Country Shaped Puzzle Pieces The map puzzle pieces are cut in the actual shapes of the countries. This helps children understand the shape & relative sizes of the different countries as they put the pieces together to snugly fit with one another and form the world map. Location & Neighbors From Japan in the east to the USA in the west, kids learn the locations of the different countries as they play with this puzzle. It's a tactile way to learn the neighbors, for instance when a child places Germany & Czech Republic next to Poland, it is easy to remember them as neighbors. Capitals & Flags What is the capital of China or how does the flag of Brazil look like? This puzzle doubles as a great educational toy with the capitals and flag stickers that come along with. It's fun to peel and stick these on the little plastic flags and then fix the right flag in the right country. Skill Development Hours of playing this puzzle are time well spent in skill building. It improves concentration, memory and patience as a child not only has to put the countries together to complete the puzzle but also remember which flag goes where. Problem-solving, fine motor and eye-hand coordination are other skills that are intrinsically enhanced as well.