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worldmap

Create axesm-based map for world region

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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.

example

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

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Open Live Script

Set up a world map and draw coarse coastlines.

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

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains 18 objects of type patch, line, text.

Open Live Script

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")

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains 1037 objects of type patch, line, text.

Open Live Script

Read world land areas as a geospatial table. Extract the table row containing Antarctica. 

GT = readgeotable("landareas.shp");
row = GT.Name == "Antarctica";
ant = GT(row,:);

Display Antarctica on a map with an appropriate projection.

worldmap("antarctica")
geoshow(ant)

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains 19 objects of type patch, line, text.

Open Live Script

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")

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains 177 objects of type patch, line, text.

Open Live Script

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')

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains 14 objects of type patch, surface, line, text.

Open Live Script

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)

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains 13 objects of type patch, surface, line, text.

Open Live Script

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)

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains 64 objects of type patch, line, text.

Input Arguments

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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'}

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

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

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

Geographic reference, specified as one of the following.

TypeDescription
Geographic raster reference object

GeographicCellsReference or GeographicPostingsReference geographic raster reference object. The RasterSize property must be consistent with the size of the data grid, size(Z).

Vector

1-by-3 numeric vector with elements:

[cells/degree northern_latitude_limit western_longitude_limit]
Matrix

3-by-2 numeric matrix that transforms raster row and column indices to or from geographic coordinates according to:

[lon lat] = [row col 1] * R

R defines a (non-rotational, non-skewed) relationship in which each column of the data grid falls along a meridian and each row falls along a parallel.

For more information about referencing vectors and matrices, see Georeferenced Raster Data.

Output Arguments

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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

See Also

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