Confused with mapping

Dear All,

I have just bought Fenix 5 plus Ti. Currently living in the Middle East therefore I have been waiting for the watch to be released here to have local maps. I was very surprised when i find out that the maps looks very basic. My Garmin Express shows maps for few regions (as attached on the pic) but in the settings of the watch i can see only base map, West and East Europe. Can you please g help me to find out what kind of maps i have installed on the watch? And since it is region specific how on earth living in Qatar i get Europe instated Middle East?
  • Check in watch:
    Settings - Activities & Apps - Map - Map Settings - Map - Configure Maps ->
    In my watch (european version ) it has following choices:
    - Worldwide DEM Basemap
    - TopoActive Europe East 2017.30
    - TopoActive Europe West 2017.30

    If you have the same or just the Basemap then you probably should ask local Garmin customer support why you got that.

    From what I understand what Garmin Connect showed at the picture you attached are just the routing files

  • Thanks very much. This is exactly what i have on my watch. Looks like they didn't bother to do Middle East / Africa version or it is just my luck.
  • Bear in mind that you can put topo maps on the watch anyway. Just try to find some topo maps for your region online.


  • Exactly, I use Garmin's TOPO Poland V6 but there are other freeware sources of Garmin maps, does not change the fact that I would ask Garmin why you did not receive the watch with maps for your region!
  • Thanks Guys for your suggestion. I have sent email to Garmin. Lets see what will be the answer. Worth mentioning that i bought the watch in authorized retailer's shop. Garmin seriously should consider to allow people to download whatever maps they need. For the amount of money you have to spend on this thing and later to find out that one of the main function is not working right out of the box is a bit frustrating. Why do I have to look for a way around to make this function working for me? In the same time so good we always have way around....
  • Hi Guys,

    To summarize this please find below the answer i have received from Garmin.
    I have not tried this and im not sure i will but some might find it useful i hope.


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    It is possible to use Garmin Express to reinstall a map region or change the map coverage loaded to an Automotive device.

    This can be useful in the following situations:

    A partial map region was installed to the device, but a different region is desired
    Full coverage is desired, but a partial region of the map was installed previously
    The map is no longer present because it was accidentally deleted or on an SD card that can no longer be used
    If a partial region was previously installed, it will have removed the other mapping regions from the device leaving the new region of mapping on the device only.

    To do this on Windows and Mac OS X:

    1. Connect a compatible Garmin device to the computer
    2. Open Garmin Express
    3. Select the Garmin device on the home page
    4. Click Map Options
    5. Click Reinstall Map or Change Map1
    Click Reinstall Map to reinstall the same map region
    Click Change Map to choose a different map region
    6. Agree to the Terms and Conditions
    7. Click Continue

    When selecting the Change Map option, if the device has sufficient space, the largest map region available for the device will be downloaded and installed. If there is not sufficient space and the device has a microSD/SD card inserted with sufficient storage, Garmin Express will automatically detect the card and ask for confirmation to use it for the map update.2 Click Continue to use the card, and the installation will proceed automatically.


    If there is not sufficient space on the device and no microSD/SD card inserted:

    The program will acknowledge that there is not enough space on the device's internal memory for the map update
    Options will be provided based on the device being updated:
    Use a Memory Card2 - Choose this option to install the largest available region to a compatible microSD/SD card. Insert a card with sufficient available space for the update into the GPS. Once the card is detected, click Continue to begin the map update.
    Choose a Region - Choose this option to install a smaller map region to the device. Choose the appropriate available region from the drop down list, then click Continue to install it.
    Garmin Express will display the progress as it installs the map to the device. After the process is completed, the desired map will be installed.

    1The reinstall or change map option is only available if the maps on the device are up-to-date. If there is a new update available, coverage will be determined automatically.
    2Not all Garmin Automotive devices support installation of map updates directly to a memory card. For more information, see Related Content.
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