This example creates a map that's localized in Japanese, regardless of the
user's browser settings. The region is also set to Japan, which biases the
geocoding results to that region.

Read the [documentation](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/localization.md.txt).
<iframe src="https://geo-devrel-javascript-samples.web.app/samples/map-language/app/dist/" allow="fullscreen; "></iframe>

### TypeScript

```typescript
// This example displays a map with the language and region set
// to Japan. These settings are specified in the HTML script element
// when loading the Google Maps JavaScript API.
// Setting the language shows the map in the language of your choice.
// Setting the region biases the geocoding results to that region.
function initMap(): void {
  const map = new google.maps.Map(
    document.getElementById("map") as HTMLElement,
    {
      zoom: 8,
      center: { lat: 35.717, lng: 139.731 },
    }
  );
}

declare global {
  interface Window {
    initMap: () => void;
  }
}
window.initMap = initMap;
```

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Read the [guide](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/using-typescript.md.txt) on using TypeScript and Google Maps.

### JavaScript

```javascript
// This example displays a map with the language and region set
// to Japan. These settings are specified in the HTML script element
// when loading the Google Maps JavaScript API.
// Setting the language shows the map in the language of your choice.
// Setting the region biases the geocoding results to that region.
function initMap() {
  const map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"), {
    zoom: 8,
    center: { lat: 35.717, lng: 139.731 },
  });
}

window.initMap = initMap;
```

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** The JavaScript is compiled from the TypeScript snippet.

### CSS

```css
/* 
 * Always set the map height explicitly to define the size of the div element
 * that contains the map. 
 */
#map {
  height: 100%;
}

/* 
 * Optional: Makes the sample page fill the window. 
 */
html,
body {
  height: 100%;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}
```

### HTML

```html
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Localizing the Map</title>

    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./style.css" />
    <script type="module" src="./index.js"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div id="map"></div>

    <!-- 
      The `defer` attribute causes the script to execute after the full HTML
      document has been parsed. For non-blocking uses, avoiding race conditions,
      and consistent behavior across browsers, consider loading using Promises. See
      https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/load-maps-js-api
      for more information.
      -->
    <script
      src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=AIzaSyB41DRUbKWJHPxaFjMAwdrzWzbVKartNGg&callback=initMap&v=weekly&language=ja&region=JP"
      defer
    ></script>
  </body>
</html>
```

### Clone Sample


Git and Node.js are required to run this sample locally. Follow these [instructions](https://docs.npmjs.com/downloading-and-installing-node-js-and-npm) to install Node.js and NPM. The following commands clone, install dependencies and start the sample application.

```javascript
  git clone -b sample-map-language https://github.com/googlemaps/js-samples.git
  cd js-samples
  npm i
  npm start
```


Other samples can be tried by switching to any branch beginning with `sample-SAMPLE_NAME`.

```javascript
  git checkout sample-SAMPLE_NAME
  npm i
  npm start
```