Label placement for complex geographic polygons

Abstract

Embodiments of the subject technology provide for determining a set of points that form a perimeter of a polygon included in an interactive geographic map. The determined set of points of the perimeter of the polygon is reduced based on a line simplification algorithm. An area, based on the reduced set of points, of the polygon is then reduced by performing a buffering operation on the area that creates an inner buffer zone for the polygon. The subject technology determines whether an area of the inner buffer zone satisfies a predetermined threshold area. Responsive to determining that the predetermined threshold area is satisfied, a centroid of the inner buffer zone may be determined. The subject technology provides, for display to a user, a label at a coordinate position corresponding to the centroid of the inner buffer zone on the interactive geographic map.