Maps of the world are typically written with the language of the viewer in mind. But the zoomable Endonym Map takes a different approach, writing each country's name in one of that country's own languages.

Here's the official description:

An endonym is the name for a place, site or location in the language of the people who live there. These names may be officially designated by the local government or they may simply be widely used.

This map depicts endonyms of the countries of the world in their official or national languages. In cases where a country has more than one national or official language, the language that is most widely used by the local population is shown.

It's an evolving project, with the cartographer making adjustments based on corrections, linguistic changes, and geographic discoveries. (You can email the cartographer with any errors you spot.) There's also a complete list of the countries and languages used at the map's site. Like so many maps, it's not without controversy, but it sparks some interesting conversations about language, culture, and nationality.



Endonym Map [via We Are Star Stuff]