Draw Europe’s Countries and Shared Borders

Two ways to play

Draw a region: circle the country’s mainland; the sea never counts and islands get their own ring. Draw a shared border: trace one continuous land border between two European neighbours, such as Portugal–Spain, Norway–Sweden or Austria–Italy.

What is included

Countries whose outline and borders are not in dispute in our source data. Where a line is contested or unsettled, the question is left out rather than drawn one way or another, so the list below is exactly what is playable. Europe here is the continent, not the European Union. Shapes come from Natural Earth (see map data).

Terrain clues to look for

• Mountain borders: Pyrenees (France–Spain), Alps (Switzerland with France, Italy and Austria), Carpathians (Slovakia–Poland), the Scandinavian range (Norway–Sweden).
• River borders: Rhine (France–Germany), Oder and Neisse (Germany–Poland), Danube (Romania–Bulgaria), Prut (Romania–Moldova).
• Flat borders across the Low Countries and the North European Plain give nothing away; rely on your memory of the shapes.

How can I practise drawing Europe’s borders?

Start with one European country rather than the whole continent. Compare a coastline with a mountain border, then try a river boundary: each asks you to use different clues. Switch to Move to inspect the terrain without drawing. Submit, study the missed and extra land, and try the same question again before moving on.