worldmap

Create axesm-based map for world region

Syntax

worldmap region

worldmap(region)

worldmap

worldmap(latlim,lonlim)

worldmap(Z,R)

h = worldmap(___)

Description

worldmap region or worldmap(region) sets up an empty axesm-based map (previously referred to as map axes) with projection and limits suitable to the part of the world specified in region.

worldmap with no arguments presents a menu from which you can select the name of a single continent, country, island, or region.

worldmap(latlim,lonlim) allows you to define a custom geographic region in terms of its latitude and longitude limits in degrees.

worldmap(Z,R) derives the map limits from the extent of a regular data grid, Z, georeferenced by R.

h = worldmap(___) returns the handle of the axesm-based map.

Examples

Set up World Map and Draw Coastlines

Set up a world map and draw coarse coastlines.

worldmap('World')
load coastlines
plotm(coastlat,coastlon)

Create World Map with Land Areas, Lakes, and Other Landmarks

Read and display land areas, major lakes and rivers, cities, and populated places on a world map.

ax = worldmap("World");
setm(ax,"Origin",[0 180 0])

land = readgeotable("landareas.shp");
geoshow(ax,land,"FaceColor",[0.5 0.7 0.5])

lakes = readgeotable("worldlakes.shp");
geoshow(lakes,"FaceColor","blue")

rivers = readgeotable("worldrivers.shp");
geoshow(rivers,"Color","blue")

cities = readgeotable("worldcities.shp");
geoshow(cities,"Marker",".","Color","red")

Create Map of Antarctica

Geocode the continent of Antarctica. The output is a geospatial table that represents Antarctica using a polygon shape in geographic coordinates.

GT = geocode("Antarctica");

Display Antarctica on a map with an appropriate projection.

worldmap("antarctica")
geoshow(GT)

Create Map of Africa and India with Major Cities

Read world land areas and cities as geospatial tables. Create a world map appropriate for Africa and India. Then, display the land areas and cities on the map

land = readgeotable("landareas.shp");
cities = readgeotable("worldcities.shp");

worldmap(["Africa" "India"])
geoshow(land,"FaceColor",[0.15 0.5 0.15])
geoshow(cities,"Marker",".","Color","red")

Display Geoid Heights Over South America and Central Pacific

Display geoid heights from the EGM96 geoid model over a map of South America and the central Pacific. First, get geoid heights and a geographic postings reference object. Load coastline latitude and longitude data.

[N,R] = egm96geoid;
load coastlines

Create a world map by specifying latitude and longitude limits. Then, display the geoid heights and coastline data.

latlim = [-50 50];
lonlim = [160 -30];
worldmap(latlim,lonlim)

geoshow(N,R,'DisplayType','surface')
geoshow(coastlat,coastlon,'Color','k')

Display Map of Terrain Elevations in Korea

Load elevation data and a geographic cells reference object for the Korean peninsula. Create a world map with appropriate latitude and longitude limits. Then, display the data as a texture map using geoshow. Apply a colormap appropriate for elevation data using demcmap.

load korea5c
worldmap(korea5c,korea5cR);
geoshow(korea5c,korea5cR,'DisplayType','texturemap')
demcmap(korea5c)

Map the United States of America Coloring State Polygons

Create a map of the United States of America. Display the states using a palette of random, muted colors.

worldmap("USA");

load coastlines
geoshow(coastlat,coastlon, ...
    "DisplayType","polygon","FaceColor",[0.45 0.60 0.30])

states = readgeotable("usastatelo.shp");

h = height(states);
faceColors = makesymbolspec("Polygon", ...
    {'INDEX',[1 h],'FaceColor',polcmap(h)});

geoshow(states,"DisplayType","polygon", ...
  "SymbolSpec",faceColors)

Input Arguments

region — Region to display

'World' | 'North Pole' | 'South Pole' | 'Pacific' | character vector | string scalar | string array | cell array of character vectors

Region to display, specified as a string scalar, string array, character vector, or cell array of character vectors. Permissible values include names of continents, countries, and islands as well as 'World', 'North Pole', 'South Pole', and 'Pacific'.

Example: {'Africa','India'}

latlim — Latitude limits

two-element vector

Latitude limits, specified as a two-element vector of the form [southern_limit northern_limit].

lonlim — Longitude limits

two-element vector

Longitude limits, specified as a two-element vector of the form [western_limit eastern_limit].

Z — Data grid

M-by-N array

Data grid, specified as an M-by-N array. Z is a regular data grid associated with a geographic reference R.

R — Geographic raster reference

GeographicCellsReference object | GeographicPostingsReference object

Geographic raster reference, specified as a GeographicCellsReference or GeographicPostingsReference object. A reference object relates the subscripts of the data grid to geographic coordinates.

The RasterSize property of R must be consistent with the size of the data grid.

Output Arguments

h — Handle of the axesm-based map

handle object

Handle of the axesm-based map, returned as a handle object.

Tips

• All axes created with worldmap are initialized with a spherical Earth model having a radius of 6,371,000 meters.

• worldmap uses tightmap to adjust the axes limits around the map. If you change the projection, or just want more white space around the map frame, use tightmap again or auto axis.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

R2026a: Referencing matrices and referencing vectors are not recommended

Specifying the geographic raster reference R using a referencing matrix or referencing vector is not recommended. Use a geographic raster reference object, specified as a GeographicCellsReference or GeographicPostingsReference object, as input instead.

To update your code, create a geographic reference object.

• Create a geographic reference object for a raster of cells by using the georefcells function.

• Create a geographic reference object for a raster of regularly posted samples by using the georefpostings function.

• Convert from a referencing vector to a geographic reference object by using the refvecToGeoRasterReference function.

• Convert from a referencing matrix to a geographic reference object by using the refmatToGeoRasterReference function.

Once you have created a reference object, replace uses of the referencing vector or referencing matrix in your code with the reference object.