Bengali script signs: Bengali letters with a flat top line point to Bangladesh or West Bengal.
Cycle rickshaw: Colourful pedal rickshaws crowd Bangladeshi city streets far more than Indian ones.
Tangled overhead cables: Huge bundles of wires on concrete poles are typical of Dhaka streets.
The first thing to grab is the signage: tall vertical shop boards in Bengali script, with that flat line along the top and curly hooked letters. That alone narrows things to Bangladesh or the Indian state of West Bengal. Next comes the street life. A decorated cycle rickshaw, a slim mosque minaret in the distance and almost no Hindi or English signage all tilt toward Bangladesh over Kolkata. Narrow mid-rise concrete blocks, dense tangles of cable and flat, humid, hazy light fit Dhaka well. A habit worth carrying to other rounds: in Bangladesh, signs are overwhelmingly in Bengali alone. Indian cities usually mix in English or Hindi somewhere in the frame.
Easily confused with
Kolkata, India: Kolkata signs mix in Hindi and English; Bangladesh is almost all Bengali.
Jeepney in the distance: Chrome-fronted jeepney, the long shared minibus taxi, is almost uniquely Filipino.
Red-and-white painted curbs: Red-white striped curb edges are common on Philippine city streets.
Tall steel gates, wire tangles: Solid ornate gates and messy overhead cables fit dense Manila neighbourhoods.
The tropical greenery and grey humid sky say Southeast Asia straight away, and the cars and motorbikes parked on the right hint at right-hand traffic, which knocks out Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Then the eye catches that chrome-nosed jeepney down the lane, about as close to a national signature as street photos get. Tall solid gates in bold reds and yellows, flaking concrete row houses, a corrugated metal fence and a jumble of sagging cables all feel like a dense Metro Manila barangay, the local neighbourhood unit. Carry this to other rounds: the Philippines mixes American-style right-hand driving with tropical Asian streetscapes, and painted curbs, English signage and tricycles often confirm it.
Easily confused with
Indonesia (Jakarta): Jakarta drives on the left; jeepneys only exist in the Philippines.
Thailand (Bangkok): Thailand drives left and shows Thai script; here traffic is right-hand.
Remember: Spot a chrome jeepney or red-white curbs: think Philippines.
Painted cinderblock houses: Flat-roofed, unfinished upper floors with exposed grey blocks scream central Mexico's self-built neighbourhoods.
Old VW Golf, Ford pickup: Mk1 Golf and older US-style pickups were long built and sold in Mexico.
Mexican licence plates: Wide North American-size plates with letter-number-letter format fit Mexico's federal district style.
First thing that jumps out is the housing: two- and three-storey concrete boxes, some painted bright teal or yellow, others still bare grey block with rebar-ready roofs waiting for another floor. That self-built look is classic Latin America, and the cool, clear light with cypresses and leafy trees hints at a highland city rather than the tropics. The cars narrow it further: a boxy Mk1 Golf and a full-size Ford pickup on North American-sized plates point north, to Mexico, not South America. Masks and brooms suggest a clean-up day, nothing location-specific. Carry this: in Mexico, tangled overhead wires on concrete poles and half-finished upper storeys appear in almost every city neighbourhood.
Easily confused with
Guatemala City: Guatemalan plates start with a single letter, like P, then numbers.
Lima, Peru: Lima is desert-brown and dusty; this has cypress trees and lush greenery.
Remember: Unfinished cinderblock upper floors plus old VW Golfs strongly suggest Mexico.
Tall narrow concrete houses: Thin multi-storey concrete townhouses standing alone in farmland are classic rural Taiwan.
Scooter on the right: A scooter rider keeping right means right-hand traffic, with scooters as everyday transport.
Concrete pole, striped marker: Concrete poles plus yellow-black striped roadside markers fit Taiwan's country lanes.
The glare steals half the frame, but the bottom strip still talks. The scooter ahead sits on the right, so Japan is out straight away. Then look at the skyline: thin, boxy concrete houses several floors tall, standing on their own among lush fields. That look, almost like a city building dropped into the countryside, is one of the strongest Taiwan signals there is. Concrete utility poles and the yellow-black striped marker on the right-hand verge back it up, and the tropical, dense greenery fits the island's climate. A habit worth keeping for Taiwan: check the horizon for those lone narrow towers and the road for scooters, since both show up almost everywhere on the island.
Easily confused with
Japan: Japan drives on the left; here the scooter keeps right.
Southern China: Taiwan rural lanes have yellow-black striped markers and scooters everywhere.
Remember: Skinny concrete towers in green farmland plus scooters: think Taiwan.
Old French Peugeot: Aging Peugeots and Renaults still running daily strongly suggest Madagascar's highlands.
Packed hillside of houses: Steep hills covered in tall, narrow brick houses fit Antananarivo's highland sprawl.
Cypress and bare pruned trees: Cool-climate trees and a dusty dry season point to high African plateau, not coast.
The red Peugeot catches the eye first, and in Africa that classic French car fleet, still running decades later, is a strong Madagascar signal. Next comes the backdrop: a steep hill stacked with narrow, colourful houses and red-tile roofs, under a grey sky with cypress trees and a leafless pollarded tree. That says cool highland, which rules out humid coastal Africa and most of the Sahel. Traffic keeps right, matching Madagascar. Corrugated metal fencing, dusty reddish earth at the kerb and concrete post-and-rail fences are all common around Antananarivo. A habit worth keeping: across Madagascar, look for old French cars, red laterite soil and brick houses with steep roofs.
Easily confused with
Kigali, Rwanda: Rwanda has newer Japanese cars and very tidy streets, few old Peugeots.
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