Skip to content
Globe Hunting

Patchwork

New puzzle in

How Patchwork works

  1. 1Each patch is 3, 4 or 5 neighbouring countries merged into one silhouette, north up and to scale.
  2. 2Tap the globe where you think it is and check. A miss tells you how far away and in which direction.
  3. 3Six tries per patch. Fewer tries score more: 600 on the first try, 100 less for each extra try.
  4. 4Once found, name the countries in the patch for 100 bonus points each.

Map puzzlesFor map nerds who recognise a coastline anywhere

How to play Patchwork

Patchwork hides real countries in plain sight: without their borders, familiar places become strange shapes.

  1. Study the patch: its coastlines, its size against the scale bar, its pointy bits.
  2. Spin the globe, tap where it fits and press Check.
  3. A miss shows the distance and an arrow towards the patch. Warmer or colder tells you if you got closer.
  4. When you find it, the borders come back: name the countries for bonus points.

Tips

  • Coastlines are the biggest giveaway; landlocked patches are the hardest.
  • Use the scale bar: a 500 km patch won't be in the middle of Asia's big countries.
  • A tap anywhere inside the patch counts.

FAQ

Where do the shapes come from?
Natural Earth 1:50m country outlines (public domain), merged so that the borders between the patch's countries disappear.
Is the shape distorted?
No more than it has to be: it's drawn in an equal-area projection centred on the patch, north up, so its proportions and size are true.
When does a new puzzle come out?
Every day at 00:00 UTC. The countdown shows exactly when.