world {maps} | R Documentation

## Low (mid) resolution World Map

### Description

This updated (2013) world map is imported from the Natural Earth project (the 1:50m resolution version). It replaces a much older version based on the CIA World Data Bank II data. That older version is still included in the package and can reached as `legacy_world`.

### Usage

    data(worldMapEnv)

### Format

The data file is merely a character string which specifies the name of an environment variable which contains the base location of the binary files used by the map drawing functions. This environment variable (`R_MAP_DATA_DIR_WORLD`) is set at package load time if it does not already exist. Hence setting the environment variable before loading the package can override the default location of the binary datasets.

During a transition period (`maps` version 3.0–1) it is possible to switch to the old legacy map using the function `world.legacy(TRUE)` or by setting the setting the environment variable R_MAP_DATA_LEGACY=TRUE prior to loading the package.

### Details

As of version 3.1, the `world` database no longer contains any lakes. These have been moved to a separate database called `lakes`.

### Source

The Natural Earth data set is available from http://www.naturalearthdata.com.

### References

Richard A. Becker, and Allan R. Wilks, "Maps in S", AT\&T Bell Laboratories Statistics Research Report [93.2], 1993.

Richard A. Becker, and Allan R. Wilks, "Constructing a Geographical Database", AT\&T Bell Laboratories Statistics Research Report [95.2], 1995.

### See Also

`map`,`world.legacy`,`legacy_world`,`lakes`

### Examples

    # notice how some polygons extend beyond the [-180,180] interval:
    map('world', fill = TRUE, col = 1:10)
    # if you wrap at [-180,180], you also can get a clean closure of Antarctica
    map('world', fill = TRUE, col = 1:10, wrap=c(-180,180) )

[Package maps version 3.2.0 Index]