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TOOLS

Map maker: make a printable map of any region

Pick the world, a continent or one of nine regions, color the countries you want, choose names, numbers or capitals, and print it or save it as a PDF, free, with an answer key whenever the map is numbered.

Map

Labels
Colors

Tap a country on the map, or in the list below, to color it.

Countries on this map
    Sheet

    Loading the map.

    How to make a printable map

    1. Choose the area. The world, any of the six continents, or one of 9 regions: Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, the Balkans, Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, Central Asia, West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa. The projection fits the area automatically, and neighboring land stays in grey for context.
    2. Choose the labels. None for a blank map, names for a reference map, capitals with a dot for each seat of government, or numbers for a worksheet. Numbers add an answer key as page two; the word bank option lists every name under the map.
    3. Color what matters. Tap countries to color them, name each color in the legend, or leave a legend line blank for students to fill in. Patterns keep the groups apart on a black and white printer.
    4. Print it. Print or save as PDF on US Letter or A4, or download an SVG to edit or a 300 dpi PNG for slides. Copy link saves the exact map, colors and all, to share or come back to.

    Ideas for the classroom and the kitchen table

    Color the countries a river flows through, or every country that borders Germany. Number the Balkans and hand out the word bank version as a warm-up, then use Practice to see who can find all ten without a map. Make one map per region for a unit, with the same title style, so the set reads as one pack. For a quick check of a whole continent, the ready made blank and labeled maps are already laid out for print.

    What the map shows

    Every map counts the same 195 countries as the rest of playgeography.app: the 193 UN member states and the two UN observer states, Vatican City and Palestine, grouped by the UN geoscheme. Borders come from Natural Earth, a public domain dataset, with three conventions stated plainly: Crimea is shown as part of Ukraine, following UN General Assembly resolution 68/262, Western Sahara is drawn whole and not counted, and Kosovo is drawn but not counted, because neither is a UN member or observer state. How many countries there are explains the count.

    Printing tips

    Print at actual size or 100 percent, not fit to page, so the half inch margin survives home and school printers. Landscape suits wide areas like Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, and the world; portrait suits Europe, Africa, the Balkans and East Africa. Best fit chooses for you. On a phone, Save as PDF lives in the share sheet of the print dialog.

    Common questions

    How do I make a printable blank map?
    Choose the world, a continent or a region in the map maker, leave the labels set to None, and press Print. In the print dialog choose Save as PDF to keep a copy. Set the paper to US Letter or A4 first so the map fills the page with a half inch margin.
    Can I make a numbered map worksheet with an answer key?
    Yes. Set the labels to Numbers, or to Numbers with a word bank. Every country gets a number, and the print adds a second page with the answer key, so you can hand out page one and keep page two.
    Can I color in countries on the map?
    Yes. Click or tap a country to cycle it through six print friendly colors, or pick one color and paint with it. Each color gets a legend line you can name. Turn on patterns so the groups stay distinct on a black and white printer.
    Is the map maker free to use in class?
    Yes. It is free with no sign up, and every map you make is free to print and copy for classroom and home use. The map data is Natural Earth, which is in the public domain.
    Which countries does the map maker show?
    The 195 countries used across playgeography.app: the 193 UN member states plus Vatican City and Palestine. Crimea is drawn as part of Ukraine, and Western Sahara and Kosovo are drawn but not counted as countries.

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