Name cities and watch each one light up every big city near it. Cover as much of the map as you can: the whole world, a continent or a country.
A city-naming game played on a map. Every city you name draws a circle, and every big city inside it lights up, so a few well-spread names can cover a whole country. It rewards knowing where cities are, not just what they're called. If you've played HugeQuiz's City Coverage quizzes, it's the same idea, with a daily round as well as the whole world and every continent. (Geographys isn't affiliated with HugeQuiz.)
How it works
1Type any city. A name is credited the instant it's valid.
2Every city you name draws a circle, and every city inside it lights up.
3Big, well-spread cities cover the most ground. Hint rings the biggest city that's still dark, and pressing it again moves on to the next biggest.
4Your score is the share of cities you covered. The daily has a 5-minute clock; the anytime modes don't.
Tips
Start with cities far apart. Two big cities next to each other waste most of their circles on the same ground.
Look for the dark patches. Regions you haven't covered usually have a big city or two you've forgotten.
Name regional centres, not just capitals. They light up the towns around them.
When you're stuck, use the hint. It rings the biggest city still dark, which is usually the most useful one to name. Don't know it? Press again for the next biggest.
Questions
Where do the populations come from?
GeoNames, which mostly draws on national censuses and statistics offices, and the UN's World Urbanization Prospects. The credits page lists every source.
What's the difference between the daily and the other modes?
The daily has a five-minute clock and the same map for everyone. The anytime modes have no clock, so you can cover a region at your own pace.
Which maps are there?
The World and US dailies are free, and so are the World and continent Full maps on Easy. Supporters also get a daily on continent and country maps, Full maps of countries, and the Medium and Hard levels, which shrink the circles.
Why a few cities can cover a country
People aren't spread evenly. Almost all of Egypt's population lives along the Nile and its delta, most Australians live near the coast, and much of Canada's population lives within a couple of hundred kilometres of the United States. A few cities in the right places light up a large share of the map.
The countries that take the most names are the ones with many mid-sized cities spread over a wide area. On those, it pays to think region by region and name each one's main city.