, if you see a road beginning with ‘4’ you know to look in the east of Hungary. (Image source: Hann Andras).  The Hungarian language stands out for having marks over the vowels. These are one or two lines and look a bit like apostrophes. The letters ő and ű (both with double italic lines) are unique to Hungarian. ### Croatia Croatia is a diverse looking country. Almost the entire country is undulating and this is often mixed in with a Mediterranean vibe. The country is fairly dry and has a different type of flora to many of the previously mentioned countries. Croatia tends to have lower and bushier plants as part of its landscape and less trees. The Croatian Street View coverage is a mixture of the useful generation 2 as well as generation 3 and generation 4. The Street View car’s aerial is often visible in Croatia although the blue generation 4 car is now fairly common. One of the easiest ways to recognise Croatia is via its license plates which are completely white- a rarity in Europe. Croatian signs with a red outline actually have a subtle white border. Croatian directional signs are yellow with black lettering, Croatian bollards have the red rectangle inside the black section on the front and look the same as Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Hungary’s bollards. Croatian houses are often two-storey. Other countries tend to have a more homogenous roof colouring in towns. For example, most houses will have one of two different roof colour shades. In Croatia, the roof colour shades are normally variants of the terracotta or brown colour however almost each house roof will have its own slightly different shade of these colours. Croatian house colours are also quite varied compared to other nearby countries. Some Croatian houses will display numbers on them which will be on a small blue sign with white lettering. Croatian street signs have this same colour scheme. The Croatian language has the small ‘v’ over the z, s and c and the apostrophe looking line over the letter c. It also has a fairly high number of j, i and z. The Croatian internet suffix is one of the rare unintuitive ones of Europe; it is ‘.hr’.  Croatia is a country with a diverse landscape. Large parts of the country have a very Mediterranean feel and other parts of the country are mountainous. Overall, the country is very undulating. The Croatian flora tends to be lower and bushier than many of the aforementioned countries. Parts of Croatia have generation 2 camera images.  Houses in inland Croatia tend to come in more of a range of colours and styles than many of the previously mentioned countries. The roofs’ colours tend to be shades of terracotta with more of a range of these colours than some other countries. Croatian houses are commonly two-storey.  Large chunks of Croatia had their Street View coverage taken in autumn. As a result, it’s common to see red and orange leaves in Croatia.  Some of the time in Croatia, you will see a significantly blurred car if you pan down. The blurred car generally has a pointy outline. In this part of Europe, Bulgaria occasionally has the same car. The Baltic States also commonly have a similar car. Other parts of Eastern Europe tend to have a more subtle blurring of the car.  Croatia recently gained a reasonable portion of generation 4 coverage that features a subtle blue car.  Croatian license plates are unique in Europe. Before 2016, Croatia had purely white license plates. In 2016 they adopted European style plates with the left, blue stripe. As Street View coverage in Croatia is not up-to-date, you will see predominantly white plates in Croatia. This is one of the best ways to distinguish the country.  Signs in Croatia that have a red outline have a subtle white edge.  Croatian utility poles come in a range of styles. The more common poles are cylindrical in shape and narrower near the top.  Croatia have these bollards featuring a front with a black strip encasing a red, rectangle. Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Hungary have the same looking bollards.  Croatian bollards tend to have a white rectangle in the black section. This is the same as Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Hungary.  These narrow and distinctive looking blue fire hydrants are a common sight throughout Croatia.  If you get flat landscape and winter coverage in Croatia, you should be in the far-eastern Croatian region of Slavonia (this area is shown on the below map).  The purple part of this map shows the Croatian region of Slavonia. In this part of Croatia, there is winter coverage and a flat landscape.  Many Croatian cars have the ‘HR’ sticker on their rear.  Croatian street signs are blue in colour with white lettering. ULICA means street in Croatian (and some other languages).  Croatian house numbers tend to be white with a blue backing. These are commonly found on the houses themself.  Croatian directional signs are normally yellow and black coloured. These look similar to the Slovenian signs. Croatia’s large directional signs are green with white lettering.  This is a Croatian guardrail. It is a B-profile guardrail which consists of 90-degree angles and a narrow central section. In Europe, this type of guardrail is only found in Croatia, Serbia, Poland and Denmark. It is also found in some parts of Turkey, North Macedonia, Ireland and Germany.  The Street View car’s aerial is visible in Croatia if you pan down like much of Eastern Europe.  Croatian is spoken in Croatia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. This latter country has only a very small amount of Street View. Croatian has the small ‘v’ over z, s and c as well as the apostrophe looking line over c. There are a high occurrence of j, z and i in Croatian. ### Albania Albania is one of the easiest countries in Eastern Europe to identify. It has license plates with the blue vertical stripe on both sides of the plate, like Italy. It also has secondary plates featuring a red vertical stripe in place of the standard blue European stripe. Albania has a plethora of old model Mercedes cars. This contrasts the country’s general poor feel. Albania is one of two European countries that sometimes has the rift in the sky if you pan up, the other being Montenegro. Albanian houses stand out for a few reasons. They regularly have elevated water heaters that are visible on the roof. Unfinished Albanian houses are also a common sight. The Albanian landscape is almost entirely hilly and mountainous. There are many rocky hills. The main Albanian roads are well-maintained but the rest of the roads are largely falling apart. The Albanian language has many j,k and q letters. It also has ç as well as ë.  Albania’s most common license plate has one blue vertical stripe on each side of the license plate. Italy also has these plates. Italy can be distinguished from Albania as it seldom has the Street View car’s aerial as visible. Albania’s aerial is visible.  After the two blue stripes plates, Albania’s second most common license plate has a red vertical stripe on the left.  Old model Mercedes cars are found abundantly in Albania.  Parts of Albania have the rift in the sky if you pan up. Montenegro is the only other European country that can have a rift.  Albanian utility poles vary but their most common poles have a crucifix style horizontal part near the top of the pole. They also tend to have several pine cone shape bulbs pointing upwards.  Albania has the same looking bollards at Italy featuring a red rectangle in the black section of the bollard that extends to the top. Bollards are fairly rare to see in Albania compared to Italy.  Albanian bollards have a white rectangle on their rear and have the same look as Italian bollards.  Black and white corner signs are a common sight in Albania.  Another one of the easiest ways to recognise Albania is via the plethora of water heaters on houses.  Half-finished houses are another common sight in Albania. Although the houses are multi-storey, they are typically run-down and look unfinished and lack windows or are missing bricks.  Almost all of Albania is hilly or mountainous. The mountains are often fairly rocky. The main roads such as the one pictured are well-maintained however most Albanian roads are poorly-maintained.  Minor Albanian roads are often poorly-maintained. The country is green and hilly. Note the water heaters on the houses.  The Street View car’s aerial is visible in Albania, like much of Eastern Europe.  The Albanian language stands out for having lots of q, j and k letters. It also has the rare ç as well as ë. In general, the Albanian language reminds me most of Turkey. ### Greece Greece is a fairly recognisable country in GeoGuessr. One of the easiest ways to recognise the country is via their unique looking letters that shouldn’t be confused with Cyrillic. Σ, Π and Λ are three of the more common Greek letters. Another recognisable feature of Greece is their large bins. These are all over the country and provide location information on them. Greece also has white, double centre road lines on many of their roads- a rarity across the rest of Europe. Greece also uses the warning signs that are triangular with a thick red outline and yellow centre. Within Europe, only Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and North Macedonia use the same signs whilst Poland uses a variant with a thin red edge. The Greek landscape is also fairly unique. The entire country is mountainous and hilly yet it also has a Mediterranean feel. On Street View coverage, the country often has a blue sky and the scenery is quite bright. Much of the country was also captured on the recognisable generation 2 camera, producing bright imagery. There are olive trees across large parts of the country, there are few other trees, the landscape is often dry and most of the flora is quite low and sometimes there is sand alongside the roads. Finally, Greek houses are normally white or some other light colour. Greek roofs share the same terracotta shade.  Greek has these warning signs featuring a thick red outline and yellow colouring. In Europe, only Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and North Macedonia have the same looking warning signs. Poland has similar looking signs with a thinner red border  There are unique looking bins in Greece. They contain location information on them which can prove most useful on the Greek islands.  Many Greek roads feature a double white line in the centre. This is rare in Europe.  Greece mainly has the typical European plates with the blue stripe on the left but is also features a portion of narrow license plates that are just white.  There is sand along the sides of the road in some parts of Greece.  Olive trees are everywhere in Greece. Virtually the whole country is hilly or mountainous.  Much of Greece looks bright and there is often a blue sky visible. There are many bushes is Greece and low flora and few tall trees. The generation 2 camera is used across large parts of the country producing bright colours, a circular blur beneath the Street View car and a halo around the sun.  Greek houses are usually white or light coloured. They typically all share the same shade of terracotta as their roof colour. Like Albania, Greece has some water heaters on the roofs of their houses.  Greek signs feature letters from the Greek alphabet written on top of the equivalent Latin letters. These blue and white directional signs are common throughout Greece.  The Greek language is fairly well known because of the Greek alphabet. It is important not to confuse the letters with Cyrillic which can look similar.  Bollards are fairly rare in Greece. The front of Greek bollards have a thick red rectangle.  This is what the back of Greek bollards look like. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/greece-pole.png) Utility poles in Greece are typically circular and wooden. Greek utility poles stand out from the rest of the world as they are generally very tall; almost comically so. In this image, the utility pole is approximately 4 times taller than the house in the background.  In Crete, you will often see this antenna, which has a thick end.  The capital letters in the Greek Alphabet. Σ, Π and Λ are three of the more common non-Latin letters. (Source: medium.com) ### Romania The primary identifiable feature of Romania is their utility poles. These stand out for two reasons. Firstly, from the European countries, only Romania, Hungary and Poland have concrete utility poles with large holes in them (Romania has far more than these other two countries). Secondly, Romanian utility poles often have yellow marks on them (this extends to their other utility poles, not just the concrete ones with holes. Additionally, Hungary also occasionally has yellow marks on their hole-poles). Romanian and Hungarian utility poles have holes that extend all the way to the ground whilst Polish utility poles have holes that stop 50cm before the ground. Romanian roadside markers are also unique and somewhat resemble tombstones that are either red and white or blue and white. Romania also has distinctive red shields indicating their major roads. The Romanian landscape is generally dry and cornfields are a common sight. The landscape varies but most the country is flat however some sections are quite hilly. The sky in Romania is regularly blue and free of clouds. The Street View car’s aerial should also be visible across Romania. Romanian roads are typically poorly maintained and in need of repair. The country is fairly poor in general. Romanian cities have high rise apartment buildings with the same looking apartment building often occupying an entire road. Small towns tend to have houses with square-base pyramid roofs. The houses often have metal fences separating them from the footpath. The Romanian language stands out to me mainly for the abundance of the letter ş which is an s with a squiggle beneath it. It also has ƫ, ă and ȃ. These last two letters have a ‘v’ and upside-down ‘v’ over the ‘a’ and these letters are fairly common.  Romania has a glut of these concrete utility poles with holes. Hungary and Poland also have these poles. France has some similar utility poles but they are much rarer. Romania’s poles stand out as they often have a yellow mark (Hungarian poles on occasions also have a yellow mark). This is one of the easiest ways to identify Romania. Romanian and Hungarian utility poles have holes that extend all the way to the ground whilst Polish utility poles have holes that stop 50cm before the ground. Romanian utility poles are thicker and wider than Hungarian utility poles.  This secondary type of Romanian utility pole also has the recognisable yellow mark.  A large number of Romanian utility poles are painted with a white base.  A Romanian roadside marker. This holds information about the road number and distance to the nearest towns. These are another useful way to identify Romania. These can come in other colours such as blue and white. The ‘24C’ in the image indicates the road number and the distance to the nearest towns is written on the marker.  Romania tends to have marginally thicker road lines than the countries nearby it. This can be a great way to identify Romania.  Romanian roads are indicated by these distinctive red shields.  Fields of corn are common in Romania.  Unpaved roads that consist of gravel or dirt are a very common sight in Romania.  Small Romanian towns often have houses with pyramid shaped roofs. The houses are commonly separated from the footpath by metal fences.  Although they are rarely found in smaller towns, high-rise apartment buildings that look like one another are common in Romanian cities.  Looking at roofs is one of the best ways to region guess in Romania. In the north and west parts of Romania, virtually every house roof you see will be tiled.  In the south and east parts of Romania, you will see an assortment of different types of house roofs. Some of these will be tiled, while some won’t be.  The Romanian landscape is often dry. The roads are typically poorly maintained. There is a mixture of flat land and hilly land in Romania. Much of the country has a blue sky in the Street View coverage.  The southern section of Romania largely consists of agricultural land.  Certain types of Romanian signs have a yellow edge including Romanian pedestrian signs.  Dacia Sandero cars are found across much of Romania (as well as Spain and Bulgaria).  The Street View car’s aerial should typically be visible in Romania. Sometimes the aerial will have tape attached to it. Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia may also have tape on the antenna.  These gray and white striped poles hold up most of the signs in the south-east Romanian Constanta Country (this country is shown on the below map).  The location of Constanta Country in Romania where gray and white striped poles hold up most of the signs. (Image source: TUBS, Wikipedia).  The Romanian language stands out to me as the letters s and t can have a squiggle beneath them: ş and ƫ. Romanian also has ă and ȃ. ### Montenegro When it comes to identifying Montenegro the easiest way is via the giant rifts in the sky. In most of the country, the rifts are visible except for the area south-west of Podgorica. Albania is the only other country in Europe to have the rifts visible however these are rarer in Albania. Montenegro also stands out for its mountainous landscape across most of the country. The country has many license plates with the standard blue vertical stripe of Europe in tandem with a red marking just to the left of the plate’s centre. Montenegrin bollards are the same style to those found in Slovenia, Serbia and some of those in Austria. The signs in Montenegro also provide clues to the country’s identity. Brown signs with white lettering are common as are the yellow signs with black lettering. Many of the large signs have a corrugated back. The smaller signs in Montenegro tend to have a white outline. Although Montenegro has Cyrillic and Latin on the GeoGuessr map, you will rarely see Cyrillic in the country. If you do, С́ and З́ are letters unique to Montenegrin Cyrillic. Montenegrin Latin has Č, Ć, Š, Ś, Ž and Ź.  In most of Montenegro you will see a rift in the sky if you pan up. The only other place in Europe to have a rift visible is Albania although it is less common in Albania.  Most of Montenegro has the rift visible if you pan up. Generally, if you are in the red oval, you won’t see the rift in Montenegro. Across the rest of the country you should see the rift.  Almost all of Montenegro is undulating. The country is rather mountainous.  Bollards in Montenegro look similar to Slovenian, Serbian and some Austrian bollards.  This is what the rear of Montenegro’s bollards looks like.  Most plates in Montenegro look like standard European plates however Montenegro’s plates often have a red section just to the left of the centre. The right side of the plate may also appear darker.  Most road signs have a white outline in Montenegro.  Montenegro’s directional road signs are often yellow with black lettering.  Montenegro also has many brown signs with white lettering. Note the corrugated style on the back of the sign below the brown sign. This is a common rear texture of Montenegro’s larger signs.  Montenegrin houses tend to come in a range of styles and colours. They most commonly have the terracotta coloured roofs.  The Street View car’s aerial is visible in Montenegro like much of Eastern Europe.  Although Montenegro has Cyrillic and Latin letters on the GeoGuessr map, you will rarely see Cyrillic in Montenegro. If you do, the Cyrillic letters С́ and З́ are unique to Montenegrin Cyrillic. Latin Montenegrin (which you should see on signs has the small ‘v’ or apostrophe looking symbol over three letters- Č, Š and Ž. Three additional Latin Montenegrin letters are: Ć, Ś, and Ź. ### Serbia Serbia is the first real Cyrillic writing country we encounter. Cyrillic is a writing system that is different from the standard Latin system that this article is written in. Cyrillic has a handful of letters that look like Latin letters but the majority of the letters comprise straight lines that will look quite foreign. Serbia uses both Latin and Cyrillic script in fairly equal proportions. Some signs will be written in Cyrillic, some in Latin and some in both. If you see the letters Ћ and Ђ you are in Serbia as these two letters are unique to Serbian Cyrillic. Serbia also stands out for typically not having a visible aerial on the Street View car. This contrasts most of the countries in Eastern Europe that have the Street View car’s aerial visible. On a few main roads, Serbia’s aerial is visible and in small parts of Belgrade but overall you will rarely see it. Serbia is quite a poor country with rundown roads and houses being rather common. Many Serbian houses look like cottages with chimneys. Some Serbian cars look fairly old-fashioned. The Serbian landscape is quite diverse but often features corn fields. Serbia is a mixture of flat and hilly. Serbian bollards come in two main styles that superficially look like bollards from many other countries. Serbian bollards stand out though as the red rectangle is off to one side.  One of the easiest ways to identify Serbia is via something it lacks- almost all of the time in Serbia, if you pan down you won’t see an aerial. This contrasts most of Eastern Europe where an aerial is visible. There are some exceptions. On major Serbian roads, an aerial is visible as well as small parts of its capital, Belgrade. As well as Serbia, North Macedonia also commonly lacks on aerial.  Serbian homes are another great way to recognise the country. They often look like cottages and are typically fairly run-down. They often also have square-prism shaped chimneys.  Serbia is a fairly poor country. The roads and houses are often run down. Serbian towns regularly have narrow roads.  This is the main type of Serbian bollard. It resembles the bollards of a number of other countries but is distinctly different. The red, rectangle is always to one side- not in the centre.  This is the rarer version of Serbian bollards. Note that the red rectangle is also to one side. The rear of the bollard has a white rectangle. Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and North Macedonia have the same looking bollards but instead have the red rectangle centred.  Corn fields are a common sight in Serbia.  Serbia has quite a varied landscape. Parts of the country are hilly and green whilst other areas appear flat and dry.  Old-fashioned cars of the style pictured are a common sight in Serbia.  Serbian signs are often yellow with black lettering. They can feature Latin lettering, Cyrillic or both.  The backs of large Serbian signs have this corrugated style.  Smaller Serbian signs often have a visible white outline.  On some corners in Serbia, you will see these distinctive black and white, long signs.  This is a Serbian guardrail. It is a B-profile guardrail which consists of 90-degree angles and a narrow central section. In Europe, this type of guardrail is only found in Serbia, Croatia, Poland and Denmark. It is also found in some parts of Turkey, North Macedonia, Ireland and Germany.  The internet suffix ‘.rs’ is used in Serbia. This is one of the rare non-intuitive internet suffixes in the world and means Republic of Serbia.  The Serbian written language situation can be confusing. Some signs have Latin, other signs have Cyrillic and other signs have both. This sign has Cyrillic. Serbian Cyrillic can be recognised thanks to two unique letters to the language that looks like a lowercase ‘h’ with a horizontal line on top. These are Ћ and Ђ.  Serbian Latin has Č, Ć, Š and Ž. ### North Macedonia North Macedonian Street View coverage centres around its largest cities and the main roads connecting these cities. This is useful information as you will typically see well-maintained roads in North Macedonia and not rural villages or minor roads. North Macedonia also stands out as one of the few countries in Eastern Europe where you shouldn’t see the Street View car’s aerial when you pan down. Other unique features of North Macedonia include its warning signs colour scheme. These contain a thick red outline and yellow filling. Within Europe, only Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Greece have the same warning signs whilst Poland has similar signs with a thinner red border. North Macedonia also has a relatively equal mixture of standard European looking license plates and white, elongated plates without the blue European stripe. These latter plates are rare in Europe. North Macedonia uses both the Cyrillic and Latin writing systems. If you see Cyrillic and the letters Ќ, Ѓ or Ѕ, you are in North Macedonia.  North Macedonian Street View coverage is fairly sparse. It centres around Skopje, the larger North Macedonian cities and the main roads connecting these cities (which are well maintained). Very few small towns are featured.  One of the best ways to identify North Macedonia is via its warning signs. They have a thick red edge and yellow filling. Only Greece, Iceland, Sweden and Finland use the same warning signs in Europe. Poland uses similar signs with a thinner red outline.  Unlike most of Eastern Europe, the North Macedonian car’s aerial shouldn’t be visible if you pan down. This is arguably the easiest way to identify North Macedonia. Within Eastern Europe, Serbia also typically lacks the aerial.  Virtually the entire North Macedonia is hilly. The foliage is green in North Macedonia and some semblance of dirt is often visible.  North Macedonian bollards have the common design featuring a red rectangle within a black strip. Hungary, Bulgaria and Croatia have the same bollards whilst Serbia can have similar bollards with the red rectangle to one side.  The rear of North Macedonian bollards has the white rectangle within the black section. This is the same rear as the countries in the image above this one.  North Macedonia has a mixture of some cars with the standard European license plate and other cars with the rare white, elongated plates.  Houses in North Macedonia mainly have terracotta tiled roofs and multiple chimneys. They are often two-storey and occasionally you will see houses with a curved front element; for example, the house on the left has front windows that curve outwards.  North Macedonia has a mix of concrete and wooden utility poles. They are both cylindrical in shape. Some utility poles will have this style of street light hanging off of them.  North Macedonian directional signs are yellow with black lettering. Note the Cyrillic town name on top and the Latin translation beneath.  Many small, North Macedonian signs have a black rear.  Large signs in North Macedonia have a corrugated rear. There are large, dark blotches on the imagery in the far eastern part of North Macedonia as well as the area around the eastern North Macedonian city of Kochani. As well as the coverage connecting the main cities, only 8 North Macedonian main cities are covered by Street View coverage. Of these 8 cities, Skopje, Bitola and Tetova had coverage taken in autumn. The remaining 5 cities: Veles, Kumanova, Strumica, Ohrid and Prilep had coverage taken in summer. Note the autumn leaves in this image, meaning we have to be in Skopje, Bitola or Tetova. Macedonia uses both Cyrillic and Latin letters. Ќ, Ѓ and Ѕ are three Cyrillic letters that are unique to the Macedonian language. The Latin writing in Macedonia contains letters such as š, č and è. ### Bulgaria Much of Bulgarian Street View was taken in winter and thus the trees are often without leaves and the Street View scenes in Bulgaria are often fairly bleak. Within Europe, Hungary and parts of Czechia have similar bleak wintery scenery. Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in Europe and the Bulgarian roads reflect this fact. These roads are commonly crumbling and filled with cracks and holes. If I see a derelict road in Europe without other clues, my first guess is Bulgaria. Bulgaria also has many old-fashioned cars and an abundance of Dacia Sandero much like Romania and Spain. Bulgaria is a hilly country in some parts and depending on the time the imagery was taken, the trees may have green leaves. Large metal bins are also a common sight in Bulgaria as are shrunken down Eiffel Tower like objects. Bollards are a rare sight in Bulgaria. You will most likely see both Cyrillic and Latin on official signs however shops tend to have more Cyrillic writing. Recognising Bulgarian from Cyrillic letters is challenging as there are no Cyrillic letters unique to Bulgarian Cyrillic. In Bulgaria, the 3 digit roads feed in to the major 2 digit road. E.g. if you spot road 123 then you should look for the 12 road and the 123 should feed off it. It’s a common sight in Bulgaria to see trees without leaves lining the side of the road. Similar bleak, winter scenery is found in Hungary and parts of Czechia. Bulgaria tends to have more of this bleak scenery than these other two countries. Some of the larger Bulgarian cities have partial generation 4 coverage and Sofia almost exclusively has generation 4 coverage (generation 4 coverage in Bulgaria was taken in spring/summer). Other countries that use Cyrillic don’t have generation 4 coverage. The generation 4 coverage is easy to determine because the blue car visible. Some parts of Bulgaria have rolling hills and trees with green leaves. Bulgarian roads are arguably the worst maintained in Europe. Most roads have many cracks and holes. These Eiffel Tower-like structures appear throughout Bulgaria. Bulgarian houses feature roofs that aren’t very steep. The roofs also tend to be the same shade of terracotta. Bulgarian houses are predominantly light coloured or have a brick exterior. The houses are often run-down. You will commonly see metal bins like these in Bulgaria. This style of bin is often seen in other parts of Eastern Europe but these bins seem to be most prevalent in Bulgaria. The Street View car’s aerial is typically visible in Bulgaria. Sometimes it will have tape on the end of it. Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Czechia may also have tape on the aerial. Bulgarian signs are written in Cyrillic and Latin. They will be blue and green in colour. Bulgaria predominantly uses Cyrillic. There are no distinguishing Cyrillic letters unique to Bulgarian Cyrillic. ### Ukraine Ukraine has a few idiosyncrasies that make identifying it relatively easy. For starters, across almost the entire country, you should see some red on the Street View car if you pan down. Sometimes it will be hard to see. There is often a long aerial visible on the Street View car too. This red colour is a rare Street View car colour for the rest of the world. The next useful way to identify Ukraine is via the white paint on the base of many of its utility poles and trees. Ukraine is a poor country and the roads are often poorly maintained. Ukraine is flat and green and there is often a row of trees on each side of the road. Ukraine has a large number of old-fashioned looking Lada cars. Ukraine also has unique looking license plate that have their blue and yellow flag on the very left of the plate in place of the blue stripe of Europe. Sometimes it can be challenging to see the flag however most of the time if you zoom in you will see some semblance of blue and yellow. Ukraine often have their blue and yellow flag colours elsewhere such as on fences, houses or utility poles. Ukrainian houses are generally poor with the rural houses often being made of wood. Urban houses are commonly Soviet-style apartment buildings. Ukraine uses both Cyrillic and Latin on some signs and just Cyrillic on other signs. Ukrainian Cyrillic has a few unique letters that make it identifiable. This includes the letter I (i).The other unique letters are: Ґ (ґ), Є (є) and Ї (ї). Across almost the entire Ukraine, you will see the ghostly, red Street View car if you pan down in Ukraine. Sometimes just the front of the car will appear red. This is one of the easiest ways to identify Ukraine. This red car is very rare elsewhere in the world (it is occasionally seen in Belgium). Sometimes the car will have only the slightest tinge of red. Note: in Ukraine, Donetsk has a black car. Sometimes in Ukraine, there will be a long aerial visible as well as the red of the Street View car. On occasions, you will see the long aerial and struggle to notice any red. This map shows the distribution of the type of Google Street View car found across Ukraine. Most relevant in this map are the blue dots that stretch from Kiev south to Odesa. These dots represent the Street View car in Ukraine that has no colour and a short antenna. In other words, if you know you are in Ukraine and see just a short antenna when you pan down, you must be between Kiev and Odesa. (Thanks to whomever created this map!) Many Ukrainian utility poles have their base section painted white. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ukraine-pole.png) Ukraine mainly uses square, concrete poles. Similar looking poles can be found in several countries including Russia. Many Ukrainian trees also have the base of their trunk painted white. Ukraine often has a row of trees on each side of the road. The country is flat and typically green. Ukrainian roads are some of the worst maintained in Europe. There are a few ways to help distinguish Ukrainian roads from Russian roads. Ukrainian roads often have a subtle purple/pink tinge to them. Russian roads lack this. Ukrainian roads also tend to be of a worse quality than Russian roads, including commonly have pot holes. These old-fashioned ‘Lada’ cars are abundant throughout Ukraine (and Russia). Most of the time, you can identify Ukraine via its license plates. If you look carefully, Ukraine has yellow in the bottom left corner of the plate. There is also blue above this- in the top left corner of the plate. Public transport in the Ukraine has yellow license plates. Rural Ukrainian houses come in a range of styles. Those houses pictured, with a triangular prism roof, small window upstairs and made of wood are common in Ukraine. This is the most common type of Ukrainian bollard. It has a red rectangle that is wider than the rectangles of Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia and North Macedonia. Ukrainian bollards look like Russian bollards however Russian bollards are attached to a narrow support pole. Ukrainian bollards are typically run-down with the rectangle often damaged. Often in Ukraine, random things are painted in the colours of their flag- blue and yellow. Ukraine has a large number of Soviet-style apartment buildings in cities and larger towns. Ukrainian directional signs are blue with white lettering. The signs will generally have Cyrillic on top and the Latin equivalent below or just Cyrillic. Sometimes in Ukraine there will be black and white sections painted on the side of the road or on guardrails. In the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih (as seen on the below map), many utility poles have a red, horizontal stripe around one metre from their base. The location of Kryvyi Rih, which has utility poles with a red, horizontal stripe around one metre from their base. Ukrainian Cyrillic stands out as it contains the letter ‘i’ (І) whereas this letter doesn’t occur in other Cyrillic writing countries. Ukrainian Cyrillic also contains thee more unique letters that only occur in their writing system: ґ, є and ї. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Ukraine* - [A detailed guide to region guess in Ukraine](https://docs.google.com/document/d/108ISo7PemVn4-dNAaWpHCki0eH5GdQGKgyyPRqnuUHk/edit#) by viugik ### Russia Russia stands out in GeoGuessr for a number of reasons. If you pan down in Russia you should see a ghostly, black car across almost all (but not quite all) of the country. The ghostly, black car should also have a visible aerial. If I have a suspicion that I’m in Russia, I normally confirm this by looking at the license plates that are long, narrow and white. They lack the blue stripe of Europe. Ukrainian license plates have the left vertical stripe comprising light blue on top and yellow on the bottom which can only just be made out and the white Russian plates contrast this. The written language of Cyrillic is also another key indicator of Russia although there are no unique Russian Cyrillic characters to look for. Some (still a minority) of utility poles in Russia have a diagonal supporting pole. These are found right across Russia but sometimes in other countries. There are a number of bollard styles in Russia although they all contain the colours black, white and red. There are an abundance of Lada cars in Russia. These are uniquely shaped cars and old-fashioned looking. If it’s sunny, you are statistically less likely to be in northern Russia and more probably near the Black Sea. If there are more Japanese/Korean type boxy cars as opposed to European cars then you are more likely on the Eastern side of Russia. Indeed if you graph the ratio of European cars to Japanese/Korean cars you will probably find a match with the GeoGuessr location’s proximity to Europe and Japan. In Russia, many drivers in the far-east have cars that have the driver’s seat and steering wheel on the right hand side of the car. Russian roads are typically poorly maintained and full of cracks except for some major roads. Many Russian smaller roads are just gravel or dirt. Like Ukraine, Russia stands out for painting the lower trunk of some of its trees white. Russian houses in rural parts are often poor looking and wooden with triangular-prism shaped roofs. Urban Russian areas commonly have Soviet-style apartment buildings going all the way down the street; often in the same style. Large pipes going over the road are found all over Russia but these are mainly found in southern-central Russia. Like Ukraine, Russia often has black and white painted guard rails and some curbs. House numbers appear on the GeoGuessr map for Russia which can make the unenviable task of pinpointing slightly less excruciating. On Russian signs, г. followed by a word, indicates a city name c. followed by a word indicates a town name. Russian Street View coverage is largely centred in the west of Russia. There are roads (mainly main roads) covered all the way to the east of Russia however this coverage is less dense than the Western Russian coverage. These roads going to the east tend to hug the southern part of Russia. Very little coverage is in northern, eastern or central Russia. The Russian highway system is explained in detail in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section further up this article. Russian Street View coverage mainly encompasses western Russia however also includes various towns and their connector roads right across the country to Vladivostok. A few more remote corners of the country are also covered in isolation. In Russia, the most common Street View car is a ghostly black with a long antenna. Gravel and dirt roads are common for minor roads in Russia. Russian roads are often poorly maintained and full of cracks. The more major Russian roads are often better maintained. One of the best ways to identify Russia is via its license plates. Russian plates are elongated and completely white- a rarity in Europe. Like Ukraine, Russia often paints the lower part of their tree trunks white. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/russian-pole-base.png) Russian poles are often white with a black base. This black base is rarely seen on poles elsewhere although Kyrgyzstan sometimes has this too. This is a Russian bollard. Russian bollards often have a unique feature- a narrow support pole on one side of them. This makes them unique from Ukrainian bollards. Russian bollards are primarily found at intersections. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/russian-pole-image-1.png) Russia typically uses square, concrete poles. These sometimes have a short, horizontal metal bar on top. Several other countries use similar utility poles to Russia, including Ukraine. Russia has a range of house styles. One of the more common are wooden houses that have triangular-prism shaped roofs. Wooden fences are also common around Russian houses. Soviet-style apartment blocks are common in larger Russian towns and Russian cities. These large pipes that pass over roads tend to be clustered around central Russia. They can also be found in Ukraine Like in Ukraine, Russia often has their guardrails and some curbs painted in alternating black and white colours. Russian intersections are typically very wide.  These are Russian kilometre poles. They tell you how far you have travelled on a highway, the other side of the sign which you have to turn around to see once you’ve passed it tells you how far you have left on the highway. Like in Ukraine, Russia has a large number of old-fashioned Lada cars. In Eastern Russia, most cars have their steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car. This contrasts western Russia (and almost all of Europe) where the steering wheels are on the left of the car. Russian directional signs are blue with white lettering. They most commonly have just the Cyrillic words. Sometimes they have both Latin and Cyrillic. The GeoGuessr map displays Russian house numbers. This can make pinpointing slightly easier. Like in Ukraine, Russian public transport has yellow license plates. This is a basic map showing the general regions of Russian phone number prefixes. A more detailed map appears below. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/russia-numbers-w401.png) A map showing the locations of Russian phone number prefixes. The phone number code refers to the first 3-digits found in the brackets on Russian phone numbers. Note that phone numbers beginning with ‘9’ are mobile numbers. A larger version of this map can be [found here.](https://i.redd.it/hvug2exp89ba1.png) (Many thanks to robofcourse for making this amazing map!) In the above example, the digits 863 are the first (and only in this case) digits in the brackets. 863 correlates to the area around Rostov-on-Don on the above map. In Eastern Russia you will sometimes see the white car as opposed to the more common Russian black car. Ulyanovsk Oblast in Russia (just west of the city of Samara) has these red and white bases to many of its poles. Across approximately one-third of Russia, there will be a red tinge at the centre-front of the Street View car. The map below indicates where this red tinge can be seen. This map shows where the red tinge (that is visible at the front-centre of the Street View car) is visible in Russia. (I don’t know who created this map, but thank you whoever you are!) [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gen-4-russia.png) Google has recently added some generation 4 coverage in Russia. In these areas, the standard aerial and black car won’t be visible and the imagery will be a higher quality as pictured. This map shows the season that generation 4 coverage was taken across Russia. If you see other generation coverage in Russia, it is not relevant to this map, just generation 4 coverage is relevant. The important take away from this map is that winter and spring generation 4 coverage was taken in the blue area in Russia’s south-west (so you will see bleak coverage and often trees without leaves). In contrast, summer generation 4 coverage was taken in the green area across essentially the bulk of the remainder of Russia. ### The Russian Landscape Large green fields in Russia are most commonly found near the Ukrainian border. Further north, the land and trees resemble Finland more closely. The Russian regions closest to Europe sometimes have bilingual signs making pinpointing your location easier. The parts of Russia to the east of the Ural Mountains tend to be somewhat forested areas that can be swamp-like. The most extreme eastern part of Russia resembles the Canada and Alaskan areas. The most extreme east, near coastal areas of Russia are fairly hilly besides Vladivostok. The island of Sakhalin, located north of Japan, can have many trees and vegetation like virtually nowhere on earth. The roads largely lack concrete here. You are likely in the north part of Russia is there is a lack of vegetation, just low, sickly looking branches that look like they are coming from the ground. Large pipes that look like something out of Mario Brothers and traverse roads are typically Russian and more specifically clustered around central Russia. The regions of Russia (and entering into the neighbouring countries) near Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan are barren areas with virtually no trees. The Street View car you are in has its peripheries partially visible in Kyrgyzstan #NotSureIfCheating. The south western part of Russia near the Black Sea resemble southern Europe resort towns. Overall, the bulk of Russia is fairly flat and it is fairly rare to be landed in a mountainous Russian area on GeoGuessr. The Ural Mountains are surprisingly narrow and the eastern part of Europe is also largely void of mountains. Magadan is a city in far Eastern Russia that I’ve spawned in several times. It has distinctive hills visible over the city and you are on the fast-track to a high score if you identify these hills. Large, green fields are common in Russia in the area near the Ukrainian border. The eastern half of Russia contains many of these trees. They have a thin trunk, are relatively short and have pine needles. They are often found in large groups and can be a great way to work out if you are in eastern Russia. The north-western part of Russia looks like Finland and features thick coverings of birch trees. East of the Ural Mountains, you will often find a dense covering of these trees or swampy grassland. The eastern island of Sakhalin commonly has dirt roads and dense forests. As well as Northern Japan, this cabbage is abundant on Sakhalin. The southern parts of Russia near Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia are void of trees. Deep south-western Russia commonly has a blue sky (a rarity in Russia) as well as landscapes resembling southern and Eastern Europe. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/russia-winter.png) If you spot winter coverage in Russia, you are most likely going to be positioned somewhere between Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The Eastern Russian city of Magadan has distinctive hills surrounding the city. Hills tend to be rather rare in Russia. if you see sand in Russia, you should be around Surgut, near the Ob River (western Siberia). The oblast of Kaliningrad (the central European section of Russia) has autumn coverage. Also in Kaliningrad, you will find seemingly random parts of the world around you blurred out- like Lithuania. The topography of Russia. Note that most of Russia is flat and that the Urals are relatively tiny. (Image source: mappdoutofficial) This map shows the tree distributions across Russia. Learning this map is one of the best ways to score well in Russia. Note that larch trees (light brown on the map) are found across the eastern half of the country. Spruce trees (dark pink on the map) are mainly found from the Finnish border south-east right down to Yekaterinburg. A larger key to the map appears below. A larger version of this map can be found [here](https://i.redd.it/dsnvo8dqtgc31.jpg) A larger key for the above map of tree distributions across Russia. Being aware of the largest cities in each GeoGuessr country is important however this is doubly vital in Russia, a country so vast that searching on the map is akin to finding a needle in a haystack swallowed by an alien within area 51. The 15 biggest Russian cities appear below. Being cognisant of their Cyrillic names is useful if you notice these letters on a sign. The 15 biggest Russian cities are in order of population: Москва/ *Moscow* Санкт-Петербург/ *St. Petersburg* Новосибирск/ *Novosibirsk* Екатеринбург/ *Yekaterinburg* Нижний Новгород/ *Nizhny Novgorod* Казань/ *Kazan* *Челябинск* / Chelyabinsk *Омск* */* Omsk *Самара* / Samara *Ростов-на-Дону* / Rostov-on-Don *Уфа* */* Ufa Красноярск/ Krasnoyarsk Пермь/ Perm Воронеж/ Voronezh Волгоград/ Volgograd These cities appear on the map below: A map showing the locations of the largest 15 Russian cities by population. Being aware of these city’s names is vital if you want a high score in Russia. (Source: [https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/biggest-russian-cities/](https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/biggest-russian-cities/)) *Additional resources to region guess in* *Russia* - [Alok providing Russian tips on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esJPxwdi9O0&feature=youtu.be). - [Zi8gzag’s channel with additional Alok Russian tips](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb7C065nUtc). - [This is a detailed Learnable Russia Guide by Illusion.](https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1drp1udLAXFNOMDvU0V6pLS2wLakmXujMepTUlkIbc_k/mobilebasic) - [BarrBarrBinks has created this Russian car and seasonal meta document.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KMRVfyEDF5hwYRkCCDVjaNh7XCy3xcbpTnRfybU0DMU/edit?usp=drivesdk) - [Illusion#7099 has created this document featuring the camera smudges of Russia…in detail](https://docs.google.com/document/d/14LO_Z0jeWKEdxjj51Xwg2oiKtc8nMqdleaTYWRMEQFs/edit#heading=h.z2rb6cdzjwej). ### Malta If you see cars driving on the left with the European license plate and the environment having a Mediterranean feel, then you are in Malta. The Maltese landscape is rather flat with not much tall vegetation or much of anything tall (until you get to a city). Malta and some other European owned islands have idiosyncratic rocky walls lining their roads. “Triq” means “street” in Maltese and therefore spotting this on signs indicates that you are in Malta. Maltese cities have narrow roads and a cream-like colour to most of their buildings. The letter ‘x’ appears frequently in the Maltese language. Malta also uses English. Malta and a number of other European islands stand out for their small, stoned walls. Streets in Maltese cities are narrow, often with high rise, old buildings that are the same creamish colour. A typical Maltese scene comprises little vegetation other than grass, fields of different colours, a rock wall and everything in the landscape being close to the ground. ‘Triq’ means ‘street’ in Maltese and this word appears all over Malta on signs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/malta-signs.png) Every town in Malta has its own unique looking street name signs. This street name sign is from the town of Mgarr. In Malta, the cars drive on the left. The only other countries within Europe that drive on the left are the U.K. and Ireland. Malta looks much more Mediterranean than these places. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/malta-plates.png) Cars in Malta have a mixture of standard European plates (left) and plates that are less elongated with a blue section in the upper-left corner (pictured on the right in the above image). ## How To Identify Every Country In Oceania A map showing Street View coverage in Oceania. - [Australia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#australia) - [New Zealand](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#new-zealand) - [American Samoa](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#american-samoa) - [Northern Mariana Islands](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#northern-mariana-islands) - [Guam](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#guam) - [Midway Atoll](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#midway-atoll) - [(Christmas Island)](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#christmas-island) As the above map indicates, large areas of Australia aren’t covered by Street View. There isn’t much more covered in the centre of the country than a single road splitting the country in two. This road is largely north-south orientated. New Zealand is largely covered by Street View. The rest of the Oceania coverage consists of small parts of small islands that rarely pop up. These include: the Galapagos Islands, New Caledonia, Pitcairn Island, Guam, The Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. ### Australia I live in Australia and have never left the country hence you may think I have some great insights to distinguish parts of Australia from each other and from the rest of the world. You would be wrong. I’ve previously mentioned that the state of New South Wales that houses Sydney has a portion of cars with yellow license plates contrasting the white license plates across the rest of Australia. The state of South Australia is essentially the only place in the world with concrete utility poles (as well as Darwin)- these hold up the power lines and there are almost 1 million of them in the state hence these utility poles indicate the area as almost certainly being South Australia. Australian house numbers appear on the GeoGuessr map which makes pinpointing easier. If you zoom in on the map, Australian house numbers appear. This can make pinpointing in Australian cities/towns easier. Australian roads mainly have all white road lines. Australia stands out thanks to Eucalyptus trees. They are typically tall with white bark. About 1/4 cars in the state of New South Wales in Australia have yellow license plates. If a car has yellow plates they will appear on both the front and rear. License plates in the Northern Territory generally have a reddish tinge that is just visible if you look carefully. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vic-plates.png) License plates in the state of Victoria most commonly have a subtle yet visible black triangle pointing downwards situated in the top-middle of the plate. Under the right circumstances, Western Australian license plates are recognisable. They feature a narrow, horizontal blue band running across the top of the plate. Sometimes it will be challenging to see this blue strip. Stobie poles are the utility poles used in the state of South Australia. These poles aren’t used outside of this state. The poles consist of steel on both sides and concrete in the centre. The Northern Territory uses these metal utility poles with holes in them. Outside of South Australia and the Northern Territory, the rest of Australia typically uses wooden utility poles that are cylindrical. There are often extras on these poles that vary from pole to pole such as the horizontal, crucifix bar. Approximately 50% of utility poles in Tasmania have these olive coloured metal wrappings around the pole, generally around 2 metres above the ground. These wrappings are often hard to see unless you zoom in as they are a similar colour to the utility pole. These olive colouered wrappings aren’t seen outside of Tasmania. New Zealand has a silver coloured metal wrapping. In the Greater Brisbane area- generally between the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, you will often see utility poles with a sloppily painted black section. If you see these coils on the ends of the top of a pole, you are in the state of Victoria. The coil doesn’t always appear on the vertical pole like in the above image. These coil poles aren’t everywhere in Victoria however if you see them, you know you are in Victoria. In Canberra, you will often see utility poles with a short, crucifix-style horizontal bar. ‘C’ roads in Australia are fairly common sights and are rather useful. They consist of the letter ‘C’ preceding a road number. C roads are found in Tasmania and Victoria (the southern mainland state of Australia, just across the sea from Tasmania). They can also technically be found in the Northern Territory but this is rare. Essentially C road= Tasmania or Victoria. ‘C’ roads are found in the Australian states of Tasmania and Victoria. Australia typically has white street signs. Australia normally has white coloured street signs. The greenest area and probably only green vegetation area of the country (depending on the season and droughts) is in the south east corner. If you encounter undulating ground in Australia, there is a good chance you are either drunk or in the island state of Tasmania. Tasmania also tends to be rather lush and can look similar to New Zealand. Victoria also regularly has green rolling hills. In general, Australia is very flat. If you see rolling hills, they you are most likely in Tasmania or Victoria. Approximately 90% of Tasmania’s coverage is generation 2 coverage. This means you should see the circular blur if you pan down, a halo around the sun and imagery of an inferior quality with brighter colours. Across the Australian mainland, generation 2 coverage occurs around 20% of the time. This is mainly in remote, rural areas (often with reddish dirt) that look dissimilar to Tasmania. If I see generation 2 coverage in Australia in somewhere vaguely resembling Tasmania, I will guess Tasmania. Most of Australia is the outback- a desert land that features not much other than serial killers. Noting the direction the outback road is travelling in can be useful in working out where on the map you might be. The Northern territory (the part of Australia in the upper middle) abides by a maximum speed limit of 130m/h vs 110km/h for the rest of Australia. Finding a 130km/h sign ensures that you are in this part of Australia. The two types of typical Australian reflector posts can be seen below. Note that the red rectangle reflector posts also commonly occur in Turkey and Romania.  The first type of bollard in Australia. The second type of Australian bollard features a red rectangle. Rural bollards in the state of Western Australia sometimes have these brown/gray segments on their base. Distinguishing between the eastern states and Western Australia can be problematic in Australia and a low score can result if you pick the opposite part of the country. There are some things I look for if I’m playing a no moving round and have to decide where to guess in Australia. Firstly, the trees in Western Australia tend to be lower and with a bushier foliage than the rest of Australia. The trees in the eastern states are normally higher and more sprawling. Another aspect to consider is the colour of the dirt. Although the below photos don’t support this, if the soil has a more reddish colour then you are more likely to be in Western Australia as opposed to an eastern state. The trees in Western Australia are normally lower and bushier as seen above. The trees in the eastern states of Australia are normally taller and more sprawling as seen above. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sa-soil.png) A white or light coloured soil is typically found alongside the road in the southern half of South Australia. Soil in Western Australia tends to have more of a redder colour than the remainder of Australia. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/orange-soil.png) As you travel further north in Australia, the soil colour gradually changes. By the time you reach the latitude of Alice Springs, the soil is close to orange in colour. The flora in this part of the country largely consists of low lying shrubs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/northern-australia.png) The northern part of Australia tends to have almost reddish dirt in combination with quite green and lush flora. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/black-bark.png) Trees often have black coloured bark in the northern part of Australia, especially around Darwin. The Stuart Highway, which is the road that runs north-south through Australia, is the main section of coverage in the centre of Australia. The Stuart Highway has generation 4 coverage from Adelaide to Alice Springs (meaning you should see the blue car and as depicted by the blue line above). North of Alice Springs is all generation 1 and 3. Curbs in the city of Perth tend to have a gradual decline to the ground (or have a very low drop- around 3cm). This contrasts standard curbs across the other major Australian cities which have curbs that slant at 90 degrees and drop straight down for about 13cm. Curbs in the major Australian cities other than Perth tend to have curbs that drop straight down to the road (around 13cm straight down)- these are pictured. Curbs in Perth generally have a gradual decline or are very low (around 3cm). Another way to identify Western Australia is via its yellow coloured poles which hold up signs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/wa-sign-yellow.png) One of the best methods to identify Western Australia is via its yellow poles which hold up many types of signs. Silver poles tend to hold up signs across the remainder of Australia. Australian speed limit signs appear on a white rectangle. This contrasts New Zealand speed limit signs which appear as a circular cut-out. South Australian and Western Australian speed limit signs (and often other signs) appear on rectangular prism shaped poles with holes running up them. The Western Australian poles are yellow, as pictured above this picture. In contrast to Western Australian and South Australian speed limit sign poles being rectangular prisms and having holes running down them, speed limit signs elsewhere in Australia are mounted on cylindrical poles without holes. Australian ‘GIVE WAY’ signs are written in black writing. In contrast, New Zealand ‘GIVE WAY’ signs are written in red writing. Additionally, New Zealand has a triangle printed on the road approaching ‘GIVE WAY’ signs whilst Australian roads are bare. Palm trees in Australia are commonly found in the northern half of the country and near the coast. Palm trees in Australia are more commonly found along the coast and in the northern half of the country. Bungalow style houses are particularly common in the Australian suburbs. Houses in the state of Queensland are most commonly made of horizontal pieces of wood. They are also often elevated off the ground (not necessarily as high as the house pictured). *Additional resources to region guess in* *Australia* - [Zi8gzag’s guide to Australia in Google Slides form](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZXxLem3YRLWw_tmP6v31VrkiqMvcoE1GXWbTN7Pi0Ds/edit#slide=id.g1122d5ba1de_0_0). - [Zi8gzag’s four part YouTube guide to Australia](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn4lafXhXDZ63ToezvP6P8aSssrEJ_pE6). - [The definitive guide to Australia by Zi8gzag, also on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgKRCHGuvTI). ### New Zealand New Zealand resembles Australia but is typically greener and hillier. New Zealand’s South Island is more mountainous that the North Island. If you can see large mountains on the horizon then odds are you are on the South Island. The direction these mountains are in relation to you can also be useful in pinpointing. New Zealand is typically both greener and hillier than Australia. If you can see mountains on the horizon in New Zealand, the chances are you are on the South Island. It can be easier to pinpoint by determining the direction these mountains are in relation to you. A useful clue to identifying New Zealand that I picked up is to look for small white poles with red reflectors on them besides the road at consistent intervals. The red on these poles wraps right around the pole and I have only seen this occur in New Zealand. The red on Australian small, white poles is contrastingly a circle or rectangle. In general, if I see rolling hills, like this image, I will guess the NZ North Island. If I see flat and/or mountainous terrain, I will guess the NZ South Island. New Zealand have unique bollards lining their highways that have a red/orange strip that stretches around the higher part of the bollard.  The red strip doesn’t quite stretch around the rear of New Zealand bollards. New Zealand also has red shields throughout the country that denote their highways. New Zealand has red highway shields containing a number that are unique to their country. New Zealand street signs are typically blue or green in colour whilst Australia normally has white street signs. New Zealand street signs are blue or green in colour. This contrasts Australia’s white street signs. Signs in New Zealand are most commonly found on white posts and poles. This includes street name signs. This contrasts Australia where signs in general are most commonly found on metal poles. New Zealand mainly use all white road lines. On occasions, New Zealand has some form of yellow centre line. If you see a yellow centre line, you are much more likely to be in New Zealand than Australia. New Zealand houses are often white in colour and bungalow-style. White coloured houses are much more common in New Zealand than Australia and this can be another clue to distinguish between the two countries. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct20.png) One of the best ways to distinguish between the North and South Islands of New Zealand is by the fences. Fences on the South Island typically have a large gap between the vertical poles. Fences on the North Island typically have a small gap between the vertical poles. I’ve noticed a lone piece of metal (normally silver or white coloured) wrapping around most New Zealand utility poles. Tasmania has an olive coloured wrapping as opposed to the New Zealand silver coloured wrapper. There are a number of different types of Kiwi utility poles however I most commonly see three distinct styles. The first style has an indent running vertically down it. The second type of main Kiwi utility pole is wooden and cylindrical. The third type of main Kiwi utility pole is concrete with large holes inside of it. Concrete utility poles are more abundant on the North Island of New Zealand whilst wooden utility poles are more abundant on the South Island of New Zealand. This can be a good way to decide which island to pick when making your guess. This map shows the distribution of New Zealand utility poles that have holes. As the map shows, these poles with holes are found on the North Island, with a concentration around Auckland and on the far south of the South island. New Zealand’s speed limit signs look different to Australia’s and are circular cut-outs. In contrast, Australian speed limit signs appear on a white rectangle. New Zealand ‘GIVE WAY’ signs are written in red writing. This contrasts Australian ‘GIVE WAY’ signs which are written in black. Additionally, New Zealand has a triangle preceding a ‘GIVE WAY’ intersection whilst Australia lacks these triangles. The greater Christchurch region of New Zealand (around half way up the east coast of the South Island) features a large number of tall hedges that skirt the side of the road. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/house-numbers-nz.png) If you zoom in on the map of New Zealand, you will notice house numbers. These can be useful if you are placed near a house and are after a perfect score. It is often possible to work out which major New Zealand city you are located in based on the street signs. Dunedin has the common blue New Zealand signs with white lettering with the added orange corner. Invercargill has the common NZ signs featuring a blue background with white lettering as well as these yellow tips on the top and bottom at the end of the sign. Wellington has unique looking signs featuring a white background and green lettering. Street signs in Christchurch have a white, vertical band on the end of the standard blue and white NZ signs. Street signs in Auckland are the standard blue and white colours with a white arrow on the end of the sign. Note that this arrow can be found in some other NZ towns/smaller cities. New Zealand sometimes has this unique looking, blue and white car. ### American Samoa A map showing the location of American Samoa (denoted by the red marker). American Samoa is situated just east of the International Date Line and Fiji. One of the easiest ways to find it is to locate the northern point of Australia and to scan directly east. A map showing the coverage in American Samoa on the large island of Tutuila. It largely includes the entire southern coastline and the edge of the National park of Tutuila, located in the northern, centre of the island. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/as-islands.png) To the east of the main American Samoan island of Tutuila lie three smaller islands. The island doublet that is pictured to the west is Ofu-Olosega. To the east is Ta’u. The Pacific island of Tutuila comprising the majority of American Samoan coverage is easily recognisable thanks to what is typically a visible car. American Samoa is very hilly, very tropical and has white sand. Parts of American Samoa feature very steep mountains that are rather conspicuous from most of the island.  A car will often be beneath you in Tutuila, American Samoa. Other locations in American Samoa feature a person holding the Street View camera. In American Samoa, you will commonly just see the back of a black ute if you pan down. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ofu-beach.png) On the island doublet of Ofu-Olosega coverage is mainly focused along the beach. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/as-car.png) If you pan down on the most eastern American Samoan island of Ta’u, you will see a silver coloured car. American Samoa has blue license plates. Cars drive on the right in American Samoa (which is rare for an island) and there is often a double yellow line in the centre of the road. The most populated island in American Samoa is Tutuila. This island features coverage along lots of roads and the island is more inhabited. The island doublet of Ofu-Olosega and the island of Ta’u feature very minimal coverage and the islands are less developed. ### Northern Mariana Islands [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-location.png) Due to the small size of the Northern Mariana Islands located in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, they can sometimes be hard to find on the map. I find them by locating Manila and panning directly east. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-coverage.png) 99% of the coverage on the Northern Mariana Islands is situated on the northern island of Saipan. There are very small sections of the island of Tinian covered however these are mainly specks of beach. The island of Sinapalu which is to the SSW of the islands pictured also has very small pockets covered mainly including beach areas. The Northern Mariana Islands are the eastern most US territory. The Northern Mariana Islands can be easily recognised if you pan down and see a strong blurring of the Street View car in tandem with an antenna stemming from the front-right of the car (Guam also has these features). Puerto Rico also have the antenna in the same position and a car that is blurred to a less extent (i.e. it is more subtle blurring and harder to notice). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-blur.png) If you pan down in the Northern Mariana Islands you should see a thick blur beneath you. There is also an antenna extending from the front-right section of the Street View car. Guam has virtually an identical view when you pan down with a subtle difference that is explained in the next image. Puerto Rico also has an antenna extending from the front-right of the Street View car however they have a more subtle blur beneath you. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-2.png) This image shows Guam’s antenna. This is located virtually at the corner of the car. In contrast, you will notice that the antenna for the Northern Mariana Islands (the image above this one) has the antenna closer to you and away from the corner. Try and remember Guam=corner. If you pan down in the Northern Mariana Islands, there WON’T be a bar on the back-left side of the car. This is important as there is the end of a bar in Guam. This is the best way to distinguish the Northern Mariana Islands from Guam. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-plates.png) License plates in the Northern Mariana Islands are typically very small in size. They come in a variety of shades but tend to be mainly white or with a slight gray tinge. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-cars.png) The Northern Mariana landscape features a large number of palm trees. The territory is very tropical feeling and there are often hills nearby. Cars drive on the right in the Northern Mariana Islands which is rare for an island area. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-land-2.png) The roads within the Northern Mariana Islands are often covered with sand. The territory use wooden utility poles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-signs.png) This image shows three signs that are visible in the Northern Mariana Islands. Depicted are: the leftmost stop sign (they have English as their language), the highway shield sign (we are on route 308) and the US Speed Limit sign (the US own this territory). Also note the US style metal poles with small holes holding up these signs. ### Guam [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-location.png) Guam can often be hard to find on the map due to its small size relative to the enormity of the Pacific Ocean. It is located slightly SSW from the Northern Mariana Islands. The easiest way to find it is to locate Manila and pan directly east. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-coverage.png) Most of Guam’s Street View coverage is centred around Hagatna and greater Tamuning which are urban areas. The coverage also extends to a few further places including the road that hugs that southern coastal part of the island. Guam is very similar looking to the Northern Mariana Islands. Both territories share the extremely blurred car with the antenna stemming from the front-right. Guam is generally busier, has wider roads, has darker roads and is flatter than the Northern Mariana Islands. It also has green street signs rather than blue. I mainly look at the utility poles to tell the territories apart. Guam typically has large, concrete utility poles whilst the Northern Mariana Islands has smaller wooden poles. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guan-blurred.png) The easiest way to identify Guam is to pan down and look at the extremely blurred Street View car that has an antenna stemming from the front-right corner. The Northern Mariana Islands have virtually an identical car (with one subtle difference explained in the below image). Puerto Rico also have an antenna stemming from the front-right corner of the car however their car has a more subtle blurring. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nmi-car-2.png) The Northern Mariana Islands antenna is pictured here. The antenna in Guam is almost at the car’s corner (the picture above this one) whilst the antenna for the Northern Mariana Islands is further from the corner and clearly down the side of the car as pictured. If you look at the rear-left of the Guam car (right-side on the above picture), you will see a tiny bit of a bar sticking out- this distinguishes Guam from the Northern Mariana Islands. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-flat.png) Guam is an extension of the Northern Mariana Islands archipelago. As a result, the landscape looks remarkably similar to the Northern Mariana Islands. Guam tends to have wider roads than the Northern Mariana Islands. It is also generally flatter than the Northern Mariana Islands. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-landscape.png) Guam tends to have a higher quality road network, featuring many dark, wide roads (something the Northern Mariana Islands lack). Guam also tends to be slightly busier than the Northern Mariana Islands. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-highway-sign.png) Guam uses these blue highway shields that helpfully say ‘Guam’. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-up.png) Guam has these large octagonal, concrete utility poles- something I haven’t encountered in the Northern Mariana Islands which generally has wooden utility poles. This is the easiest way for me to tell the territories apart. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/guam-green-sign.png) Guam uses green street name signs which contrasts the Northern Mariana Islands’ blue street name signs. ### Midway Atoll Midway Atoll is located in the North Pacific Ocean. The easiest way to find it is to locate Hawaii and pan north-west. The bulk of Street View coverage on Midway Atoll appears on the western located ‘Sand Island’ with a few tiny specks of Eastern Island also covered. Midway Atoll is one of nine insular areas of the USA known collectively as the United States Outlying Islands. From these nine areas, only Midway Atoll has Street View. Midway Atoll can be easily identified thanks to virtually the entire atoll being covered in albatross chicks. Midway Atoll is instantly recognisable thanks to the thousands of albatross chicks that swarm the entire area. The only part of Midway Atoll that isn’t swarming with albatross is the airport runway. When you pan down in Midway Atoll, you should see a circular blur thanks to the generation 2 camera that was used to capture the imagery. ### Christmas Island Christmas Island is not included on Battle Royale. Christmas Island is a territory of Australia, situated in the Indian Ocean, off Australia’s north-western coast. The easiest way to find Christmas Island in the vastness of the Indian Ocean is to locate Jakarta then pan down. The simplest way to recognise Christmas Island is to look down as the tray of the silver ute (pick-up truck) is visible. Christmas Island’s Street View coverage is predominantly in its north-eastern corner which is its urban area. This area is dominated by paved roads covered in sand, houses with satellite dishes and cars with distinct yellow license plates. The bulk of Christmas Island is covered in Christmas Island National Park and some coverage weaves through the gravel/dirt, unpaved roads amongst this area. There is thick flora on both sides of the road in this section of the island. There is some coverage on Christmas Island captured by a person walking around with the Street View camera. Additionally, there is some ocean coverage off the north coastline in which you will expectedly see a boat if you pan down. Christmas Island uses English and the vehicles drive on the left. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-island.png) Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean. The easiest way to find it on the map is to locate Jakarta and pan down. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-coverage.png) Street View coverage on Christmas Island is mainly focused around the north-east of the island, around Flying Fish Cove however it extends across most of the island including the vast Christmas Island National park. There is also some boat coverage beyond the northern coastline of the island. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-ute.png) If you pan down in Christmas Island, you will see the tray of a ute (pick-up truck). The tray is a light silver colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-satellite.png) There are a large number of satellite dishes located on Christmas Island. If you are in a populated area you will undoubtedly see satellite dishes. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-np.png) If you are situated on an unpaved road on Christmas Island, you are likely somewhere in the large Christmas Island National Park. This area of Christmas Island is dominated by thick foliage flanking the road. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-road.png) If you are situated on a paved road on Christmas Island, you are probably in the north-eastern corner of the island. Christmas Island’s paved roads are normally dusted with sand. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-plates.png) Both front and rear license plates on Christmas Island are this distinct yellow colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-crabs.png) There is a small amount of coverage on Christmas Island captured by a person walking around (you can see their blurred outline). In this example, we can see the Christmas Island red crabs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-boat.png) There is some boat coverage off the north coastline of Christmas Island. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/x-bollard.png) The most common type of bollard on Christmas Island resembles the Australian bollard featuring a red, elongated rectangle on a white bollard. The rear of these Christmas Island bollards have a silver rectangle. ## How To Identify Every Country In Africa Northern African Street View coverage. The Southern part of Africa covered by Street View - [South Africa](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#south-africa) - [Botswana](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#botswana) - [Eswatini](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#eswatini) - [Lesotho](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#lesotho) - [Namibia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#namibia) - [Uganda](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#uganda) - [Kenya](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#kenya) - [Rwanda](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#rwanda) - [Ghana](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#ghana) - [Nigeria](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#nigeria) - [Senegal](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#senegal) - [Tunisia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#tunisia) - [Reunion](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#reunion) - [Madagascar](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#madagascar) - [Sao Tome and Principe](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#sao-tome-and-principe) African Street View coverage encompasses: essentially Tunisia’s eastern coast, the Canary Islands, parts of Senegal, parts of Ghana, Nigeria primarily from Abuja to Lagos, the Rwandan capital of Kigali, Kampala in Uganda plus a few other small parts of this country, mainly southern Kenya, the island of Reunion, Botswana in parts, South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. As with all the continents I write about, there are additional areas covered such as a speck of Madagascar for Africa but these places occur so infrequently at present. The savanna trees are a good indicator that you are in Africa and include the Umbrella Thorn Acacia. All of the countries in GeoGuessr in Africa have predominantly English signs besides Senegal, Tunisia and Reunion which contain French signs (Tunisia also has Arabic). Warnings about various animals on signs is also a sign that you may be in Africa and a reminder that we don’t know what happened to the Google Street View driver in this area. The southern and Eastern countries of South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Uganda and Kenya are distinguishable from the rest of Africa due to left hand side of the road divers. For GeoGuessr purposes, if you see a car driving on the left side of the road in mainland Africa, you are south of the red line on the map. If you see a car driving on the right side of the road, then you are north of the red line. Madagascar and Reunion drive on the right. ### South Africa I’ll firstly go through the African countries that drive on the left. One of the easiest ways to identify South Africa is via its road markings. The most common marking is yellow continuous lines on the edges of the road. This line marking is unique from most the world however it is also found in the neighbouring countries of Eswatini, Lesotho and Botswana. South Africa has two possible visible entities if you pan down. The first of these is the white Street View car. You will also see this in Eswatini, Lesotho and Botswana. The alternative thing to see beneath you in South Africa is a circular blur. This means that the Street View imagery has been captured by the generation 2 camera. This is rare in the world. Lesotho, Botswana and Eswatini don’t have this camera in use. Seeing generation 2 imagery in southern Africa means that you are definitively in South Africa. The bright colours from the generation 2 camera also stand out and provide another clue to identifying the generation 2 camera. In South Africa people are fairly security conscious and often houses will have high walls or fences around them, sometime with spikes. South Africa has the Afrikaans language that resembles Dutch appearing on some signs. In South Africa there is a plateau between Eswatini and Lesotho and land in this area is normally fairly high up and flat relative to other parts of the country. The countries of Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho have only a white car visible if you pan down. South Africa either has a white car visible, the large circular blur caused by the generation 2 camera or occasionally a slightly blue car caused by the generation 4 camera. In South Africa (but not Botswana, Eswatini or Lesotho) you will often see the circular blur beneath the Street View car. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sa-gen-4.png) South Africa recently got some generation 4 coverage, meaning that you will sometimes be able to see part of a blue car if you pan down. South Africa is the only southern African country (including Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana) to have used the generation 2 camera to capture Street View imagery. Large parts of South Africa were captured with this camera. If you notice the bright colours like those in this image, the circular blur beneath the Street View car or a halo around the sun, the generation 2 camera has been used. This means you are in South Africa and not Botswana, Lesotho or Eswatini. High walls and fences around houses are a common sight in South Africa. Like Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana, South Africa’s most common road lines feature yellow, continuous edge lines and white centre lines. This unique combination of road lines is often one of the easiest ways to determine that you are in one of these four Southern African countries. Cars drive on the left in South Africa. Cars drive on the left in Africa everywhere south of the red line on the map at the start of this Africa section. These are the second most common road markings in South Africa. They feature dashed white lines encased by two, white continuous lines. Often these markings occur simultaneously with the continuous yellow lines on the outer edges of the road South African highway signs are green with white lettering (similar to the other countries in the southern part of Africa). The highway number is indicated by yellow lettering. These signs are very useful when trying to pinpoint in South Africa. You will often see them at remote intersections. South African highways start with the letters R, M or N followed by a number. This is the warning sign used throughout Africa. It looks like the European warning signs (and the sign used in parts of Asia). This warning sign is different to the yellow diamond used throughout North and South America, New Zealand and Australia. These narrow, red and white signs are almost like bollards in South Africa. They are very common. Although South Africa widely uses wooden poles, the urban areas of South Africa mainly contain concrete poles, pained black on the base. The rural South African landscape rarely features much vegetation other than grass (which often appears dry, yellow or red). Between Eswatini and Lesotho, South Africa has a plateau. There will often be hilly lumps around you or on the horizon. The landscape tends to be greener here. There are many dry, rocky mountains in the south-western part of South Africa. Generally, the further north and west you travel in South Africa, the drier and more desert-like the landscape. A map showing the topography of South Africa. Note that the mountains are mainly around the south-western edge of the country (near Cape Town) and in the north-east. (Image source: mappdoutofficial). South African cars tend to have quite long and narrow, white license plates- both front and rear. This map shows the 3-digit R road distribution across South Africa. If you see an R road sign in South Africa, it can take a while zooming in and out before you find it on the map. This map shows where you should look. (Image source: Thanks Reddit user Mikkybiola for this map). ### Botswana Botswana’s Street view coverage is mainly limited to the A1, A2 and A3 highways which link together to create a circle. The coverage also has various roads generally leading radially away from the A1, A2 and A3 highways. The large space in the centre of the country isn’t covered. Botswana’s main roads are in excellent condition, looking almost brand new. Most of the Botswanan coverage is centred around the main highways- the A1, A2 and A3 which form a ring around Botswana. The coverage also deviates off these roads with some coverage featuring sandy paths. The environment in Botswana is flat and largely a mixture of desert and savanna. There is a short, sprawling tree that is seen all over Botswana, sometimes with leaves and sometimes without. Botswana largely has the white Street View car visible like Eswatini, Lesotho and parts of South Africa. The yellow continuous roads lines are also abundant in Botswana, like these aforementioned places. Botswanan highways start with the letters ‘A’ or ‘B’ followed by a number. Botswana uses black and yellow stripes for its sign poles and blueish obelisk shaped structures for its most common bollards. The most common road markings in Botswana feature yellow, continuous edge lines and some form of white middle line. These line markings are also common in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. In populated Botswanan areas, you will often encounter dirt/sand roads. Unpaved roads can also be seen in the more remote areas of Botswana. The white Street View car is often visible in Botswana. It can also be visible in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Botswana typically has high quality main roads and the environment is a blend of desert and savanna. The main roads are typically of high quality and the landscape across the country is very flat. Botswana’s sign poles have black and yellow stripes. The most common type of bollard in Botswana is a blueish, small obelisk. Botswana tends to use the fairly generic looking, cylindrical, wooden utility poles that are found right acros southern Africa. Botswana’s highway signs look similar to South Africa’s. Botswana use ‘A’ for major highways and ‘B’ for smaller roads. This contrasts South Africa which most commonly uses R, N and M. These short trees with no leaves are a common sight in parts of Botswana. Note the short, sprawling trees now having leaves. There are few cars in Botswana. License plates are therefore quite a rear sight. Cars in Botswana most commonly have yellow rear plates and white front plates. This map of Botswana shows the general regions as characterised by the landscape. In the images below, an example is provided for each coloured section. (Image source: Jasper Woodard). The orange area on the above map (the western half of Botswana): There should be some sand visible that is like the sand you see on a beach- fine granules and soft. There is also patchy grass as opposed to the entire ground being covered in grass. The yellow area on the above map (the mid-eastern part of Botswana): The ground is fully covered with short grass. There are slightly more trees. This area is more populated than the remainder of Botswana (which is relative, as it can still seem quite lowly populated). The dark blue section on the above map (the far north-east): This part of Botswana stands out for its long grass. The trees are also greener in colour than the remainder of Botswana. The red area on the above map (far eastern Botswana): This area has lots of visible sand however the sand is harder, packed together and rocky. The sand resembles coarse dirt more than sand. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Botswana* - [Jasper Woodard’s YouTube tips for Botswana](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn4lafXhXDZ5DMMT-zvWXitta54wLZUuQ). ### Eswatini Eswatini is extremely hilly with even urban areas rarely being flat. The country’s landscape is fairly green and trees are prevalent. GeoGuessr players often struggle to distinguish Eswatini from Lesotho. There is one easy method to distinguish the countries that works approximately 90% of the time- Eswatini has trees and Lesotho generally doesn’t. Like the other countries in southern Africa, Eswatini most commonly has the yellow, continuous lines on the edges of the road and some form of white central road marking. Dirt roads are also fairly common in Eswatini. Like Botswana, Lesotho and parts of South Africa, a white car should be visible if you pan down in Eswatini. Eswatini is green and very hilly. It also typically has trees visible. The landscape looks partially similar to Lesotho (both are very hilly and landlocked by South Africa) however Lesotho is largely void of trees. Like South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho, Eswatini most commonly has yellow continuous lines on the edges of its roads and a white marking in the centre. The second most common road lines in Eswatini have the standard yellow edges and the two continuous, white, centre lines encasing a white dashed line. These road markings can also be seen in South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho. Dirt roads are common in Eswatini. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/eswatini-grass.png) Another feature of Eswatini is that it often has long grass. This can help distinguish it from South Africa and Lesotho (which normally has patchy, short grass). The western part of Eswatini often features lots of taller trees packed together in close bunches. The white Street View car is visible in Eswatini. It is also visible in Lesotho, Botswana and parts of South Africa. Like the other southern African countries in GeoGuessr, Eswatini has warning signs featuring a red outline and white centre. Utility poles in Eswatini are generally wooden and fairly rudimentary. They are often fairly dark in colour compared to wooden poles of other countries. A common license plate in Eswatini features a dark blue upper section and yellow-greenish lower section. ### Lesotho The best way to identify Lesotho is via the absence of trees (besides the far north of the country). I remember less trees= Lesotho because Lesotho sounds like ‘less oh though’. This is the easiest way to tell the country apart from Eswatini and South Africa. Lesotho is green and very undulating with hills and mountains throughout the country. Like Eswatini, there is rarely a flat section of ground in Lesotho. The white Street View car is visible throughout Lesotho as it is in Botswana, Eswatini and parts of South Africa. Another similarity between Lesotho and these aforementioned three other countries is the road markings. Lesotho shares the common yellow continuous edge lines and white centre lines with this countries. License plates in Lesotho may feature a slight blue blur thanks to the white plate having blue lettering that becomes blurred on Street View. Lesotho is green and hilly and generally lacks trees (apart from the far north of the country). Parts of Lesotho are quite mountainous yet the area still lacks trees. Parts of the country are fairly rocky Most of Lesotho has short grass that is typically patchy. This can help distinguish the country from Eswatini which mainly has long grass. The most common road marking in Lesotho has yellow, continuous edge lines and some form of white middle line. This road marking combination is also abundant in South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini. The second most common road marking in Lesotho features two continuous, white centre lines enclosing a white dashed line. These lines can also be seen in South Africa, Eswatini and Botswana. If you pan down in Lesotho, the white Street View should be visible. The white Street View car is also visible in Botswana, Eswatini and parts of South Africa. Many vehicles in Lesotho have white license plates with blue lettering. When they are blurred on Street View, this creates a slightly blue blur that can be recognisable. Like the other African countries, Lesotho uses the triangular warning signs featuring a red outline and white filling. Lesotho tends to use the wooden utility poles that are fairly generic and common throughout southern Africa. ### Namibia [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam1.png) This map shows the distribution of Namibia’s Street View coverage. It covers most of the country’s major roads and towns/cities. Notably, it stretches right across the country, including the panhandle. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam8.png) Namibian coverage was taken in this white, blocky, pickup truck. Notably, the antenna always leans to the left. The truck isn’t always visible, it’s blurred across roughly half of the coverage. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam9.png) If you look carefully in the rear window of the Namibia Street View car, you may be able to see toilet paper. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/namibia4.png) Roughly half of Namibia’s coverage features this blurred car. Note- you can typically still see the short, stubby antenna pointing to the left. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam3.png) Namibia has elongated license plates that are yellow (a rare colour in the GeoGuessr world) front and rear. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam10.png) Namibian paved roads typically resemble the roads of other Southern African countries. They have yellow outer lines and white central lines. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam12.png) Namibia drives on the left, like the other Southern African countries in GeoGuessr. Furthermore, the landscape consists of various types of desert. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam2.png) If you are in a Namibian city with rolling hills, you are almost certainly in the capital, Windhoek. Virtually no part of the entire city is flat, as you are always either going uphill or downhill. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam6.png) Namibia is extremely dry. However, if you see naturally growing green trees, you are more likely going to be in the northern third of the country—in general, the more green and lush the trees, the further north. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam5.png) Palm trees are particularly common in Namibia, especially in coastal areas. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nam11.png) Namibia and Oman can sometimes be hard to distinguish. However, the Namibia antenna always leans to the left, while the Oman antenna does not. Furthermore, Oman typically has 2024 copyright appearing on its coverage, while Namibia has 2025 copyright appearing on its coverage (pictured if you have hawk-like vision). Furthermore, Oman drives on the right, while Namibia drives on the left. Finally, Namibia is in the southern hemisphere (so the Sun appears in north), whereas Oman is in the northern hemisphere (so the Sun appears in the south). ### Uganda Ugandan Street View coverage is mainly centred around Kampala and its outskirts. There are also several Ugandan National Parks covered. The next left side of the road driving country in Africa is Uganda. Ugandan Street View coverage is predominantly centred on Kampala and its outskirts. The Street View car here has visible white edges and side view mirrors. Ugandan National Parks are also included in its Street View coverage. If you pan down in a Ugandan National Park, you won’t see the distinctive sides of the car but rather a large circular blur. The soil in Uganda is largely reddish and indeed there is a similar reddish tone to Kenya’s soil. Uganda has a mixture of paved roads and unpaved, dirt roads. On average, Ugandan roads seem to be narrower than Kenyan roads. Uganda has yellow rear plates and white front plates- the same combination as Kenya. Other than the distinctive reddish dirt, the Ugandan landscape features green, tropical-like flora and often many signs. In Kampala and its outskirts, where most of the Ugandan coverage is centred, the side view mirrors of the Street View car are visible as are parts of the sides of the white car. As Uganda’s Street View coverage is centred around Kampala and its outskirts, you will rarely get featureless places in Uganda. One of the defining characteristics of Uganda is its red soil. This soil colour is also found in other parts of Africa, namely Kenya. As with some other African locations, there are signs aplenty if Uganda. Dirt roads are common in Uganda. Ugandan roads seem to be narrower on average than Kenyan roads. The Ugandan landscape often features green, lush and tropical looking flora. The rear license plates in Uganda are yellow. Sometimes the rear plates will appear more elongated that the above image. Ugandan front and back plates look the same as Kenyan front and back plates. The front license plates in Uganda are white. Ugandan Street View coverage mainly focuses around Kampala and its outskirts. There is also coverage in some of their National Parks. If you pan down in a Ugandan National Park, you should see a circular blur and sometimes the very front of the Street View car. Ugandan National parks have dirt roads. The landscape often consists of patchy grass and scattered flora. Uganda uses fairly generic wooden utility poles. The poles do have one uniqueness- the powerlines are often connected to the pole on three levels. In Uganda you may see this man holding a gun whilst following the Street View car. This scene has appeared a number of times for me in Battle Royale. ### Kenya In October 2022, Kenyan Street View coverage was updated, meaning that the coverage now extends north and the central and western parts of the country now have denser coverage. The easiest way to identify Kenya is to pan down. Sometimes the Street View car’s distinctive bars will be visible as well as a black ‘snorkel’-like object at the front of the Street View car. Thanks to the new coverage, the alternative is that you will sometimes be in a silver truck (that sometimes has a snorkel). Another meta in Kenya is a silver 4-wheel drive that provides an escort for the Street View car. This 4-wheel-drive won’t always be around but will often be tailing the Street View car. Nigeria and Tunisia also have trailing escort cars. Much of the Kenyan landscape consists of a distinctive reddish dirt like Uganda. There are however large parts of Kenya that don’t have this dirt and rather have a more subtle brown dirt colour. Kenyan roads often have white, continuous edge lines and some form of yellow centre line. Kenyan roads are on average wider than Ugandan roads. Kenya shares the same looking license plates as Uganda- typically a squarish, yellow, rear plate and elongated white plate. Kenya also has a number of black and white striped poles that hold up signs. As Kenyan coverage is much more vast than Ugandan coverage, you are more likely to be somewhere rural in Kenya as well as more likely to be somewhere hilly. Kenya often has the bars of the Street View car visible. If the bars are visible, a black ‘snorkel’ protrusion can be seen coming from the Street View car in Kenya- see the top left of the image. Seeing this ‘snorkel’ is one of the easiest ways to recognise Kenya. This map shows the colour of the Kenyan street view car across Kenya. The black lines on the map indicate where the black street view car is found- this is mainly stretching from Nairobi to Mombasa as well as from Nairobi up north to Marsabit. The black car is also found on the north-western outskirts of Nairobi. The silver street view car (as denoted by the gray lines on the map) is concentrated across the west of the country (it’s in every point west of Nairobi). It’s also found in parts of Nairobi and small sections slightly east of Nairobi. Note: Kenya got new coverage in October of 2022 so the Kenyan coverage is now more vast than the above map. (Map Source: Tall Impala). There is now a new vehicle that is visible beneath you in parts of Kenya. This vehicle is a light-silver coloured truck. The truck can appear with the snorkel and antenna (as above), with just the snorkel, just the antenna (or sometimes two antenna) or neither the snorkel or antenna. If you notice lots of yellow tape on the left hand side of the car, then you should be in central Kenya (stretching from around Nairobi to the north). This tape isn’t found in eastern or western Kenya. It’s important to note that most of central Kenya doesn’t have this tape so if you don’t see the tape, it isn’t useful in working out where you are. Some of the time in Kenya, you will see this silver 4-wheel drive following you. It is an escort car and may appear up to 100 metres behind you. Nigeria and Tunisia also have escort cars. The Kenyan landscape can be quite varied. Some parts of the country are quite hilly. The distinctive reddish dirt can be found in Kenya but often there is a more subtle dirt colour. The foliage in Kenya can range from dense and tropical to empty grasslands. The further west and south you travel in Kenya, the more green the vegetation becomes. The one caveat to this is that the Kenyan coastal vegetation in the far-east is also green. The further north and east you travel in Kenya, the drier the landscape. Once again, the exception is the Kenyan coastal region which is green and lush. The northern parts of Kenya are desert. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mombasa.png) If you notice palm trees in Kenya, then you are probably in or around Mombasa. If you see these three black orbs on the camera, you are on the A3 road. This is the major road that runs from just outside Nairobi to the north-east of the country. Kenyan roads are often wider than those in Uganda. The urban parts of Kenya regularly have people on the street or the footpath. Kenyan shops will often have their address displayed on them. The Kenyan dirt isn’t always the distinctive red colour. Often it is more of a faded brown colour. Kenyan roads often have white continuous lines on the edges and soft yellow lines in the middle. This central line can be continuous or comprising of dashes. Many rear license plates in Kenya are yellow. Kenyan plates also tend to be squarer than other yellow licence plates around the world (excluding Uganda). Kenyan front license plates are white. Kenya has the same combination of plates as Uganda. Some Kenyan signs are held up by black and white striped poles. Kenya mainly uses the fairly generic cylindrical, wooden utility poles. The remaining countries in GeoGuessr within Africa: Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisian drive on the right. ### Rwanda This map shows virtually all of the current Rwandan Street View coverage. The coverage is essentially the northern half of the Rwandan capital of Kigali. The fastest way to identify Rwanda is if you see a large black vehicle beneath you. At present, Rwandan Street View coverage is essentially only found in the northern half of the capital- Kigali. Kigali has rolling hills and well-maintained roads. There are tall concrete or brick fences around most properties. Vehicles drive on the right in Rwanda which distinguishes the country from the semi-similar looking Uganda and Kenya. Vehicles have yellow rear plates and white front plates in Rwanda. Fortunately for GeoGuessr players, the northern half of Kigali (where virtually all the Rwandan coverage is) has roads that begin with ‘KG’ followed by a number. Most intersections have these roads names on clear signs, making it relatively easy to find where you located on the GeoGuessr map. When you pan down in Rwanda, you will see this unique-looking, black car. The paved roads in Rwanda typically feature a yellow centre line and white side lines. These lines are often faded. The paved road quality in Rwanda is fairly high. There is also a high proportion of unpaved roads in Rwanda. The paved roads in Rwanda often have these black and white sidewalk edges. Vehicles in Rwanda have yellow rear license plate and white front license plates. Note that vehicles drive on the right side of the road in Rwanda. This can help distinguish the country from Kenya and Uganda who drive on the left. High walls are common around most properties in Kigali. This is a great way to distinguish Rwanda from other African countries. This image shows an example of a typical Kigali landscape. The entire city is undulating, with roads that are seldom straight and always curved. If the road is paved, it will be smooth. There are often people around and motorbikes. There are high walls around the properties. Utility poles in Rwanda almost always come as either concrete square shaped poles like the one pictured above, or round, wooden poles. Signs in Kigali are often written in both English and Kinyarwanda. Fortunately for GeoGuessr players, pinpointing in Rwanda is relatively easy thanks to the prevalence of clear street signs at most intersections. The northern half of Kigali (where the bulk of the coverage is) has street signs that begin with ‘KG’ followed by a number. The southern parts of Kigali (where there is very little coverage), has street signs that being with ‘KN’ or ‘KK’. In general, the lower road numbers (1 and 2-digit road numbers) in Kigali are more major roads whilst 3-digit road numbers tend to be smaller roads. By zooming in on the map, it shouldn’t take too long to find the KG street number that you are located on. This map shows the 3 districts of Kigali- Gasabo in the north, Nyarugenge in the south-west and Kicukiro in the south-east. The second letter of the road name stands for the district. Roads beginning with KG stand for Kigali Gasabo. Roads beginning with KN stand for Kigali Nyarugenge. Roads beginning with KK stand for Kigali Kicukiro. At present, almost all Rwandan coverage is in Gasabo. (Image source: [https://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc14/papers/665\_131.pdf](https://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc14/papers/665_131.pdf)) ### Ghana Ghanaian Street View coverage has its epicentres in Accra and Kumasi. A number of ‘N’ highways stretch around the country, linking up the most populous Ghanaian cities and towns. There is no Street View coverage in the centre of Ghana. The easiest way to identify Ghana is to pan down. The Street View car’s bars are visible in Ghana with an additional idiosyncrasy- one of the four bars has black tape wrapped around its end. Ghana is the only country in the world to have this black tape feature, making it readily identifiable. Ghana has a fairly even mixture of cars with yellow rear and front plates and cars with white rear and front plates. Standard Ghanaian license plates are elongated which contrasts most of the license plates in Africa. The southern part of Ghana is relatively green with a tropical tinge whilst the northern part has an environment more resembling a desert or a savanna. The Ghanaian soil is generally a reddish-brown colour. The soil is typically not as red as the Ugandan and Kenyan soils. Urban Ghana has a bustling vibe with motorbikes and bicycles common and people often milling around the streets. There are many signs in urban Ghana and the shops and houses typically have almost flat, corrugated iron roofs. Ghana can be immediately identified as it has black tape around one of the Street View car’s visible bars. Some cars in Ghana have elongated yellow license plates on their rear and front. Other cars in Ghana have elongated white license plates for their rear and front. Southern Ghana tends to be green in colour, have plentiful grass and have tropical, lush vegetation. Northern Ghana has a drier feel which is reflected in its lack of grass and desert-like brown/reddish soil. Ghanaian cities are a hive of activity. Bicycles and motorbikes are common, signs are plentiful and there are often people milling around. A brown/reddish dirt is a common sight across large parts of the country. Ghanaian shops and houses often have corrugated iron roofs. Ghana typically uses these wooden poles that have a horizontal bar with three ‘pine cone’ like protrusions pointing upwards from the bar. ### Nigeria In October 2022, Nigeria received new Street View coverage. There is now coverage spread across the entire country. Nigerian Street View coverage now covers most of the country. Nigeria has a huge number of possible things that are visible if you pan down. These range from striped bars to truck trays to truck trays with strped tape to various shaped blurs. Large parts of Nigeria have an escort car following the Street View car. Tunisia and Kenya are the only other two countries in the world that may have a following escort car. Nigeria can also be recognised thanks to a greenish tinge appearing on its license plates. Urban Nigeria stands out for the hordes of cars and people around. Urban Nigeria locations are the most crowded places on Street View in Africa. The Nigerian landscape can be rather diverse, ranging from tropical in the south to brownish-red soil and less vegetation further north. Nigerian utility poles have a number of large indents on them. You are likely to see one of a number of things if you pan down in Nigeria. The first of these is some distortion of the Street View car which seems to absorb other cars nearby. The second thing you may see if you pan down in Nigeria is the Street View car’s bars. If you see these bars in Nigeria, they will have a yellow and black pattern on them. This bar pattern is unique to Nigeria. The third thing you may see in Nigeria if you pan down is a relatively mild blur. What makes the Nigerian blur unique is its thickness where the bars on the Street View car are. In other words, the blur will appear of normal width around the front and back of the car then bulge out under the middle of the car. New coverage has been added to Nigeria meaning that you may see this tray behind you (typically with yellow and black striped tape around the edge although this isn’t always the case) concurrently with the large, circular blur. This is the most common meta in the newer October 2022 update meaning that you will often see this in the newly covered areas of Nigeria which includes the north of the country. Nigerian license plates have a greenish tinge. Different colour escort cars follow the Street View car in different parts of Nigeria. In greater Lagos, this silver 4-wheel drive is always following the Street View car. East of Ikorodu, you will also see this car. Sometimes the trailing car will be up to 200 metres away. Note that in Tunisia and Kenya, the Street View car can also be followed by an escort 4-wheel drive. Most of the time in the older Nigerian coverage, a white police car will be following you. In some instance the left-most light on the police car is blue whilst other times the left-most light is red. The colour of the left most light can tell you where in Nigeria you are located. If the left-most light on the police car behind you is blue, you should mainly be inside the blue triangle above. If the left-most light on the police car beind you is red, you should mainly be in the red quadrilateral above. In summary, left light blue= northern Nigerian coverage and left light red= southern Nigerian coverage. (Image source: poorly made by me) A black 4-wheel drive follows the Street View car in Benin City and on the E1 south of Logbara. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nigeria-map-car.jpg) A map showing what colour follow car is visible in Nigeria. Note: In the purple area, one side of the road is covered by the police car and the other side is covered by the black car. Note: Nigeria received additional coverage in October 2022 that extends beyond what the above map shows. (Source: reddit user, Oxygen0796). Cities in Nigeria are the busiest places on Street View in the entire Africa. There is often wall to wall traffic and a number of people walking around. The further south you are located in Nigeria, the greener and more tropical-looking the landscape. As you travel further north in Nigeria, the landscape becomes much drier, less green and more of a brown colour. This is especially true the closer you get to Abuja (where the Nigerian coverage extends to). Nigeria can have a slight reddish soil but it is much rarer than in Kenya and Uganda. Nigerian towns and outer suburbs often have light coloured, sandy, dirt roads. Roadside curbs in Nigeria sometimes have this pattern of alternating white and dark blue/black. Nigeria’s most common utility poles often have a number of indents, like sections have been cut out but not quite enough has been cut out to form holes. Nigerian utility poles look similar to Brazilian utility poles. If you see bars beneath you in Nigeria, you should be in the southern half of the country. (Note: If you don’t see bars, it doesn’t mean you aren’t in the south of the country). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ibadan.png) Nigerians love to place their address on their signs. In the above example, we are in the city of Ibadan, in the Ode-Aje area and in the Ayekale District. *Additional resources to region guess in Nigeria.* - [Nigeria Generation 4 car metas](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16iweF1-vourV5yWrbKltsKjcNDv_I3GwOBVusHCTdtU/htmlview) by Sector. ### Senegal Thanks to the October 2022 update, Senegal’s Street View coverage is now spread across the country, including the southern region. Senegal stands out for a number of reasons in GeoGuessr including useful meta clues. If you pan down in Senegal, you will often see the bars of the Street View car. Senegal also stands out as the only African country with significant rifts in the sky that are visible if you pan up. These rifts are prevalent throughout a reasonable portion of the country although the section of updated coverage doesn’t have rifts visible. Rifts are very rare in GeoGuessr with Albania and Montenegro being the only other countries to have notable rifts. Senegal and Tunisia are the only French speaking, mainland African GeoGuessr countries and both countries drive on the right. Senegal has distinctive blue license plates that no other country in GeoGuessr possesses. Another notable feature of Senegal is its reddish soil that is visible across most of the country. Even if this soil isn’t obviously visible in the landscape, it should be visible between the edge of the road and the grass. If the reddish soil isn’t visible then a soil with a more brownish hue should be around you. A savanna-like environment covers most of Senegal featuring dry grassland and dispersed, low, spiky bushes. The most common road lines in Senegal feature white dashes on the edges of the road and white dashes in the middle of the road. If you pan down in Senegal, you will often see the Street View car’s bars. Some parts of Senegal received new coverage that was released in October 2022. Part of this coverage was taken from this white truck. If you turn around 180 degrees, there is a tray in the back of the truck. The remainder of the new Senegal coverage was taken with a silver truck. Parts of Senegal has some iteration of rifts in the sky if you pan up. Cars in Senegal have these distinctive looking, blue licence plates. Some form of reddish soil is normally visible throughout the entire central and nothern part of Senegal. Sometimes it will only be visible on the sides of the road between the grass and the asphalt. The Senegalese landscape often consists of dry grass and small, spiky bushes. The southern part (approximately 1/3rd) of Senegal tends to have long grass that is green in colour. The central and norther parts of Senegal typically have desert sand or short, dry grass. Urban areas of Senegal typically feature brick buildings painted white or light colours. These structures often show signs of wear such as parts of the building crumbling or the painting having eroded away. Senegalese utility poles typically have three of these pine cone shaped objects either pointing upwards or downwards. This is the second type of Senegalese utility pole. Note the pine cone shaped objects pointing down. Also note the indents in the pole. Senegal’s road lines often feature white dashes on the edges and white dashes in the centre. These dashes commonly appear faded and sometimes it can be difficult to notice them. Sometimes dirt has blown over the road and it can be challenging to see the lines. French is the official language of Senegal. As a result, most of the writing you will see in this country will be in French. There are two different kinds of cars that took the Street View coverage in Senegal if you see bars. Firstly, there is the car whose rear bar has a black covering on one side- see the black covering on the right side of the image. Secondly, there is the car whose rear bar has a black covering on both sides. The car you are located in can help you work out where you are positioned in Senegal, as per the below map. If you are in the Senegalese car that has one rear bar with a black covering, you are on one of the roads with an aqua arrow on the above map. If you are in the car with two black coverings on the rear bar, then you are on a road with a black arrow…..This map also shows the road conditions of the Senegalese roads. The blue lines are roads in a good condition, mainly with centre lines. The red lines are roads in a poor condition, with faded or missing lines (such as the road in the north-east of the country). The occasional brown line is a dirt/sand road. Image source (which also opens up a bigger version of the map): [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JdyJNoOkksLAdGnJ\_scA17K1pHV3THHERY-Y05B6rKI/htmlview#gid=873742111](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JdyJNoOkksLAdGnJ_scA17K1pHV3THHERY-Y05B6rKI/htmlview#gid=873742111) This is a more detailed Senegal meta map with more specific clues. It was created by Lupus. A larger image of this map can be [viewed here.](https://i.redd.it/fj8hh5rkkrba1.jpg) *Additional resources to region guess in* *Senegal* - [Regional vibes in Senegal](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JdyJNoOkksLAdGnJ_scA17K1pHV3THHERY-Y05B6rKI/htmlview#) by Lupus. ### Tunisia Tunisian street View Coverage essentially stretches along the east coast of the country. It begins at the island of Djerba then hugs the P1 and A1 highways until Tunis before stretching up further north to Bizerte. Very little outside this narrow area is covered in Tunisia. Finally, the last GeoGuessr mainland country in Africa is Tunisia. Tunisia is Arabic and French speaking and has a sandy desert vibe unique from the other GeoGuessr locations in Africa. The whole country has a real Middle Eastern feel that more closely resembles Jordan or the United Arab Emirates. Tunisia has a sandy environment with dry grass also making up the landscape. Olive trees are very common in Tunisia and are scattered right throughout the country and palm trees hug the eastern seaboard where the limited Tunisian coverage extends. There is normally a completely blue sky in Tunisia. Tunisian roads are well-maintained, look smooth and are often covered in sand. The main roads are typically very wide and have a centre strip dividing the road in half. Roundabouts are particularly common in Tunisia and you will often see black and yellow or white and red curbs. Across the central and southern parts of Tunisia, there is a dark green Mazda that follows the Street View car (and very rarely is ahead of it). The license plate for this SUV has red on the left and black on the right. Looking for this car is the easiest way to confirm that you are in Tunisia. License plates in Tunisia are most commonly either all black or consist of a black section on some part of the plate. The follow car in Tunisia will be light green north of Hammamet and dark green south of Hammamet. (Image source: My poor computer skills). This lighter green Toyota follows the Street View car in Tunis and indeed everywhere in the northern part of Tunisia- north of Hammamet. This dark green Mazda follows the Street View car in central and southern Tunisia- anywhere south of Hammamet. Note the license plate that has red on the left and black on the right. If you notice the follow car with a map situated in the centre of the front window, you are situated in the Tunisian city of either Sfax or Gabes. The locations of Sfax and Gabes, where the map is visible in the car following the street view car. The Tunisian island of Djerba typically lacks the follow car. The location of the island of Djerba. There is typically no follow car on Djerba (unlike the rest of Tunisia). On occasions you will see a white car following you on Djerba. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tunisia-aerial.png) If you pan down in Tunisia you will notice that the Street View car has a small antenna. Tunisia has several types of license plates. All of these variants contain black. This image shows the all-black license plate. Another variant of Tunisian plates depicts some section of the plate as black- this black section can be in the middle or off to one side. Tunisia’s landscape has a real Middle-Eastern vibe. Also, note the long, white dashes on the side of the road. Most of Tunisia is very flat and its major roads are quite wide, often with a centre strip dividing the road. Tunisian roads are well-maintained and look very smooth although they often have a white, sandy tinge. Dry grass in a sandy soil is a common sight alongside the road. Olive trees are very common throughout Tunisia. The northern section of Tunisia (essentially the area covered in green on the GeoGuessr map) contains more vegetation, taller vegetation and greener vegetation than the remainder of Tunisia. Palm trees are common in Tunisia. The architecture is normally white and has Mediterranean elements fused with Middle-Eastern elements. The sky is normally blue in Tunisia. Roundabouts are common at Tunisian intersections. They often have directional signs around them, providing useful information. There are a number of yellow and black painted curbs in Tunisia as well as red and white painted curbs. This type of street light is common throughout Tunisia. Tunisia most commonly uses these metallic wire-style poles as utility poles. The official language of Tunisia is Arabic however French is also widely spoken and appears on signs alongside Arabic. ### Reunion Reunion is a French department and region that is included in Battle Royale. The French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean is a place that you can see the bars and extremities of the Street View car you are travelling in. Is using this perhaps against the spirit of GeoGuessr? Is it fair noticing this as it’s something everyone has access to? Do I like asking myself unclear questions and not answering them? Reunion also has the French language as widely visible, appears tropical and houses large, visible hills/mountains. If you spawn on the island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean, the Street View car’s bars will be visible as will the side view mirrors and sides of the car. There is also black tape on the back, right bar of the Street View car. Reunion has large hills, has a tropical feel and is French speaking. ### Madagascar There is very little Street View coverage in Madagascar and the coverage in unique. If you pan down, the images have generally been taken on an unusual form of transportation. This includes on the back of a boat, behind ox or having been carried by someone. Vehicles in Madagascar drive on the right which is rare for an island country. The vegetation is rather unique and generally tropical. Madagascar has very little coverage. The main areas of coverage are just south of Morombe (pictured) in Andavadoaka on the south-western coast and around Ambanja near the northern part of the country. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mad-utility.png) Madagascar uses these utility poles featuring ‘dents’ in them. Houses in Madagascar often have reeds comprising the roof (or corrugated iron). Coconut palms are also fairly common. A portion of the Madagascar’s limited coverage includes the beach. This is mainly found along small parts of the east coast. Madagascan coverage also includes these boats on which you can travel backwards and forwards. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mad-ox.png) In the area inland from Andavadoaka, the Street View coverage was captured on ox. Vehicles travel on the right side of the road in Madagascar which is rare for an island country. Part of Madagascar’s coverage includes a person walking, carrying the Street View camera around an elevated part of the capital, Antananarivo, with the city visible below. ### Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome and Principe are two islands located off the coast of Gabon/Equatorial Guinea. Sao Tome is the large island at the bottom of this picture and features coverage mainly in the north to north-east of the island but also around the edge of the island. Principe has coverage in the northern half of the island. Sao Tome and Principe stands out due to the massive blur that you will see in all locations across the country. This blur is akin to the blur found in India. Sao Tome and Principe has thick, lush and green vegetation. If you see a dim image, with faded light, you should mainly be on the north island- Principe. Occasionally you will see this heavy saturation on Sao Tome, but it’s much rarer there. ## How To Identify Every Country In Asia Northern Asian Street View coverage. Southern Asian Street View coverage. - [Bhutan](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#bhutan) - [Hong Kong](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#hong-kong) - ([Macau](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#macau)) - [Japan](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#japan) - [Cambodia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#cambodia) - [Thailand](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#thailand) - [Taiwan](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#taiwan) - [South Korea](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#south-korea) - [The United Arab Emirates](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-united-arab-emirates) - [Jordan](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#jordan) - [Qatar](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#qatar) - [Oman](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#oman) - [Israel](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#israel) - [Palestine](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#palestine) - [Lebanon](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#lebanon) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#kyrgyzstan) - [Mongolia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#mongolia) - [Kazakhstan](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#kazakhstan) - [Indonesia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#indonesia) - [Malaysia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#malaysia) - [Vietnam](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#vietnam) - [Laos](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#laos) - [The Philippines](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#the-philippines) - [Sri Lanka](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#sri-lanka) - [Bangladesh](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#bangladesh) - [India](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#india) - [Pakistan](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#pakistan) - [Singapore](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#singapore) - [Turkey](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#turkey) Asian Street View coverage includes: The Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, most of Indonesia, most of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, four cities in Laos, Sri Lanka, sections of Bangladesh, portions of Bhutan, India, the UAE, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, a bit of Qatar, parts of Lebanon, small sections of Kyrgyzstan, segments of Mongolia, Vietnam, Macau and Hong Kong. Also Turkey if you count it as Asian. ### Bhutan Bhutan sometimes pops up in GeoGuessr and is noticeable for being mountainous. There is virtually no stretch of Bhutanese land or road that is flat. They also have regularly occurring small white stone/brick/non-Newtonian substances on the sides of some of their roads. These white painted slabs often feature a yellow rectangle containing numbers and letters. Bhutan also has distinctive red license plates. The entire country of Bhutan is mountainous and has a distinctive look. Bhutan is the most mountainous country in GeoGuessr. If you see tall mountains, mainly covered in trees, then there is a good chance you are in Bhutan. Bhutan has red license plates which stand out. If you pan down in Bhutan, you should see the ghostly, white car with the very end of the car being more opaque. The sides of many Bhutanese roads are skirted with stone makers painted white with yellow signs on them. These white stone markers come in various shapes and sizes. You will regularly see a long row of these stone slabs in Bhutan. Sometimes you will see more elongated road side markers made from stone slabs. These white and yellow stone markers indicate how far away the nearest village, town or city is in Bhutan. In this example, the village of Dewathang is 1km away. The other side of the stone also has information about how far away the nearest village is for those travelling in the opposite direction. Bhutanese road signs are often held aloft by black and white striped poles. Bhutanese houses and apartments can be quite elaborate looking. They often feature flat roofs that extend beyond the walls, white walls, arch windows and detailed wooden elements. This is another style of Bhutanese house that has many of the same elements as the previous house including arch shaped windows, wooden trimmings and detailed art separating the two floors. Some Bhutanese houses are less elaborate than these two examples and appear quite basic, like the house in the first image of this ‘Bhutan’ section, dwarfed by the landscape. If you see blue sky in Bhutan, you are most likely in the eastern half of the country. ### Hong Kong Hong Kong can be recognised fairly readily thanks to the distinctive red and green coloured taxis that are a frequent fixture here. It also contains regular cars with yellow rear plates and white front plates. In Hong Kong you are never far from a high rise building, the area feels tropical and contains palm trees and there are a glut of box-shaped cars on the roads driving on the left (all the cars do not just the box-shaped ones). Hong Kong has a large number of these green and red taxis. You won’t have to travel too far before seeing one. Hong Kong license plates are almost square shaped. They have yellow rear plates and white front plates. Hong Kong is densely populated, has many high-rise buildings. It has a real tropical feel with palm trees being particularly common. Box shaped cars also feature abundantly. Cars drive on the left in Hong Kong. A scene from bustling Hong Kong. The major Hong Kong roads are denoted by a yellow shield enclosing a number. Hong Kong’s signs often feature both English and Traditional Chinese. ### Macau Macau doesn’t feature in Battle Royale. Macau is in many ways similar to Hong Kong. It has many tall buildings, has a tropical feel and its cars drive on the left. Macau does however stand out for its black license plates. The distinctive generation 2 camera is used right across Macau. Macau has a similar feel to Hong Kong- it has many high-rise buildings, has a tropical feel and is densely populated. Cars also drive on the left in Macau. Macau can easily be distinguished from Hong Kong thanks to Macau’s black license plates. The generation 2 Street View camera is used right across Macau. This means you should see a circular blur beneath you in Macau. A number of small countries and territories also use this camera including small parts of Hong Kong. The distinctive generation 2 camera is used across Macau. This produces images of a worse quality than the more ubiquitous generation 3 and 4 cameras. It also creates brighter colours. Official signs in Macau feature both Traditional Chinese and Portuguese. Some shop signs also feature English. ### Japan Although Japan can have quite a diverse landscape, it is a fairly distinct looking country. Within Japan, the Street View car’s camera is closer to the ground than every country on earth (with Switzerland also having the low camera and Taiwan and Sri Lanka occasionally having the low camera). This means you can often quickly tell that you are in Japan as you will feel lower. A by-product of the low camera is that the Japanese Street View car will appear wider than regular Street View cars around the world. Japan also stands out for its yellow license plates which are almost square shaped and appear on the front and rear of the vehicles- often not centred in the middle of the vehicle but to one side. Japanese cars drive on the left. Like some other East-Asian countries, Japan has cylindrical utility poles. Often there will be a unique yellow and black vertical line marking on Japanese utility poles. On rare occasions, the marking’s lines will be going diagonally like Taiwan and South Korea. Urban Japan has narrow, residential roads that will often lack a footpath. Japanese houses are most commonly two-storey and will be quite large and densely packed together. A small number of neatly trimmed hedges and small, well-manicured trees may appear in front yards. The northernmost of Japan’s main islands, Hokkaido, stands out for its red and white arrows pointing down. Hokkaido (and northern Honshu) also contain a unique type of vegetation that I can only describe as cabbage-esque. In Japan, if you have determined that you are in a Japanese urban area, then looking at how cramped the buildings and streets are can be useful in determining how far north or south you are. As a general rule, the southern cities are more closely packed together in terms of roads and buildings whilst the northern cities are slightly more open. If you see a palm tree and are in Japan, then you might be on a far southern island. Often in Japan you will notice signs referring to prefectures. Prefectures are akin to states and they total 47. You don’t need to memorise this lengthy list- if you zoom in the right amount, all of the prefectures are labelled on the map of Japan within the GeoGuessr game. I explained the intricacies of the Japanese highway system in detail in the ‘Highway Numbering Systems’ section of this article. Very rarely in Japan you will see what is a white truck under you. This mainly occurs in the eastern coast of the prefecture of Iwate. Japan has a unique landscape that is fairly easy to recognise. Some parts of Japan consist of mountainous terrain and dense forests with winding roads meandering through the forests. Urban Japan is normally very flat with very well maintained roads and the odd tree along the side of the road. Japan has cylindrical shaped utility poles that occur throughout the country. Japan also has unique yellow and black vertical stripes on many of its poles. On rare occasions, the stripes are diagonal in Japan. In Taiwan and South Korea, they also have the yellow and black markings on some poles however these countries have diagonal stripes, not vertical like the standard Japanese stripes. The red and white striped arrow pointing downwards indicates that you are in Japan, most likely on the northern island of Hokkaido or possibly on the main island of Honshu, near mountains. Also in Hokkaido and Northern Honshu, there are an abundance of these boxes near houses. The boxes don’t always come in this light colour but it is the most common colour. Japan has 47 prefectures. These names sometimes appear on signs. If you zoom in on the GeoGuessr map to the right degree, these prefecture names appear in grey writing. The Japanese Street View car is wider than cars from other countries (other than Switzerland which also has the same wide car). The camera on the Japanese Street View car is positioned low down. This makes the imagery feel closer to the ground than the other countries in the world (except Switzerland). Japanese cars have yellow license plates, front and back. These plates are almost square in shape. Japanese cars drive on the left. Most Japanese cars have a boxy shape. Japan’s northern most island- Hokkaido (and sometimes northern Honshu) house this unique cabbage looking vegetation. Japan uses the yellow coloured, diamond-shaped warning signs that are common in North and South America as well as Australia and New Zealand. White, metal poles most commonly hold up street signs in Japan. Sometimes the poles will just be silver. The back and front view of Japanese bollards. Japanese directional signs are blue with white lettering. A detailed explanation of the Japanese highway numbering system is in the ‘Highways Numbering Systems’ section of this article. A white railing is common throughout Japan. There are a number of common house styles in Japan. The first of these is the house with a compacted square-based pyramid for a roof. Japanese houses are often two-storey. This style of house also has a roof for its lower storey. Japanese residential streets are typically very narrow. The houses generally have small yards with a few neatly trimmed hedges or small trees a common sight. Japanese houses are large, normally two-storey and crammed together. Japanese residential roads often have no footpath. The best way to region guess in Japan is to look at the small plates that are affixed to the utility poles. Virtually everywhere you are placed in Japan, you should be able to see one of these plates very quickly. There are 10 distinct plates used in Japan and by learning these plates, you can immediately work out which of the 10 regions you are in. In the above example, Chubu (Chubu is shown on the below map) has plates on the utility poles that have curved edges. The Japanese GeoGuessr community has made [this document](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16lVvh3sLCnHLh_itpEsvXrHHCR_EPzArBmb4bg6TUTU/edit) which explains all 10 utility pole plates and their locations. This map shows the location of the Chubu region in Japan- where the utility poles’ plates have curved edges. (Image source: TUBS, Wikipedia). Yellow guardrails are a common sight in the southern Japanese prefecture of Yamaguchi. To my knowledge, these guardrails aren’t found elsewhere in Japan. This map shows the location of the Japanese prefecture of Yamaguchi (where yellow guardrails are abundant). The islands of Shikoku and Kyushu (their location is displayed in the below map) often have this long, dry looking grass that has fluffy tops. This map shows the Japanese islands of Shikoku and Kyushu- they are the southern green and orange islands. These areas have the dry, fluffy grass as shown in the image above this map. (map source: kimonoseikatsu). This style of criss-crossing wall is common throughout Japan. It is found between roads and steep inclines. This map shows the phone number prefixes across Japan. Note that the phone number prefixes increase as you travel south. 011 is on the northern island of Hokkaido and 099 is in the south of Japan. In Tokyo, the phone number prefix is 03 and in Osaka, the prefix is 06. Be aware that this chart is for landline numbers. Mobile numbers begin with 08 or 09 in Japan and toll free numbers start with 0120. (Map source: Wikipedia, Pekachu) Note the phone number prefix in this image is 022. This number is fairly low meaning that we are relatively far north. Based on the above map, we can tell that we are in the Japanese city of Sendai. Okinawa stands out due to the high number of these small, lion statues appearing on the fences of residential houses. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/kochi.png) Unique stickers and patterns are found on poles in Japanese prefectures. These stickers and patterns can help you identify the prefecture you are located in. The above yellow and red stickers are found in the prefecture of Kochi. PizzaGuy, Costa\_Rica and Alok have done an amazing job in making a map showing the unique stickers found in Japanese prefectures. Check out the map here: [https://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Japan-Prefecture-Tips/3cptmvLxxV](https://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Japan-Prefecture-Tips/3cptmvLxxV) There are two scrips used in Japanese writing. The first script can be easily confused with Chinese and appears on the top section of the sign. The second Japanese script appears on the bottom section of the sign and comprises very minimalistic strokes and characters comprising just 1 or 2 strokes such as ノ, シ, い and く. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Japan* - [The Japanese utility pole plate guide.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16lVvh3sLCnHLh_itpEsvXrHHCR_EPzArBmb4bg6TUTU/edit) By looking at the utility pole plates in Japan, you can immediately work out which of the 10 regions you are in. Made by the Japanese GeoGuessr Community. - [The Kanji for Japanese prefectures and major Japanese cities can be found in this document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbOKw8oHJND0u21yv8nvGs0bwAAUTt3ymaHDkdyAd0E/edit#gid=1627625877) made by Radox1988. - [The unique stickers and stripes on poles in Japanese prefectures](https://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Japan-Prefecture-Tips/3cptmvLxxV) by PizzaGuy, Costa\_Rica and Alok. - [A YouTube video featuring Japan tips](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBZ-O0LSw4g) by Alok. - [The diamonds on the road and how they can tell you where in Japan you are](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/293761104503373835/943915695077474374/diamondsareforevermap.png) by Spiral. - [Manhole cover designs by Japanese city](https://www.docdroid.net/ApP5IZi/manhole-covers-of-japan-1-pdf) by Bullfrogggy. ### Cambodia Cambodia is a country with a surprisingly diverse landscape. Some parts of Cambodia have a dense tropical vegetation whilst other areas have a dry grass and little other flora. Much of the country is covered with a red dirt and indeed, dirt roads are the most common road in Cambodia. Paved Cambodian roads often have a yellow centre line that is either continuous or dashed. Across Cambodia, you should see the white Street View car if you pan down. Cars in Cambodia drive on the right which is a relative rarity in South-East Asia. From the GeoGuessr relevant countries, only the Philippines, Laos (which has only a small amount of coverage) and Vietnam drive on the right. Cambodian houses are unique in that they often have poles elevating them. Angkor beer signs are scattered frequently throughout Cambodia. White stone markers with a red top appear on the sides of some roads. These often have road numbers and distances to the nearest town. Cambodian bollards have the same colour design of red and white. Cambodia has a glut of ‘Cambodian People’s Party’ signs around their country. The signs come in various forms featuring the same blue colour. Many of these signs contain the village and province location in English at the bottom of the sign. The Cambodian language of Khmer has hooks on the ends of almost all of its letters, making it stand out from the other languages in South-East Asia. If you pan down in Cambodia, you should see the white Street View car approximately 60% of the time. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cambodia-antenna.png) The other 40% of the time in Cambodia, you should see a stubby antenna. This stubby antenna has what looks like string going around it several times. The only other areas with a stubby antenna are Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil (sometimes), Mexico (sometimes)- these Latin American locations only have the ‘string’ going around the antenna once. The stubby antenna is also seen in Hawaii and on occasions, Indonesia. Angkor beer signs are one of the most common sights throughout Cambodia. On the left of the image, the Cambodian language, featuring symbols with hooked ends, is another tell-tale sign you are in Cambodia.  A Cambodian roadside marker. These often have town names and indicate distances to the nearest town. Cambodia has a tropical landscape. Cars drive in the right which contrasts most of South-East Asia which drives on the left. Cars also drive on the right in the Philippines, Laos (which has minimal coverage) and Vietnam. The central and northern parts of Cambodia have a reddish dirt. Dirt roads are very common in Cambodia and much rarer in Thailand. The southern part of Cambodia has white-coloured dirt. Looking at the dirt colour can be a great way to narrow down your Cambodian guess. The Cambodian landscape can be quite diverse looking. Sometimes it is full of densely packed tropical plants whilst other times there is only grass, other types of trees or dirt. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cambodia-hilly.png) Small sections of south-western Cambodia are rather hilly and green. Whilst most roads in Cambodia are dirt, marked bitumen roads will typically have a yellow centre line and white side lines, like Thailand. Many Cambodian houses are elevated on posts. Some homes will have part of the home elevated on posts and the other part of the home on the ground floor. Even more basic houses will often be elevated in Cambodia. Cambodia bollards look a bit like fat matches. They have a white body and red head. Two of the more common types of Cambodian utility pole are pictured. The pole on the left is cylindrical shape with nothing on top whilst the pole on the right has the crucifix style top with two upward pointing ‘pine cone’ objects. Cambodian utility poles may also have a number of indents in them. Much of South-East Asia uses these yellow, diamond-shaped warning signs. Cambodian signs have a white outline. Although dirt roads are more common in Cambodia, paved roads often have some form of yellow central line- sometimes it is dashed and sometimes it is continuous. There are a number of religious temples with coverage in Cambodia. India also has coverage of a number of its religious buildings.  The ‘Cambodian People’s Party’ signs are a common fixture in Cambodia. Anything in this shade of blue points to you being in Cambodia. Many of the signs contain the village and province location of the sign written at the bottom of the sign in English. A map showing the Cambodian phone number prefixes by area. If you notice a phone number prefix not listed above, it is likely a mobile phone number. (Source: GeoApprentice). Note the phone number prefix ‘063’. Using the above map, we can determine that we are around Siem Reap. The Cambodian written language is fairly easy to identify if you look for the little ‘hooks’ that appear on the end of virtually every letter. ### Thailand Thailand is a very tropical country that is typified by tropical plants growing wildly and in some parts, densely. Most Thai roads will have some form of yellow central line as well as continuous white edge lines. Thailand has unique looking posts that hold almost all of its signs. These wooden posts are painted white and have a black base. Thailand also has unique looking utility poles that have a number of small holes drilled in a vertical formation. Thailand has many similarities to its neighbouring countries including Cambodia. To distinguish Thailand from Cambodia, the easiest way is to look at what side of the road the cars are travelling on. Unlike Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines, Thailand drives on the left. In Cambodia, you should normally see the white Street View car if you pan down however this is much rarer in Thailand. Thai houses are less likely to be elevated on stilts than Cambodian houses. Cambodia has many more dirt roads than Thailand. Sometimes you will see ‘grid roads’ in Thailand too (see the images below for what this means). The Thai language is unique in the world and stands out for having small circles on the ends of many of its letters. The Laos language looks similar but has virtually no straight lines comprising its letters whist Thai has straight lines in many characters. Many Thai roads have some form of yellow centre line as well as continuous, white edge lines. There are often houses and villages littered alongside the roads in Thailand. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-major-road.png) Major Thai roads will likely have a yellow line in the centre of the road and white lines on the sides of the road.. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-dirt-road.png) Although dirt roads do exist in Thailand, they are far more common in Cambodia. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/grid-road.png) This type of road that is divided like a grid appears sometimes in residential Thailand, although it is more common in the Philippines. After the Philippines, it probably appears second most in Thailand. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-tropical-2.png) Thailand has a very tropical feel. Palm trees, thick green vegetation and visible dirt are features found throughout the country. Thailand has a very similar landscape to Cambodia. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-rice.png) Rice fields are common throughout South-East Asia, especially in Thailand. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-left.png) One of the easiest ways to distinguish Thailand from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines is to look at what side of the road the cars are driving on. Out of all these countries, only Thailand drives on the left. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-south.png) The southern part of Thailand that stretches down along the peninsula is even more tropical than the remainder of Thailand. Oil palms are particularly common here. If I see oil palms and I’m in Thailand, I will guess somewhere on the peninsula. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-utility-poles.png) Utility poles in Thailand comes in all shapes and sizes. Fortunately, they can be easily recognised as they virtually all have small holes in them, running vertically. They look like someone has drilled into them. This small hole facet of the poles is rarely seen in utility poles across the rest of the world. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-bollard.png) Thai bollards have an obelisk shape. They have alternating black and white sections. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-warning-2.png) Thai warning signs have the yellow diamond that is used across much of South-East Asia. Note the yellow outline on the warning sign which distinguishes it from Cambodia’s warning signs which have a white outline. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-posts.png) Posts that hold all types of Thai signs are unique in the world as they are wooden, painted white and importantly they have a section painted black on their base. The above yellow and black sign denotes a corner in Thailand. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-lights-2.png) Thai streetlights often have black stripes towards their base. Thai streetlights also stretch well onto the road. The insulators on poles in Peninsula Thailand typically have 8 or more horizontal rungs. In contrast, the insulators in the rest of Thailand typically have 7 or fewer rungs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-blue-sign.png) Directional information can often be ascertained from blue signs in Thailand. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-road-numbers.png) This sign indicates that you are on the Thai road numbered 1098. These numbers appear on the map. Thai roads are grouped by their first digit, so in this example, you would have to search the map for Thai roads beginning with ‘1’ which are found in the north-west of the country. The image above shows a Thai kilometre marker. The markers have 3 sides with information on them. The side facing the road features a bird enclosing a number. This is the road number we are on. In the above example we are on road 1069. The Thai script below the bird means ‘kilometre’. The number below the Thai word for kilometre is the distance we are from the start of the road. In this example, we are 4km from the start of the road. Thai kilometre markers also house information on their sides so motorists travelling towards and away from the marker can read the information. The sides of Thai markers feature the next noteworthy sized town name and distance (in the above example, the town is 5km away). Beneath this is the next noteworthy sized town name and distance (in this example, the town is 22km away). Always be sure to look at both sides of Thai road markers and remember that Thai drivers drive on the left when they see the marker information. The further the towns are away, the more likely you are to be able to match their Thai script names with towns on the GeoGuessr map. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-house.png) Thai houses and buildings come in a huge range of styles. They often have corrugated iron roofs or roofs made from tiles like the image above. Thai houses can best be distinguished from Cambodian houses as Thai houses are much less likely to be elevated on stilts. Many Thai houses can also look quite affluent and be two-storey and fairly large. Affluent houses seem rarer in Cambodia. The topography of Thailand. Note that most of Thailand is flat and that the mountainous region runs down the western side of the country. (Image source: mappdoutofficial). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/thai-lang.png) The Thai language can be easily recognised thanks to the small circles found on the ends of many of their letters, as seen above. The Laos written language also has small circles on the ends of letters however almost every part of every Laos letter is curved. In contrast, most Thai letters have a straight section. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Thailand* - Alok has produced [this document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l2tHqWQVnl9VjZyNJGFMlTCjFQq6bgsd7M0w_ssT87I/edit#gid=0) which provides a few more clues about pinpointing the region in Thailand. ### Taiwan Taiwan (and South Korea) stand out for their yellow and black striped stickers whose lines run diagonally around their distinctive cylindrical poles. Japan also has these cylindrical poles but their yellow and black stripes are typically vertical. On occasions the Japanese stripes are diagonal but this is an aberration. Taiwanese yellow and black diagonal stickers are everywhere throughout the country and are arguably the easiest way to recognise Taiwan. Taiwan is a rare island country whose cars drive on the right. Signs in the country are written in Mandarin or a mixture of English and Mandarin. The country is rather green and lush with a slightly Japanese feel about it mixed in with a bit of tropicana. Large parts of the flat sections of Taiwan are devoted to rice fields and little other notable vegetation. The mountainous areas of the country are quite the opposite and are dense with taller flora. Taiwanese roads often have yellow centre lines and white edge lines. Taiwanese houses are generally boxy shaped, with flat roofs and composed only of straight lines. Taiwanese utility poles are everywhere. They are cylindrical in shape and regularly have their lower section covered in diagonal black and yellow stripes.  Taiwan and South Korea tend to have diagonal yellow and black stripes on their poles. These rarely occur in Japan with vertical stripes being more common there. The Taiwanese stripes often stretch to the ground. This contrasts the stripes of South Korea and Japan which shouldn’t go down to the ground. A large number of Taiwanese utility poles (the ones with yellow and black diagonal stripes) feature a blue rectangle above the stripes. The bottom half of the blue rectangle should contain two rows of letter and number combinations. We are only concerned with the first letter in the first row- in the above image, this is a ‘K’. This letter alone can tell us fairly accurately where in Taiwan we are located. The map below will explain how to use this letter. Sometimes this letter will be too small to see from the Street View car however, on average, I’m able to find a legible letter within 30 seconds when placed in Taiwan. The above map shows where the blue rectangle first letter (explained above) correlates to in Taiwan. For example, if we see a blue rectangle with the first letter being a ‘B’, we can look at the above map and determine that we are around Taipei, in the far north of the country. Even if you don’t memorise the above map, you should try and remember that the letters increase in rows of 2 or 3 from A in the north of Taiwan down to W in the south of the country. Some letters aren’t included on the above map: I=irrelevant. S= The Matsu Islands (NNW of Taiwan). X and Y = the Penghu Island (west of Taiwan) and Z= the Kinmen Islands (far west of Taiwan and near Xiamen, China). The flat sections of Taiwan regularly house rice fields. If you see a rice field in GeoGuessr, the most common location is Taiwan. Taiwanese houses are most commonly boxy in shape. Taiwanese residential roads can be very narrow. Note the rice fields on the left which are everywhere in the flat section of Taiwan. Palm trees can be seen throughout Taiwan. Most of the flat sections of Taiwan features very low vegetation. The mountainous areas of Taiwan feature very dense vegetation. The majority of Taiwan consists of hills and mountains that are covered in thick, green vegetation. The roads that meander through these areas are often narrow and winding. This map demonstrates the distribution of Taiwan’s mountains and hills. The majority of the country is covered in them except for the western section and a narrow band near the coast on the east of the country. Taiwanese roads often have yellow centre lines and white edge lines. Taiwan is a rare island country in the world where drivers drive on the right. A wide range of different looking license plates can be found in Taiwan. Almost all plates will have this same shape. Some plates have bluish markings like the image above, some plates have green sections but most plates are white. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/taiwan-low.png) Sometimes (approximately 15% of the time) Taiwan has low camera imagery. This means that you will feel lower to the ground when travelling around in the Street View car. A byproduct of this low camera is that you will see a blur beneath you that should appear wide on the sides of the car. Japan is entirely covered with low camera footage and the blur as it Switzerland. Sri Lanka also has a small amount of low camera imagery. Directional signs in Taiwan are green with white lettering. The major National Freeways are numbered in a white shape that resembles a flower. Taiwanese signs either feature Mandarin and English or just Mandarin. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/taiwan-road-guide.png) The left part of this image shows the different types of road signs visible in Taiwan. The right side of the image shows the specific character used for each county in Taiwan. These county characters often appear before Taiwanese county highway road numbers. A larger image can be [viewed here.](https://i.redd.it/v7goj0c17fs61.png) (Source: reddit u/Perkhell\_) [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/taiwan-county.png) The above sign shows county road number 1-1. The symbol before this road matches the south-eastern county in the above map. This means that we are in this county which happens to be Taitung county. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/taitung.png) You don’t need to memorise the Taiwanese county symbols. By simply zooming in to the GeoGuessr map, the county symbol is displayed before the county road numbers. You just need to match the symbol you zoom in to. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/county-symbol-county.png) Alternatively, the county symbols are displayed on the map beneath the county names. There are typically thee symbols with only one being the county symbol (in most cases this is the first symbol). Taiwanese phone area codes are grouped by the first two digits. This map shows that the numbers increase are you travel south in Taiwan. Phone numbers are often displayed in towns and cities in Taiwan. (Source: Wikipedia, Furfur) This phone number in Taiwan begins with 03. This means that it is found in the ‘3’ section of the above map. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/kinmen-island.png) Kinmen Islands are a group of islands with one main island and a smaller island to the west that both have street view coverage. These island belong to Taiwan. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/kinmen.png) On Kinmen, you will not only see the diagonal black and yellow stripes on utility poles but also diagonal red and white stripes. These candy cane style poles are the easiest way to identify the Kinmen Islands. ### South Korea South Korea has patchy Street View coverage that tends to avoid its tallest mountains. The island of Jeju is also covered which lies to the south of South Korea. South Korea has a unique landscape. It had a distinctly East Asian feel however its landscape contrasts other GeoGuessr countries in the general region. South Korea is a very mountainous country and in most places you will be near mountains or be able to see mountains in the background. The urban areas of South Korea tend to be very flat with high-rise apartment buildings housing the population. The rural, flat areas of South Korea often house rice fields and narrow roads regularly meander through these flat, rural areas. Large parts of South Korean Street View coverage were taken during the winter. As a result, you will regularly see trees without leaves, snow, and generally rather bleak scenes. South Korea’s Street View coverage comes in clumps with large sections of the country (namely the mountain ranges) not covered. Like other countries in the region, South Korea has cylindrical utility poles. It also has the yellow and black stripes on many of its poles. These stripes are diagonal- the same direction as Taiwan’s stripes. Japan also has yellow and black stripes however these are mainly vertical and only occasionally diagonal. South Korea contrasts Japan as they drive on the right in South Korea. Additionally, South Korea uses triangular warning signs with a red edge and yellow centres. These signs are rare around the world with the only other Asian country to use them being Vietnam. If you pan down in South Korea, you should see some semblance of a black Street View car around 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time, you should see part of the white Street View car. South Korea has a unique writing system that can be easily identified. Many of the characters feature large circles. This contrasts the very small circles seen on the end of most Thai characters. Green signs with white lettering provide highway information in South Korea. The expressway shields used by South Korea look similar to US Interstate shields. Expressway numbers are shown on the map in South Korea however you need to zoom in significantly to see them. South Korea has diagonal yellow and black stripes on many of its utility poles, much like Taiwan. It also similarly has cylindrical utility poles. Taiwanese stripes mainly stretch all the way to the ground whilst the stripes in South Korea shouldn’t reach the ground. South Korea and Vietnam are the only Asian countries to use warning signs featuring a triangle with a red border and yellow fill. South Korean roads generally have a yellow, continuous, centre line and white, continuous edge lines. South Korea’s Street View coverage was largely taken in the winter. As a result, seeing trees without leaves, snow and fairly bleak scenery is common throughout the country. Although the winter coverage seems to be more common in South Korea, you will also often see some form of autumn coverage. Across almost the entire country of South Korea, you will see mountains nearby or in the background. Much of the flatter South Korean land is dedicated to growing rice. These narrow roads often weave through rural parts of South Korea. Region guessing in South Korea is notoriously hard. However, here is one useful tip. If you see reddish soil- like this image, then you should be in the west of the country. If you see more of a gray soil colour in South Korea, you should be in the east of the country. The urban parts of South Korea tend to be fairly busy. Cars drive on the right in South Korea which contrasts the country from Japan. About 80% of the time when you pan down in South Korea, you will see the black Street View car. About 20% of the time when you pan down in South Korea, you will see the white Street View car. These blue signs provide road names in South Korea. They can be useful for helping you determine that you are indeed in South Korea and for helping pinpoint. South Korean utility poles stand out as they mainly have what resembles a long, sharp, pointed spike extending upwards from the top of the main pole. Bollards are fairly rare in South Korea, nonetheless, this is their front. Their rear has a yellow disk rather than a white disk. Most South Korean residents live in apartments. Despite this, there is quite a range of house styles in the country. A common feature of South Korean houses involves having elaborate roofs. This includes having decorations, protrusions or stylised parts to the roof. In addition, the corners of the roofs often have pieces that arch upwards. The South Korean language can be recognised easily thanks to large circles that feature as part of many of its letters. One of the most distinctive features of the island of Jeju, which belongs to South Korea and lies off its south coast, is the rock walls. ### The United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates’ Street View coverage is almost exclusively around greater Dubai and the roads stretching to the mountains in the north-east. Most of the country isn’t covered by Street View. It can often be challenging to distinguish the United Arab Emirates from Jordan however there are some tell-tale signs that give the country away. The UAE often has wide, high quality roads. Only the northern part of the UAE is covered, mainly around greater Dubai or other larger urban areas. As a result, you are more likely to be near a city in the UAE than Jordan. The UAE often contains curbs with new yellow and black or white and black striped lines (Jordan sometimes has faded curbs with yellow and black striped lines). The UAE also contains black and white striped poles along the streets (although Jordan very rarely has these too). The UAE and Jordan flags appear frequently throughout each respective country and it’s important to be able to distinguish between the flags. Finally, if you pan down, the UAE has a white Street View car whilst Jordan has a black Street View car. The UAE shares many characteristics of Jordan and to a lesser extent, Tunisia. The UAE’s landscape is a sandy desert throughout most of the country. There are vegetation-less mountains in the north-east of the country. The houses and buildings tend to be white and box shaped. The roads normally have yellow, continuous edge lines and white centre lines (yellow centre lines occur but are rarer). As large amounts of the UAE Street View coverage centres around Dubai, you may be able to see the city’s skyscrapers in the background. If you pan down in the UAE, you will almost always see a white Street View car. This can be an easy way to tell the country apart from Jordan which has a black Street View car. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/uae-no-car.png) Occasionally there will be no car visible if you pan down in the UAE although this is fairly uncommon. Recently, the UAE gained generation 4 coverage that was taken with this truck. This truck can only be found in Dubai and Sharjah. Many roads in the UAE have yellow side lines and white centre lines. The roads are generally wide and are of a fairy high quality. The UAE often has curbs with newly painted black and yellow or black and white alternating colours. This image has both! The UAE landscape consists of a sandy desert and fair-coloured buildings. The UAE looks most similar to Jordan. There is a sandy desert almost everywhere you look in the UAE. Due to the majority of the UAE coverage being centred around greater Dubai, there is often the possibility of seeing the world’s tallest skyscrapers in the background. The eastern part of the UAE, near the gulf of Oman, has a number of mountains. Sometimes the UAE has some form of a yellow centre line with yellow edge lines however this combination is rarer. Most houses and buildings in the UAE are white or light coloured. They also tend to have flat roofs and be boxy shaped.  The UAE is one of only a few countries in the world to have some black and white striped poles. Although Jordan sometimes has these too however they are much rarer in Jordan. Directional information in the UAE is sometimes provided on green signs with white lettering. On the middle panel above, there is a crown enclosing the motorway number ‘E18’. These motorway numbers are easily visible on the GeoGuessr map. Directional information can also be provided on blue signs with white lettering. E roads are motorways that stretch across the entire UAE. The first letter of local roads can indicate where in the UAE you are. ‘A’ roads are around Ajman (located just north of Sharjah), ‘D’ roads= Dubai, ‘F’ roads= Fujairah and ‘S’ roads= Sharjah. A small island off the coast of the UAE also has Street View coverage. This island is called Sir Baniyas Island. If you pan down here, you will see the edges of the Street View car as well as the side view mirrors. Sir Baniyas Island’s landscape consists of unmarked, narrow roads, small fences, sand and low trees. The UAE flag appears on the left. I remember it thanks to the red vertical stripe looking like a tall building (which the UAE has many of). The Jordan flag appears on the right. I remember it as it contains a ‘star’ and Michael ‘Jordan’ was a star. Arabic and English appear most commonly in unison around the UAE. Arabic can be recognised as it looks a bit like calligraphy and has a horizontal line under many of its letters. ### Jordan Jordan’s Street View coverage is centred around Amman, It stretches up to Jerash and down the western side of the country to Aqaba. The easiest way to recognise Jordan is to pan down. Jordan has a black Street View car that is visible. This contrasts the white Street View car of the UAE. Jordan roads also tend to be of inferior quality to the newer roads of the UAE. Jordan has many curbs that have a yellow and black striped pattern. These curbs are typically rather faded. Curbs in the UAE look newly painted are contain this colour scheme or the black and white colour scheme. Jordan’s Street View coverage stretches down its western side and seldom stretches into the eastern 2/3rds of the country. Much of Jordan consists of rolling hills. This contrasts the UAE which is dead flat except for the mountains in the far north-east. Like the UAE, Jordan’s road markings tend to consist of yellow, continuous edge lines and some form of white centre lines. A large portion of Jordan’s population reside in apartment buildings. These buildings are normally cream in colour, shaped like a rectangular prism, have a flat roof and many windows. Jordan’s directional signs are blue with white lettering. Their standard highways consist of yellow numbers written on a green rectangle. These highways are easy to find on the GeoGuessr map. Jordan uses Arabic and English is a rarer commodity here than in the UAE although English sometimes features on Jordan’s road signs. The Jordan landscape features a desert. Parts of Jordan are flat whilst other parts are rather hilly. The roads of Jordan in general are of a lower quality than the UAE. The Jordan car is black if you pan down. This contrasts the white car of the UAE. Like the UAE, Jordan’s roads typically have yellow continuous edge lines and some form of white centre line. Various parts of Jordan are quite mountainous. Much of Jordan consists of undulating ground. This contrasts the UAE which is generally flat except for the north-eastern section which is sheer mountains. Jordan normally has cylindrical-like shaped utility poles. This version has three ‘pine cone’ entities pointing upwards. Jordan sometimes has curbs with yellow and black striped lines. These curbs are typically rather faded and contrast the newly painted curbs of the UAE (which can be yellow and black or white and black). Jordan has a number of house styles. Apartments are often this cream colour in Jordan. This style of building tends to be 3-4 stories high, a rectangular prism in shape with a flat roof and many windows. Jordan’s directional signs are blue with white lettering. They sometimes contain just Arabic but on other occasions feature both Arabic and English. Standard highways in Jordan are denoted by a green rectangle and a number in yellow lettering. I believe that highway 15 is the only separated highway in Jordan with Street View coverage. In other words, if you are in Jordan and see some sort of divider on a highway, you should be on highway 15 (the highway that starts by running SSE from Amman). Shop signs in Jordan are much more likely to feature only Arabic than the UAE which tends to have both Arabic and English. Arabic can be recognised thanks to the letters resembling calligraphy and thanks to the horizontal line under most of the writing. ### Qatar Qatar immediately stands out for its human right violations… I mean the white truck that the Street View coverage was taken in. This truck looks similar to the Senegalese white truck besides subtle differences mentioned below. Qatar is a rich nation which is reflected in its buildings, roads and cars. It is also a desert and would obviously be a silly place to play a World Cup. Qatar coverage is centred around the greater Doha area but extends across the country. Qatar has just gained Street View status. The country stands out thanks to the white truck beneath you. It looks similar to the white Senegal truck; however, the Qatari truck has a narrow antenna on the far-left. In contrast, the white Senegal truck has as stubbier, black antenna on the front-centre. The Qatar truck will sometimes appear blurred. However, it still stands out for being bulky and having an aerial on its front left corner. All of the Qatar coverage north of Doha was taken with this truck that has a short, bent aerial. All of the Qatar coverage in Doha and to the west and south of Doha has this long aerial. The Qatari landscape is desert. The land is flat, the roads are wide and well-maintained and there are many tall street lights lining the streets. Qatari roads are mainly surrounded by these black and white curbs that look like they have been freshly painted. If you look carefully, Qatari plates have a narrow band of maroon on their left. The plates are long and elongated. The cars in Qatar are generally fairly expensive. Four wheel drives are commonplace. Signs in Qatar are typically written in both Arabic and English. This includes street signs, stop signs and directional signs. Qatar has many signs across the country that will help you pinpoint your location. The first sign you will want to use in most scenarios is the yellow sign that has a blue silhouette of the country. These signs will have a number on them- in this case ‘5’. This correlates with a highway number (in this case highway 5) which will appear within a yellow square on your map. ### Oman Oman (or as I like to call it- O bro) was added to GeoGuessr in 2025. All of the coverage was taken in the white pick-up truck. There is flat desert in the southern 90% of the country, while the northern 10% contains dry, rocky mountains (not those Rockys). You can use the direction that the truck’s antenna points to narrow down where in Oman you are located. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman0-2.png) Oman’s Street View coverage is concentrated in the northern 20% of the country. However, it extends along its main roads right to the southern part of the country, to the city of Salalah. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman12.png) All of Oman is covered in this white pick-up truck. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman4.png) The Oman white pick-up truck isn’t always visible. It can also appear as a large blur. However, you should still be able to see an antenna. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman8.png) As well as the white truck, the easiest way for me to identify Oman is that across most of the country (the southern 90%) there is an extreme flatness of the desert landscape. The sand also tends to have the distinctive colour shown in this image. The roads are quite wide and merge into the desert landscape- ie the surrounding sand is the same level as the road. The roads are also sprinkled with the desert sands. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman10.png) The northern part of Oman, denoted by mountains on the map, features this unique rocky, dry, hilly landscape. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman11.png) The northern part of Oman can also have these hills, which are covered in yellow grass and plentiful rocks. Note that these acacia trees, which remind me of triangles balancing on a point, are also widespread across the country. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman3.png) One of the best ways to tell which part of Oman you are located in (as well as using the landscape) is by the antenna. This antenna, which if you look carefully faces you, is found in the northern quarter of Oman. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman9.png) This antenna, which is fairly straight, is only found in the north-west corner of Oman. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman6.png) This antenna, which leans to the right (insert political joke here), is found right across Oman. Notably, it’s the only antenna found in the south of the southern three quarters of the country (although it can also be found in the north). If I see this antenna, and I notice flat terrain, then I will typically guess somewhere in this southern three quarters of the country. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman15.png) This antenna, which faces away from you, is only found in Muscat. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman5.png) Most of the signs in Oman are held up with poles that feature black and white stripes. The curbs have yellow and black stripes. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman7.png) Oman’s directional and distance signs are blue and white. They usually feature a mixture of Arabic and English. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman14.png) Cars are relatively rare in Oman. However, if you do see cars, they will typically have yellow plates. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oman13.png) The commercial vehicles in Oman have red license plates. ### Israel The easiest way to identify Israel is arguably via its distinctive yellow license plates which feature on the front and rear of their cars. These plates have a blue vertical stripe (much like the European stripe) on the left. Israel’s landscape can surprisingly be rather diverse. Large parts of the country consist of a sandy desert whilst significant sections of Israel also consist of rolling hills. Some of Israel’s most populous cities are built on this undulating terrain. The northern sections of the country are green and the coastline (and areas closer to the coast) are littered with palm trees. Israel’s urban roads are often meandering and difficult to navigate through. There are plentiful dead-ends and often you can move around for a number of minutes only to realise that you are back where you started. It can be challenging leaving these areas however once you reach a more major road, you should be able to find some useful signs. Israel is fond of its alternating stripes. Various combinations of alternating stripes commonly appear on curbs with the red and white variant being particularly popular. The base of Israeli street lights also sometimes have stripes- of the black and white variety. Much of the Israeli urban population reside in apartment buildings. Israel’s roads feature yellow, continuous edge lines and a white, dashed, centre line- similar to Jordan and the UAE. Israeli main roads are denoted by a colour and a number. Blue= national roads, red= inner city roads, green= regional roads and black= local roads. Hebrew is fairly easy to identify as it many of its letters resemble tombstones (at least to me) and the lowercase letter ‘n’. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/is-plates.png) Israel has these distinctive yellow license plates on the back and fronts of their cars. There is a blue vertical stripe on the left of these plates, similar to the stripe seen on many European plates. In Israel, you should sometimes be able to see the Street View car’s long aerial. In 2023, parts of Israel gained new, generation 4 coverage- this means you won’t always see the long aerial. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/israel-desert.png) The southern sections of Israel are desert. The northern parts of Israel are more likely to be grassed. Much of Israel is situated on undulating ground, including some of its major cities. Israeli curbs often feature alternating colours. The most common colour combination is red and white. Cream-coloured apartments spanning at least several stories are the most common form of habitation in most of Israel. Israeli road lines feature yellow, continuous edges and white dashes in the centre. This is the same combination as both Jordan and the UAE. Israeli street lights often feature these black and white stripes on their base. Israel has a number of different looking utility poles. Some of the more visually unique poles are metal with zigzagging pieces connecting the outer sections. This is the front view of Israeli bollards. They resemble the generic European bollards. This is the rear view of Israeli bollards. Once again, they resemble the generic back of European-style bollards. Palm trees are a surprisingly common sight in Israel. They occur somewhat inland but are more frequent near the Mediterranean Sea. Tel-Aviv-Yafo is full of palm trees. This Israeli directional signs features Hebrew, Arabic and Latin lettering. Israeli roads are broken into four main categories- each logo denoted by a colour. Blue= national roads, red= inner city roads, green= regional roads and black= local roads. In this image, the green denotes regional roads and the road number is 352. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/hebrew-1.png) Israel is recognisable thanks to Hebrew. The written language can be identified thanks to many letters looking like tombstones (or a lowercase ‘n’ sometimes with an added line underneath). ### Palestine I don’t know about the details of the complex geo-political situation between Israel and Palestine. I am a simple person who sees many similarities and difference between the countries (all the similarities and differences I see are GeoGuessr related). Palestine has Arabic as its dominant language which resembles calligraphy to me when written and features a horizontal line underneath and connecting most letters. This contrasts Hebrew which is mainly used in Israel. Palestine also has elongated, white coloured plates which are a contrast to Israel’s yellow plates. Sometimes you will see the yellow license plates of Israel within Palestine however these plates are far outnumbered by the Palestinian plates. The Palestinian rural landscape features small bushes, lots of rocks, rolling hills and short, dry grass. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/palestine-plates.png) Palestine has elongated white plates that help distinguish it from Israel. Sometimes you will see the yellow license plates of Israel within Palestine however these plates are far outnumbered by the Palestinian plates. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/palestine-landscape.png) Palestine has a very similar looking urban landscape to urban Israel. The rural Palestinian landscape consists of rolling hills, dry scenery and low lying bushes. It also features many white rocks of various sizes alongside the road. Palestine has the same road lines as Israel (and Jordan and the UAE). They feature yellow continuous edge lines and a white, dashed, centre line). Urban Palestine has the same style of cream-coloured apartment buildings as Israel. Like Israel, Palestine has the same black and white striped base on many of its street lights. Palestine has Arabic as its dominant language. I recognise this language as it looks similar to calligraphy and many letters have horizontal lines underneath them. This language contrasts Hebrew which is predominant in Israel. A reasonable portion of the time in Palestine there is a follow car behind you. This white Suzuki is the most common follow car. The other follow car you may see in Palestine is this dark blue Ford. It is a bit rarer than the white Suzuki. ### Lebanon Lebanon only has limited coverage. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct12.png) Lebanon has a limited amount of Street View coverage. This coverage was taken with the poor quality camera that produces the large circular blur beneath you. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct13.png) Lebanon has a large number of these metal poles, which come in yellow and silver. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct14.png) Most coverage in Lebanon is mountainous and rocky. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lebanon-landscape.png) Lebanon has some official coverage on paths, footpaths and places people walk. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/trekker-outline.png) If you pan down in Lebanon on the trekker coverage, you should see this outline of what resembles the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. ### Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan has limited Street View coverage. Bishkek is well covered and from there, the coverage spreads out to Karakol in the east, past Naryn, as far south as Osh and out west until Talas. Kyrgyzstan, also known as the Kyrgz Republic, stands out for a number of reasons on GeoGuessr. For starters, it has the visible bars beneath the Street View car and visible side vision mirrors. Kyrgyzstan is also uniquely identifiable thanks to the red vertical stripe that appears on the left side of their license plates. Kyrgyzstan’s landscape appears rather bleak across most of the country where imagery was captured in the winter. Trees are without leaves and there is snow beside the road. A few cities have a less bleak vibe including Osh and Karakol. Most of Bishkek looks fairly bleak and its streets run in a north-south and east-west orientation. Kyrgyzstan’s rural landscape is rather featureless with little sign of flora other than the odd bush and sometimes grass. There are many mountains and hilly section in rural Kyrgyzstan. Rural Kyrgyzstan in general is cold, unforgiving and empty (I haven’t been elected their tourism director yet I strangely crave the job). Kyrgyzstan uses Cyrillic without any special characters unique to the country. Kyrgyzstan has a red vertical stripe on the left side of its license plates. Kyrgyzstan also has visible bars beneath the Street View car. This is in tandem with the visible side-view mirrors that may be black or white in colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tasko.png) Coverage in all of south-western Kyrgyzstan (the area inside the red circle above) has a unique, identifying meta. Based on the percentage of the car being reflected in the left side-view mirror, you can determine whether you are inside or outside the above red circle in Kyrgyzstan. (The side view mirror was moved near the town of Taskomur).  In south-western Kyrgyzstan (everything inside the red circle on the above map), if you look in the left side-view mirror, you will see approximately 90% of the Kyrgyzstan silver car being reflected. 10% of the side-view mirror will reflect the road. In the remainder of Kyrgyzstan (everything outside the red circle on the above map), if you look in the left side-view mirror, you will see approximately 60% of the Kyrgyzstan silver car being reflected. Approximately 40% of the road is reflected. In some instances, more of the car will be reflected however it is still less than the 90% in south-western Kyrgyzstan. In summary, if almost the entire left side-view mirror reflects the car, then you are in south-western Kyrgyzstan. If you can see around 60% of the car in the left side-view mirror, then you are elsewhere in Kyrgyzstan. Thanks to Jasper Woodard who I believe discovered this amazing meta! The left side-view mirror is dirty in most of the coverage around the Kyrgyzstan city of Jalal-Abad. Jalal-Abad is situated 50km north of the aforementioned Osh. Outside of the capital Bishkek, the Kyrgyzstan landscape is largely void of trees and undulating. Much of the Kyrgyzstan landscape has a wintery feel with snow a common sight. Kyrgyzstan’s town and cities are often filled with bleak, winter scenery including trees without leave. Paved roads in Kyrgyzstan often have continuous, white, edge lines and white dashes in the centre. Kyrgyzstan has bollards painted white with a black section. They look like thick planks of wood. Utility poles in Kyrgyzstan come in a number of varieties. The pole itself is mainly square shaped and concrete. The pole often has two or three ‘pine cone’ shaped entities near the top. These can be symmetrical, with one on each side (as pictured) on at different levels. Some Kyrgyzstan utility poles are painted white near their base. Kyrgyzstan uses Cyrillic. In Kyrgyzstan Cyrillic, seeing Ң will specifically mean you are in Kyrgyzstan. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Kyrgyzstan* - [A map showing the road and weather conditions across Kyrgyzstan](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/906267049016328223/910760985080500244/Kyrgyzstan.png) by Tall Impala. - [YouTube videos featuring Kyrgyzstan tips](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn4lafXhXDZ5DVPcYG6rTiJ7k39BeWWQP) by Jasper Woodard. ### Mongolia Mongolian coverage is centred around Ulaanbaatar. The coverage stretches out across the country although little of the southern part of Mongolia is covered. Mongolia is also fairly unique as parts of its coverage are autonomous. In other words, you may be positioned in south-east Mongolia and travel as far as possible before reaching a dead end. You may then travel in the opposite direction and reach another dead end. Mongolia is largely recognisable thanks to another meta- the Street View car. There are two main variants of this. The first is the bars under the car and what looks like camping equipment. The second is the bars under the car and red side vision mirrors. Mongolia is another rather barren country with little vegetation. Some of the coverage is on unpaved roads comprising just dirt, whilst other coverage follows no path at all. The capital, Ulaanbaatar is fairly recognisable and features many apartment buildings that are crammed together. UlaanBaatar has mountains just south of the city. Mongolia can look similar to Kyrgyzstan but there are some key differences other than the Street View cars looking slightly different. Mongolia uses fairly narrow, white license plates that contrast the Kyrgyzstan elongated plates with the red stripe. Much of the Mongolian coverage features unpaved areas whilst most of Kyrgyzstan has paved coverage. Additionally, Mongolia doesn’t look as cold as Kyrgyzstan. Mongolia uses its own Cyrillic letter- Ң. Overall, it is fairly easy to identify the featureless plains of Mongolia or the distinctive city of Ulaanbaatar with the mountains to the south. The real challenge when it comes to Mongolia is pinpointing. It is one of the hardest countries in the world to score well in. The first variant of the Mongolian Street View car is visible bars with what looks like camping equipment. Sometimes the gray padding is missing and a tray comprising black bars is visible. The second variant of the Mongolian Street View car is the visible bars along with the red side view mirrors. This is the third variant of the Mongolian Street View car. This is another unique Mongolian car. Some basic Mongolian meta appears below. If you aren’t interested in learning more detailed Mongolian car meta, there is a simple meta that can typically inform you of whether you are in the western or eastern half of Mongolia. If the bars are filled in with black, rubber, you should be in Western Mongolia (or Ulan Bataar). If the bars aren’t filled in with black rubber, then you should be in the eastern half of Mongolia. Mongolian Street View coverage covers paved roads and dirt paths. The landscape across most of the country is rather barren and there is little vegetation. The south-eastern part of Mongolia is desert. This part of Mongolia is especially dry and featureless (even by Mongolian standards). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct8.png) Far-east Mongolia stands out for having a flat, grass landscape with no trees. (Note: other parts of Mongolia can have patchy grass, but in far-east Mongolia, the ground is entirely covered with grass). There are many densely crammed apartment buildings in Mongolia’s capital- Ulaanbaatar. Ulaanbaatar also stands out because it has these mountains just south of the city. Mongolia has many small villages and towns. These areas are often contained by wooden fences. The houses tend to have bright roofs of different colours. Other Mongolian residents live in round tents known as yurts. In Mongolia, it is common to be placed on a path that has been created by tyre tracks. The surrounding land is often grass. Sometimes there is no path at all. Mongolian bollards remind me of the pins from ten-pin bowling. Sometimes they lack the stripes and are just white. Mongolian license plates are all white and fairly narrow. They are much less elongated than plates from Kyrgyzstan and also lack the red Kyrgyzstan stripe. Mongolian uses Cyrillic. Үү and Өө are unique to Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan. There is a meta to help you determine your region in Mongolia. If you pan down you should see either:no tent, a blue tent, a grey tent, a leaning tent or a tent with red string. Each of these examples corresponds with a region of Mongolia. There are a few other types of unique Mongolian cars however they are very rare. In this example, there is not tent. If you see no tent, on the Street View car in Mongolia, you have to be in or around Ulaanbaatar, the road running south-east from Ulaanbaatar or in the tiny town of Erdenet (somewhere north-east of Ulaanbataar). (Image source for the 5 maps: thanks to Kommu). This is the blue coloured tent. Note that it is dark blue. If you see the blue tent, you are in southern, eastern or western Mongolia. This is the gray tent. If you see the gray tent, you must be west of Ulaanbaatar (but not too far west). This is the leaning tent. Note that the tent is askew and has a dent in it on one side. If you see the leaning tent, you must be directly north of Ulaanbaatar or in a small pocket north-west of Ulaanbaatar. This tent is unique as it is tied down with red string. If you see the red string tent, you must be in this small pocket in north-eastern Mongolia. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Kyrgyzstan* - Kommu has produced a [170+ page guide on Mongolia](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W_QK69BXMHUZXI5VdNH93_aLhTd9SQzNYhRLrh_-ZVA/edit). It makes for compelling reading (just don’t tell those around you what you are reading). - [A YouTube video on Mongolian tips](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCqGiljuUR0) by Jasper Woodard. ### Kazakhstan Kazakhstan was added to Street View in 2024 and is easily identifiable thanks to the white truck that the coverage was taken in. It’s relatively easy to tell which part of the county you are in due to the season the coverage was taken as well as the landscape of the area. There are trees in the north, desert in the west, snow in the south, summer coverage in the west and autumn coverage in the north east. The blue lines on this map denote where the Street View coverage is in Kazakhstan. It is primarily on the main roads and in the largest cities. The easiest way to tell that you are in Kazakhstan is to pan down. All the coverage in the country was taken in this white truck. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct30.png) In Kazakhstan, the wire on the car is found right across the western half of the country and virtually not at all in the eastern half of the country. If you see lots of green trees in Kazakhstan, you should be north of Astana, in the green part of the map. The autumn (fall) coverage in Kazakhstan, which features orange and other warm-coloured leaves, can be found in the north-east of the country. If you see snow coverage in Kazakhstan, you should be in the south of the country, near Almaty. The south-western part of Kazakhstan has a Middle East feel, with lots of sand and virtually no vegetation. The western half of Kazakhstan has summer coverage. This map shows copyright year distribution across Kazakhstan. Something I have seldom mentioned in this article is that if you zoom in on any Street View scene, you will be able to faintly see a year followed by the word ‘Google’. Sometimes this can be hard to see and the background behind the copyright can influence how visible it is. Now, in Kazakhstan, if you see the year 2023, you are guaranteed to be in the eastern half of the country- as per this map. If you see 2024, you could be anywhere. (Image source: brainy). License plates in Kazakhstan typically resemble Russian plates- long, narrow and white. The chevrons in Kazakhstan are yellow with black arrows. Furthermore, the poles across the country are white with a black base- the same as Russian poles. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Kazakhstan* - [Kazakhstan meta and links by rhaubain\_brbs](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pu4oNlwBc0Dz34HtGJzVhPMf6xrXNy5LtJ9z8o-Lzys/edit). - [Kazakhstan cars- how to guess where you are in the country based on the car, by georitchie](https://docs.google.com/document/d/10rv7xye07D23lwfHzS9tICCU6tRqbFOBgoGGcIJBX40/edit). - [An incredibly detailed guide to Kazakstan- region by region, by Vince (nem.\_\_.)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ps7q9sqbnFcEi6y2KM0zZ7KtUNKjMh3M7o_-exFAw3M/edit#heading=h.ytngorxvkfun). ### Indonesia Indonesian Street View coverage is fairly limited with little of the eastern part of the country covered. Sulawesi mainly has coverage only in the far north-east and southern areas. Central Borneo has no coverage, nor does Aceh at the northern tip of Sumatra. Java is densely covered. Indonesian Street View coverage spans a number of their islands. The most densely concentrated coverage is on Java followed by Sumatra, Sulawesi and Borneo. A number of smaller islands are also covered including Bali and neighbouring Lombok. Indonesia is often confused with Malaysia however there are a number of ways to tell the countries apart. The easiest way is to look at the license plates. Both countries have a few variants of black plates however the most common Indonesian plate has three white sections amongst the black. The most common Malay plate has two white sections amongst the black. Indonesia tends to look poorer in general than Malaysia. There are obviously exceptions but in general, Malay roads are better maintained, there are more road signs in Malaysia and the houses and general landscape is more affluent. Indonesia is a very tropical country with a range of landscapes and scenery depending on how remotely located you are positioned. Black and white curbs are a common sight (they are also fairly common in Malaysia). Houses with terracotta tiles as their roof are abundant in Indonesia. Rural houses tends to have corrugated, metal roofs. Indonesia have a number of company signs that begin with the letter ‘PT’. This ‘PT’ combination of letters before a company name is unique to Indonesia. Motorbikes are a common form of transport in Indonesia and vehicles drive on the left. The most common type of Indonesian plates have black areas which divide the plate into three white sections. This contrasts Malaysian plates which are divided into two white sections. (Note: Indonesia has recently changed its license plates to entirely white. In newer coverage you may see some vehicles with just pure white whites). In this Indonesian license plate variant, the centre of the plate is white and the edges are black. Indonesia has various forms of black license plates (as does Malaysia). Many parts of Indonesia have black and white markings on their curbs. Malaysia can also have these black and white curbs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/indonesian-utility-poles.png) The majority of utility poles in Indonesia have three bulbs facing upwards with two of the bulbs being on one side of the vertical utility pole itself. In addition, these Indonesian utility poles tend to have a diagonal supporting bar stemming from the utility pole and connecting to the horizontal bulb holding bar. If Indonesian utility poles don’t look identical to this, they will look mostly the same. Note that some other countries do have similar looking poles. The Lesser Sunda Islands (whose location is shown on the map below) can be determined thanks to their utility poles which contain a long support beam that runs from the very end of the horizontal crucifix bar, diagonally, to the main pole. Note that the standard Indonesian diagonal support poles are shorter (shown in the image above this one). The Lesser Sunda Islands are essentially all of the Indonesian islands located directly east of Java. The above map shows the islands in detail (the lower map) and the higher map shows their location relative to the remainder of Indonesia. Central Java (and the Special Region of Yogyakarta which is just south-east of Central Java) often use various forms of ‘t-shape’ utility poles in which the horizontal pole is placed half-way across the vertical pole. North Sumatra stands out because it sometimes has these utility poles featuring the pole itself bisecting the horizontal stick in two, plus, two pinecones on one side and one on the other. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct19.png) These poles, with thin sheets of metal forming a triangle under the horizontal bar, are mainly found in the western third of the island of Java. They can also occasionally be found on Sumatra. Motorcyclists are particularly common in Indonesia. Indonesia is a rare place in Asia that requires license plates on the front of motorbikes. Despite being blurred, you should be able to notice the presence of these front plates. Many company signs in Indonesia start with ‘PT’. This ‘PT’ is unique to Indonesia. Indonesia has a real tropical feel. The country has lots of vegetation and buildings that typically skirt the roads. This type of ‘spiky’ palm tree, known as an oil palm, is more of a common sight on Sulawesi, Sumatra and Borneo- the more remote islands. Indonesian houses most commonly have terracotta/brown coloured tiles on their roof. Some of the more remote Indonesia houses/businesses have corrugated iron roofs. These are more common on Sulawesi, Borneo and Sumatra. The larger, built-up, modern and more developed areas of Indonesia are mainly found on the island of Java. Java is the most populated island in the world and there is a large amount of Street View coverage here too. Indonesian road lines can vary however the most common lines are white, featuring continuous edge lines and a dashed, line in the centre. Vehicles in Indonesia drive on the left (although much of the region does, including Malaysia). This left driving contrasts Indonesia from the Philippines and South America which both can look vaguely similar to Indonesia. Indonesia can be distinguished from Malaysia as Indonesia tends to look poorer in general. TV satellite dishes in Indonesia (and much of the world) point to the equator. Using this information, you can often determine your longitude in Indonesia (or distinguish your guess from Malaysia) by looking at the angle that the satellite dish is pointing as the equator runs through Indonesia. In this example, the dish points directly up and the location in Pontianak which is virtually on the equator. TV satellite dishes are everywhere in Indonesia and this is one of the best ways to recognise the country. Parts of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and neighbouring smaller islands contain these small fences comprising narrow vertical sticks. Whilst these fences can be found elsewhere in Indonesia, they are most common in and around Sulawesi. This bollard is only found in the region of Central Sulawesi. North Kalimantan has a white fog, which is a camera artifact, across most the regions coverage. Yellow diamond warning signs are used in Indonesia. These same signs are used in much of the region including Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Everywhere I look in Indonesia, I see ads on shops that feature only the three colours- red, white and black. The abbreviation ‘Jl.’ appears on many signs in Indonesia. It means ‘Jalan’ which is the equivalent of road or street. If we zoom in on the map for the above location, we are situated on the road ‘Jl. Brigjend Katamso’. Indonesian has the letter ‘a’ appearing in almost every word and often several time within words. ‘kan’, ‘an’ or ‘i’ are common suffixes. Indonesian resembles Malay. Pinpointing in Indonesia can be notoriously difficult however there are some tricks to reduce a 30 minute pinpointing time and thus adding 30 minutes to your day (which can be spent playing GeoGuessr). Telephone code prefixes can be used to determine with high accuracy the region of Indonesia you are in. These prefixes contain 4 digits and there are plenty of them. To my knowledge no GeoGuessr player has learnt them all. I like to utilise just the first 2 digits of the telephone codes to narrow down my region. The first digit is always a ‘0’ followed by a digit between 1 and 9 (not 8). 08 numbers are mobile numbers in Indonesia and don’t belong to a province. There aren’t any maps online documenting these Indonesian phone area codes so I’ve made one myself that illustrates both my low level of computer skills and the Indonesian phone area codes. A map indicating what provinces the first two digits of Indonesian phone numbers belong to. Note the anti-clockwise pattern from 02-07. Indonesian phone numbers are found on many shop fronts and signs. (Source: my poor computing skills). The first two digits of this Indonesian phone number are ’02’. When we look at the above map, we can tell that we are on the western part of the island of Java. Also note that Indonesian shops will often have their address on them. The above map information can be compressed into: everything on Java from central Java to the west is 02. Then we go anticlockwise and increase to 03, then 04, then 05, 06 and 07 in southern Sumatra. We do not speak of the 09 area as it seldom appears in GeoGuessr. A phone number beginning with ’07’ appears on this sign. Using the above map, we can determine that we are in central or southern Sumatra. Another method to pinpoint your province in Indonesia involves signs. The province name is sometimes listed on shop/building signs. Indonesian province names and boundaries are visible if you zoom into the map the precise amount thus you don’t need to memorise the provinces. On occasions a direction accompanies the province name indicating where in the province the shop is located e.g. north, east south, west or central. These directions are written in Indonesian. In brackets are my memory tricks for recalling these directions. North = Utara East = Timur (sounds like East-Timor) South = Selatan (both begin with an ‘s’) West = Barat (Borat actually comes from the western world in the form of Sacha Baron Cohen) Centre = Tengah (Tengah sounds like centre) Signs right across Indonesia have the word ‘KABUPATEN’ or ‘KAB’ written on them. This means regency (like a district). The word following KABUPATEN or KAB is the regency you are in. In the above example, we are in the Badung regency. Indonesia has 416 regencies. Regencies don’t show up on the GeoGuessr map. A list of where the regencies are can be found here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_regencies\_and\_cities\_of\_Indonesia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regencies_and_cities_of_Indonesia) Instead of KABUPATEN, certain signs in some parts of Indonesia will display ‘KOTA’. This means ‘city’. The word following KOTA indicates the name of the city. In the above example, we are in the city of Bandung. It is often possible to work out what Indonesian island you are situated on based on the roofs. Whilst most houses won’t have roofs that are that distinctive, sometimes you’ll quickly see an island-specific roof.  Some roofs in Sulawesi have a form of ‘bull horns’ in their top. These roofs are often found elsewhere such as on Borneo. Many roofs in Java have tiles with each tile having a bump in it- like a wave. Although these roofs can be seen on other Indonesian islands, they are most common on Java. *Additional resources to region guess in* *Indonesia* - [This document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AUrP0IpwOfNKaG-ZvihoKfL2EjyUYYm0aV2udiQze3g/htmlview#) by Alok includes some additional distinctive types on Indonesian roofs. Be aware that you may have to look at a large number of roofs before you see a distinctive one. If you do, it should help you work out your region in Indonesia. - [This document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R3I7eeTVmE6jmNNuODZCQavh2rz5qsiFSVBRMGS1vRk/htmlview#) document by Pig contains more Indonesian tips and maps. - [This document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yEabHM1QILhXuImnNkRrYkxqewROwbSeLU18hUQxcew/edit?pli=1#gid=462227330) by Pig contains Indonesian utility pole tips. ### Malaysia Malaysian Street View coverage appears most abundantly on the Malay Peninsula. The coverage also appears on the Malay section of Borneo although most of this coverage is near the coast. Arguably the easiest way to identify Malaysia is via its license plates. Malaysian license plates come in a few forms however they all contains variants of black and white. The most common Malaysian plates feature two white sections amongst the black. This contrasts Indonesian plates which most commonly have three white sections amongst the black. The second most common Malaysian plates feature two black edge sections and a large white middle section. The second most common Indonesian plates feature an almost all black license plate with a vague semblance of white in the centre. Malaysia stands out from Indonesia for a number of other reasons. Malay utility poles are often cylindrical shape with a wider base. They also commonly have a black, rectangle part-way up the pole. Malaysia has a large number of black and white striped poles. These are the standard poles that hold up road signs. Indonesia can have black and white striped poles but they are rather rare and not as ubiquitous as the Malaysian poles. In general, Malaysia looks richer than Indonesia. This entails having better maintained roads, more affluent cars and slightly richer houses. Malaysia also has many more road signs than Indonesia. Some Chinese characters often appear in Malaysia whilst they seldom appear in Indonesia. Malaysia is a very tropical country and palm trees are common as is thick, green, rainforest. The Malay Peninsula is more populous, has more cars on the roads and is more built-up than Borneo. The Malaysian territory on the island of Borneo is much more remote, has less cars, less people and has more vegetation. Malaysian shops will often have their address on them. Malaysian license plates have various black markings on them. This is the most common version which divides the plate into two white sections. This contrasts Indonesian plates which are typically divided by black into three white sections. Sometimes the Malaysian black edge sections merge into the plate so you may only see a black section in the middle but still two white sections. Another type of Malaysian license plate- note the different type of black markings.  The letters ‘Sdn Bhd’ appear on many Malaysian signs. Malaysia has these distinctive, yellow, irregular hexagon shapes that denote road numbers. They are found throughout the country and appear on the GeoGuessr map. These yellow shapes signify that you are in Malaysia. Malaysia has lots of these black and white guard rails. Like Indonesia, Malaysia can also have black and white curbs. Malaysia commonly has these black rectangles with white lettering on their utility poles. These are only in the Malaysian mainland and never in Borneo (although I haven’t checked every pole in Borneo- I’m saving that for a rainy weekend). In Malaysian Borneo, some (a minority of) utility poles will have a white rectangle on them. Just like the black rectangle tells you that you are situated on mainland Malaysia, the white rectangle tells you that you are located on Malaysian Borneo. These are the most common utility poles on mainland Malaysia. They are cylindrical in shape and are thicker towards the base. Poles on the Malaysian part of Borneo are generally slightly thinner than poles on mainland Malaysia. The Malaysian state of Sabah (on the north-east of Borneo) stands out because it has these two horizontal metal poles on most of its utility poles, akin to an equals sign. Malaysia has many black and white striped poles. These are a rare feature around the world. Indonesia has some black and white striped poles too but they are much more common in Malaysia. Like much of the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia uses the yellow, diamond warning signs. The Acronym ‘AWAS’ commonly appears in Malaysia and signifies their road safety system. Malaysian bollards have two red rectangles on them. Some bollards have two gray rectangles on one side. Malaysian stop signs display the word ‘BERHENTI’. The Borneo part of Malaysia appears very remote, with few cars, few people and lots of vegetation. The area of Malaysia on the peninsula (around Kuala Lumpur) is more developed, has more cars and less vegetation. . These trees known as oil palms are found in Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand. Malaysian cars drive on the left, like much of the region, including Indonesia. In general, Malaysia looks richer than Indonesia. The Malay roads are better maintained, the cars are more affluent as are the houses. Malay houses often have corrugated iron roofs that are triangular prism shaped. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/malay-columns.png) A large number of houses in Malaysia tend to have some form of vertical column as part of the house. This is a fairly unique feature that is rarely found in other countries. Like Indonesia, Malaysia’s most common road markings consist of white, continuous, edge lines and a dashed, white, centre line. Malaysia sometimes has these double, white, continuous road lines. These are fairly rare around the rest of the world. Malaysia also sometimes has another fairly unique road feature- thick, yellow lines that run at 90 degrees to the road. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/johor.png) The Malaysian state of Johor (its location is pictured below) has yellow street name signs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/johor-map.png) A map showing the location of the Malaysian state of Johor which has yellow street name signs. If you are situated in Malaysia and notice generation 4 coverage (this includes the blue car if you pan down), then you must be in mainland Malaysia and nor Borneo Malaysia as generation 4 coverage doesn’t exist in Borneo Malaysia. Sometimes in Malaysia, you will see Chinese writing. This isn’t the dominant written language in Malaysia but it appears every now and then. The letters ‘a’ and ‘u’ are commonly found in a large number of Malay words. Malay is remarkably similar to Indonesian. *Additional resources to region guess in Malaysia* - [The Malaysia Doc by Zi8gzag](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BYu38SKT5Gej-jjHZ0cESvmRGPGT1KqaBpRgQa3Ctz0/edit) ### Vietnam Vietnam now has Street View coverage across the entire country. Vietnam are doubly kind as their shopfronts often include their address making pinpointing much easier. Vietnam has the rare warning signs featuring a triangle with a red outline and yellow filling. Vietnam also have unique red and white striped poles holding up their road signs. The urban Vietnamese landscape features busy roads, shops lining the roads and a side of Vietnam that is relatively wealthy compared to some neighbouring countries. The rural coverage is diverse and features green mountains, rice fields and plains. Vietnamese is a recognisable language thanks to its abundance of short words and numerous symbols added to many letters. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm1.png) Vietnamese coverage now stretches across the entire country The Vietnamese urban landscape has crowded streets, blocky multi-storey shops line the streets and drivers drive on the right. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm8.png) Vietnam features the highest concentration of motorbikes of any Street View country. It’s hard to move more than a few metres in most areas without seeing motorbikes. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm12.png) Vietnam has white license plates that are either short (pictured) or elongated. Vietnamese sign posts are uniquely red and white striped. These poles hold up most types of official road signs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm7.png) Vietnam loves red and white. Their bollards are square prisms with a red top and white body. Vietnam has warning signs featuring a red outline and yellow filling. The only other Asian country with these signs is South Korea. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm2.png) These poles, with small holes drilled into them every 30cm for the length of the pole, are fairly common in Vietnam. I typically see them in the southern half of the country, although they can be found elsewhere. In Vietnam, shop fronts regularly list their address. This can make it easier to pinpoint. In the above image, HCMC means Ho Chi Minh City and Da Kao is a ward within the city. If you are in a town/city in Vietnam and want to pinpoint your location, it shouldn’t take too long to find one of these signs listing the town/city name. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm3.png) One of the best ways to tell which part of Vietnam you are in (north, central, or south) is by the houses. Houses in the central region and north region of Vietnam typically have slanted roofs that are reddish/terracotta in colour. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm4.png) Houses in the north of Vietnam sometimes have these spikes on them. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm6.png) Houses in the south of Vietnam usually have flat, metal roofs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm10.png) Mountains can be found across various parts of Vietnam. However, if you see distinctive tall, dark green mountains, you should be in the north of the country. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm11.png) Rice fields are a fairly common sight across Vietnam (they seem to have the highest concentration in the Mekong Delta, in the south of the country). [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vnm9.png) A range of vehicles took the Street View coverage in Vietnam. This car, with a faint, black colour, is particularly common. The Vietnamese language is a unique language in Asia. It is full of very short words with a large number of words being three letters long. There are also a range of symbols on top of (and sometimes below) Vietnamese letters. This is rare elsewhere in Asia. ### Laos Laos has such a small amount of coverage compared to neighbouring Thailand that it looks empty in the above map. Laos coverage includes: Vientiane, Pakse, Savannakhet, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. Laos has coverage mainly in Vientiane as well as in a few locations which are also urban. This includes a small amount of coverage in Pakse, Savannakhet, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. Outside of Vientiane, you will see the bars and side view mirrors of the Street View car. In Vientiane, you won’t see these bars and side view mirrors. Laos vehicles drive on the right and have a strong shade of yellow for their license plates. Some cars will have white plates. The Laos landscape is in general tropical. Parts of Laos have a strong, reddish dirt that is visible even in the urban areas. Although Laos coverage is urban, you can often see hills or mountains in the background. The Laos language looks similar to Thai, with small circles on the ends of letters. In contrast, Laos has curves almost all over each characters whilst Thai has straight components on almost all characters. In the few locations in Laos that are covered by Street View, you will see the bars and side view mirrors of the Street View car. These aren’t visible in Vientiane. License plates in Laos are this strong shade of yellow. Some cars will have white plates. The cars in Laos drive on the right. A reddish dirt is visible in large parts of Laos. Laos typically has a tropical feel and resembles its neighbouring countries. Although Laos’ urban areas, where the Street View coverage exists, are flat, there are often visible hills or mountains in the background. Parts of Laos often have striped curbs. A common style of utility pole in Laos is this asymmetric type. Two ‘pine cones’ are on one side and one on the other. Many Laos utility poles also have small holes in them, much like the Thai utility poles. Stop signs in Laos feature the Laos script plus the English word ‘STOP’. Laos writing resembles Thai. It has small circles at the ends of most letters. The writing is distinct from Thai as virtually every part of every letter is curved. ### The Philippines Within the Philippines you should see the white edge of the end of the Street View car. License plates with a slightly green tingle also help to confirm the country. There are an abundance of English words in the Philippines; often visible on business signs. A further sign that you are in the Philippines lies quite literally in front of you: the roads. Many Filipino roads are composed of large concrete rectangular blocks. Some other south-east Asian countries also have this concrete-block feature, namely Thailand but normally to a lesser extent. These concrete blocks make up the majority of Filipino roads. Road lines come in many forms in the Philippines and aren’t overly useful in narrowing down the country. The Philippines, stands out as it is one of only three countries to drive on the right in south-east Asia, the other two being Laos and Cambodia. The Filipino landscape is tropical with undulating terrain common as well as narrow, winding roads. Houses often line the roads in the Philippines, stretching into rural areas. Bright coloured rickshaws and bright coloured miniature buses are also a common fixture. Pinpointing can be made easier thanks to many shop signs displaying their address, including their island/city. Zooming in on the GeoGuessr map to the right extend will reveal the names of the Filipino islands. If you are on Sarangani Road in the southern Philippines, you will see bars and a black car beneath you although this is unfathomably rare. The Philippines recently got a small amount of generation 4 coverage. Large concrete, rectangular blocks that make up the road comprise the majority of the roads in the Philippines. This feature can also be seen in Thailand fairly frequently and in a few other locations. Such is the abundance of these roads in the Philippines, if I see these roads with few other clues, I will guess the Philippines. The white, opaque edge of the Street View car end should normally be visible in the Philippines. The Philippines has various versions of license plates with green on white. The Philippines is one of only a few countries in the world to have these white chevron signs with red arrows. It also has a glut of political signs around the country (as seen in the lower right area of the above image). Drivers drive on the right in the Philippines which distinguishes it from Indonesia and Malaysia. The Philippines is a diverse looking archipelago of islands that have a tropical feel. The Philippines has a wide range of different types of road markings. Much of the Philippines is undulating. The most common roof type in the Philippines features corrugated iron, normally in a triangular formation. The second most common roof type in the Philippines is this hand woven roof that uses something resembling reeds. Rickshaws are common throughout the Philippines. These bright, mini buses are also common in the Philippines. The Philippines uses these European style warning signs. These signs are also found in Laos and Taiwan. The most common type of utility pole in the Philippines is in this crucifix style pole, made from wood. These small bollards that are cigarette shaped, with a yellow top section, line some roads in the Philippines however they are fairly rare. The large southern island of Mindanao is where the majority of Muslims reside in the Philippines (especially in the west of this island). If you see Muslims wearing headwear in the Philippines, then you are probably in this part of the country. The rest of the country is majority Christian. As a very general rule, if you see lots of palms, you should guess Southern Philippines and if you see no palms, you should guess Northern Philippines. Note: This doesn’t always work but if you have no other information in the Philippines, it’s better than nothing. Pinpointing in the Philippines can be made easier by finding the name of the island you are on from shop fronts. The names of the islands appear on the GeoGuessr map when you zoom in the correct amount. You can tell what they are as they don’t have a circle by their name like the cities do. In this example, the island is ‘Panay’. This map shows the different tuk-tuk roof styles found across the Philippines, by region. Thanks to AeroGelo for making this Many shop signs in the Philippines provide their location. In this example, we are told that we are on Lizada St in Davao City. English words and signs are surprisingly almost everywhere in the Philippines, indeed, English is one of the two official languages in the country. Players on Battle Royale often see English in the Philippines and guess incorrect countries. Filipino is the other official language and this has more of an influence on Filipino place names. Filipino reminds me a bit of Malay and Indonesian. Villages in the Philippines aren’t where the village name appears on the map. In the above example, the name ‘Magpet’ appears in the top right corner of the screen in a remote area. The Magpet village is actually in the bottom-left corner of the image. When you find a village name in the Philippines, look for an array of roads nearby and zoom in to make sure it’s the right village eg look for Magpet Hall or Magpet school. *Additional resources to region guess in* *the Philippines* - Alok has produced [this document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l2tHqWQVnl9VjZyNJGFMlTCjFQq6bgsd7M0w_ssT87I/edit#gid=565423430) which provides a few more clues about pinpointing the region in the Philippines. ### Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is easily recognisable thanks to the visibility of the Street View car resembling the French flag- blue, white and red stripes. This transparent French flag is visible most of the time in Sri Lanka but not 100% of the time. The license plates in Sri Lanka are yellow on the rear of the cars and white on the fronts of the cars. They are also less elongated than other license plates from around the world. If you happen to see the first two letters on the license plate then you can work out what Sri Lankan province you are in as these letters represent the provinces eg WP=Western Province. Sri Lanka is my go to guess in GeoGuessr if I see palm trees with few other clues. Palm trees are scattered across most of the country and the majority of the time there will be many visible. Sri Lanka is also my go to guess if I see narrow, paved paths with few other clues. These paths can be found across the entire country and if you spawn in Sri Lanka, I think there is a greater than 50% chance that you will be placed on one of these paths. The houses that are adjacent to these paths generally have concrete walls separating them from the path. Sri Lanka has the black and white striped poles that are fairly rare around the world. They also have a huge fleet of rickshaws that are often freshly painted red, blue, green and some other colours. The Sri Lankan written language of Sinhala stand out in the GeoGuessr world as each character resembles a piece of fruit. The Street View car is visible in Sri Lanka if you pan down. It has a blue stripe, a white stripe and a red stripe (resembling the French flag). This is visible most of the time. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sl-low-camera.png) Sri Lanka recently got some generation 4 coverage. This coverage was captured with a low camera. Sri Lanka now joins Japan, Switzerland and parts of Taiwan as the only countries to have some low camera imagery. As a result, the three-coloured striped car (pictured above this image) is now less likely to be visible if you pan down in Sri Lanka (although it should still be seen approximately 80% of the time). The low camera imagery in the aforementioned three other countries has the byproduct of a visible wide blur if you pan down. There is no such blur beneath the car in Sri Lanka low camera imagery. Sri Lanka has yellow rear plates and white front plates. It is one of the few GeoGuessr countries in the world to have this plate combination (the others include Botswana, the U.K. and Hong Kong). The Sri Lankan plates are also almost square shaped. Sri Lanka also has these black and white stripes on some poles. Sri Lanka has a very tropical feel. Almost the entire country of Sri Lanka is covered with palm trees. If I see palm trees with few other clues, I will guess Sri Lanka by default. These extremely narrow roads are particularly common in Sri Lanka. If I see a narrow paved road in Asia surrounded by vegetation, with few other clues, I will guess Sri Lanka. The most common form of Sri Lankan road lines feature white, continuous edge lines and a dashed, white, centre line. Sri Lankan houses most commonly feature terracotta tiles on their roofs. There are concrete walls typically separating Sri Lankan houses from the narrow, paved paths that are found everywhere in Sri Lanka. These tiny, cramped rickshaws are a common feature of Sri Lanka. They have three wheels and a black covering. These small, white bollards with black bases are found near creeks, rivers and other water sources in Sri Lanka. A wide range of utility poles are found across Sri Lanka. The most common pole I’ve seen contains three thick, upward facing ‘pine cones’ on top. Regarding the pole itself, probably the most common type of Sri Lankan utility pole is concrete and square shaped. It also features small dots running up it however these dots are only near the top of the pole. This distinguishes the pole from Thai poles which have the dots running all the way to the ground. Sometimes you will see Sri Lankan utility poles with large holes in them, like Hungarian, Polish and Romanian utility poles. The Sri Lankan primary written language of Sinhala looks to me like pieces of fruit. ### Bangladesh Bangladeshi Street View coverage generally includes the largest cities in the country and the major roads connecting these cities. GeoGuessr coverage in Bangladesh is mainly focused around the major cities and the main roads connecting these cities. The bars underneath the Street View car and side view mirrors are visible in many parts of Bangladesh however they aren’t ubiquitous across the country. In the areas of Bangladesh that the bars and side view mirrors aren’t visible, you should mainly see the white outline of the end of the Street View car. Bangladesh can be broken into the urban and rural categories. Urban Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. There are often large numbers of people standing on the streets in Bangladesh, vehicles in a traffic jam and numerous rickshaws. Urban Bangladesh also features many shops crammed together along the sides of the roads with signs galore. As rural Bangladeshi Street View coverage mainly includes the more major roads connecting large Bangladeshi cities, the rural streets can still be crowded with vehicles. Rural Bangladesh stands out as the road is generally straight and almost always elevated above the land on both side of the road. There are typically trees lining the sides of the road and grassland beyond. There are often puddles of water on the low-lying grass flanking the road. The colours, red and white appear regularly in Bangladesh, on bollards, fences separating the road from water sources and on some curbs. The Bangladesh language of Bangala resembles Hindi but unlike Hindi, it regularly has triangles that point to the left. Bangladesh is one of the hardest countries in the world to pinpoint in, largely due to the lack of English signs. The bars underneath the Street View car and side view mirrors are visible in many parts of Bangladesh however they don’t appear everywhere. If you don’t see the bars and side view mirrors of the Street View car in Bangladesh, then the remainder of the time you should almost always see the white outline of the end of the Street View car. Bangladesh has a high population density and this is reflected with the streets often teeming with people. There are often buildings and shops lining the sides of the road with signs galore. The more rural parts of Bangladesh tend to have land on both sides of the road that is lower than the road itself. Trees also commonly line the road in rural Bangladeshi areas. Green grass is common on both sides of the road as are puddles and other forms of water. Rickshaws featuring a bike at the front and two wheels at the back are common across other parts of Asia but they are especially common in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi vehicles drive on the left. Most of the time, for civilian vehicles, Bangladeshi license plates are white for front and rear plates. Rickshaws in Bangladesh tend to have either green or white license plates. Bangladeshi bollards look like chimneys and are painted in alternating red and white sections. Sometimes the bollards are shorter than this image and thus have less red and white sections. As well as red and white bollards, Bangladeshi fences near water also feature these colours. Continuing Bangladesh’s fixation with red and white, sometimes the curbs are also painted these colours. The most common road markings in Bangladesh involve white, continuous edge lines and a white, dashed, centre line. The Bangala written language that is widespread across Bangladesh reminds me of musical notes written beneath a horizontal line that runs on top. It is distinct from Hindi as it often has triangles that point to the left. ### India [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/india55.png) Street View coverage in India spans virtually the entire country. Street View coverage has recently been added across large parts of India. The best way to determine which state you are in within India is by the script. As a general rule, blocky scripts are found in northern and central India whilst curved scripts are found in southern India. Hindi is India’s most abundant language it is witten as the Devanagari script. In its written form, it has a horizontal line running above its letters. Hindi can be distinguished from the Bangladeshi language of Bangala as Hindi has what looks like upside-down, lower-case, backwards ‘h’. Hindi also has backwards capital ‘F’. It is also a common sight to see English in India. Indian license plates for private vehicles tend to be elongated and white. There are often striped curbs in India with yellow and black being a particularly common combination. The best way to tell which part of India you are in is based on the written language of the area. India’s Street View footage was taken by an unofficial camera. It therefore appears different from all the standard generation imagery. The Indian camera is of low-quality, unique and easily recognisable. Everything appears slightly ‘foggy’. If you pan down in India, one of the more common things you will see is a very large circular blur. This is the same car that took the Street View imagery as the above large circular blur image. Whilst you will normally see just the circular blur in India, you will sometimes move forward and see the rectangular car. This is the second car you will see if you pan down in India. The end of the car has a slight blue tint. India often has black and yellow curbs. Sometimes they are painted black and white. Regular vehicles in India have white license plates that are elongated. Electric vehicles have green license plates and transport and trucks have yellow license plates. If you happen to see an unblurred license plate in India, you can work out what state you are in. The first two letters on all Indian license plates are an abbreviation of the state name. In this example, the MH means we are in the state of Maharashtra. Although the state abbreviations don’t appear on the map, the state names do appear and the abbreviations can be worked out. Motorbikes are so common in India that in most locations you will see multiple motorbikes. Tuk tuks are everywhere in India. Tuk tuks with a black and yellow body (ignore the roof colour) are mainly found in the state of Maharashtra (Mumbai is in this state). This map shows the tuktuk distribution across current Indian coverage. (Thanks to whomever made this map!) India can also be recognised thanks to some of its residents wearing traditional Indian attire. These light posts on utility poles or on their own poles are common throughout India. Indian city names and addresses often appear on shop signs. In this example, we are in the city of Amritsar. English is fairly prevalent on signs in India. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/hindi-language.png) Hindi is the most common language in India, it appears as Devanagari script. When written, it has a horizontal line above all of its letters. It can be distinguished from the Bangladeshi language of Bangala as it has what resembles upside-down and backwards lower-case ‘h’. It also has letters that resemble backwards capital ‘F’. You can also recognise Hindi as it lacks the triangles of Bangala that point to the left. India has specific languages depending on the region. This means that by working out what language you are looking at, you can narrow down your region and potentially, city. As a general rule, scripts in the south are curvier, whilst scripts in the central/north areas are composed of straight lines. This map shows the different scripts across India. Looking at scripts is one of the best ways to work out what part of India you are in. (Image source: oldergogoch) Devanagari is orange in the above map. It is used to write Hindi. It is also the most common script used across India. Note the horizontal lines on top of the letters (like Bengali) but also certain letters resembling spiral staircases. Gujarati is blue in the above map. This script is used in western India, in the state of Gujarat. Note that the letters appear unconnected to one another plus the abundance of vertical strokes. Gujarati reminds me of upside-down Latin script. Bengali is faded white in the above map (as opposed to the brighter white colour). This script is used in eastern India in the state of West Bengal (next to Bangladesh). Note the horizontal line on the letters (similar to Devanagari) but also the abundance of large, black dots- Devanagari largely lacks this. Odia is yellowish in the above map. It is used in eastern India in the state of Odisha. Note that most of the letters resemble a skull emoji. The remaining scripts are found in southern India. Telugu is bright white in the above map (as opposed to faded white). It is used in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In Telugu, note the lack of horizontal lines over the curved letters. This distinguishes the language from Kannada. Kannada is purple in the above map. It is used in the state of Karnataka. Looking at Kannada, note the fairly common horizontal lines above the curved letters. These horizontal lines are much rarer in Telugu. Tamil is green in the above map. It is used in the state of Tamil Nadu- across the Gulf of Mannar from Sri Lanka. Tamil stands out as it has these fancy loops in its letters. It is also unique as the characters appear to be two or three characters joined together. Another way of identifying Tamil is that it has a large number of vertical lines that typically lack the horizontal line on top. If you look at the map of India, each city name is written in the local script underneath the Latin script. This can be useful if you don’t wish to memorise the difference between the scripts that are mentioned above. India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands now have limited Street View coverage. These islands have lush vegetation, rolling hills, and the same large circular blur beneath you as India. *Additional resources to region guess in* *India * - A YouTube video by duskden2- [The India GeoGuessr Guide.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVri-VWkqfI) ### Pakistan Pakistan’s Street View coverage is centred on Lahore, the surrounding areas of Lahore and various temples and religious sites right across Pakistan. The coverage was taken by a person aka a trekker so you will see the outline of a person when you pan down. Pakistani coverage has recently been added to Battle Royale. Pakistan’s coverage in unique as it wasn’t captured by a car but rather a person. This means when you pan down, you should see the outline pictured above. A number of other countries around the world also have trekker coverage. Most Pakistani coverage is in and around religious monuments/temples. Pakistan is a majority Muslim country. This is another Pakistani religious temple. Also note the traditional clothes worn by the Pakistani people in the image. ### Singapore Singapore is a country that is fairly easy to identify in GeoGuessr. Contrary to its name, the country is rich. It has well maintained everything from trees and hedges to roads. The cars are expensive and drive on the left. The houses are expensive and typically double story. Most Singaporean roads have the distinctive black and white striped curbs. Nowhere else in the world uses these curbs in such abundance as Singapore where they are everywhere you look. In addition, everything in Singapore looks remarkably clean and smooth. There is a lot of greenery around Singapore considering how densely populated and urban it is. There are a number of different license plates used in Singapore. Some of these plates are completely black, others have black sections and other vehicles have yellow rear plates and white front plates. Singapore uses distinctive green signs with white lettering for road names and directions. They also use standard, European warning signs however the actual signs themselves are white and square-shaped with the red-outlined triangle printed on the square sign. Pinpointing in Singapore can be made easier by determining where you are relative to the CBD (by looking for the tallest buildings and orientation yourself) or by finding major road names on the green directional signs. Singapore is a rich looking country that has high rise buildings, new looking roads, neatly maintained trees and bushes and fairly expensive cars. Despite being urban, the country is very green and lush. These black and white colours line many of the streets of Singapore. Cars drive on the left in Singapore. Singapore has a range of license plates. Some plates are completely black. Some are almost square-shaped with black sections.  Some vehicles in Singapore have yellow rear plates and white front plates. Houses in Singapore tend to be double story and very affluent. Some Singaporean traffic lights arch over the road with the lights in a horizontal orientation. Also shown in this image are the Singaporean street lights which similarly hang over the road. Often in Singapore you will see concrete pillars holding up a large, elevated, cement pathway. This is Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit. It is essentially an expensive transport system that serves the Singaporean public. Singapore has these aesthetically pleasing street signs (on the left of the image) and larger, green directional signs (on the right of the image). Singaporean warning signs look like standard European signs however the shape of the actual white sign is square, not triangular. This is unique in the world. Singaporean road lines come in a range of styles. It is common to have double yellow, continuous road lines on the very edges of the road. There are two useful tips to help you pinpoint in Singapore. Firstly, three letter highway names (such as TPE, SLE and CTE above) are generally easy to find on the map. Secondly, other highways in Singapore are commonly named after the district they are located in. In the above example, Upper Changi Road East is located in Changi, a district whose name is clearly visible on the map. Singapore has four official languages. These are: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Sometimes all four of these languages appear on signs. English is the most used written language in Singapore. ### Turkey Turkish Street View coverage centres around its major cities and towns. It also covers the main roads connecting these areas. Few rural, minor roads are covered in Turkey. Turkey straddles both Europe and Asia but as I’m not keen to start some geo-political conflict I’ll put Turkey in this ‘Asia’ section as opposed to Europe, namely because this section is shorter. Turkey is an interesting country as much of the country resembles the Middle-East. These areas are dry with little to no vegetation. The northern, western (and some coastal) areas of Turkey more closely resemble south-eastern Europe: they are lush, green and contain a moderate dispersion of flora. Turkey is an undulating country with even its town and cities regularly built on non-flat terrain. Turkish roads on GeoGuessr are often wide and I find them to be among the widest roads in the world. Pinpointing in Turkey is made easier by the abundance of directional signs that are either blue or green coloured. These directional signs often list the names of the largest cities that are easy to find on the map. These signs also commonly list road numbers which shouldn’t take too much finding on the map, especially if they are ‘E’ roads. ‘D’ roads are a bit more challenging to find yet still relatively easy. If you think you are in Turkey and see the letter ‘ş’ or ç appearing on signs, then you are in Turkey. These two letters are commonly on signs and fairly distinctive as they have ‘hooks’ underneath them. Turkey typically has wide roads with undulating land throughout most of the country, including urban areas. Turkey has a diverse landscape. The northern and western parts of the country are green with moderate amounts of flora. The eastern part of Turkey is green, with little to no flora. Large parts of the remainder of Turkey are dry with a real lack of flora. Many Turkish residents live in apartments that are a number of stories high with a terracotta, tiled roof. Some of the higher Turkish apartments have flatter roofs. Turkey has standard European license plates with the blue stripe on the left. Turkey has bold, black lettering on its plates. As a result, you will often see black markings on the plate. These bollards are a common sight throughout Turkey and resemble the Australian bollards with a slightly fatter rectangle. Turkey has these fairly unique red and white road arrows indicating corners. Turkey uses a wide range of utility poles. Some of the more recognisable poles have large holes in them. These poles are different to the poles in Romania, Hungary and Poland as they are made out of metal and have larger holes. There are variants of the above poles in Turkey, featuring zigzagging metal bars throughout the centre. Turkey uses the standard European warning signs. Turkey uses either blue or green coloured directional signs. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct10.png) Parts of Turkey have recently been covered with the generation 4 camera in this grey car. A similar car can also been found in Kenya and Senegal. Turkish kilometre markers are pictured above. There are two important components to these markers. Firstly, the number (and sometimes letter) in the top left corner indicates what road you are on. If you see the letter ‘o’ followed by a number you are on that road eg the o-5 road in the above example. If you see just a number in the top left corner, you are on a D road. For example, 360 indicates the road D360. Ignore the number in the top right corner. The number on the bottom row is the kilometre number of the sign on that road (in the above example, the 27th kilometre). Ankara is the only city in Turkey to have these unique-looking street signs that feature a curved top-middle section of the sign. These signs are found right across Ankara. Seeing this letter ‘ş’ in a useful way to confirm that you are in Turkey. The letter ‘C’ with a hook underneath it is another letter I look for to identify Turkey. In general, the Turkish language reminds me most of Albanian. ## How To Identify Every Country In South America South American Street View coverage. - [Brazil](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#brazil) - [Argentina](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#argentina) - [Uruguay](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#uruguay) - [Ecuador](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#ecuador) - [Colombia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#colombia) - [Peru](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#peru) - [Bolivia](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#bolivia) - [Chile](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#chile) - [Curacao](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/geoguessr-the-top-tips-tricks-and-techniques/#curacao) South American coverage incorporates: northern Colombia, most of Ecuador, most of the western half of Peru, the main cities in Bolivia and their connector roads, the majority of Chile, most of Argentina, mainly eastern Brazil but also roads connecting cities in western Brazil, most of Uruguay and the island of Curaçao. As a general rule, South America rarely has any visible English on the continent and thus if you spot any English writing you are most probably outside this area. South America is the only place that has the word ‘PARE’ on their stop signs (Spain and Portugal don’t use this). Contrastingly, Mexico and Guatemala have ‘ALTO’ written on their stop signs. Across South America, the word ‘PARE’ is written on stop signs. This can help distinguish the continent from other areas such as Mexico and Guatemala where the word ‘ALTO’ is written on stop signs. These trees which resemble Australian Eucalyptus Trees are found in South America, largely the Andes. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/andes-trees.png) These trees (similar to Australian Eucalyptus) are found in the Andes. Diamond shaped, yellow warning signs are found across South America. They are also found across North America and a few other countries around the world. If a road has markings in South America then there is almost certainly some form of yellow centre line. This may be a dashed yellow line, a continuous yellow line or even a double yellow centre line. Chile is an exception where white centre lines are predominant, except for the south. ### Brazil Brazilian Street View coverage is centred around the east and south of the country. Very little of the western part of the country, where the Amazon Rainforest is positioned, is covered. Brazil is a large country that correspondingly can have a very diverse landscape. Its notable features include its varying types of flora and often reddish, clay like soil. The areas containing this distinctly reddish soil are mainly in the north of the country and regions around Goias. The north-east of Brazil tends to have a lighter coloured soil. The more densely rain-forested region of Brazil is to the west of the country as well as near Rio de Janeiro. The southern part of the country is quite similar to Argentina and features people with fairer complexions. This part of Brazil also more commonly has large, grass fields. Wide satellite dishes in South America are typically Brazilian. The petrol/gas stations in Brazil are often the company known as ‘Petrobras’ and they have a green, orange and white sign. Brazil has a few unique features including its signs. The back of Brazilian signs are coloured black. Brazilian utility poles most commonly have large indents, are narrower near the top and contain a number of vertically aligned small, drilled holes. The Street View car in Brazil should either be blue or white. This white car may have a stubby aerial or no aerial at all. One of the easiest ways to identify Brazil is via language. From the GeoGuessr relevant countries, Brazil is the only place other than Portugal and Macau where Portuguese is spoken. This can make identifying Brazil from the rest of South America easy as Spanish is spoken across the rest of the GeoGuessr relevant South America. The Brazilian highway numbering system is explained in detail in the ‘highway numbering systems’ section of this article. The Brazilian landscape is exceptionally varied due to the sheer size of the country. Almost the entire country is flat (with gentle rises) which contrasts many other South American countries. Parts of Brazil, especially the northern regions and central states such as Goias, can have a reddish soil colour. Sometimes you will get an inkling that you are in Brazil thanks to the reddish soil next to the road. The north-eastern parts of Brazil can have a lighter soil colour with little flora. The north-eastern parts of Brazil are very dry. I often notice these embankments on either side of the road in Brazil. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/brazil-license.png) Cars in Brazil have rather large license plates. These plates are white and somewhat resemble the size of European license plate. Brazilian plates contrast the other Latin American countries which tend to have small license plates. Argentina occasionally has long plates however these have an upper blue section. There are two main types of Street View car in Brazil. One of these is the blue car. The second type of Street View car in Brazil is the white car. It can appear with the short antenna or like this example, without an antenna.  The major petrol/gas station in Brazil has this logo. If you spot a large satellite dish in South America then there is a good chance you are in Brazil. Satellite dishes are doubly useful as they face towards the equator. This can be useful for determining how far north or south you are in the enormity of Brazil. Brazilian signs have black on their backs. Peru can also have a dark rear on their signs however it isn’t as black as the rear of Brazilian signs Brazil has green and blue directional signs, both with white lettering. Brazilian utility poles can comes in a range of styles. The most common type is wider at the base and narrower at the top. They tend to also have indents in them. They look similar to Chilean poles however Chilean utility poles have one long indent whilst Brazil typically has 3 indented sections. If you look closely at most types of Brazilian utility poles, you should see small holes in a vertical formation that look like they have been drilled into the pole. Brazilian houses come in wide range of styles. They are made from various materials, can have virtually every style of roof and can come in a range of colours. The Brazilian state of Acre (in the far west) stands out thanks to its houses typically being wooden and on short stilts. A Brazilian highway sign. The intricacies of the Brazilian road system are explained in depth in the ‘Highway Numbering Systems’ section near the top of this article.  In Brazil, trucks, buses and taxis have distinctive red license plates. This can be helpful for recognising the country, especially on long, remote roads where trucks frequently travel. There are a few easy ways to distinguish Portuguese from Spanish. Portuguese has the ‘Ç’ symbol whilst Spanish doesn’t. This is a regularly occurring symbol in Portuguese so many signs will house it. Another tell is that many words in Portuguese end in ‘ção’. Finally, Portuguese has the symbol ã which is an ‘a’ with a squiggle on its top (this is different from an accent). If there is one country in the world that you should know at least the first digits of the area codes, then it is Brazil. The list of Brazilian area codes for phone numbers can be useful as many businesses and signs contain these. A [full list can be found here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dialling_codes_in_Brazil) For those not keen to memorise all this info, I’ll condense it here: States around Sao Paulo= teens, Near Rio de Janeiro= 20s, south of Brasilia= 30s, south west of Sao Paulo=40s, the very south of Brazil=50s, the central and western regions=60s, around the state of Bahia=70s, the north east corner of the country=80s, and the northern and north western part of Brazil=90s.  A map indicating the phone area codes in Brazil. Often advertisements and shop signs feature a phone number and this prefix can be matched with the above map to determine locations in Brazil. Nine digit phone numbers that begin with ‘9’ in Brazil are mobile numbers. A list of the phone codes for Brazil can be found here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_dialling\_codes\_in\_Brazil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dialling_codes_in_Brazil) (Source: Magno Brasil, Wikipedia) Not all Brazilian phone numbers include an area code although area codes on shops tend to be a bit more common than not. If a phone number in Brazil contains 10 digits it has the area code as the first two digits. In the example above, this means the area code is ’21’ and looking at the above map, we are in Rio de Janeiro. A large portion of the time, the two-digit Brazilian area codes appear in brackets before the phone number. Be warned though- if a phone number in Brazil has just 8-digits, it doesn’t contain the area code. Area codes are the best and easiest way to narrow down your region in Brazil. ### How to Identify the Regions of Brazil A map showing the general landscapes found across the different regions of Brazil. Below this map are examples of each region with more information. (Source: poorly made by me). The north-west of Brazil (the green area on the top map) typically consists of something resembling a tropical rainforest with tropical flora. This is an extremely remote area and the roads are most commonly unpaved. Central Brazil (the yellow area on the above map) corresponds to the part of Brazil that most commonly has a distinctive, red soil. (If I see red soil in Brazil, I will guess around the state of Goias). This yellow area on the map contains lots of farmlands and crops and has been largely deforested. There are rarely rural houses visible in this area. The area in the north-east of Brazil (the blue area on the above map) is notable for its light coloured soil that looks almost sandy. It also seldom has trees and mainly features intermittently dispersed, bushes. In general, the landscape here is low. This part of Brazil is very dry. The south-eastern part of Brazil (the red part on the map) is the most populated part of the country. As a result, cars are commonly visible on the roads and there are houses visible, even in rural areas. The most distinctive landscape features of this area are the green, rolling hills and density of trees with plentiful, green leaves. Southern Brazil (the orange area on the map) has a landscape resembling Uruguay and Argentina. There are sprinklings of tall trees with some trees only have branches near their peak. Southern Brazil is drier than south-eastern Brazil. As a result, you will see drier fields more abundantly. The tall trees with their branches near the peak are called Parana pines. The branches span from the tree almost horizontally. Parana pines are found in the southern Brazilian states of Parana, Santa Catalina and northern Rio Grande Do Sul. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct31.png) The Brazilian state of Tocantins stands out for having this long, dry grass. It’s not always as abundant as this. If I ever see long, dry grass in Brazil, I guess Tocantins. *Additional resources to region guess in Brazil* - I don’t know who created [this document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BLLurPkvlbKi8umAFe5VRtJsqI0clfW0PTwhcmdUgek/htmlview) but it includes Brazilian region specific utility poles, architecture, landscapes, car metas and other. If you want to study Brazilian regions, then I highly recommend reading it. ### Argentina Argentinian Street View coverage extends across most of the country, including the harsh southern parts. Typically main roads are covered as well as cities and towns. The easiest way to identify Argentina is via the black Street View car. This black car can also be seen throughout the majority of Uruguay. Peru and very rarely, Chile can also have the black car however these places have less parts that resemble Argentina. Another black coloured car themed method to detect Argentina is via license plates. Many Argentine cars have some black marking on their plates. Other cars have a blue horizontal stripe on the top of the plate. Argentina has a landscape that most closely resembles Uruguay although in general it is slightly more affluent than Uruguay. The central region of Argentina is flat with grass fields and as you progress south, the country gets drier and rockier. The very south part resembles a desert that has a cold climate. Argentina lacks the hills of much of South America and tends to have little vegetation occupying what are often, empty fields. Spanish is the language spoken in Argentina and all the subsequent South American GeoGuessr countries bar the aforementioned Brazil. Look for ‘de’ in Spanish as this word means ‘of’. Also look for the letter ‘y’ as its own word which means ‘and’. Finally, look for the letter ‘ñ’ in Spanish. If you pan down in Argentina, you should see a black coloured Street View car. The only other place that looks remotely like Argentina with the black car is Uruguay (although Chile too very, very rarely has the black car). In very rare newer coverage, the Argentine car will appear white but this is rare. Argentina also very occasionally has generation 4 Street View coverage featuring the blue car. The central part of Argentina has many grass fields with a moderate covering of flora. Argentina is incredibly flat apart from the far western part that borders Chile. Most of the northern half of Argentina consists of green fields with low to moderate amounts of trees. Argentina most commonly has white continuous edge lines. This is in tandem with double yellow, continuous centre lines or white dashed, centre lines. The southern part of Argentina lacks any real vegetation. There are many unpaved roads in southern Argentina. Argentinian road lines often feature white dashes in the centre next to a yellow, continuous line. Uruguay also has this combination.  The major gas/petrol stations in Argentina have this logo. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/arg-black-spot.png) Many Argentine cars have a black blob on their license plates. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/argentina-blue-stripe-1.png) Some Argentine cars have a blue horizontal stripe on the top of their plates. These plates are elongated and much longer than other Latin American plates (other than Brazil which has long plates). Argentinian cities have these street signs that run perpendicular to one another. The street signs vary in colour depending on what city you are placed in. I have seen blue, black and green street signs in Argentina. Argentinian cities tend to have trees between the footpath and the road, similar to Uruguay. The edges of Argentinian roads have three types of these small black and white signs on tiny wooden posts. The first type of these signs just displays the kilometre of the road you are on. The second type of these black and white signs displays the letters ‘RN’ followed by a number. These letters denote Argentinian National Roads. These are the major type of Argentinian roads. In the example above we are on National Road number 8. The number beneath the road number denotes how many km along the road you have travelled. The third type of these black and white signs displays the letters ‘RP’ denoting Provincial Road. These are minor roads. National Roads (RN) in Argentina are denoted on the map by these white shapes. Provincial Roads (RP) are denoted on the map by these green squares. Other than the written language sounding Spanish, there are some specific things to look for to identify Spanish and distinguish it from Portuguese and other languages. Look for is the letter ‘y’ as its own word. This means ‘and’ in Spanish. Also, Spanish often uses the letter ‘ñ’ which is the letter ‘n’ with a squiggly line over the top. ### Uruguay Uruguayan Street View coverage stretches across the country. The majority of the coverage includes major roads as well as cities. A large portion of the coverage is in the south around greater Montevideo and hugging the southern coastline. This area also includes many minor roads and unpaved areas. The easiest way to identify Uruguay is via the black Street View car which is found virtually across the entire country. Argentina resembles Uruguay and also has the black Street View car. Peru and rarely Chile also have the black car however these countries look vastly different to Uruguay. Uruguay has many similarities to Argentina. It generally look like a slightly poorer version of Argentina with roads that are a bit more deteriorated and signs slightly more run down. The Uruguayan landscape generally feature grasslands and a low to moderate covering of trees. Uruguay is extremely flat, especially when compared to most of the other South American countries. Many of the rural Uruguayan roads have two yellow lines in the centre enclosing a white dashed lines. There are white, wooden posts used to hold signs in Uruguay and this is another good hint you are indeed in the right country. Uruguayan bollards are wooden planks with white fronts and yellow rears. Traffic lights in Uruguay are mounted on black and white striped poles. Across virtually all of Uruguay, the Street View car is black. Of the visually similar looking countries, Argentina also has a black car. Uruguayan roads often have white dashes inside two yellow lines. Uruguay often has a yellow, continuous centre line and white, dashed, centre line concurrently. This same road line combination can also be seen in Argentina. As a generalisation, Uruguayan roads and signs show a bit more wear than Argentine roads and signs. Posts in Uruguay are typically white and wooden. The Uruguayan landscape is visually similar to northern Argentina. It is also rather flat. Uruguay has a sprinkling of trees with the landscape mainly consisting of grass. The most common type of utility pole in Uruguay features three upward-facing bulbs that makes the pole resemble a trident. Uruguayan bollards are painted white on the front and have a rectangular reflector near the top. The rear of Uruguayan bollards are yellow. They feature a yellow coloured, rectangular reflector near the top. These short and white bollards appear near water sources in Uruguay. Uruguayan road signs are stuck to poles perpendicular to one another. These signs can come in a range of colours. Uruguayan cities often have these black and white arrows stuck on walls and on poles. Uruguayan traffic lights are mounted on black and white striped poles. As a general rule, if you can see a blue sky in Uruguay, you should guess in the western part of the country. Like Argentina, urban Uruguay often features trees between the footpath and road. Urban Uruguay tends to look slightly poorer than urban Argentina. There are a large number of cows visible in Uruguayan fields. If I notice cows in a field and I am tossing up between Uruguay and the similarly looking Argentina, I will guess Uruguay. ### Ecuador Ecuadorian Street View coverage is mainly found on the western half of the country. Greater Quito is covered as well as all of Guayaquil. Many other Ecuadorian towns and cities are also covered as well as the roads connecting these areas. The coverage in the south and east of Ecuador is self-contained. In other words, there is no way out. The Street View car in Ecuador has a short aerial that should be visible if you pan down. On occasions it won’t be visible however if you move forward a few spaces, you should be able to see it. Out of the Latin American countries, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico may also have this aerial however it is most common in Ecuador. Ecuador is green in vegetation and appears similar physically to Colombia. There are rolling hills and mountains across most of the country with mountains typically being visible in the background when you are some distance from them. Ecuador has two arrows indicating that you are travelling around a corner, simultaneously held up by one pole. These yellow and black signs are particularly common in Ecuador thanks to the country’s winding roads. Ecuador has the same style as the USA interstate shield for their major highways. Ecuador has the Street View car’s stubby antenna visible. Brazil, Colombia and Mexico may also have this aerial however it is most common and ubiquitous in Ecuador and Colombia. The four Latin American countries stand out for having a single diagonal string-like protrusion wrapping around the stubby antenna. Countries with a stubby antenna outside of Latin America have a different looking stubby antenna without the single diagonal string like protrusion. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ecuador-blur.png) Some limited Ecuadorian coverage was taken with this camera, which features a large circular blur beneath you and a poor image quality. Ecuador is the only location in the Americas with this camera. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ecuawhite.png) Ecuador also has some limited generation 4 coverage taken with this white truck. This coverage is only found within the country’s two largest cities: Quito and Guayaquil, and the main road between these two cities. The entire country of Ecuador is mountainous or at the least, hilly. The Andes is covered in dense, green, vegetation. The bulk of Ecuador features thick, green foliage. Winding roads are common too. Ecuador can look vastly different away from the Andes with a drier landscape. Ecuador has a number of different shaped bollards. The type pictured is the most common. Almost all Ecuadorian bollards retain the same feature of having two red sections- one above the other. One type of Ecuadorian bollard just retains a single red stripe of the first bollard that was pictured. Ecuadorian taxis and buses have these license plates featuring an orange stripe on top and blue sections against the backdrop of the white plate. Private vehicles have regular, white license plates. Distinctive looking and unique orange license plates appear on some vehicles in Ecuador. Ecuadorian taxis sometimes have blurred out areas on their side. Unlike Peru, Bolivia and Colombia, these occasional blurred out sections don’t reveal the name of the city nor do they display the license plate. Ecuador have one pole holding two signs indicating to cars that they are on a corner. These are particularly common thanks to the twisting Ecuadorian roads. Ecuador has unique looking, double guard rails that feature one guard rail on top of another guard rail. Some Ecuadorian towns have narrow roads comprising individual tiles that tessellate. Ecuadorian houses come in a high range of styles. They can also have any roof style from tiles to corrugated iron to vines. Ecuadorian houses are most commonly built with gray coloured bricks. This contrasts most other South American houses which are mainly built using red brick.  Ecuadorian utility poles come in many styles. One of the more common pole types is a cylindrical-like pole that is narrower near the top. Ecuador uses similar highway shields to the US interstate shields. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/galapagos.png) The Galapagos Islands has a small amount of trekker coverage. Sometimes you will see Galapagos tortoises. ### Colombia Colombian Street View coverage is virtually non-existent in the south and east of the country. The western coast, south of Panama, also lacks coverage. Unlike Ecuador, which mainly has coverage of major roads and cities, Colombian coverage also incorporates minor roads. As a result, you will often see dirt roads in Colombian coverage whilst these are rather rare in Ecuador. Colombia stands out as it has yellow license plates, something that is unique in South America. Colombia can also be easily determined as its commercial vehicles (eg taxis and trucks) have the license plates on their sides (as do Peru and Bolivia. Ecuador can have blurring on the sides of these vehicles but it isn’t a license plate or location that is blurred). Colombian side license plates are regularly not blurred and list the area of Colombia they are from e.g. a city such as Bogota. Colombia has a mountainous landscape with dirt roads being a common feature as the Colombian coverage includes many minor roads, unlike Ecuador. Colombia can also be easy to recognise thanks to their surplus of yellow and black striped poles. The country is so religious they have crosses on the backs of their signs. This is rare in the rest of the world. Colombia also have very narrow, white poles holding up many of their signs. If you pan down in Colombia, you should see a stubby aerial. Within Latin America, Ecuador, Brazil and Mexico may also have this stubby aerial. Colombia recently got a small amount of generation 4 coverage. License plates in Colombia are typically yellow in colour for both the front and rear plate. Out of South America, this is endemic to Colombia. Seeing yellow license plates is the easiest way to identify Colombia. The Colombian landscape is very green and tropical with thick foliage common. Much of Colombia has a hilly or mountainous landscape. Many of the Colombian roads are dirt. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/colombia-north.png) The northern section of Colombia is flat and dry looking. Colombia often has colourful houses with corrugated iron roofs. In Colombia, you will typically see the short, stubby aerial of the Street View car if you pan down. Sometimes the aerial will be there but not visible in that moment. In this scenario you normally will need to move a few metres to make it appear. In Latin America, the short, stubby aerial is most common in Colombia and Ecuador but is can also be seen in Brazil and Mexico on occasions. This antenna in the four Latin American countries stands out for having a single diagonal string like protrusion wrapping around it. Countries with a stubby antenna outside of Latin America have a different looking stubby antenna without the single diagonal string like protrusion. Within Colombia, these rudimentary fences are a common sight (especially in rural Colombia). They consist of misshapen wooden branches placed at intervals and connected by some wire. They are rarely seen outside of Colombia. On a number of occasions, I have been placed in a remote part of Colombia with few clues and these fences have helped me determine that I am indeed in Colombia. Colombia has a large number of yellow and black striped poles. These black and yellow stripes extend to Colombian traffic lights. Colombia have crosses on the backs of their signs. This is an easy way to distinguish the country from the others in South America, including Ecuador. Signs in Colombia are held up by what are almost comically narrow poles that are painted white. Colombian commercial vehicles such as taxis and trucks, have license plates on their side. These are sometimes blurred. If they aren’t blurred, you will be able to read the name of the city or area. In the image above, the plate says ‘Bogota’. Colombian taxis also have the city name on their roof. Peru and Bolivia have similar side license plates on commercial vehicles. Ecuador can have blurred sides on their taxis however these blurred areas on Ecuadorian taxis don’t cover license plates or city names. These ‘Philippine-style’ roads comprising large, concrete rectangular blocks can be found in Colombia. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oct11.png) This is a Colombian highway sign. The first two digits at the base of the sign indicate the highway number. The second two digits at the base of the sign indicate the section of that highway. In this example, we are on highway 62 and on the 6th section of that highway. ### Peru Peruvian Street View coverage only rarely ventures to the east of the Andes. The coverage mainly covers Peruvian cities and towns and the more major roads between these areas. Peru contains mountains throughout its eastern flank that resemble the famous Machu Picchu. It has windy roads that are often deteriorating. The dry Atacama Desert extends into the southern part of Peru and this area is largely lifeless and empty. Peru is in general much drier than Ecuador and Colombia. There are also significantly less plants and they are less tropical and green than these aforementioned two places. Peruvian houses tend to be brick and they most commonly have very flat roofs. Within Peru, you can see the white Street View car. In South America, this car also appears in Bolivia and Chile (although in Chile, this is more of a solid white colour). It also very occasionally appears in Argentina. You can also see the black Street View car in Peru. In South America, this car appears in Uruguay and Argentina. Peru has black and white striped poles on the sides of many roads. Indeed, Peru is the South American epicentre of these poles so if you see these in South America, you are almost certainly in Peru. Similar to Colombia and Bolivia, the license plates of Peruvian taxis appear on the sides of the vehicle. Peru also has uniquely painted utility poles that hold up the electrical wires- some part of their base is often painted. Peruvian sign poles are striped black and white and provide one of the best mechanisms to recognise the country. Peruvian sign poles also stand out as they are often situated in solid concrete blocks that are above ground level. The Street View car in Peru can be white or black. Within South America, the white car can also mainly be seen in Bolivia and Chile (although in Chile, this is more of a solid white colour). It can also very rarely be seen in Argentina. The Street View car can be black or white in Peru. Within South America, Uruguay and Argentina also have the black car. If you see no colour car beneath you in Peru, you should eventually see a car colour if you move. Peru is a largely mountainous and hilly country. In general, Peru is a dry country, much drier than Ecuador and Colombia. There also tends to be less vegetation and less green vegetation in Peru than in Ecuador and Colombia. Eastern and northern Peru are home to green, lush mountains that look like the area around Machu Picchu. This greenery is rarer in Peru, thanks to the lack of coverage in the east of the country. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/titicaca.png) The area around Lake Titicaca is home to these distinct tuffs of grass. Recognising this can be a great way to obtain a high score. These trees (that remind me of African trees) are found in the northern part of Peru. Southern Peru is home to part of the Atacama Desert. This is a featureless area of undulating land. A large number of Peruvian utility poles have part of their lower section painted. There is no single colour they are painted with some being black, blue, yellow, etc or some mixture of colours. Also, some are only painted a few feet up whilst others are painted almost half-way up. Peru sometimes has these unique utility poles. They consist of the three top parts all extending out from the pole in the same direction. Peruvian bollards look like cigarettes. They sometimes have the black stripes pictured here but on other occasions they lack these black stripes. Peruvian bollards can also be a triangular prism in shape (with the same colour scheme as the previous picture or lacking the black stripes) rather than cylindrical.  Peruvian houses often have electricity counters on them consisting of a rectangular box with two or three horizontal black lines. They aren’t found elsewhere in the world to my knowledge. This is one of the best ways to identify Peru. Peruvian houses can often be brick or be painted a range of colours. The Peruvian roofs tend to be flat. The houses are typically very low in height. If a Peruvian houses is built out of brick, it is often a brown-coloured brick. This brick colour is fairly rare in South America outside of Peru. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/peru-political.png) Political graffiti is common throughout Peru, often appearing on the sides of houses. [](https://somerandomstuff1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/peru-stickers.png) In Peru, a large number of vehicles have various iterations of red and white stickers- the colours of the Peruvian flag. Whilst these stickers are found on some cars in the neighbouring countries, they are most common in Peru. The license plates of taxis appears on the sides of the vehicle in Peru (as they do in Colombia and Bolivia). ### Bolivia Bolivian Street View coverage is fairly limited. Six of Bolivia’s major cities are covered: La Paz, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Sucre, Oruro and Potosi. Some of the main roads connecting these cities or spreading radially from these cities are also covered. Minor, rural roads aren’t included in Bolivian coverage. Nothing in the northern half of the country is covered and very little east of Santa Cruz de la Sierra is covered. Bolivia has mountains running from the North West (not the celebrity) to south of the country but it is flat away from this area. Most of the Street View coverage is on flat land. This contrasts Peru where most of the coverage is on undulating land. In general, Bolivia most closely resembles Peru, except for being more flat than Peru. Bolivia is typically dry and lacks much flora or greenery. If you pan down in Bolivia, you will see the ghostly, white Street View car. This car can also be seen in Peru whilst a more opaque, white car can be seen in Chile. Bolivian houses resemble Peruvian houses. They are typically made of brick with flat roofs and in a dry landscape, void of vegetation. Bolivian Street View coverage is mainly limited to six of its major cities- La Paz, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Sucre, Oruro and Potosi. The coverage also covers the main roads connecting these six cities and the major roads spreading radially from these cities. Most of Bolivia has signs held up by thick, wooden, unpainted posts. The sides of commercial vehicles (e.g. taxis) have license plates, much like Colombia and Peru. The back of the Street View car appears as this ghostly white colour in Bolivia. Peru can also have the ghostly white car. Chile has a white car that tends to be more opaque. Bolivian Street View coverage is centred around major cities. It also has coverage of the main roads connecting these cities. Bolivia can have a diverse landscape. In general, the country tends to be rather dry. The outlying areas of the Atacama Desert cover the western and south-western parts of the country. The eastern part of Bolivia around Santa Cruz (which has limited coverage) is green and lush. So too is the area north of La Paz and Cochabamba (these are the green areas on the GeoGuessr map). This green landscape is more of an aberration in Bolivia with most of the country dry with less flora. If I see a lush green Bolivia round, I will typically guess somewhere around Santa Cruz. Bolivian houses tend to look quite similar to Peruvian houses. They are mainly made of brick and have flat roofs. Bolivia resembles Peru in many ways however large parts of Bolivia are flat (there are indeed mountainous parts) whilst Peru is almost all undulating or mountainous. Parts of Bolivia are mountainous however the Street View coverage rarely ventures into undulating land in Bolivia. Note how arid the environment looks. Like Colombia and Peru, Bolivian commercial vehicles e.g. taxis have license plates on their sides. In many instances these side plates are blurred. Cars in Bolivia have license plates with a faint, blue colour. Across much of Bolivia, the signs are held up by thick, unpainted, wooden posts. Bolivia can have bollards but they are rather rare. They are cigarette shaped with a red stripe near the top. As well as regular, cylindrical utility poles, the most common form of utility pole in Bolivia is asymmetrical and has one diagonal bar stemming from the pole to the horizontal bar, forming a right-angle triangle. It’s often possible to narrow down where you are in Bolivia based on smudges and the type of road. I think this map was created by Reddit user \_\_Blue\_ ### Chile  Chilean coverage runs down the entire length of Chile. It starts at the Atacama Desert and stretches down towards Tierra del Fuego. The easiest way to identify Chile is to pan down. The Street View car most commonly has a white, opaque end of the car that is visible. Sometimes the end of the car will appear more transparent. Peru and Bolivia can also have the white, transparent car. Chile’s environment can be divided into three sections. In the north of the country, is the Atacama Desert. This area is sandy, undulating, without vegetation and very dry looking. The central part of Chile, around Santiago, is more Mediterranean looking. It has plentiful grass, a low to moderate amount of trees and looks rather picturesque. The southern part of Chile, reaching down towards Tierra del Fiego, is cold, lacking any vegetation other than short grass and is essentially featureless. The houses in this southern section are colourful, wooden and normally have corrugated iron roofs. The Andes Mountain range runs right along the entire east side of the country. A good tell that you are in Chile is that mountains are to your east. A unique feature of Chile is that it is essentially the only place in South America that doesn’t use yellow road lines. Most Chilean roads have white lines which can make Chile easier to detect. Chile only uses yellow lines sparingly within the southern part of the country near snowfall. Out of the South American countries, only Argentina rarely has white central lines but the other countries typically don’t. Chilean utility poles are unique looking and have a vertically running indent and a number of small, drilled holes near the top of the pole. Chile stands out if you pan down. This white, rear section of the Street View car, which looks a bit like an ironing board can be seen across most of the country. Sometimes the car will appear a bit more transparent. Bolivia and Peru can also have the transparent, white Street View car. Chile stands out in South America as its roads have a white middle line across most of the country. This contrasts the yellow middle lines of the rest of South America. There are some caveats- southern Chile, where it snows, has yellow lines. Also, small parts of Argentina have a white middle line. If you see a continuous (as opposed to dashed) white, centre line in South America, you must be in Chile. The far south of Chile, where it snows, has yellow road lines. This contrasts the white middle lines found across the rest of Chile. Northern Chile is home to the Atacama Desert. It features sandy landscapes and undulating land. Central Chile, around Santiago, is fairly green and Mediterranean looking. Due to the Andes flanking the eastern border of Chile, you will often see mountains to the east of you. There are a number of unpaved roads in Chile. Chile is renowned for having lots of planted forests, especially in the region south of Santiago. These forests feature the same trees of roughly the same size, in a grid formation. On Ruta 5 from Huara up to Arica (these towns are shows on the below map), you will see a tree’s branch on the back of the Street View car. A map showing Huara and Arica. On Ruta 5- the main road between the towns, there is a branch on the back of the Street View car. If you notice generation 4 coverage in Chile, (this can be represented by the blue car if you pan down), then you are in Temuco or Santiago. Chilean utility poles have an indent that runs up the pole. Additionally to the indent, there is a column of small, vertically aligned drilled holes near the top of Chilean utility poles. Chilean road signs are held on these thin poles that remind me of paddle pop sticks (Popsicle sticks). Houses in central Chile are more likely to have terracotta tiled roofs. Houses in the south of Chile tend to be wooden, painted a range of bright colours and have slanting roofs made from corrugated iron. These bus stop shelters are found right across Chile. Surprisingly, you will often see them in heavily rural areas and they can be a great way to confirm that you are indeed in Chile. National roads in Chile are the major roads that run throughout the country. They are called ‘Ruta’ and commonly feature the letter ‘R’ prior to the road number (as pictured). National road number 5 is the longest road in Chile. It begins near the Peruvian border and runs right down to Quellon. Roads to the west of National road 5 are generally even numbered and roads to the east are generally odd numbered. National roads in Chile can also be referred to simply as ‘Ruta’.  This shield shape denotes Chilean National roads on the map. The shield shape is also commonly seen on signs in Chile denoting a National road. Using local roads in Chile is one of the best ways to pinpoint. Local roads in Chile will begin with a letter from ‘A’ through to ‘Y’ followed by a dash and a number. The letter informs you of where in Chile you are located. The further south you travel, the further in the alphabet the local roads are named. ‘A’ roads occur in the north of the country. As you progress south, sequentially the letters increase from B, C, D…. until Y roads in the very south of Chile. For example if I see a Chilean road beginning with ‘S’, I will look towards the south of the country. The number following the local road letter is also relevant. Local roads to the west of National road 5 are generally even numbered and local roads to the east of National road 5 are generally odd numbered. ### Curaçao The island of Curaçao is located just north of Venezuela. The Street View coverage spans most of the island. Curaçao, a Dutch, Caribbean island that is technically in South America can be recognised thanks to the bars under the Street View car. It can be distinguished from other areas by its brightly coloured houses. I don’t know if these houses are painted bright colours due to some clever marketing ploy by local painters.  The Caribbean island of Curaçao stands out thanks to its brightly coloured houses. The Street View car’s bars are visible in Curaçao. As well as the bars being visible in Curaçao, the car’s black bonnet is simultaneously visible. No other country has this combination of the bars and black bonnet being visible simultaneously. In some parts of Curaçao the foliage is low and spiky. Most of the country has palm trees visible. Cacti are prevalent in some parts of Curacao. Utility poles in Curaçao are commonly painted with a white base. Many houses in Curaçao have some form of metal fence with gratings. Curaçao features blue signs with white lettering that provide useful directional information that can help to pinpoint your location. Curaçao is Dutch speaking with the signs reflecting this. There are also small smatterings of English across Curaçao. **Conclusion** Thanks for reading about the top tips, tricks and techniques for GeoGuessr. I will semi-regularly update the information in this article as GeoGuessr gradually takes over the world \*insert maniacal laugh\*. If anyone accuses you of taking this fun, light-hearted geographical game too seriously, tell them they aren’t taking it seriously enough. Don’t divert your eyes away from the GeoGuessr screen when replying to them. If you can gain a perfect score in GeoGuessr, then you deserve to be the person in your car giving directions…..in the rare instance that the GPS is broken. Love geography? Check out my new book on Amazon- [The Ultimate Book of Geography Oddities](https://mybook.to/GeographyOddities).  Global leaderboard distribution of ratings as of March 15 2022. (Image source: reddit user MATTISINTHESKY). 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