Add geographical data
Learn how to add geographical data to your charts in DataPicta using the built-in library from Natural Earth.
DataPicta supports geographical data in GeoJSON format. You can add geographical data by clicking on 'Add Data' in the data panel. If this is your first time adding data the add data dialog will open, in this dialog you see a button to switch to the 'Add geographical data' dialog. Otherwise you need to click on 'Add geographical data' in the intermediate dialog.
Although you can upload any GeoJSON file, DataPicta already has thousands of geographical datasets built in. This includes the world, continents, countries and many regions. If you need a smaller set of geographical data, like a city, you probably need to upload your own GeoJSON file. The geographical data in DataPicta is sourced from Natural Earth, therefore the filtering options in the Add geographical data dialog are based on the Natural Earth dataset.
The Add geographical data dialog
The dialog is divided into two parts. On the left you configure what you are looking for, on the right you see the results.
Search bar
At the top there is a search bar where you can search through the rich library of maps by name (English names only).
Presets
Below the search bar there is a presets pulldown with these quick-access options:
| Preset | Description |
|---|---|
| World | A complete world map |
| Continents | The seven continents |
| Countries | Individual countries and dependencies |
| Subregions | UN M49 subregions (e.g., Western Europe, Eastern Africa) |
| United Nations | UN M49 regional classification |
| World Bank | World Bank regional classification |
Presets automatically set the Accuracy, Group, Topic and Minimal objects filters for you.
Filters
Below the presets there are three pulldown menus for fine-grained filtering:
Accuracy — Choose between High, Medium and Low. High has the most geometric detail, but Low is smaller in file size. We recommend choosing Low because that results in better performance (both download and rendering) and usually contains enough detail for charts and maps.
Group — Filters on the Natural Earth administrative grouping:
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| Admin | The administrative unit name at the level of the dataset. In Admin 0 datasets this equals the sovereign country name (e.g., "France"). In Admin 1 datasets this equals the parent country name (e.g., "United States of America" for a U.S. state). |
| Continent | A simple geographic continent assignment. Values: Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America, South America (seven-continent model, Antarctica included). This is not a UN or World Bank classification — it is purely geographic. |
| Region | A general geographic region, not tied to a specific organization. Often similar to UN regions but not identical. Examples: Europe, Asia, Africa, Americas, Oceania. More informal than the UN or World Bank versions. |
| Region_un | The official UN M49 region. Values: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania. |
| Region_wb | The World Bank regional classification, which differs from UN M49. Values: East Asia & Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, North America, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa. |
| Subregion | The UN M49 subregion, the level below Region_un. Examples: Western Europe, Eastern Africa, Southern Asia, Caribbean, South America, Northern America. This is the most detailed region classification in Natural Earth's country-level data. |
Topic — Filters on the specific Natural Earth dataset type. The table below lists the most commonly used topics. Additional topics (such as Antarctic claims, breakaway regions, minor island scale ranks and Admin 2 counties) are also available — these match the full Natural Earth source dataset, so you can also use them if needed.
| Topic | Use case |
|---|---|
| Admin 0 countries (1493) | The main country boundaries dataset. Includes sovereign states and dependencies. One of the core layers used in almost every map. |
| Admin 0 countries lakes (1493) | Same as above but lakes are carved out of the polygons. Useful when you want clean land-only shapes. |
| Admin 0 sovereignty (1297) | Shows sovereign entities and their dependent territories. Useful for political maps. |
| Admin 1 states provinces (5361) | All first-level administrative divisions: states, provinces, regions, oblasts, etc. The standard dataset for subnational maps. |
| Admin 1 states provinces lakes (5361) | Same as above, but lakes removed. |
| Time zones (41) | Global time zone polygons. Useful for logistics, scheduling or global apps. |
| Admin 0 disputed areas (233) | Polygons for territorial disputes (e.g., Kashmir, Western Sahara). For politically sensitive boundaries. |
| Admin 0 map subunits (1259) | Subnational units below country level, often historical or special administrative areas (e.g., UK constituent countries, French overseas regions). |
| Admin 0 map units (1562) | A more detailed breakdown of country-level units, often used for generalized world maps. |
| Parks and protected lands area (62) | Polygons for national parks, reserves and protected areas. |
| Parks and protected lands scale rank (62) | Scale rank for parks. |
| Urban areas (2) | Global urban footprint polygons (built-up areas). Generalized for small-scale maps. |
| Urban areas landscan (1) | Urban areas derived from LandScan population data. More population-driven than geometric. |
The Topic pulldown contains more rows than shown here, including Admin 0 scale rank, Admin 2 counties and other specialized datasets. These match the full Natural Earth source and are available for use, but are rarely needed for typical maps and charts.
Minimum objects
Below the filter pulldowns there is a numeric field where you can set the minimum number of objects a map should contain. For example, if you want a map of the USA that includes state borders, you can set this to 50 to filter out smaller regions.
Search results
Search results are shown as cards on the right side of the dialog. Each card displays:
- A preview of the map
- The name of the region
- The number of objects (e.g., provinces or states in a country map)
- The file size in bytes
When in doubt, choose the map with the lowest byte size — it will load faster in your chart. The objects count is more relevant when you need to style individual objects (e.g., coloring states or provinces by data values in a choropleth).
When you hover over a card, extra details appear below the numeric input field:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The full name of the region |
| Accuracy | The accuracy level (High, Medium or Low) |
| Group | The administrative grouping |
| Topic | The Natural Earth dataset type |
| Objects | The number of objects in the dataset |
| Size | The file size in bytes |
Click on a card to load that geographical dataset into your chart.