The live web map

Moving around

• ZoomScroll, pinch, or use the + and − buttons. Zoomed all the way out you see the whole planet; zoomed all the way in, one pixel is one block.
• Where am I pointing?The box in the bottom-left corner shows the block coordinates under your mouse, and the real latitude and longitude of that spot.
• Hill shadingMountains and valleys are shaded as if the sun were in the north-west, so the shape of the land stands out. Switch it off under Toggles if you'd rather see flat colours.
• Always up to dateWhen someone builds or breaks something, that part of the map redraws within a minute or so.

The panel on the right

• Hide itClick the arrow on its left edge to slide it away, and again to bring it back. Each section opens and closes when you click its title.
• TogglesSwitch map layers on and off: hill shading, the spawn point, the world border, players and shops.
• PlayersEveryone online. Search for a name, then click it to zoom in to where that player is. On the map, players are small arrows pointing the way they face; hover one for the name. Zoom right in and each player's name shows above their arrow.
• ShopsSearch every chest shop by item, seller or town, cheapest first. Sells shops sell to you and Buys shops pay you for items. Click one to fly there and see its price, stock and owner. On the map, yellow dots are shops that sell and blue dots are shops that buy.

Staying off the map

Your location only shows while you're out in the open, so a base is never given away by the map.

• Indoors and undergroundIf there's a solid block anywhere above your head (a roof, a cave, an overhang), you don't show on the map. Leaves and water don't count, so standing under a tree or swimming keeps you visible.
• InvisibilityDrinking a potion of invisibility takes you off the map too.
• What others seeHidden players stay in the Players list, greyed out and marked Off map. Clicking them only jumps somewhere random: your position is never sent to the website.

Real places

• Find a real placeOn the map, move your mouse until the bottom-left box shows the latitude and longitude you want. In game, /coordinate <latitude> <longitude> gives you the block coordinates, e.g. /coordinate 48.85 2.35 for Paris, and /getlocation tells you where you are on the real Earth.
• The mathsBlock X = (longitude + 180) × 371.2 and block Z = (75 − latitude) × 371.2. One block is 300 metres.
• The edgesThe map runs from 75° north to about 74° south, all the way around the globe. A border (the red line on the map) stops you at the edge of the world, and nothing exists beyond it.