Can you find every country in the Middle East on a blank map? The Middle East Map Quiz is a free, interactive geography game that drops you onto a clean map of the region and challenges you to place all 17 countries, from Egypt and Türkiye in the west to Iran in the east, and every Gulf and Levant state in between.
Click the country you are asked to find, name the highlighted country from four choices or by typing it, race the clock in Speed Run, or risk it all in sudden-death Minefield. Every mode runs on the same fast, mobile-first map. No sign-up, no ads in the way, works on your phone.
New every day: a Daily Challenge gives everyone the same ten countries to locate, then hands you a shareable emoji-grid result and a running streak. Come back tomorrow for a fresh set.
Play the Middle East Map Quiz
How to play
- Daily Challenge — ten countries to locate, the same for everyone worldwide, seeded from today’s date. Finish for a shareable 🟩🟥 result grid and a streak counter.
- Locate — you are given a country name; click it on the map of the Middle East.
- Name It — a country is highlighted and you name it: multiple choice (Easy), first-letter hint (Medium) or type the answer (Hard).
- Speed Run — locate as many countries as you can in 90 seconds.
- Minefield — place every country in one run; a single wrong tap ends the game.
- Learn mode — tap any country to see its capital, area, language, currency and flag before you test yourself.
How many countries are in the Middle East?
There is no single official list. The Middle East is a cultural and geopolitical region, not a formal UN grouping, so the count depends on where you draw the line. This quiz uses the 17-country standard set that most map quizzes recognise: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Broader definitions exist. “MENA” (Middle East and North Africa) adds countries such as Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco for 20 or more, while the “Greater Middle East” stretches east to Afghanistan and sometimes into the Caucasus and Central Asia. Egypt is transcontinental (most of it is in Africa) and Cyprus and Türkiye straddle Europe and Asia. All three are conventionally included on a Middle East map.
Tips for learning the map of the Middle East
Anchor yourself with the three big countries first: Türkiye across the north, Iran in the east and Saudi Arabia filling most of the Arabian Peninsula. Once those are fixed, the rest fall into clusters.
- The Gulf cluster — down the east side of the Arabian Peninsula: Kuwait, Bahrain (a tiny island — look for the dot), Qatar, the UAE and Oman, with Saudi Arabia behind them and Yemen at the bottom.
- The Levant cluster — the eastern Mediterranean coast: Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, Syria above them and Jordan inland.
- The edges — Cyprus is the island off Türkiye’s south coast, Egypt sits across the Suez in the southwest, and Iraq bridges Syria and Iran.
How the daily challenge works
The Daily Challenge picks ten countries using a seed derived from the current date (UTC), so every player in the world gets the exact same puzzle on the same day, with no account and no server required. Finish to reveal a spoiler-free 🟩🟥 grid you can share, and keep your streak alive by playing every day.
Data and method
Country facts (names, capitals, flags, areas) come from the open mledoze/countries dataset (ODbL). The map geometry is Natural Earth data via world-atlas (public domain). Everything runs in your browser, so the quiz makes no external calls while you play. Bahrain is too small to click reliably at this scale, so it is shown as a marker dot.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries are in the Middle East?
This quiz uses the standard 17-country set. The exact number varies by definition. MENA counts 20 or more once North Africa is added, and the “Greater Middle East” includes Afghanistan and beyond.
Which Middle East countries are hardest to place?
The small Gulf states (Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait) and the tightly packed Levant (Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan) trip most people up. Bahrain is a tiny island, so the quiz marks it with a dot you can tap.
Does it include Egypt, Türkiye and Cyprus?
Yes. All three are conventionally shown on a Middle East map: Egypt is transcontinental, and Cyprus and Türkiye straddle Europe and Asia.
Is Palestine included?
Yes. The quiz uses the standard 17-country map set, which includes Palestine alongside Israel, matching common educational Middle East maps.
How do I click tiny Bahrain?
Bahrain is sub-pixel at this map scale, so it is drawn as a marker dot with a generous tap area, so aim for the dot in the Gulf just off the Saudi coast.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The map is built mobile-first with large tap targets; pinch to zoom and drag to pan on a phone or tablet.
Where does the map data come from?
Country facts from mledoze/countries (ODbL) and map shapes from Natural Earth via world-atlas (public domain). It is bundled into the app, not fetched live.
