Geography
Geography quiz app for iPhone where you type the answers
Most geography apps ask you to tap a map or pick from four options. Manymo asks you to produce the name. This page explains the difference, what is in it, and what it deliberately does not do.
Free, iPhone, works offline. Eight geography lists, from 12 answers up to 193.
Three kinds of geography quiz, and what each one trains
| Format | What you do | What it actually trains |
|---|---|---|
| Map tapping | A name appears, you tap the country on a map | Location. Where a place sits relative to its neighbours. No other format replaces this. |
| Multiple choice | You pick one of four options | Recognition, plus a one in four chance. Fast to build, easy to play, weakest for retention. |
| Typed recall | A prompt appears, you type as many answers as you can | Retrieval. Producing a name from nothing, which is the thing an exam, a pub quiz or a conversation asks for. |
These are not competing claims about which app is better, they are different exercises. If you cannot find Paraguay on a blank map, a map app is the right tool. If you can point at fourteen African countries but cannot name six of them, that is a retrieval problem and tapping will not fix it.
Manymo only does the third one.
The eight geography lists
Every list is checked against a named source, dated on its own page, and readable in full before you play it.
| List | Answers | Round | Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries of South America | 12 | 90 s | Free |
| EU member states | 27 | 150 s | Free |
| Countries of Europe | 47 | 150 s | Free |
| Countries of Africa | 54 | 150 s | Free |
| US states | 50 | 150 s | Free |
| US state capitals | 50 | 150 s | Pro |
| All UN member states | 193 | 300 s | Pro |
| World capitals | 193 | 300 s | Pro |
In German there are five more: Bundesländer, Landeshauptstädte, Nachbarländer, deutsche Großstädte and Südamerika, written in German rather than translated.
The part that decides whether a typing quiz is usable
A typed quiz lives or dies on how it handles the answer you meant. Manymo normalises input before it compares anything: case, accents, ß and punctuation are all removed, so Muenchen reaches München and U.S.A. reaches United States without you fighting the keyboard.
On top of that, alternatives are stored per answer rather than guessed at:
- Renamed countries keep both forms. Swaziland finds Eswatini, Burma finds Myanmar, Zaire finds the DR Congo.
- Everyday names count. Holland finds the Netherlands, America finds the United States, Ivory Coast and Côte d'Ivoire are the same answer.
- Short forms count. Bosnia is enough for Bosnia and Herzegovina, UAE for the United Arab Emirates.
Finally a single-character typo is accepted, but only when exactly one answer is that close. That restriction matters: it is why a slip can never quietly hand you the wrong country, and why Mali and Bali stay separate.
What this app does not do
Worth saying plainly, because it decides whether it is the right download for you:
- There is no map. Nothing to tap, nothing to drag, no blank outline to label. If your goal is knowing where things are rather than what they are called, a map based app is the better tool.
- There are no flag questions. Flags, borders, currencies, populations and landmarks are not categories here.
- There is no multiplayer and no live leaderboard. Scores, streaks and mastery are yours, stored on the device.
- There are 24 lists in total, not thousands. Every one is written and checked by hand. That is a deliberate trade against size.
Eight geography lists, five of them free
A prompt, a timer between 90 and 300 seconds, and an empty field. Every answer you miss is shown at the end with a fact attached.
Free on iPhone, iOS 18 or later. Manymo Pro is one payment of $4.99 with no subscription. Works offline, no account, all content bundled with the app.