About Moving Polygons

Moving Polygons turns borders, armies and events into maps that move. You give it shapes and dates; it morphs one moment into the next, so you can watch an empire grow, a front line shift or a sea shrink.

Who makes it

Moving Polygons is built and run by Chris Jager in the Netherlands. The showcase maps on the site are made here too; every other map belongs to the person who made it.

Free to use

Making, publishing, embedding and exporting maps is free, and there are no ads. If a map helped you (in class, in a video, or just on a slow evening), you can buy me a coffee on Ko-fi. It helps pay for the map tiles and servers, and it tells me people want more maps.

Support us on Ko-fi

Support goes to the site and its own maps. The fan maps of Westeros, Middle-earth and the Witcher stay non-commercial: no ads, no paywall and no donation links on them.

Get in touch

Questions, map ideas or a mistake on one of the maps? Send a message.

Latest from the Blog

View all →

The American Civil War, 1861–1865: Front Lines, Battles and Casualties

The Civil War from Lincoln's election to the abolition of slavery in one animation: eleven states leave the Union, the front lines move county by county, 55 campaigns and raids cross the map, and a counter adds up both sides' casualties in 454 battles as they are fought.

Carbon vs Prosperity, 1850–2022: An Animated Map of CO₂ Emissions and Wealth

An animated world map of CO₂ emissions against prosperity: 26 frames from 1850 to 2022 colour every country by its income per person and its CO₂ emissions per person at the same time. Britain, the United States and then every rich country turn dark as they grow rich on coal and oil; after 1980 the two come apart, and in 2022, 37 of the 59 rich countries emit less than 8 tonnes a person while China has passed that line.

Napoleon's Rise and Fall, 1793–1821: The Wars That Redrew Europe on One Animated Map

An animated map that follows Napoleon Bonaparte from the siege of Toulon in 1793 to his death on St Helena in 1821: every border change in Europe across 50 moments, his own whereabouts, the size of his main army, and a running estimate of the soldiers who died on each side.