---
title: Globe
description: A simple locator map in the shape of a globe.
recipe: globe.txt
image: globe.svg
snapshot: globe.msx
download: globe.zip
---

# Globe locator map

Difficulty: moderate

![Globe](/docs/examples/data/globe.svg)

### Steps

1. Load country polygons (source: Natural Earth)
2. Project countries using the Earth from space projection
3. Simplify country borders
4. Derive a line layer from the country polygons
5. Add a circle so we can show a background color
6. Add graticule lines
7. Add a dot and a label
8. Style all the layers
9. Export as SVG

### Code

```bash
mapshaper \
-i ne_50m_admin_0_countries.geojson name=countries \
-proj +proj=nsper +h=1e7 +lat_0=35 +lon_0=2.35 \
-simplify resolution=400 \
-lines + name=lines \
-graticule polygon name=background \
-filter true + name=shadow \
-graticule target=countries name=graticule interval=20 \
-i "lat,lon,label\n48.86,2.35,Paris" name=dot \
-points \
-proj match=countries \
-filter true + name=label \
-style target=background fill='#f7f7f7' \
-style target=shadow fill-effect=sphere fill='#ccc' \
-style target=graticule stroke='#ccc' \
-style target=countries fill='#e4e4e4' \
-style target=lines stroke='TYPE == "inner" ? "#bbb" : "#c2c2c2"' \
-style target=dot fill='#dd0000' r=4 \
-style target=label label-text=label text-anchor=start dy=5 dx=10 font-size=16 \
-target background,countries,lines,graticule,dot,label,shadow \
-o globe.svg height=400 width=600
```

### Notes

* The PROJ string `+proj=nsper +h=1e7 +lat_0=35 +lon_0=2.35` uses the near-side perspective projection (sometimes called "Earth from space") from a height of 10,000 km above the Earth. This gives a more zoomed-in appearance than the orthographic projection (`+proj=ortho`), which is also commonly used for globe maps.
* `-graticule polygon` creates a polygon that matches the boundary of the graticule, to give the map a background shape.
* `-filter true +` is the Mapshaper idiom for copying a layer (the filter expression is `true`, which means every feature is retained).

### Assets

- <a href="https://mapshaper.org/?files=https%3A%2F%2Fmapshaper.org%2Fdocs%2Fexamples%2Fdata%2Fglobe.msx&q" data-open-snapshot="/docs/examples/data/globe.msx">Open in the web app</a> &mdash; loads a snapshot file containing the finished map
- [Download snapshot (`globe.msx`)](/docs/examples/data/globe.msx)
- [Download source data (`globe.zip`)](/docs/examples/data/globe.zip)