--- schema_version: "1" id: 7aef50631826449ce0cc69664cc20d0be6f918ac465ae0dc1e8aa0d46cfc1ebe title: Format Geographic Fields in Tableau collection: tableau version: next locale: en-gb portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/next/en-gb/pro/desktop/maps_geographicroles.md canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-gb/maps_geographicroles.htm source_site: help.tableau.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 05d14b03067a277e5a4d78843b26a6b304057b1e1a0a1c31a58c3061f713bdde description: Assign geographic roles to fields so you can use them to create map views. --- [Skip to main content](#main-content) # Assign Geographic Roles This article describes how to assign a geographic role to a field in Tableau so that you can use it to create a map view. A _geographic role_ associates each value in a field with a latitude and a longitude value. When you assign a geographic role to a field, Tableau assigns latitude and longitude values to each location in your data based on data that is already built into the Tableau map server. ## Assign a geographic role to a field Assigning a geographic role based on the type of location (such as state versus postcode) helps ensure that your data is plotted correctly on your map view. For example, you can assign the City geographic role to a field that contains a list of city names. When a field is assigned a geographic role, Tableau creates a map view when you add the field to **Detail** on the **Marks** card. In other words, Tableau _geocodes_ the information in that field. **To assign a geographic role to a field:** - In the Data pane, click the data type icon next to the field, select Geographic Role, and then select the geographic role you want to assign to the field. ![Geographic Roles menu to select geographic role type.](/tableau/next/en-gb/pro/desktop/en-gb/Img/georoles1.png) When you assign a geographic role to a field, Tableau adds two fields to the measures area of the Data pane: Latitude (generated) and Longitude (generated). These fields contain latitude and longitude values and are assigned the Latitude and Longitude geographic roles. If you double-click each of these fields, Tableau adds them to the Columns and Rows shelves and creates a map view using the Tableau background map. ![Latitude and Longitude measures generated by Tableau.](/tableau/next/en-gb/pro/desktop/en-gb/Img/georoles2.png) ## Types of geographic roles in Tableau The following table describes the geographic roles available in Tableau. Many of the roles are international, but some are limited to the US only. You can assign geographic roles to your fields based on the type of geographic data they contain. For example, you can assign the Airport geographic role to a field that contains International Air Transport Association (IATA) codes. If your location data does not fit into one of these roles, you may have to import custom geocoding to plot the data on a map. For more information, see [Geocode Locations Tableau Does Not Recognise and Plot Them on a Map](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-gb/custom_geocoding.htm).
Geographic RoleAssign this role to a field if it contains:
AirportInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) or International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) airport codes.
Area Code (US)US telephone area codes; numbers only.
CBSA/MSA (US)US Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSA), which includes Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), as defined by the US Office of Management and Budget. CBSA/MSA Codes and Names are recognised.
CityWorldwide cities with population of 15,000 or more. Names are in English (UK or US), French, German, Spanish, Brazilian-Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional).
Congressional District (US)US congressional districts.
Country/RegionWorldwide countries, regions, and territories. Names are in English (UK or US), French (Canada and France), German, Spanish, Brazilian-Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Swedish, Thai and Dutch. Tableau also recognises, FIPS 10, ISO 3166-1 alpha 2, and ISO 3166-1 alpha 3. Names are included in various forms, including long, short, and various abbreviations.
CountySecond-level administrative divisions for select countries. For example, US counties, French départements, German kriese, etc.

Note: Second-level administrative division definitions vary by country. In Tableau, all second-level administrative divisions are geocoded with the County geographic role. For more information, see the Location Data that Tableau Supports for Building Map Views section.
NUTS EuropeNUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) levels 1–3 codes. Codes and names, including synonyms, are supported.
LatitudeLatitude in decimal degrees. Only available for numeric fields.
LongitudeLongitude in decimal degrees. Only available for numeric fields.
State/ProvinceWorldwide state, province, and other first-level administrative divisions. Names are in English (UK or US), French, German, Spanish, Brazilian-Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). Note: Some names are available only in their local form.
ZIP Code/PostcodeZIP codes and postcodes for select countries. For example, US five-digit zip codes, Australian four-digit postcodes, German five-digit postcodes, etc. For more information, see the Location Data that Tableau Supports for Building Map Views section.
## See also: [Location Data that Tableau Supports for Building Map Views](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-gb/maps_data.htm) [Geocode Locations Tableau Does Not Recognise and Plot Them on a Map](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-gb/custom_geocoding.htm) [Blend Geographic Data](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-gb/maps_customgeocode_ex_datablend.htm) [Create Tableau Maps from Spatial Files](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-gb/maps_shapefiles.htm) [Edit Unknown or Ambiguous Locations](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-gb/maps_editlocation.htm)