How to Use Map2Maps

Map2Maps shows how the Web Mercator projection makes countries look wildly different sizes depending on where they are. Move the same area around the map and watch it shrink near the equator or balloon up near the poles. It's a simple idea, but seeing it happen is pretty eye-opening.

You'll need a web browser and internet connection. That's it. An account lets you save comparisons, but you can use everything else without signing up. The tool works on phones but it's much better on a larger screen where you can see multiple maps at once.

There are two ways to pick an area:

Pick a region or named area: Open the map, click "Add Region," and start typing. You can pick countries, states, cities, parks, landmarks, islands, airports, and other polygon-backed areas when OpenStreetMap has a boundary for them.

Draw your own: Click the draw tool, then click points on the map to make a shape. Double-click or click the starting point to close it. This works fine for making custom regions, though the tool is really built for comparing whole countries.

Drawing subsections of countries doesn't always work perfectly right now. Stick to full countries for the most reliable comparisons.

To change what you've selected, just pick something else or hit Clear. If you mess up while drawing, start over.

Once you've picked an area, you can view it on up to 4 maps at once. Click "Add View" and pick how many you want. Each map can be moved and zoomed independently, which is useful for comparing how the same country looks at different positions.

About Web Mercator

All the maps use Web Mercator projection. It's the standard for web maps, but it makes things near the poles look huge. That's the whole point. Move your selected area north or south and watch it change size. Same area, totally different appearance.

Map Styles

Click "Map Styles" in the toolbar to change how the map looks:

Moving Around

Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, or use the +/- buttons. On mobile, pinch to zoom. Hit "Fit to bounds" if you lose track of your area. You can also sync all views to move together, but usually it's more interesting to position each map differently.

Saving Comparisons

If you sign up, you can save comparisons and access them later from your dashboard. Hit Save, name it, done. You can also generate a share link or post to social media.

Some Quick Tips

Keep your maps at the same zoom level if you want an accurate visual comparison. Mix satellite and street views to see different details. The interesting part is moving areas to different latitudes and watching them change size.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on Mac) to save. Press Esc to close dialogs.