European Union quiz

What's on this map

The 27 member states of the European Union. Croatia, which joined in 2013, is the newest; the United Kingdom left in 2020, so it is not on the map. The easiest way in is to learn the gaps, because most of Europe is a member and the non-members stand out.

In the west, everything from Portugal to Germany and from Ireland to Italy is in, plus Malta in the Mediterranean and Cyprus far to the east. In the north, Denmark, Sweden and Finland are members, but Norway and Iceland are not. Switzerland is a hole in the middle of the map, surrounded by members.

The east is where it gets busy: the three Baltic states, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria. Greece completes the south-east. In the Balkans only Slovenia and Croatia are members, so Serbia, Bosnia and their neighbours stay blank.

The ones people miss

• Cyprus – an island in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey. Hook: the EU member closest to the Middle East.
• Malta – a tiny island group south of Sicily. Hook: the smallest member by both area and population.
• Luxembourg – a small square between Belgium, France and Germany. Hook: capital Luxembourg, same name as the country.
• Slovenia vs Slovakia – similar names, different places. Hook: Slovenia touches Italy and the Adriatic; Slovakia sits above Hungary.
• Latvia – Riga / Lithuania – Vilnius – the Baltic capitals get swapped. Hook: north to south it goes Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius.

How to learn it

• Start with Find on the map and sweep west to east: the Atlantic edge first, then the centre, then the east.
• Learn the blanks as well as the members: Norway, Switzerland, the UK and most of the Balkans are not in.
• Do the small ones last: Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus. Let the Mistake Bank repeat them.
• Done is a clean Name them all plus perfect Capitals and Flags rounds.