diff --git a/admin.mss b/admin.mss
index d586f74b9c..395a2041ae 100644
--- a/admin.mss
+++ b/admin.mss
@@ -6,48 +6,82 @@ For each zoomlevel, all borders come from a single attachment, to handle
 overlapping borders correctly.
 */
 
-#admin-low-zoom[zoom < 11],
+#admin-very-low-zoom[zoom >= 4][zoom < 5],
+#admin-low-zoom[zoom >= 5][zoom < 11],
 #admin-mid-zoom[zoom >= 11][zoom < 13],
 #admin-high-zoom[zoom >= 13] {
-  [admin_level = '2'],
-  [admin_level = '3'] {
+  [admin_level = '2'] {
     [zoom >= 4] {
       background/line-color: white;
-      background/line-width: 0.6;
+      background/line-width: 1.2;
       line-color: @admin-boundaries;
-      line-width: 0.6;
+      line-width: 1.2;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 5] {
+      background/line-width: 1.5;
+      line-width: 1.5;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 6] {
+      background/line-width: 1.8;
+      line-width: 1.8;
     }
     [zoom >= 7] {
       background/line-width: 2;
       line-width: 2;
     }
     [zoom >= 10] {
-      [admin_level = '2'] {
-        background/line-width: 6;
-        line-width: 6;
-      }
-      [admin_level = '3'] {
-        background/line-width: 5;
-        line-width: 5;
-        line-dasharray: 4,2;
-        line-clip: false;
-      }
+      background/line-width: 6;
+      line-width: 6;
     }
   }
-  [admin_level = '4'] {
+  [admin_level = '3'] {
     [zoom >= 4] {
       background/line-color: white;
       background/line-width: 0.6;
       line-color: @admin-boundaries;
       line-width: 0.6;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 7] {
+      background/line-width: 1.2;
+      line-width: 1.2;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 10] {
+      background/line-width: 4;
+      line-width: 4;
+      line-dasharray: 4,2;
+      line-clip: false;
+    }
+  }
+  [admin_level = '4'] {
+    [zoom >= 4] {
+      background/line-color: white;
+      background/line-width: 0.4;
+      line-color: @admin-boundaries;
+      line-width: 0.4;
       line-dasharray: 4,3;
       line-clip: false;
     }
+    [zoom >= 5] {
+      background/line-width: 0.6;
+      line-width: 0.6;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 6] {
+      background/line-width: 0.8;
+      line-width: 0.8;
+    }
     [zoom >= 7] {
       background/line-width: 1;
       line-width: 1;
     }
-    [zoom >= 11] {
+    [zoom >= 9] {
+      background/line-width: 1.8;
+      line-width: 1.8;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 10] {
+      background/line-width: 2.5;
+      line-width: 2.5;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 12] {
       background/line-width: 3;
       line-width: 3;
     }
diff --git a/placenames.mss b/placenames.mss
index 6137660a3d..cef29d3328 100644
--- a/placenames.mss
+++ b/placenames.mss
@@ -1,18 +1,38 @@
 @placenames: #222;
 @placenames-light: #777777;
+@country-labels: darken(@admin-boundaries, 15%);
+@state-labels: desaturate(darken(@admin-boundaries, 5%), 20%);
 
 .country {
-  [admin_level = '2'][zoom >= 2][way_pixels > 3000][way_pixels < 196000] {
+  [admin_level = '2'][zoom >= 3][way_pixels > 1000][way_pixels < 360000] {
     text-name: "[name]";
     text-size: 9;
-    text-fill: #9d6c9d;
+
+    [zoom >= 3] {
+      text-size: 10;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 4] {
+      text-size: 11;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 5] {
+      text-size: 12;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 7] {
+      text-size: 13;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 10] {
+      text-size: 14;
+    }
+
+    text-fill: @country-labels;
     text-face-name: @book-fonts;
+    text-halo-fill: rgba(255,255,255,0.6);
     text-halo-radius: 1.5;
-    text-wrap-width: 50;
+    text-wrap-width: 35;
     text-placement: interior;
-    [zoom >= 4] {
-      text-size: 10;
-    }
+    text-character-spacing: 0.5;
+    text-min-distance: 3;
+    text-line-spacing: 1;
   }
 }
 
@@ -22,18 +42,20 @@
     [zoom >= 5][way_pixels > 3000][way_pixels < 196000] {
       text-name: "[ref]";
       text-size: 9;
-      text-fill: #9d6c9d;
+      text-fill: @state-labels;
       text-face-name: @oblique-fonts;
+      text-halo-fill: rgba(255,255,255,0.6);
       text-halo-radius: 1.5;
       text-wrap-width: 0;
       text-placement: interior;
+      text-min-distance: 3;
       [zoom >= 5] {
         text-name: "[name]";
-        text-wrap-width: 50;
+        text-wrap-width: 30;
       }
       [zoom >= 7] {
         text-size: 11;
-        text-wrap-width: 70;
+        text-wrap-width: 50;
       }
     }
   }
@@ -41,7 +63,6 @@
 
 #placenames-medium::high-importance {
   [category = 1][zoom < 14] {
-    [zoom >= 3][score >= 5000000],
     [zoom >= 4][score >= 3000000],
     [zoom >= 5][score >= 400000] {
       text-name: "[name]";
diff --git a/project.mml b/project.mml
index 730c3023a9..16639394b1 100644
--- a/project.mml
+++ b/project.mml
@@ -1048,6 +1048,33 @@
       },
       "advanced": {}
     },
+    {
+      "name": "admin-very-low-zoom",
+      "srs-name": "900913",
+      "geometry": "linestring",
+      "class": "",
+      "srs": "+proj=merc +a=6378137 +b=6378137 +lat_ts=0.0 +lon_0=0.0 +x_0=0.0 +y_0=0.0 +k=1.0 +units=m +nadgrids=@null +wktext +no_defs +over",
+      "Datasource": {
+        "extent": "-20037508,-20037508,20037508,20037508",
+        "table": "(SELECT\n    ST_Simplify(way, !scale_denominator!/4500) as way,\n    admin_level\n  FROM (\n    SELECT a.way, a.admin_level\n    FROM planet_osm_roads a\n    WHERE a.boundary = 'administrative'\n      AND a.admin_level IN ('0', '1', '2')\n      AND a.osm_id < 0\n    UNION ALL\n    SELECT b.way, b.admin_level\n    FROM planet_osm_roads b\n    WHERE b.boundary = 'administrative'\n      AND b.admin_level IN ('3', '4')\n      AND b.osm_id < 0\n      AND true IN (\n        SELECT ST_Within(b.way, c.way)\n        FROM planet_osm_polygon c\n        WHERE c.boundary = 'administrative'\n          AND c.admin_level = '2'\n          AND c.way_area > 9000000000000\n     )\n  ) as admin_entitites\n  ORDER BY admin_level DESC\n) AS admin_very_low_zoom",
+        "geometry_field": "way",
+        "type": "postgis",
+        "key_field": "",
+        "dbname": "gis"
+      },
+      "extent": [
+        -180,
+        -85.05112877980659,
+        180,
+        85.05112877980659
+      ],
+      "id": "admin-very-low-zoom",
+      "properties": {
+        "maxzoom": 4,
+        "minzoom": 4
+      },
+      "advanced": {}
+    },
     {
       "name": "admin-low-zoom",
       "srs-name": "900913",
@@ -1056,7 +1083,7 @@
       "srs": "+proj=merc +a=6378137 +b=6378137 +lat_ts=0.0 +lon_0=0.0 +x_0=0.0 +y_0=0.0 +k=1.0 +units=m +nadgrids=@null +wktext +no_defs +over",
       "Datasource": {
         "extent": "-20037508,-20037508,20037508,20037508",
-        "table": "(SELECT\n    way,\n    admin_level\n  FROM planet_osm_roads\n  WHERE boundary = 'administrative'\n    AND admin_level IN ('0', '1', '2', '3', '4')\n  ORDER BY admin_level DESC\n) AS admin_low_zoom",
+        "table": "(SELECT\n    ST_Simplify(way, !scale_denominator!/4500) as way,\n    admin_level\n  FROM planet_osm_roads\n  WHERE boundary = 'administrative'\n    AND admin_level IN ('0', '1', '2', '3', '4')\n  ORDER BY admin_level DESC\n) AS admin_low_zoom",
         "geometry_field": "way",
         "type": "postgis",
         "key_field": "",
@@ -1070,7 +1097,8 @@
       ],
       "id": "admin-low-zoom",
       "properties": {
-        "maxzoom": 10
+        "maxzoom": 10,
+        "minzoom": 5
       },
       "advanced": {}
     },
@@ -1257,6 +1285,60 @@
       },
       "advanced": {}
     },
+    {
+      "name": "placenames-large-very-low-zoom",
+      "srs-name": "900913",
+      "geometry": "point",
+      "class": "country state",
+      "id": "placenames-large-very-low-zoom",
+      "srs": "+proj=merc +a=6378137 +b=6378137 +lat_ts=0.0 +lon_0=0.0 +x_0=0.0 +y_0=0.0 +k=1.0 +units=m +nadgrids=@null +wktext +no_defs +over",
+      "Datasource": {
+        "extent": "-20037508,-20037508,20037508,20037508",
+        "table": "(SELECT\n    way,\n    way_area/NULLIF(!pixel_width!::real*!pixel_height!::real,0) AS way_pixels,\n    name,\n    ref,\n    admin_level\n  FROM planet_osm_polygon\n  WHERE boundary = 'administrative'\n    AND admin_level = '2'\n    AND name IS NOT NULL\n  ORDER BY admin_level ASC, way_area DESC\n) AS placenames_large_very_low_zoom",
+        "geometry_field": "way",
+        "type": "postgis",
+        "key_field": "",
+        "dbname": "gis"
+      },
+      "extent": [
+        -180,
+        -85.05112877980659,
+        180,
+        85.05112877980659
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "maxzoom": 3,
+        "minzoom": 2
+      },
+      "advanced": {}
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "placenames-large-low-zoom",
+      "srs-name": "900913",
+      "geometry": "point",
+      "class": "country state",
+      "id": "placenames-large-low-zoom",
+      "srs": "+proj=merc +a=6378137 +b=6378137 +lat_ts=0.0 +lon_0=0.0 +x_0=0.0 +y_0=0.0 +k=1.0 +units=m +nadgrids=@null +wktext +no_defs +over",
+      "Datasource": {
+        "extent": "-20037508,-20037508,20037508,20037508",
+        "table": "(SELECT\n    way,\n    way_area/NULLIF(!pixel_width!::real*!pixel_height!::real,0) AS way_pixels,\n    name,\n    ref,\n    admin_level\n  FROM (\n    SELECT a.way, a.way_area, a.name, a.ref, a.admin_level\n    FROM planet_osm_polygon a\n    WHERE a.admin_level = '2'\n      AND a.name IS NOT NULL\n    UNION ALL\n    SELECT b.way, b.way_area, b.name, b.ref, b.admin_level\n    FROM planet_osm_polygon b\n    WHERE b.admin_level = '4'\n      AND b.name IS NOT NULL\n      AND true IN (\n        SELECT ST_Within(b.way, c.way)\n        FROM planet_osm_polygon c\n        WHERE c.boundary = 'administrative'\n          AND c.admin_level = '2'\n          AND c.way_area > 9000000000000\n     )\n  ) as admin_entities\n  ORDER BY admin_level ASC, way_area DESC\n) AS placenames_large_low_zoom",
+        "geometry_field": "way",
+        "type": "postgis",
+        "key_field": "",
+        "dbname": "gis"
+      },
+      "extent": [
+        -180,
+        -85.05112877980659,
+        180,
+        85.05112877980659
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "maxzoom": 4,
+        "minzoom": 4
+      },
+      "advanced": {}
+    },
     {
       "name": "placenames-large",
       "srs-name": "900913",
@@ -1279,7 +1361,7 @@
         85.05112877980659
       ],
       "properties": {
-        "minzoom": 2
+        "minzoom": 5
       },
       "advanced": {}
     },
diff --git a/project.yaml b/project.yaml
index cf78cec322..117fd250ee 100644
--- a/project.yaml
+++ b/project.yaml
@@ -1311,6 +1311,43 @@ Layer:
     properties:
       minzoom: 13
     advanced: {}
+  - name: "admin-very-low-zoom"
+    id: "admin-very-low-zoom"
+    class: ""
+    geometry: "linestring"
+    <<: *extents
+    Datasource:
+      <<: *osm2pgsql
+      table: |-
+        (SELECT
+            ST_Simplify(way, !scale_denominator!/4500) as way,
+            admin_level
+          FROM (
+            SELECT a.way, a.admin_level
+            FROM planet_osm_roads a
+            WHERE a.boundary = 'administrative'
+              AND a.admin_level IN ('0', '1', '2')
+              AND a.osm_id < 0
+            UNION ALL
+            SELECT b.way, b.admin_level
+            FROM planet_osm_roads b
+            WHERE b.boundary = 'administrative'
+              AND b.admin_level IN ('3', '4')
+              AND b.osm_id < 0
+              AND true IN (
+                SELECT ST_Within(b.way, c.way)
+                FROM planet_osm_polygon c
+                WHERE c.boundary = 'administrative'
+                  AND c.admin_level = '2'
+                  AND c.way_area > 9000000000000
+             )
+          ) as admin_entitites
+          ORDER BY admin_level DESC
+        ) AS admin_very_low_zoom
+    properties:
+      minzoom: 4
+      maxzoom: 4
+    advanced: {}
   - name: "admin-low-zoom"
     id: "admin-low-zoom"
     class: ""
@@ -1320,7 +1357,7 @@ Layer:
       <<: *osm2pgsql
       table: |-
         (SELECT
-            way,
+            ST_Simplify(way, !scale_denominator!/4500) as way,
             admin_level
           FROM planet_osm_roads
           WHERE boundary = 'administrative'
@@ -1328,6 +1365,7 @@ Layer:
           ORDER BY admin_level DESC
         ) AS admin_low_zoom
     properties:
+      minzoom: 5
       maxzoom: 10
     advanced: {}
   - id: "admin-mid-zoom"
@@ -1463,6 +1501,68 @@ Layer:
     properties:
       minzoom: 16
     advanced: {}
+  - id: "placenames-large-very-low-zoom"
+    name: "placenames-large-very-low-zoom"
+    class: "country state"
+    geometry: "point"
+    <<: *extents
+    Datasource:
+      <<: *osm2pgsql
+      table: |-
+        (SELECT
+            way,
+            way_area/NULLIF(!pixel_width!::real*!pixel_height!::real,0) AS way_pixels,
+            name,
+            ref,
+            admin_level
+          FROM planet_osm_polygon
+          WHERE boundary = 'administrative'
+            AND admin_level = '2'
+            AND name IS NOT NULL
+          ORDER BY admin_level ASC, way_area DESC
+        ) AS placenames_large_very_low_zoom
+    properties:
+      minzoom: 2
+      maxzoom: 3
+    advanced: {}
+  - id: "placenames-large-low-zoom"
+    name: "placenames-large-low-zoom"
+    class: "country state"
+    geometry: "point"
+    <<: *extents
+    Datasource:
+      <<: *osm2pgsql
+      table: |-
+        (SELECT
+            way,
+            way_area/NULLIF(!pixel_width!::real*!pixel_height!::real,0) AS way_pixels,
+            name,
+            ref,
+            admin_level
+          FROM (
+            SELECT a.way, a.way_area, a.name, a.ref, a.admin_level
+            FROM planet_osm_polygon a
+            WHERE a.admin_level = '2'
+              AND a.name IS NOT NULL
+            UNION ALL
+            SELECT b.way, b.way_area, b.name, b.ref, b.admin_level
+            FROM planet_osm_polygon b
+            WHERE b.admin_level = '4'
+              AND b.name IS NOT NULL
+              AND true IN (
+                SELECT ST_Within(b.way, c.way)
+                FROM planet_osm_polygon c
+                WHERE c.boundary = 'administrative'
+                  AND c.admin_level = '2'
+                  AND c.way_area > 9000000000000
+             )
+          ) as admin_entities
+          ORDER BY admin_level ASC, way_area DESC
+        ) AS placenames_large_low_zoom
+    properties:
+      minzoom: 4
+      maxzoom: 4
+    advanced: {}
   - id: "placenames-large"
     name: "placenames-large"
     class: "country state"
@@ -1484,7 +1584,7 @@ Layer:
           ORDER BY admin_level ASC, way_area DESC
         ) AS placenames_large
     properties:
-      minzoom: 2
+      minzoom: 5
     advanced: {}
   - id: "placenames-medium"
     name: "placenames-medium"
diff --git a/shapefiles.mss b/shapefiles.mss
index 5b3d1c0b72..1274b57a74 100644
--- a/shapefiles.mss
+++ b/shapefiles.mss
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #necountries {
   [zoom >= 1][zoom < 4] {
-    line-width: 0.5;
+    line-width: 0.2;
+    [zoom >= 2] {
+      line-width: 0.3;
+    }
+    [zoom >= 3] {
+      line-width: 0.4;
+    }
     line-color: @admin-boundaries;
   }
 }