GPS Tracklog: International maps for your Garmin GPS

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One of the more common questions I receive relates to international (non-U.S.) maps — where can I find maps of a particular country? There are actually many options, and I suspect that most people aren’t aware of them all. Some are even free. I’m going to focus on Garmin in this post, which has the greatest variety of international maps readily available, at least for any of the top selling GPS receiver brands in the U.S.

Lets go through the options one by one...

Garmin City Navigator international maps

Created by Garmin, these products provide turn-by-turn routing. Some come in two versions, City Navigator or City Navigator NT. The NT maps use a different compression method and are generally compatible with newer units. A compatibility tool , to see which units they work with, is available on Garmin’s “On the Road” cartography page. Unfortunately, it isn’t always up to date.

Each page below has a link to a coverage map; the image on the right shows the European coverage map. There is also a MapViewer tool on the cartography page, allowing you to zoom in and view any area covered in each product. These maps are one of the best options for the countries and regions for which they are available:

Garmin MapSource WorldMap

WorldMap is a very general map designed for areas for which Garmin has no other coverage. A pretty weak offering, even Garmin says it “is generally recommended only if no other coverage is available for the area.”

Garmin international topo maps

Garmin offers international topo maps for Canada and Great Britain, though some third-party maps in the next section include topo maps too.

Third-party international maps

These are created by vendors that have established a relationship with Garmin. They may or may not include turn-by-turn routing. These third-party international maps are listed on the Garmin website:

Mexico maps

This is a special, “close to home” case, that has a attracted a number of developers. In addition to the Mexico City Select maps above, I’ve covered several offerings in previous posts:

Other sources of international maps

EDIT: I was just reminded that there are maps for sale of other countries too. I'll add more as I become aware of them:

A word about Garmin nuvi x70 models

If you are planning a trip to Europe, you may want to consider purchasing a Garmin nuvi 270, 370, 670 or 770. All of these units have pre-loaded maps of the U.S., Canada and Europe (see coverage map above). Generally, it is cheaper to buy these units with pre-loaded maps rather than buy a model without them and purchase the maps separately. Check out my Garmin nuvi comparison chart to see the differences in other features in these transatlantic units.

Free international maps

Be sure to check out the followup post on obtaining free international (and U.S.) maps for your Garmin GPS.

GPS & Map Blogs

Comments

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Excellent post, Rich. Though I have some web links to obtaining free maps, I'm looking forward to comparing my list with yours.

Posted by: Zane | December 03, 2007 at 08:33 PM

Thanks Zane. I hope it will be helpful to people who like to travel. Or as my daughter says, people with "itchy feet."

Posted by: Rich Owings | December 03, 2007 at 08:46 PM

I have just purchased the TomTom 920 after months of looking at information on the Magellan Maestro 4250 Garmin 760/770 and TomTom 720/920. I choise the TomTom 920 because it was on sale at Costco web and their 3 mth return policy and the higher cost of Garmin which seems to be a great GPS. The only problem is that the TomToms 920 GPS has Europe, that I will most likely not go to and would rather have Australia that I visit regulary. Having the option of choicing the second country would be great. Also, I don't know if it was just my address which has been there for three years, but I found that it was not on TomToms map, but was on Magellans and Garmins latest map. I do like the Map Share option and hopefully I can work out the map address problem. I do like the handsfree POIs option of the Magellan 4250, but I like the voice street address option of TomTom 720/920, but wish they made it totally hands free by initiating it by stating "TomTom" instead of tapping the screen that takes your eyes off the road.

Posted by: Bruce | December 05, 2007 at 01:29 PM

Dear Sir/Madam,
I plan to use my Garmin 670 in Africa, specifically, in Nigeria. Do you know where I can buy a Nigeria map for use with my Garmin 670. Thanks

Posted by: Shaff Iginla | December 21, 2007 at 12:05 PM

Shaff,

I think this post will help...
http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/12/free-maps-for-y.html

Posted by: Rich Owings | December 21, 2007 at 08:31 PM

I was recently given a fujitsu/siemens n100 pna for christmas. I am currently deployed in Afghanistan and would most likely be using it there for the next 6 months. I cannot find software for this region and the company has said that they have no plans in the near future to produce maps for this region. I wanted to find out if there is any cross compatability with other gps devices that would allow me to use their maps. The files produced for the n100 are "map.file". Can anyone assist with this issue?

Posted by: leo | December 29, 2007 at 08:28 PM

Leo,

I think the only GPS units you'll find Afghanistan maps for are Garmin or perhaps some PDA-types. Usually these off-brands don't offer additional maps. Here's a PDF link to accessories for your unit; no maps are listed...
http://vilpublic.fujitsu-siemens.com/vil/pc/vil/datenblaetter/handheld/ds_acc_pl_n100_series.pdf

Posted by: Rich Owings | December 30, 2007 at 11:25 AM

I am living in kenya, east africa and I own a Garmin. I can not find maps for Kenya or for that matter what kind of coverage does garmin world basemap offer for kenya.

Posted by: Syed | January 05, 2008 at 08:38 AM

Syed,

It doesn't look like there are any detailed Garmin maps available. You can use the Map Viewer in the upper right hand corner of this page to check the World Map for coverage...
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/WM.jsp

Posted by: Rich Owings | January 05, 2008 at 01:47 PM

Bruce - we make and sell GPS maps for Nigeria - visit our website - http://www.ceaser-web.com or call +23418975616.

Posted by: alabi yemmy | January 15, 2008 at 05:14 PM

I am an expat living in Ukraine and bought the TomTom Go720. Does anyone know any 3rd party maps for Ukraine, being compatible with this device. (TomTom Eastern Europe is not detailed and correct).

Posted by: Kasper D | January 22, 2008 at 01:36 PM

In answer to Syed, I bought an EXCELLENT set of East Africa Garmin Maps, street level in Nairobi, from GEORIGIN EAST AFRICA LTD. They work with/through Garmap in South Africa. Downloads perfectly on my NUVI 250, but they assure me it works on most others too. The POI content is flabbergasting. It was US$100. They are in Anipest Bldg, at the entrance to Wilson Airport,Nairobi. Try www.ramani.co.ke

Peter G Smith

Posted by: Peter G Smith | March 05, 2008 at 07:16 AM

I am new to this, but would like to purchase a GPS which can/has a Manila (Philippines) map capability. My company is assigning me there for 2 years.

Posted by: Joe Sao Paulo | March 16, 2008 at 08:59 AM

Joe,

I don't know of any Filipino GPS units. But there are some free maps for Garmin units. See these two links...

http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/catalogue.php?country=172

http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/12/free-maps-for-y.html

Posted by: Rich Owings | March 16, 2008 at 10:14 AM

Mr. Owings,

Thanks for the useful resource. Based on this page, can I assume that you find Garmin to have the most 'international capability'?

Thanks,