Patent ID: 7570263

Claim:
A map display device comprising: a display; a map data storage unit storing (i) map data covering an area and (ii) area information for indicating the area covered by the map data; a font storage unit storing a plurality of fonts, each font of the plurality of fonts corresponding to a language used in an area indicated by area information, the each font being associated with the area information; and a display control unit configured to read the area information from the map data storage unit, determine, from the plurality of fonts, a font associated with the read area information, and cause the display to display (i) a map based on the map data included in the map data storage unit and (ii) a character by using the determined font, the display control unit being further configured to determine, without using a detection result of a global positioning system, a font corresponding to a language used in an area indicated by the area information by reading the area information from the map data storage unit prior to displaying a position name as the character on a map in the display each time the map display device turns on, and thereafter cause the display to display the position name as the character by using the determined font corresponding to the language associated with the read area information instead of a global positioning system location, thereby allowing a navigation operation to start.