Stay organized with collections
Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
You can add objects to the map to designate points, lines, areas, or
collections of objects. The Maps JavaScript API calls these objects
overlays. Overlays are tied to latitude/longitude
coordinates, so they move when you drag or zoom the map.
Overlay types
The Maps JavaScript API has several types of overlays that you can add
programmatically:
An info window is a special kind of overlay for
displaying content (usually text or images) within a popup balloon
at a given location on a map. See
Info Windows.
Lines on the map are displayed using polylines
representing an ordered sequence of locations. See
Shapes and lines.
Areas of arbitrary shape on the map are displayed using
polygons. Like polylines,
polygons are an ordered sequence of
locations. Unlike polylines, polygons define a region which they
enclose. See
Shapes and lines.
Use a symbol to customize the icon on a marker or add
images to a polyline. A symbol is a vector-based image defined by a path,
using SVG path notation. The API also provides options to control how the
symbol will be displayed. See
Symbols.
If you want to place an image on a map,
you can use a ground overlay. See
Ground Overlays.
You may also implement your own custom overlays by
implementing the OverlayView interface. See
Custom Overlays.
Map layers may be displayed using overlay map types. You
can create your own set of tiles by creating custom map types which
either replace base map tile sets, or appear on top of existing
base map tile sets as overlays. See
Custom Map Types.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-20 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe Maps JavaScript API uses objects called \u003cstrong\u003eoverlays\u003c/strong\u003e to designate points, lines, areas, or collections of objects on the map, which are tied to latitude/longitude coordinates.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eYou can add various overlay types to your map, including info windows, polylines, polygons, circles, rectangles, symbols, ground overlays, and even create custom overlays.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe Drawing Library allows users to interactively draw shapes like polylines, polygons, and markers directly on the map.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGeocoding enables easy retrieval of latitude and longitude coordinates for places and addresses through requests.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCustomize the appearance of markers and polylines by using symbols, which are vector-based images defined using SVG path notation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The Maps JavaScript API uses \"overlays\" to add objects tied to latitude/longitude coordinates on a map. These include info windows for pop-up content, polylines for lines, polygons for areas, and symbols to customize marker icons. You can also use ground overlays to place images and use circles and rectangles. The Drawing Library lets users draw on the map. Geocoding is used to obtain latitudes and longitudes. Custom overlays and map types can also be implemented.\n"],null,["You can add objects to the map to designate points, lines, areas, or\ncollections of objects. The Maps JavaScript API calls these objects\n**overlays**. Overlays are tied to latitude/longitude\ncoordinates, so they move when you drag or zoom the map.\n| **Drawing Library:** If you want to allow your users to draw on the map, please refer to the [Drawing Library](/maps/documentation/javascript/drawinglayer) documentation. With the tools available in the Drawing Library, you can provide a graphical interface that lets people draw polylines, polygons and markers on the map.\n| **Geocoding:** Retrieving latitudes and longitudes for a Place or a street address is easily done with a [Geocoding](/maps/documentation/javascript/geocoding) request. It will return a list of responses, each including a `LatLng`.\n\nOverlay types\n\nThe Maps JavaScript API has several types of overlays that you can add\nprogrammatically:\n\n- An **info window** is a special kind of overlay for displaying content (usually text or images) within a popup balloon at a given location on a map. See [Info Windows](/maps/documentation/javascript/infowindows).\n- Lines on the map are displayed using **polylines** representing an ordered sequence of locations. See [Shapes and lines](/maps/documentation/javascript/shapes#polylines).\n- Areas of arbitrary shape on the map are displayed using **polygons** . Like polylines, polygons are an ordered sequence of locations. Unlike polylines, polygons define a region which they enclose. See [Shapes and lines](/maps/documentation/javascript/shapes#polygons).\n- You can also define [circles](/maps/documentation/javascript/shapes#circles) and [rectangles](/maps/documentation/javascript/shapes#circles) on the map.\n- Use a **symbol** to customize the icon on a marker or add images to a polyline. A symbol is a vector-based image defined by a path, using SVG path notation. The API also provides options to control how the symbol will be displayed. See [Symbols](/maps/documentation/javascript/symbols).\n- If you want to place an image on a map, you can use a **ground overlay** . See [Ground Overlays](/maps/documentation/javascript/groundoverlays).\n- You may also implement your own **custom overlays** by implementing the `OverlayView` interface. See [Custom Overlays](/maps/documentation/javascript/customoverlays).\n- Map layers may be displayed using **overlay map types** . You can create your own set of tiles by creating custom map types which either replace base map tile sets, or appear on top of existing base map tile sets as overlays. See [Custom Map Types](/maps/documentation/javascript/maptypes#CustomMapTypes)."]]
