Skip to content
Make maps

Map with legend

Create your categories with a name and a color, assign countries, states or provinces by tapping them or pasting a list, and the legend draws itself on the map and in the download.

Categories

  • 0
  • 0
Paste a list of names

One per line or separated by commas. Official names, codes, missing accents and the odd typo all work.

Pick a category and tap the states on the map. Tap again to remove it.

Loading the map…

  • Been there
  • Want to go

Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau · mapsfera.com

Zoom in with the + and − buttons, with two fingers or with Ctrl and the mouse wheel.

Names on the map

Download

Paper

Orientation

PDF: in the print dialog, choose “Save as PDF”. A 2,400 px wide PNG, and an SVG to edit in Inkscape or Illustrator.

How to make it

Pick a map and name each category: you start with two (“Been there” and “Want to go”) that you can rename or remove, and you can add up to 12. Each one has its own color; to change it, tap the palette icon in its row. The starting colors come from the Okabe–Ito palette, which stays readable for colorblind people too.

Tap a category’s circle to select it, then tap areas on the map. Tapping an area that already belongs to that category clears it. The legend under the map updates as you go, with whatever title you give it, and the number in each row tells you how many areas it has.

Paste a list of names

If your list is already in a spreadsheet, copy it, paste it into “Paste a list of names”, choose a category and press “Assign”. One name per line or comma-separated both work.

Names are matched without worrying about accents or capitals, by common or official name (“Illes Balears”), in English or Spanish (“Nueva York”, “Seville”) and even with a typo. Codes work too: postal abbreviations or FIPS codes for states (CA, TX, 48), ISO codes for countries (FR, JP) and INE codes for Spanish provinces and municipalities. Anything that isn’t recognized is listed, and if a name could be two places, you’ll be told.

Ideas for your map

States you’ve visited and the ones still on your list, where your customers are, states grouped by a law or a policy, or your company’s sales territories. There are 22 maps: the world (194 countries plus territories), Europe, the 50 US states plus D.C., and Spain by province, by region or region by region.

If what you want to show is a number for each place (population, sales, votes), “County map from your data” builds the colors and the legend from your spreadsheet.

Download, print and share

The download includes your title, the map, the legend with its colors and the boundary source: as a 2,400-pixel-wide PNG, as an editable SVG or as an A4 or A3 PDF, portrait or landscape, from the print dialog.

“Copy link” stores the categories, their colors and the areas in each one in the page address. Anyone who opens it sees your map as is and can change it without touching yours.

Frequently asked questions

How many categories can I have?

Up to 12. Past 7 or 8 colors a map gets hard to read, so if you have many, try merging a few.

Can I paste names from Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes: copy the column of names (or codes) and paste it into “Paste a list of names”. Anything that isn’t recognized is listed separately so you can check it.

What if a name is used twice?

If a name matches more than one area on the chosen map, it shows up under “More than one has that name” and isn’t colored: tap the right one on the map, or use its code.

Can I move the legend?

The legend always sits under the map, on screen and in the download, so it never covers any area. If you want it somewhere else, download the SVG and move it in an editor such as Inkscape.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Press “PDF”, choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog and save it. Before that you can pick A4 or A3 and portrait or landscape.

Can I use the map in a report or on a website?

Yes. The world and Europe boundaries (Natural Earth) and the US states (Census Bureau) are in the public domain. The Spanish boundaries come from Spain’s IGN under CC BY 4.0, which asks you to credit the source; the image already does.

Related tools

All tools
US county map Explore every US county on an interactive map colored by Census data such as population or income. County map with cities Pick a US county and see it on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Printable map worksheets Print blank-map worksheets with questions and an answer key, ready as a PDF for class or home. Map quiz Learn states, countries and capitals by finding them on a blank map. No sign-up, with a class challenge link.

Sources