Before the reveal
Hints
Clue 01
A country where German is an official language
The answer is in Western Europe. Its capital begins with L. The English name has 10 letters.
Clue 02
A country that uses the euro
The answer is in Southern Europe. Its capital begins with N. The English name has 6 letters.
Clue 03
A country the Equator crosses
The answer is in South America. Its capital begins with Q. The English name has 7 letters.
Clue 04
A country with fewer than one million people
The answer is in Southern Asia. Its capital begins with M. The English name has 8 letters.
Clue 05
A country in the European Union
The answer is in Central Europe. Its capital begins with L. The English name has 8 letters.
The five featured pins
Answers and distances
| Clue | Country | Tier | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01German is official | LuxembourgEurope | Farflung | 100 km |
| 02Uses the euro | CyprusEurope | Elusive | 85 km |
| 03On the Equator | EcuadorAmericas | Common | 40 km |
| 04Under 1 million people | MaldivesAsia | Uncommon | 55 km |
| 05In the EU | SloveniaEurope | Rare | 70 km |
The spread
Rarity breakdown
This is the full spread of accepted answers across the five clues, not just the featured pin. It shows how many countries sat in each tier for this expedition.
17
Common
40 km
23
Uncommon
55 km
16
Rare
70 km
7
Elusive
85 km
10
Farflung
100 km
Worth remembering
Country facts
Luxembourg
Luxembourg is the world’s only sovereign grand duchy. It has three official languages, Luxembourgish, French and German, and is the EU’s smallest member by population.
Cyprus
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. It has been divided since 1974, and its capital, Nicosia, is the last divided capital in Europe.
Ecuador
Ecuador is named after the Equator, which crosses the country just north of Quito. It also administers the Galápagos Islands, about one thousand kilometres offshore.
Maldives
The Maldives is a chain of about 1,200 coral islands, of which roughly two hundred are inhabited. It is the world’s lowest lying country, with a highest point of about 2.4 metres.
Slovenia
Slovenia is a small Alpine country with a short Adriatic coast. More than half of its territory is forest, and Lake Bled has a church on a tiny island.