How to turn Wikipedia into your own personal tour guide when you’re out and about

With more than 40 million articles in 301 different languages, Wikipedia has become a cornerstone of the internet. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to imagine an online life without our faithful, free encyclopaedia.

Lazy students everywhere who leave their geography projects on oxbow lakes to the last minute would be lost without it. And where else could we read every single minute detail about the 1964 Winter Olympics at 4 in the morning?

Now a new app is making the most of that incredible wealth of information to change the way you travel forever.

Called WikiCompass, this app uses augmented reality and GPS to find nearby Wikipedia articles and then points you in their direction.

The app, which can be used anywhere there’s an internet connection, marks every location that has a Wikipedia article about it so that when you tap an icon on the map above a landmark, it’ll pull up a small picture of that place. You can then tap again and launch the full article to read even more.

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The developers Allez Interactive Inc say on their website: “WikiCompass was created to get you information about the things around you quickly, easily and intuitively.

“Whether travelling the world or taking the class outside, WikiCompass provides a truly unique and educational experience that will have you exploring and learning at the same time.”

The app, which will only set you back 99p, requires iOS 11.0 or later and can be used on your iPad or iPhone. 

(Images: Getty / WikiCompass)