Map:place
The place key marks a named settlement or populated locality — the points and areas that carry the world's place names, from the largest cities down to individual hamlets. It is one of the map's most load-bearing keys: almost every named settlement carries a place=* tag, and the renderers read its value to decide how large to draw the label and at which zoom the name first appears.
How to tag
Put place=* on either:
- a node at the centre of the settlement — the usual case; or
- the settlement's area (a closed way or multipolygon) where its extent is mapped, keeping a node for the label.
Always give it a name=*. Larger settlements commonly also carry population=*, and admin_level=* where they serve as administrative seats.
Values
The settlement hierarchy, largest to smallest:
| Value | Used for |
|---|---|
city |
The largest and most prominent settlements — major regional or national centres. |
town |
A substantial settlement below city rank; typically a local hub serving the surrounding area. |
village |
A small settlement, larger than a hamlet, usually with a handful of shared amenities. |
hamlet |
A very small cluster of dwellings with few or no services. |
suburb |
A named district within a larger city or town. |
Which tier a settlement takes reflects its standing rather than a fixed population cut-off — when in doubt, weigh it against its neighbours already on the map.
See also
name— the name every place should carrypopulation— inhabitant count- administrative boundaries — the areas settlements govern or belong to