Terpano in the classroom

Each puzzle is one hand-drawn picture of a real place. Students say where on Earth it is by pinning a borderless terrain map, and the score is the distance from the truth. There is no text in any picture — no signs, no number plates, no shop fronts — so the only way to get closer is to read the geography: the angle of the light, the pitch and material of the roofs, which plants grow and how far apart, what the ground is made of.

A three-minute routine

1. Project today's puzzle. A short observation timer runs before the map appears. Let the class look in silence.
2. Ask what they see. How long are the shadows, and which way do they fall? Steep roofs or flat? Trees close together or far apart? Red soil, grey rock, sand, snow? Write the clues on the board.
3. Decide together. Vote on a continent, narrow to a region, then one student pins the map. Choose the confidence ring as a class: a smaller ring pays more, but only if the answer lands inside it.
4. Reveal, then read why. The distance appears, and under the answer there is a fold marked Why here? — the illustrator's own reasoning about which details point to that place. Read it aloud and compare it with the board.

Why the map has no borders

The map shows mountains, plains, deserts, rivers, ice and cities, and no political boundaries. Scoring is by distance, so borders are not needed — and their absence keeps the lesson on physical geography and keeps the room out of arguments about disputed lines. Students who cannot read a particular script are not at a disadvantage either, because there is nothing to read in the pictures.

Safe by default

No accounts, no names or email addresses, no chat, no social features, no persistent leaderboard. The only comparison shown is today's percentile among the people who played the same puzzle, and it resets every day. Progress lives in the browser that played, under a random identifier.

Beyond the daily puzzle

• The archive — every published puzzle, each with its written explanation, playable in any order.
• Topic pages, linked from the archive, group puzzles by the kind of evidence they turn on: roofs, rock, plants, water, light.
• Practice on the home screen deals three random puzzles that do not touch anyone's daily score.
• The Landmark Passport — 15 famous places drawn as illustrations, for younger students or a first lesson. Pin one inside your confidence ring and it earns a stamp.

Print the passport

A printable Landmark Passport lists the same landmarks with a blank stamp circle beside each. Students tick or stamp a circle when they earn that stamp in the app, and keep the sheet. Use your browser's print dialog and choose "Save as PDF" if you want a file instead of paper.

Do students need accounts?

No. Nothing on Terpano asks for a name, an email address or a password. Progress is kept in the browser of the device that played. Projecting one screen to the whole class is the simplest way to run it.

Is it suitable for younger children?

The default state is the child-safe state: there is no chat, no social feature, no persistent leaderboard and no user-generated content. Pictures are original illustrations with no text, no faces and no signage in them. The Landmark Passport is the gentlest entry point.

Which languages does it come in?

11. The interface, the map labels and the answer place names are translated; the written explanations under each puzzle are in English for now.

Can I use the archive out of order?

Yes. Every published puzzle stays playable, and each has its own page with a written explanation of what in the picture points to the place. Topic pages group puzzles by the kind of evidence they turn on.

Is it free?

Yes. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to cancel.