---
title: "Tutorial: Build your first map"
description: "Build a public map of the world's major cities from sample data in about 10 minutes. Colour the cities by population, add a popup and search, and publish."
sidebar:
label: "Build your first map"
search:
keywords: [quickstart, getting started, first map, tutorial, sample data]
---
In about 10 minutes, you build a map of 1,072 of the world's major cities from MangoMap sample data. You colour the cities by population, add a popup and a search box, and publish the map so anyone can open it. To see where you will end up, open the [finished map](https://mangomap-staging.com/examples-staging/maps/v311qh67/world-s-major-cities-finished-tutorial).
{/* TODO: on production, point the Data portal and finished-map links at the MangoMap Examples account on mangomap.com. */}
{/* video-content: id=quickstart
Start: The new map in the map editor, fully loaded, just after the import in
step 3: the Major cities layer's settings are open at Style, with Colour
markers by set to Single colour, beside a world map of orange city markers.
Show:
1. Set Colour markers by to population and click Save. The markers change to
five shades of teal.
2. Open Popup and set Type to Custom. In Title, click Insert simple variable
and choose Name; the title becomes {name}. Delete every body line except
Country: and Population:, and click Save Changes.
3. In the left menu, click Extensions, then Settings on the Search card. Turn
on Data search, click Add next to Major cities, and set Default search type
to Data search.
4. In the left menu, click Configuration. Type World's major cities in Map
title and The world's largest cities, coloured by population. in
Description.
5. Go to Access. Under Publish to web, turn on Allow public access. Publishing
mode changes to Public.
6. In the left menu, click Map. The map opens with its new title and
description and the Legend. Close the Legend, type Tokyo in the search box,
press Enter, and choose the Tokyo result. The map zooms in on Tokyo and its
popup opens: Country: Japan, Population: 35676000.
7. Zoom out around Tokyo. The popup stays open, and the teal markers of the
cities around Tokyo show.
End: The map titled World's major cities, around Tokyo, with the Tokyo popup
open.
Exclude: Authentication, loading screens, fixture setup, the sample data
download and the CSV import (the import takes about 30 seconds; the video
starts after it), Copy link, and the visitor's private window. The video saves
changes to a tutorial map that the spec builds before the capture and deletes
after it; no demo map is changed.
*/}
{/* walkthrough: id=quickstart */}
{/* /walkthrough */}
## Before you start
- A MangoMap account. A free trial is enough.
## Step 1: Download the sample data
Open the [MangoMap Examples Data portal](https://mangomap-staging.com/examples-staging/data). Search for `World Major Cities` and open it. Click `Download`, then `CSV`.
A file named like `World_Major_Cities_2026-10-07-01.csv` downloads. It holds each city's name, country, population, and location.
## Step 2: Create a map
Sign in to MangoMap. In the left menu, click `Map portal`, then click `Create a map`. A new map named `Untitled Map` opens, with an empty `Manage layers` panel.
## Step 3: Add the cities
1. In `Manage layers`, click `Import new data`, the orange upload button. The `Import data` page opens.
2. Set `Data format` to `CSV`, click `Upload files`, and choose the file you downloaded.
3. In `Dataset name`, replace the name with `Major cities`.
4. Click `Save`.
MangoMap processes the file, which takes about 30 seconds. Stay on the page until it finishes. The map then shows a `Major cities` layer with an orange marker for each city, and the layer's settings open at `Style`.
## Step 4: Colour the cities by population
1. In `Style`, set `Colour markers by` to `population`. MangoMap sorts the cities into 5 classes.
2. Click `Save`.
The markers change to five shades of teal: the darker the marker, the larger the city. The map shows a style change only after you save it.
## Step 5: Write a popup
A popup shows a city's details when a viewer clicks it.
1. Open `Popup` and set `Type` to `Custom`.
2. In `Title`, click `Insert simple variable` (the `{ }` button) and choose `Name`. The title becomes `{name}`.
3. The popup body starts with one line for each field. Delete every line except `Country:` and `Population:`.
4. Click `Save Changes`.
Click a city on the map, for example Tokyo. Its popup opens with the city's name as the title, and its country and population.
## Step 6: Add search
Search lets viewers find a city by its name.
1. In the left menu, click `Extensions`. Search is already on for a new map, so on the `Search` card, click `Settings`.
2. Turn on `Data search`. Under `Indexed layers`, click `Add` next to `Major cities`.
3. At the top of the page, set `Default search type` to `Data search`, so the search box looks for cities first.
The settings save as you change them.
## Step 7: Name the map
1. In the left menu, click `Configuration`.
2. In `Map title`, type `World's major cities`.
3. In `Description`, type `The world's largest cities, coloured by population.`
Each field saves when you leave it.
## Step 8: Publish the map to the web
1. On the same page, go to `Access`, then `Publish to web`.
2. Turn on `Allow public access`. `Publishing mode` changes to `Public`.
3. Click the copy button in the `Public link` field.
## Step 9: Check your map
Open the link in a private browser window, so you see the map as a visitor who is not signed in. The map opens with its title and the legend. Click a city to see its popup. To search, close the legend, type a city name in the search box, and press Enter.
## What you've built
A public map of the world's major cities. The cities are coloured by population, each one has a popup, and viewers can find any city by name. Anyone with the link can open the map, and it is listed in your public Map portal. Compare it with the [finished map](https://mangomap-staging.com/examples-staging/maps/v311qh67/world-s-major-cities-finished-tutorial).
## Next steps
- [Format numbers](/docs/formatting-attributes/format-numbers): show populations with thousands separators, such as 35,676,000.
- [Style by quantity](/docs/styling-layers/style-by-quantity): change the classes, the classification method, or the colours.
- [Write a custom popup template](/docs/configuring-popups/write-custom-popup-template): add headings, links, and images to the popup.
- [Set up Search](/docs/map-extensions/set-up-search): the other search settings.
- [Share a map with groups](/docs/map-access/share-map-with-groups): share the map with your team instead of the public.
- [Embed a map in another website](/docs/map-access/embed-a-map): show the map on your own web page.
- [Import a CSV](/docs/importing-data/import-csv): import your own data.
## Related
- [Glossary](/docs/getting-started/glossary): definitions for map, layer, dataset, popup, portal, and related terms.
- [Map controls and shortcuts](/docs/getting-started/keyboard-shortcuts): the interactions used in this tutorial.
- [Supported browsers and devices](/docs/getting-started/supported-browsers): device support and mobile differences.