Wikipedia:Graphics Lab/Map workshop/Archive/Jan 2026

Vector graphics, multilingualism (switches) with rtl languages

Draft of a sample file (arabic)
Draft of a sample file (english)

This may be helpful for map creators: An example demonstrating how a legend can be displayed with a mixture of left-to-right and right-to-left languages.

See also a more complex example.

--WikiForMen (talk) 22:49, 3 January 2026 (UTC)

@WikiForMen: Are you using a different method from switch and systemLanguage? Below is an example of map using this technique. See commons:Category:Multilingual SVG maps. Cheers, cmɢʟee τaʟκ (please add {{ping|cmglee}} to your reply) 15:53, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
Your example has no legend box! The issue is not only the text but the icons in the legends box. See in the arabic versions the icons are on the right, in the other (normal) versions the icons are one the left. (as shown above)
So it is a matter of using an additional switch construction to shift the icons to either the left or right position. Nested switch statements are quite complex. The challenging art here is to achieve this in a clear, concise and comprehensible manner.--WikiForMen (talk) 20:47, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
I am really surprised, that in your example "Seoul" in "he" is displayed correcly WITHOUT assigning style="direction:rtl;text-anchor:end" and "Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)" WITHOUT assigning style="direction:rtl;text-anchor:start" to the "he" text element! --WikiForMen (talk) 21:07, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
@WikiForMen: Good point, the legends in the maps I've checked don't have the swatches flipped around. Is that considered important in right-to-left languages? cmɢʟee τaʟκ (please add {{ping|cmglee}} to your reply) 16:34, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
@Cmglee: It looks more authentic when the icon is placed before the text. - If not, you would need to change style="direction:rtl;text-anchor:start" to style="direction:rtl;text-anchor:end" so that the text stays close to the symbol.--WikiForMen (talk) 21:38, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
English
Hebrew
Korean
Chinese

Vector graphics, multilingualism (switches) with symbols

Example for Symbols and Labels

Doing complex things in a clear, concise and comprehensible manner.

Define the symbols in the <defs> section, insert them into the map using a <use> statement, and then place the label (in multiple languages) relative (sic!) to the symbol with a second <use> statement.--WikiForMen (talk) 21:46, 7 January 2026 (UTC)

@WikiForMen: Thanks for experimenting and reporting your findings in this and the previous section. As this page gets archived periodically and so the info will be hard to find again in the future, would you mind writing them up in commons:Category:Multilingual SVG maps, in particular noting why the legend and symbols should be flipped around? Thanks, cmɢʟee τaʟκ (please add {{ping|cmglee}} to your reply) 02:57, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
@Cmglee: Thank you for your comment, although I doubt that those seeking advice will find their way there. I decided to use the Map workshop on the assumption that those seeking advice would end up right here...
Nevertheless, I followed your advice and did my best. I would appreciate your help in proofreading, as I am not a native speaker.
Do you have any other good advice for me on how to deal with multi-line texts skilfully? I find it particularly difficult to split Arabic or Persian text into several tspan elements... Even selecting, copying and pasting with the text editor is problematic. And does the beginning of the sentence go in the first tspan element or the end of the sentence?!??
I always hoped that an Arabic or Persian native speaker would show up and I could clarify this with him, but he have not appeared (yet)...--WikiForMen (talk) 15:34, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
@Cmglee: For your information: I have also included it in the Graphics Lab-Tutorials.--WikiForMen (talk) 16:06, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
@WikiForMen: Thank you very much for writing and adding it. You're right: the category page isn't one an editor would normally look at; I pasted the wrong link. I've copied the relevant sections to commons:Commons:Translation_possible/Learn_more#Maps. I, for one, learnt about multilingual SVG from it, so presume others might too.
I'm unfamilar with Arabic or Persian, so don't have an answer. Perhaps ask on the Arabic or Persian Wikipedias?
Cheers, cmɢʟee τaʟκ (please add {{ping|cmglee}} to your reply) 03:02, 9 January 2026 (UTC)
@Cmglee: Finally we found the right place. Thanks! --WikiForMen (talk) 21:20, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

Request: Pinpoint locations for wolf toponyms in Great Britain and Ireland

Articles

Wolves in Great Britain and Wolves in Ireland

Request

A map of the British Isles with the locations of all settlements, villages, towns etc. named after wolves, be they in English, Scots, Gaelic, Irish or Welsh. The names of the localities are listed here: Place-Name Evidence for the Former Distribution and Status of Wolves...in Britain. As to where they are located exactly, that will require someone with a greater knowledge of British/Irish geography than I to work out. I know this will be hard work, so anyone willing to take this on will have my sincerest thanks.
: P.S., an already completed map is apparently available here on Wiley.com, but it's subscription only. Mariomassone (talk) 11:46, 18 November 2025 (UTC)

@Mariomassone: for places mentioned in your first link like Berkshire: Woolley Green (Wolves' wood) we have a wikidata item/Wikipedia article (Woolley Green (Q8033848)/ Woolley Green, Berkshire) so getting the coordinates and mapping (perhaps with Kartographer) would not be so difficult. But what to do with places listed like Shropshire: Great Hoopits (Wolf pits) - where coordinates may be hard to come by? (I am thinking aloud). The Wiley.com article is available through the Wikipedia Library (this link should work). Commander Keane (talk) 14:37, 22 December 2025 (UTC)
The Place-name evidence for the former distribution and status of Wolves and Beavers in Britain article I linked to has grid references (1x1km areas I think), like SU 4019 for Wooley Green, for nearly all locations - and general areas for others. So a map using a set of coordinates in the Data: namespace in Commons and Kartographer should be possible. Commander Keane (talk) 14:54, 22 December 2025 (UTC)
@Commander Keane Thank you for the wikilibrary link! I will start with a simple copy of the map shown on page 5, then see if adding the rest of names is possible with my limited technical knowledge. Mariomassone (talk) 16:20, 22 December 2025 (UTC)
@Mariomassone: is your process going to be to list of all the grid references, convert them to coordinates, and then add them to a map? If we had a list like:
  • SU 6368
  • SU 5791
  • SU 8577
  • ...
(taken from Table 2, p. 206 in the paper)
Then I could run a script to convert to coordinates and then use Wikipedia's in-built mapping to display them. Unfortunately the pdf is scanned poorly, so getting the grid references in a list is tough, even with copy/paste. Commander Keane (talk) 00:57, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
@Commander Keane, I'll list the grid references, but this may take some time as there are hundreds. I'll do them in batches:
@Commander Keane Done. I didn't include the "whelp names" as they could easily apply to dogs or foxes, as stated in the paper.Mariomassone (talk) 13:50, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
@Mariomassone:
Mapped locations from Aybes & Yalden (1995)
. I have given it a go. Embedded here.
Visually, it looks okay to me at c:Data:Wolf_place-names_in_the_UK.map, full-screen on a desktop monitor - but the icons are way too bunched in thumbnail view. Not sure what to do about that.
I have put the location and grid reference as the description on the data page so when you click a marker you see them. The title field for each marker I have left blank, but someone could add the actual place-name (eg Woolan's wood) for each oneif they like (OCR really struggled; a job for a human).
For general interest: Python code used. I haven't double checked the results, so beware.
I just used your list above (including repeats), but the reference is: Aybes, C.; Yalden, D.W. (1995). "Place‐name evidence for the former distribution and status of Wolves and Beavers in Britain". Mammal Review. 25 (4): 201–226. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.1995.tb00444.x. ISSN 0305-1838. Commander Keane (talk) 08:30, 24 December 2025 (UTC)
@Commander Keane, sorry for the delay, the holidays kept me occupied. I'll be happy to include the place names, however long that may take. For the sake of completeness, would it be possible to include the locations specified for Ireland? Many thanks again Mariomassone (talk) 12:41, 11 January 2026 (UTC)
@Mariomassone Oh I forgot about Ireland. I have quickly made c:Data:Wolf place-names in Ireland.map with empty longitude and latitude. They use a different grid system so I need to decide to manually enter them using https://www.fieldenmaps.info/cconv/cconv_ie.html or tackle it in Python (which looks more complicated than the UK).
I manually selected the Place names columns the pdf through OCRFeeder: User:Commander_Keane/Wolf_OCR (view as edit source and you can copy/paste - watch for typos). Maybe I should have used that on the grid refs before you did it manually, but numerals can be tricky. You could ask on Wikipedia:Help desk for some help filling them in to c:Data:Wolf_place-names_in_the_UK.map and c:Data:Wolf place-names in Ireland.map. Commander Keane (talk) 14:26, 11 January 2026 (UTC)
Mapped locations from Aybes & Yalden (1995)
I added the coordinates and place-names for c:Wolf place-names in Ireland.map. Map shown here. Commander Keane (talk) 08:11, 12 January 2026 (UTC)
Discussion

Request: Administrative divisions in Oran province

Articles

Multiples

Request

Hi, I have two requests, if you don't mind. I might be mistaken, but it seems to me that picture 2 is overwritten. If so, is it possible to adjust it?
My second request is, if possible, to add the administrative divisions as shown in picture 1. Thank you. --Fayçal.09 (talk) 12:16, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

Discussion
#1 Oran Province Districts. Map from Wikidata/OpenStreetMap query for places that are (1) an instance of a district of Algeria, and (2) located in the admin territory of Oran Province
#2 Oran Province Communes. Map from Wikidata/OpenStreetMap query. Get districts (see previous example) and retrieves anything that is an instance of those districts.
#3 Algiers Province Districts. Similar to Oran Province Districts map I just changed very last Oran Province (Q231331) to Algiers Province (Q141026) in the code here. There is a missing white area, I have changed the OSM relation so it may get fixed soon.
#4 Mapframe example. Every Commune is clickable with a popup with a link and District listed. Colours can be changed. Need to use mapframe tag. Updated to grey lines.
Maplink. Due to limitations (I am not 100% sure), this is the best I can do with {{Maplink}}. Clicking only shows the District, not commune. Colours can be changed.

Hi Fayçal.09. There is a good map (I think?) at Oran Province - File:Oran communes de la wilaya.GIF. Is that one problematic? I can't draw maps, but I used {{maplink}}, Wikidata and OpenStreetMap to create zoomable district and commune maps. Embedded here.

Hi, Thank you for your post , my request is if possible to make same picture 2 with division administratives. (exemple for Algiers File:Algeria Algiers location map.svg). Regards. --Fayçal.09 (talk) 17:24, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi Fayçal.09. My first map doesn't always show on this page, but when I Show preview it does - there must be a bug. Does it show for you at User:Commander Keane/Maplink test? Algeria seems to be organised by Wilayas (Provinces) > Daïras (Districts) > Communes or Baladiyahs (Municipalities), I am not sure what you mean by division. I will place the Algiers Distrtics map here. There may be a template that does what I am doing for any country, someone should have a look.--Commander Keane (talk) 10:38, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi @Commander Keane, Ok I gives in my requests two pictures (Oran Province map1) and (Oran Province map2). If possible, make administrative divisions in (Oran Province map2) as shown in (Oran Province map1).
The divisions shown in (Oran Province map1) are about Daïras (Districts). That's my request. Thank you. Fayçal.09 (talk) 23:31, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi Fayçal.09. I have created two more examples. #4 is the best I think, when you click on a Commune it shows you its name and what District it is in. The colours can be changed; I don't know what looks good. If you think this style of map is desirable, we might look at a template that can make it easily (rather than pasting in the ugly wikicode).--Commander Keane (talk) 08:03, 9 January 2026 (UTC)
Note: the maps are not displaying correctly unless you edit this page and Show preview. I will look at filing another bug around this. Commander Keane (talk) 08:10, 9 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi @Commander Keane, thank you much for your effort, okay, from the five photos you created, I'll take the first one (1 Oran Province Districts. Map). If possible, remove all the captions and roads; the photo should be blank. After I will change colors as shown in second picture of mine (Oran Province map2). Fayçal.09 (talk) 09:37, 9 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi Faycal.09.
I must have forgotten press save but I meant to say:
  • Note: the maps are not displaying correctly unless you edit and Show preview
As I am just using Wikidata and OpenStreetMap code within this page to generate the maps (which frustrating do not show correctly due to a MediaWiki bug 😠) I cannot blank the OpenStreetMap captions and roads. My idea was to do it this way so that we can easily generate for any Province for any country. You can access your overwritted version at c:File:Algeria Oran location map.svg by clicking the data next to an old verions (eg 19:54, 28 November 2020). Commander Keane (talk) 09:55, 9 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi @Commander Keane, No problem, my friend, thank you very much. Regarding the older version of mine you mentioned, it concerns communal divisions, not districts, and it doesn't show lakes and rivers. Anyway, thank you very much for your effort , we'll wait and find a solution. Fayçal.09 (talk) 10:08, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

British Empire map

Article(s)
British Empire
Request
Please make territories lost before 1900 (before the maximum territorial extent) visually distinct in File:The_British_Empire_5.png. These are the Thirteen Colonies, Florida, Mosquito Coast, Ionian Islands, Heligoland, and Minorca. Thanks in advance! -- TompaDompa (talk) 23:09, 18 January 2026 (UTC)
Discussion

Request: Comm Ave route map highlight

Asking for help with this question: the existing map inset on the article page only highlights the part of the road commonly known as the Mall, and not the entire route. Looking at the wikicode, it's not at all obvious to me how to build out the highlighting to cover what it needs to. I would ask someone knowledgeable to extend the map highlighting to cover the entire span of the road - the existing portion plus its extension through the BU neighborhood, Allston, Brighton, Newton, all the way out to the western end, located at 42.343967, -71.261792 (where Comm Ave, Newton, becomes South Ave, Weston). If this request is malformed or requires further information, please let me know. Many thanks! ZenSwashbuckler 18:00, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

{{resolved}} Resolved by Pi.1415926535. Thanks! ZenSwashbuckler 14:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Request: Tatannuaq


Article(s)
Tatannuaq
Request
There is currently an FAC for this article and a commentator mentioned that a map of locations should be included. Afterwards, my co-nominator created the map currently in the article, but it is too large and the cropping of the map makes it hard to determine where these locations are in Canada. We are hoping someone can create a better map to use in the article. -- Z1720 (talk) 01:10, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
Discussion
I just want to put in a good word for this request. I'm the reviewer who suggested coming here. I could build something with an OSM-connected mapframe, but it would look like somebody with no artistic skill built it with mapframe. For a FA-level article, I think we need to go the extra distance and get somebody custom-tailored by an artist who really knows they way around cartography. RoySmith (talk) 19:48, 18 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi @RoySmith and @Z1720, do you still want a map for this? If so, what specific components do you want and what do you want highlighted on the map? – Isochrone (talk) 23:12, 27 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi @Isochrone thanks for taking a look at this. I've already gone ahead and created three maps for that article using {{maplink}}, which is pretty much the limit of my skills. I think we're at the stage where the maps I made are good enough to satisfy WP:FACR but I could see ways they could be improved for the future.
The first map, in "Early life" is the simplest since it just shows the three locations discussed in the adjoining text. I think it could be improved by having the locations labeled right on the map instead of having to match up the numbers in the caption. The other two maps ("Coppermine expedition" and "Mackenzie River expedition") share the problem of having to look up numbered items in the caption, but in addition, could benefit from having the dates when the expeditions reached those locations.
And, this being Canada, I think they would all benefit from a better map projection. As far as I know, {{maplink}} can only do Mercator which is not wonderful at these latitudes. RoySmith (talk) 23:31, 27 January 2026 (UTC)
So are we thinking perhaps a static map instead? Or something that somehow fits into the existing maplink framework? (As you note maplink only supports web Mercator). – Isochrone (talk) 23:34, 27 January 2026 (UTC)
I'm guessing a set of hand-drawn static maps will give us the best result. I only used maplink because it's the technology I know (when the only tool you have is a hammer ...) RoySmith (talk) 23:38, 27 January 2026 (UTC)
I can't guarantee it but I'll have a look tomorrow – thanks – Isochrone (talk) 23:55, 27 January 2026 (UTC)

Looking to improve administrative subdivision maps of Zanzibar

UNICEF Maps (District Specific - First Page (Ctrl-F "map", "constituency")

Article(s)
Pemba
Zanzibar
Unguja
Request
Hi everyone. I'm gonna start this off by saying that this is my first time here, and I'm a little out of my depth with source code maneuvering. I added images here myself, not certain if that was supposed to be filled by the mapmaker upon completion. My assumption was that the slots were meant to be filled with example maps for improvement. If this was incorrect please let me know.
While making some additions to a page on a village in Zanzibar, I realized that there was no article on Shehias, the smallest administrative unit in Tanzania. I further realized that there were no maps specifically outlining the division of those units, and that the vast majority of the maps for Zanzibar are minimized versions of larger maps of Tanzania. Given that the region has a population of almost two million people, and effectively operates as a separate entity given its semi-autonomous status. I've attached a number of copyrighted materials to assist in the creation of (request) enlarged, modernized administrative subdivision maps of Zanzibar (Shehia and District level (ex. Magharibi-A: Dimani, Fumba, Maungani, etc.)
I figure what's provided is enough detail to create a quality map (Unguja and Pemba both together and separately, preferably), but please let me know if this is asking too much, as I recognize it's a rather complicated task. For the immediate moment the most helpful task would be creating an empty canvas style map as shown in reference A for both Pemba and Unguja (as delineated above). If the spirit so moves you, municipal maps of the individual districts with labeled wards (shehias) would be greatly greatly appreciated. My thanks in advance, and utmost respect to the folks here: CSGinger14 (talk) 14:16, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
Discussion
@CSGinger14: Just for my own curiousty I am going to talk this through. Tanzania seems to be divided into Region > District > Constituency (Subdivisions of Tanzania calls them Division) > Ward > Shehia.
Shehia's are administered differently to wards, but maybe they fit within wards. You didn't mention wards in your request. I got this from Unicef Kaskazini-B District profile pp. 2-3 (you linked it above).
Zanzibar is an area of Tanzania with two big islands: Unguja (has three regions: Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North and Zanzibar Urban/West) and Pemba (has two regions: Pemba North and Pemba South).
Sample structure (Kaskazini B District, from UNICEF profile)
Constituency Ward Shehia
Bumbwini (a village) Misufini Misufini (a Shehia)
Kidazini
Mafufuni Makoba
Mafufini (a Shehia)
Kiongwe Kidogo
File:Pemba Island with wards labelled in English.svg (just a demo; not for resale) is a map I quickly made using a government shapefile. I added ward labels just to show how dense it gets (I am currently asking about the copyright on the shapefile on Commons). Other map style examples are Template:Tanzania Regions Labelled Map (map with wikilink labels) and File:Districts in Tanzania 2023.svg (map with colours).
Would you be able to re-state your request? I was thinking an unlabelled map for each big island (it is no bother to also put them on one together too), with colouring like File:Oran communes de la wilaya.GIF for wards within their district.
(Side note: I don't know if I can fulfil this request. I would have much preferred the approach above, but Wikidata doesn't cover the ward system (yet!) and I have emailed OpenSreeetMap about the government shapefile licensing) Commander Keane (talk) 15:21, 9 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi @Commander Keane, thanks so much for the response.
To start with, an unlabeled map like you described would be incredibly helpful. In the long run I was hoping for a format similar to that of File:Fredericksburg-Location.svg, File:USA Colorado location map.svg, or File:Kaskazini A District in Unguja Kaskazini 2022.svg (this last one is more along the lines of what I was picturing). If it ended up looking like the Oran file, that would be perfectly fine as well. The one you've created for Pemba looks excellent, I tried running that shapefile as you had and all I was able to produce was a bunch of data points after I unzipped the package, would love an explanation of how to go about that if you're willing. It may be beneficial to zoom in on Unguja and Pemba specifically, that might help to allow for great enhancement than would be possible if you included the Tanzanian mainland. The look of it was excellent regardless though, it gives a good indication of how the island districts line up to those on the mainland.
'
From what I can tell, Zanzibar's shehia essentially holds the same function as a ward on the mainland. I'm not entirely certain if the two are interchangeable or the latter occasionally subsumes the former. From what I can tell, a ward might only encompass a single shehia or many.* In both instances, they're meant to represent administration at the most basic level. In effect, each shehia (*ward*) encompasses the immediate environs of a given village, or neighborhood, in the case of Stone Town / Ng'ambo. Constituencies serve as the delineations for parliamentary elections (I believe both on the mainland and for the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar). Either wards or shehias are the basis for electing district councils (hence the 'District' demarcations). This site might be helpful to get a clearer picture of the mechanisms involved (After adding that I realized that in fact it has absolutely no information on Zanzibar, go figure!) I'd like to start first with Shehias, given that they appear to be the easiest to find clear cartographic representations of. Eventually this could proceed to the ward system, but I think that given the structure of administration, the former is a good place to start.
Warm regards, and my thanks once again,
CSGinger14 (talk) 06:59, 10 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi CSGinger14.
  • How I generated the map (keeping in mind the outstanding copyright concern):
    1. Download 2022 Population and Housing Census - Tanzania Wards (Shapefiles) .zip file from https://www.nbs.go.tz/statistics/topic/gis
    2. Extract into a folder (you need all the files from the .zip)
    3. Using QGIS (free and available on Windows and Linux), start a new project and drag and drop just the .shp file (TANZANIA_2022PHC_WARDS_SHAPEFILES.shp) into QGIS. You can import it without drag/drop, but it not necessarily File/Open so you will have to look that up).
    4. It just worked for me, like magic.
    5. (Optional) There is a single layer. You can right click > properties > Labels side-tab and select Value as ward_name
    6. To save as an SVG, line up the framing you want, then Project > New print layout... (choose a name) > Add map (scroll with addition icon of left) > Drag a rectangle on the canvas (Tanzania should appear)
    7. Layout > Export as SVG.
  • The file is called Wards, and the features (shapefile terminology) have ward_name but they are shehias. So yeah, the Bureau is confused about the definition, must be a mainland thing.
I am still thinking about your request.
--Commander Keane (talk) 09:53, 10 January 2026 (UTC)
@CSGinger14: I have uploaded some maps (displayed here). I am having frustrating trouble with my PC so I can't do much more that this. I can walk someone through the process and provide some files if they want to continue working on this data. Commander Keane (talk) 01:38, 22 January 2026 (UTC)
Hi @Commander Keane, sorry for taking so long to respond, and thank you so much, these look excellent. These should work perfectly, and if not (unlikely) I'm certain that they can serve as a high quality launching / reference point for other editors. This is greatly appreciated, and I hope I'll have the chance to work with you on a similar project in the future. Hope you're doing well, and all the best,
CSGinger14 (talk) 10:38, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
@CSGinger14: indeed, I think they are just a starting point. I successfully contacted the Licensing Working Group at OpenStreetMap (the maps are available on any Wikipedia article) and they have given the green light to add the data there. Hopefully someone map-savvy can follow through there, and then it will be simple to illustrate all sorts of Tanzanian administrative areas. I am doing well, and I hope you are too. Commander Keane (talk) 11:07, 31 January 2026 (UTC)