What is Tradle?
Tradle is a geography game about trade. Each day you see a colourful chart that breaks down one country's exports, with boxes sized by how much each product is worth: crude oil, cars, coffee, copper and so on. From that picture alone you have to guess the country. You get six guesses, and after each wrong one the game tells you how far away your guess is in kilometres and which direction the answer lies, much like Worldle. Some days are easy, when a single product dominates the chart; others are tricky because several countries export similar things. Tradle is made by the team behind the Observatory of Economic Complexity, an economic data website, so the numbers are real trade data. It suits geography fans, economics students and anyone curious about what different countries actually sell to the world. Be aware that copycat versions exist on other websites.
How to play
- Look at the chart of the mystery country's exports.
- Guess a country. You'll see the distance and direction to the answer.
- Find it within six guesses.
Quick facts
- Typical time
- 2–5 min
- Difficulty
- Medium–hard
- Price
- Free to play.
- Account
- Not needed.
- On a phone
- Works in your phone's browser. Nothing to install.
Tips to get better
- Read the biggest box first. One dominant export usually points to a type of country. Crude oil suggests the Gulf, West Africa or Central Asia. Gold, copper or diamonds suggest a mining economy. Clothing suggests South Asia.
- Then read the smallest boxes. Minor exports often give away the climate. Coffee, cocoa, bananas, tea, vanilla and cloves only grow in certain parts of the world.
- Think about scale. A chart full of cars, machines and medicines belongs to a large industrial economy. A chart dominated by fish or a single crop usually belongs to a small one.
- Use your miss. After a wrong guess you get distance and direction, exactly as in Worldle. A central first guess in the region you suspect gives the most useful reading.
- Watch out for trading hubs. Places like Singapore and the Netherlands export goods that are only passing through, so their charts can look like somebody else's.
Who it's for
Tradle is for the curious: people who wonder what Paraguay actually sells. It's harder than the outline and flag games, because few people carry trade figures in their heads, but you pick up the patterns quickly. If economics leaves you cold, it may feel dry. The first time you name a country from 'vanilla and cloves', you'll be hooked.
