About the UK maps
GeoSlides publishes editable vector map templates built from the boundaries UK statistics are actually published against, for people who need a map in a presentation and do not use GIS software.
Where the boundaries come from
GeoSlides publishes two catalogues: the UK maps described here, built from Office for National Statistics boundaries under the Open Government Licence, and a United States catalogue built from U.S. Census Bureau boundaries, described on the main about page.
ONS boundaries are built on Ordnance Survey geometry, which is why the credit line below names both organisations.
| Publisher | Office for National Statistics, Open Geography Portal |
|---|---|
| Licence | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Commercial use | Permitted under the licence |
| Credit required | Yes — printed on the source slide of every template |
| Projection | Albers equal-area conic, standard parallels 50°N and 59°N |
| Simplification | Douglas–Peucker, tuned per level so shapes stay smooth at projector size |
The licence requires two credit lines wherever the material is reproduced. Both are already on the source slide of every deck and on every map slide, so nothing needs adding to a presentation you build:
- Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0
- Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026
What each level covers
UK geography does not nest the way US geography does, and the names differ by nation. Rather than force one word onto all four, the templates use the local name:
- Countries — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Regions — the nine regions of England. Regions exist in England only.
- Counties and unitary authorities — the mixed level the ONS publishes, covering all four nations.
- Local authority districts — in Scotland these are council areas, in Wales principal areas, and in England and Northern Ireland districts.
- Wards — the electoral wards of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a map each, and of each London borough separately.
- Constituencies — Westminster constituencies on the 2024 boundaries, plus the Scottish Parliament's constituencies and its regional areas.
- Health, policing and devolution — integrated care boards, police force areas and combined authorities. None of these follows council boundaries, which is usually the reason for buying one.
The area figures
The ONS boundary service does not publish a land-area attribute, so the area shown on the data slide is measured from the boundary geometry itself and labelled Area, km². It is there so you can sanity-check the map before replacing it with your own numbers, not as an official statistic. For official area measurements, use the ONS Standard Area Measurements.
Get in touch
If a geography is missing, a boundary looks wrong, or a broader licence is needed, email hello@geoslides.com.