The Ultimate Guide to Country Identification in GeoGuessr

Identifying the country is the most crucial first step in any GeoGuessr round. Get this right, and you're halfway to a perfect score. Get it wrong, and you could be thousands of kilometers off.

In this guide, we'll cover the systematic approach that pro players use to narrow down locations in seconds.

The META Clues (Most Reliable)

Before looking at anything in the environment, check the Google Street View metadata:

Camera Generation

Different Google camera generations have distinct visual signatures:

Gen 1 (2007-2008): Grainy, blurry, distinctive "antenna" on top
Gen 2 (2008-2012): Better quality, circular blur patterns
Gen 3 (2012-2017): High quality, rifts/cuts in the image
Gen 4 (2017+): Highest quality, minimal artifacts

Certain countries only have specific generations of coverage. For example, some African countries only have Gen 2 coverage.

Coverage Type

Official Google coverage: Professional camera cars
Unofficial/Ari coverage: Often lower quality, unusual camera angles
Trekker coverage: Backpack cameras for pedestrian areas

Driving Side

This instantly eliminates half the world:

Left-hand drive (drive on right):

Most of Europe, Americas, Middle East, most of Africa

Right-hand drive (drive on left):

UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Kenya, and others

Look at:

Which side of the road you're on
Which side the steering wheel is on in parked cars
Direction of lane markings

Road Signs

Road signs are your best friend. Each country has distinct sign styles:

Shape & Color

USA: Green highway signs, yellow diamond warnings
Europe: Blue motorway signs, triangle warnings with red border
Japan: Blue signs with Japanese text, distinctive highway numbering
Australia: Green signs with white text, km distances

Language

Even if you can't read the language, the script tells you a lot:

Cyrillic: Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, Mongolia, etc.
Arabic: Middle East, North Africa
Thai: Thailand (unique script)
Japanese: Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji mix
Korean: Hangul (circular shapes)

Utility Poles

Surprisingly useful for identification:

Wood poles with single crossbeam: Common in Americas, parts of Europe
Concrete poles: Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa
Metal poles: Western Europe, developed areas
Distinctive shapes: Some countries have unique pole designs

Natural Clues

Vegetation

Eucalyptus trees: Australia, parts of South America
Birch forests: Scandinavia, Russia
Palm trees: Tropics (but also Mediterranean, California)
Red soil: Brazil, parts of Africa, Australia

Landscape

Flat and green: Netherlands, Denmark, parts of UK
Mountainous: Norway, Switzerland, Chile, Nepal
Desert: Middle East, Namibia, parts of USA

Sun Position

In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is to the south. In the Southern Hemisphere, the sun is to the north.

This can help narrow down if you're above or below the equator.

Practice Makes Perfect

The best way to improve is to practice systematically:

Play country-specific maps to learn regional clues
Study GeoHints for detailed country guides
Use GeoGuessr Pro to analyze clues you might have missed
Review your wrong guesses to identify knowledge gaps

Summary

When you spawn into a new location, follow this checklist:

✅ Check driving side
✅ Look for language/script on signs
✅ Note the road surface and markings
✅ Check pole styles
✅ Observe vegetation and landscape
✅ Look for any text or brand names
✅ Consider sun position for hemisphere

With practice, you'll be able to identify countries within the first few seconds of a round.

Want to see how AI analyzes these same clues? Try GeoGuessr Pro and see a detailed breakdown of every clue in your screenshot.