According to new research conducted by British hotel chain Premier Inn, certain locations are easier for people to locate on a global map than others. Interestingly, the study found that Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower was the architectural landmark that people found easiest to locate, followed closely by Rome’s Colosseum, Yellowstone National Park, and the nation’s gem, Big Ben.

New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park is the most challenging landmark to pinpoint, with just 7% of participants able to correctly place it. The study also found that individuals in the 36-60 age group have over 20% better geographical knowledge than younger generations.

New research by British hotel chain Premier Inn

First of all, it is interesting to note that Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower is the architectural landmark that people find easiest to place. Following closely behind are Rome’s Colosseum, Yellowstone National Park, and the nation’s gem, Big Ben. However, it is worth mentioning that New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park is the most challenging landmark to pinpoint, with just 7% of participants able to correctly place it. The study, commissioned by Premier Inn, also found that individuals in the 36-60 age group have over 20% better geographical knowledge than younger generations.

Premier Inn: Unveiling the Easiest and Hardest Landmarks to Place

The research involved 250 participants who were tasked with identifying more than 50 notable landmarks and natural wonders on a map, with an emphasis on the precision of their responses. The study aimed to reveal the general public’s knowledge of the world’s most renowned attractions.

Premier Inn: The easiest to place landmarks around the world

• Rank : 1
• Country: France
• Landmark Name: Eiffel Tower
• Correct Answers %: 93%
• Rank: 2
• Country: Italy
• Landmark Name: Colosseum
• Correct Answers %: 86%
• Rank: 3
• Country: USA
• Landmark Name: Yellowstone National Park
• Correct Answers %: 81%
• Rank: 4
• Country: UK
• Landmark Name: Big Ben
• Correct Answers %: 80%
• Rank: 5
• Country: UK
• Landmark Name: Hadrian’s Wall
• Correct Answer %: 77%
• Rank: 6
• Country: UK (Scotland)
• Landmark Name: Loch Ness
• Correct Answer %: 70%
• Rank: 6
• Country: USA
• Landmark Name: Grand Canyon
• Correct Answer %: 70%
• Rank: 7
• Country: UK
• Landmark Name: The Kew Royal Botanical Gardens
• Correct Answer %: 69%
• Rank: 8
• Country: USA
• Landmark Name: Statue of Liberty
• Correct Answer %: 67%
• Rank: 9
• Country: Greece
• Landmark Name: Acropolis of Athens
• Correct Answer %: 65%
• Rank: 9
• Country: UK
• Landmark Name: Windsor Castle
• Correct Answer%: 65%
• Rank: 10
• Country: China
• Landmark Name: Great Wall of China
• Correct Answer%: 59%
• Rank: 11
• Country: Spain
• Landmark Name: The Sagrada Familia
• Correct Answer %: 54%
• Rank: 12
• Country: Egypt
• Landmark Name: Pyramids of Giza
• Correct Answer %: 53%
• Rank: 12
• Country: Japan
• Landmark Name: Mount Fuji
• Correct Answer %: 53%
• Rank: 13
• Country: UK
• Landmark Name: Angel of the North
• Correct Answer %: 51%
• Rank: 14
• Country: UK
• Landmark Name: Stonehenge
• Correct Answer %: 48%
• Rank: 15
• Country: Canada
• Landmark Answer: Banff National Park
• Correct Answer %: 47%

Eiffel Tower Tops Global Recognition

The Eiffel Tower, arguably Paris’ most iconic architectural landmark, tops the list of locations that people can easily pinpoint on a map, with 93% correctly placing it. The Roman Colosseum follows closely behind with 86% accuracy. Both these landmarks are easier to locate than much larger geographical areas like Yellowstone National Park (ranked third) and the Grand Canyon (joint sixth), as well as Britain’s national treasures, including Big Ben (fourth) and Hadrian’s Wall (fifth).

Loch Ness is the easiest Scottish destination to locate, in joint sixth, while Stonehenge proved the most difficult UK landmark to find, ranking 14th. In comparison, Asian national wonders like the Great Wall of China (10th) and Mount Fuji (=12th) were easier to place.

Following Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon as America’s easiest landmarks to locate is the Statue of Liberty in eighth, with 67% location accuracy, while Britain’s Windsor Castle and the Greek Acropolis of Athens just make the top 10 with 65% accuracy.

Study Data

• Rank: 1
• Country: New Zealand
• Landmark Name: Fiordland National Park
• Correct Answer %: 7
• Rank: 2
• Country: Madagascar
• Landmark Name: Avenue of the Baobabs
• Correct Answer %: 9%
• Rank: 2
• Country: Colombia
• Landmark Name: Cano Cristales
• Correct Answer %: 9%
• Rank: 2
• Country: Indonesia
• Landmark Name: Komodo Island
• Correct Answer %: 9%
• Rank: 2
• Country: Argentina
• Landmark Name: Iguazu Falls
• Correct Answer %: 9%
• Rank: 3
• Country: Mexico
• Landmark Name: Chichen Itza
• Correct Answer %: 12%
• Rank: 4
• Country: Fiji
• Landmark Name: Coral Reefs of Fiji
• Correct Answer %: 13%
• Rank: 5
• Country: Zambia
• Landmark Name: Victoria Falls
• Correct Answer %: 14%
• Rank: 6
• Country: Brazil
• Landmark Name: Christ the Redeemer
• Correct Answer %: 15%
• Rank: 6
• Country: Mexico
• Landmark Name: Cenotes of Yucatán
• Correct Answer %: 15%
• Rank: 6
• Country: Malaysia
• Landmark Name: Petronas Towers
• Correct Answer %: 15%
• Rank: 6
• Country: Venezuela
• Landmark Name: Angel Falls
• Correct Answer %: 15%
• Rank: 6
• Country: Peru
• Landmark Answer: Machu Picchu
• Correct Answer %: 15%
• Rank: 7
• Country: UK (Wales)
• Landmark Answer: The Iron Ring of Castles
• Correct Answer %: 19%
• Rank: 8
• Country: UK
• Landmark Answer: Seven Sisters
• Correct Answer %: 20%
• Rank: 9
• Country: Vietnam
• Landmark Answer: Ha Long Bay
• Correct Answer %: 24%
• Rank: 9
• Country: Australia
• Landmark Answer: Uluru
• Correct Answer %: 24%
• Rank: 10
• Country: Ecuador
• Landmark Name: Galápagos Islands
• Correct Answer %: 25%

Landmarks Most People Can’t Place

When it comes to landmarks people found most difficult to place, Fiordland National Park is the location that causes participants to scratch their heads most, with just 7% able to locate it accurately. Following behind with 9% location accuracy is the Avenue of the Baobabs in Madagascar, Komodo Island in Indonesia, Iguazu Falls in Argentina, and Colombia’s Cano Cristales.

South American landmarks prove tricky for participants to locate correctly, with the aforementioned Cano Cristales receiving such poor location accuracy that most participants place it in Central Europe rather than its true location in Colombia. Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Machu Picchu in Peru, and Venezuela’s Angel Falls (all joint sixth) pose significant challenges for participants. Surprisingly, just 15% of the participants were able to correctly locate them. However, in a redeeming turn, most participants do place Argentina’s Iguazu Falls within its correct continent of South America. However, it’s rarely placed within the correct country.

Navigating the World

Despite participants struggling with the South American continent, Oceanian landmarks prove most challenging, with 71% of participants unable to correctly place points of interest from that continent. For example, just under one in four people can locate Australia’s Uluru, a natural Australian landmark over 2.2 miles long.

Although six landmarks include their location within their name, only 38% of participants, on average, manage to pinpoint them accurately. Moreover, among these locations, the Coral Reefs of Fiji prove to be the most challenging to identify, with only 13% of people correctly placing them on a map. Similarly, just one in four individuals can accurately locate the Galápagos Islands on a map.

Some of the most difficult African landmarks to place include Madagascar’s Avenue of the Baobabs (joint second) and Victoria Falls in Zambia in fifth place. Meanwhile, over on the Asian continent, Komodo Island (joint second) is most difficult to place, followed by Fiji’s Coral Reefs in fourth place, Petronas Towers in Malaysia (joint sixth) and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam (joint ninth).

Unveiling the Mysteries

The UK’s most difficult landmark to locate is the Iron Ring of Castles. The Landmark is often placed in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland by participants, although it’s actually located in Wales. Participants also struggle to place the epic Seven Sisters, with just 1/5th able to pinpoint the giant coastal cliffs.
The study found that the nature of landmarks affects how easy or difficult they are to locate on a map; participants were 24% more likely to accurately place a man-made landmark than a natural wonder. Meanwhile, age is also a key factor in determining geographical knowledge, with those aged between 36 and 60 23% more likely to place something correctly than younger generations.

“In this fun map survey that put people through their paces, we tested the geographical knowledge of the average citizen to find out how well we truly know the world around us. Nowadays we can rely on technology to get us to where we’re going, but we still think there’s value in having your own geographical knowledge, and whether you use this in a pub quiz or to increase your own awareness when you’re booking your next holiday, we hope this piece has inspired you to look a little closer at where the most interesting landmarks can be found.”

A spokesperson from Premier Inn

To see a detailed breakdown of the world’s most difficult-to-place landmarks, please visit our website here:
The easiest to place landmarks.