Measure distance on a map
Tap two places, or a whole path of them, and read the distance along the curve of the Earth in kilometres, miles or nautical miles.
- Free
- No account
- km, miles, nautical miles
- Great-circle distance
Layers
Eraser
What it does
Erase from
Start with…
Tap two places, or a whole path of them, and read the distance along the curve of the Earth in kilometres, miles or nautical miles.
What you can make
How far from Delhi?Circles of 250, 500 and 1,000 km measured on the globe, with the cities inside them.
Europe in 1914The borders of 1914, with the first moves of the First World War drawn over them.
A rail trip across EuropeEight cities by train, with numbered markers and a dashed route.
The euro area in 2026Countries coloured in with two legend colours: 21 use the euro, 6 EU members keep their own currency.
What you can do
Every drawing tool
Markers, text, lines, arrows, curved arrows, areas, boxes, circles, a freehand pen and a measuring tool.
Any year, 3000 BC to today
Move the timeline and the borders change with it. Give a drawing a start and end year and it appears only then.
Colour in countries
Tap countries, states, provinces or empires to colour them, with a legend of colours and patterns you can rename.
Real data underneath
Cities, rivers, voyages, World Heritage Sites, tectonic plates and more, ready to copy into your drawing.
True distances and areas
Circles of an exact radius, distances and areas, measured along the curve of the Earth.
Share and export
A link to share, PNG for slides, PDF for print, and GeoJSON, KML or GPX for other mapping tools.
How it works
Tap the first place
The Measure tool is ready. Tap where the distance starts; use Add a place to jump to a city by name.
Tap the next points
Each tap adds a leg and the total updates as you go. Done finishes the measurement and keeps it on the map.
Change the units
File → Map settings switches between kilometres, miles and nautical miles for every measurement on the map.
Data you can cite
- Natural EarthPublic domainCountries, coastlines and the simple base map
- Cliopatria (Seshat)CC BY 4.0Borders of 1,600+ states and empires, 3000 BC to today
- OpenStreetMapODbLStreets and places on the detailed base maps
- geoBoundariesOpen licences, per countryDistrict lines inside countries
Every exported picture prints the credits of the data on it. All sources: data sources.
Your maps stay yours
- Your map is saved in this browser as you draw. No account, no sign-in.
- Files you open (GeoJSON, KML, GPX, CSV) are read in your browser and never uploaded.
- A short link stores a copy of the map only when you make one, so the link works for anyone you send it to.
- What you draw is yours to use in lessons, articles, books and slides; keep the data credits on it.
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Questions
Is it the straight-line distance?
Yes: the great-circle distance, the shortest path over the Earth's surface ("as the crow flies"). Distances by road or rail are longer.
How accurate is it?
The length is computed on the globe from the points you tap, so the result is as precise as your taps. Zoom in to place the ends exactly.
Can I measure an area too?
Yes. Draw an area or a box and select it: its area and perimeter appear in the Style tab.
Is YearMaps Draw free?
Yes. Drawing, sharing links and exporting PNG, PDF, GeoJSON, KML and GPX files are all free, with no account. Exported pictures carry a small @yearmaps.com mark and the credits of the data on the map.
Do I need an account to save my map?
No. Your map is saved in your browser as you draw. To keep it elsewhere, share its link, or save a YearMaps file and open it again later from the File menu.
Can I use the maps I make?
Yes. The map belongs to you, in school work, articles, presentations and books. Keep the data credits printed on the picture: the borders come from Cliopatria (CC BY 4.0) and the base map from Natural Earth (public domain).
Can I import my own data?
Yes. Open or drop GeoJSON, KML, KMZ (Google Earth) and GPX (GPS) files onto the map. They are read in your browser and never uploaded.
More ways to use it
- Draw a radius on a mapType a radius and tap the centre, or drag a circle by eye.
- Measure an area on a mapDraw around any place, a field, a lake, a city or a whole region, and read its area and perimeter, computed on the globe.
- Draw a route on a mapTap stop after stop to draw a route, read its length as you go, then style it as a dashed trail, an arrow or a curve and add the stops as numbered markers.
- Make your own mapA free map maker in the browser.
- Draw on a mapMark places, draw routes and areas, measure distances, and sketch history over the borders of any year from 3000 BC to today.
- Make a pin mapTap the map to drop pins, give each a label, an icon and a colour, or bring in a whole list of places from a spreadsheet with latitude and longitude.
Every map page on YearMaps has a Draw on this map button in its Share panel, which opens the same view here. See what's new in YearMaps Draw.