PURPOSE: To exactly and easily designate the division on a map in which the arbitrary area on the map is preliminarily fixed by a unit.

CONSTITUTION: By displaying and controlling the map information which is hierarchically composed of the name of town layer, the chome layer and the block layer which are stored in a map data base 2 and is composed of plural closed areas where each layer is made as the division unit specific to the layer by a layer control part 12 according to each layer, the map information is displayed as the synthesized map screen on a map information display part 3. When an arbitrary location on the map is designated by a coordinate input part 4 in an 'area designation mode' an the coordinate value on the map information display part 3 is inputted, the value is converted into the absolute coordinate value on the map by a coordinate conversion part 11. Which block within a preliminarily fix block layer, for instance, the conversion coordinate value is included in is decided by an area decision part 13 and the block is selected. The inside of the block is painted out with a prescribed color by the layer control part 12.