How to Memorize Countries

Knowing the world map like the back of your hand is a skill few people can brag about. Africa has over 50 countries, Europe and Asia are always making changes, and every once in a while, a new island comes along. It's certainly no small task to keep track of nearly 200 names, but with time and a little patience, anyone can memorize countries.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Break the world down by continents. Though it's very difficult to tackle the memorization of almost 200 names at once, it's much easier to memorize 45 (the current number of countries in Europe).

2. Write the names down. Because of the large number of countries to memorize, some mnemonic devices, such as acronyms, will be hard to use. Old-fashioned pencil and paper is your best bet for a good start. Again, list the countries by continent. Writing them down will provide good introduction, allow you to begin visual recognition and assist with proper spelling.

3. Use peg words. Peg words are like acronyms, but they form sentences and use real words instead of "made up" words that result from acronyms. Basically, pegs are created from the first letters of the places you are trying to memorize. Utilize a peg sentence to memorize continents with fewer countries. South America, with only 13 countries, is a good continent for this type of memorization.

4. Make up a song or story. The most creative way to memorize is to become a storyteller. For example, writing a song with a catchy chorus and different verses naming the countries might be a good way to memorize the 53 countries in Africa.

5. Color maps. It seems kind of silly, but associating countries with color is a great way to memorize them. For example, labeling Bolivia on a map and coloring it green every time will not only help you remember the country, but it will also help you remember its location.

6. Go online. Memorizing 194 countries has gotten easier in the past few years thanks to free online visual aides.(See Resources below.)

Tips & Warnings

• Memorize countries with a friend, classmate or colleague for an additional challenge. Reward yourself for added incentive.

• You will not remember countries if you don't repeatedly memorize them. Memorizing them once for a short period of time will do you no good five years down the road.

Resources

• Find world geography tests here.
• Find more geography resources and links.