How to score 1,000 in Pin Drop

Pin Drop asks you to find a capital or a country on a spinning globe. A pin within 25 km of a capital, or anywhere inside the right country, scores the full 1,000 points. These tips will get you there more often.

Points fall smoothly with distance: about 717 at 500 km, 368 at 1,500 km and 36 at 5,000 km. So even a rough guess in the right region scores well, and a perfect pin is worth taking a few extra seconds over. You have 30 seconds per round and there's no speed bonus, so there's no need to rush.

The most common mistake is placing the pin on the whole-globe view, where a fingertip covers hundreds of kilometres. Spin the globe so the region faces you, then pinch, scroll or use the + button to zoom in. Close up, the globe turns into a flat map, which makes accurate pins much easier. Only a quick tap places the pin, so you can drag and zoom freely without dropping it by accident.

When the question is "Where is Peru?", any spot inside Peru scores 1,000. Don't aim for the border: zoom in a little and tap firmly in the middle of the country. On Explorer, the country borders show exactly where one country ends and the next begins, so check where your pin sits before you press Drop pin.

Capitals are harder, because you need to be within 25 km. Use the satellite image for clues:

• Coasts: many capitals are ports, such as Lima, Lisbon and Dakar.
• Rivers: others sit on major rivers, such as Baghdad on the Tigris and Khartoum where the Blue and White Nile meet.
• Inland planned capitals: remember the famous exceptions, such as Canberra, Ottawa, Brasília, Ankara and Bern, which are often far from the biggest city.

Explorer shows country borders and starts the globe facing your chosen region. Expert hides the borders until the answer is revealed and starts anywhere on the globe, so you rely on coastlines, rivers and mountains alone. Learn a region on Explorer first, then try it on Expert.

When you confirm a pin, a gold line shows how far off you were. If you're often too far north or south, adjust next time. Read the fact card too: it tells you the capital's coordinates, which builds a mental map over time.