A map element is a container for area elements that define the location and links of hotspots of client-side image maps. The primary purpose of the map element is to associate an identifier (the name attribute) that the usemap attribute points to when turning an img element into a client-side image map. Most other attributes are style-related and may be applied to the map element so that they are inherited by elements nested within.

The language being used for the element's attribute values and content. A browser can use this information to assist in proper rendering of content with respect to details such as treatment of ligatures (when supported by a particular font or required by a written language), quotation marks, and hyphenation. Other applications and search engines might use this information to aid the selection of spell-checking dictionaries and the creation of indices.

The identifier to which the usemap attribute of an img element points. Because the usemap attribute is actually a URL type, its value resembles that of a link to an anchor: the name is preceded by a hash symbol (only in the usemap attribute). Despite XHTML's preference for id attributes over name attributes, browsers continue to rely on the name attribute as the connection between an image and an area map. Strict HTML 4 and XHTML DTDs continue to validate the name attribute.