Rotating Globe

A 3D globe of the world that turns on its own. Satellite view shows the Earth from space.

  • Try it:
  • Drag to spin the globe
  • Click, then scroll to zoom
  • Click a country to fly to it
Get the code JavaScript JSON
About this map

What a globe is good for

A globe shows the world the way it looks from space, and invites people to explore.

Good for

  • An eye-catching opening for a story, report or landing page
  • Routes and connections, especially across the Pacific or the poles
  • Highlighting a few countries or cities

Think twice when

  • Readers must see every country at once: use a flat map
  • Detailed regional data: a zoomed-in country map works better
  • Print and static images: only one side shows
For developers

Get the code.

Built with amCharts 5, a JavaScript library. The JavaScript includes your theme and renderer (canvas or SVG); the JSON also follows the changes you make with the controls.

Docs:Map chartPolygon seriesGraticule seriesPan and zoom
// Create root element
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/getting-started/#Root_element
var root = am5.Root.new("chartdiv");

// Set themes
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/concepts/themes/
root.setThemes([
  am5themes_Animated.new(root),
  am5themes_Responsive.new(root)
]);

// Create the map chart
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/map-chart/
var chart = root.container.children.push(am5map.MapChart.new(root, {
  // go to the home view once the map is fitted
  autoHome: true,
  panX: "rotateX",                      // a sideways drag spins the globe
  panY: "rotateY",                      // an up or down drag tilts it
  projection: am5map.geoOrthographic(), // a globe, seen from space
  // hold shift and drag a box to zoom into it
  boxZoom: "shift",
  minZoomLevel: 0.5,                    // zoom out to half the fitted size at most
  // start, and go home, slightly zoomed out, so the globe has a margin around it
  zoomLevel: 0.95,
  homeZoomLevel: 0.95,
  animationDuration: 800,               // zoom and pan animations take 0.8 seconds
  // near-black space behind the satellite picture, shown only with it
  background: am5.Rectangle.new(root, {
    fill: am5.color(0x101318),
    fillOpacity: 0 // transparent until the satellite picture shows
  })
}));

// Create series for background fill
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/map-chart/map-polygon-series/#Background_polygon
var backgroundSeries = chart.series.push(am5map.MapPolygonSeries.new(root, {}));
backgroundSeries.mapPolygons.template.setAll({
  fill: root.interfaceColors.get("alternativeBackground"), // the theme's text color: works in light and dark
  fillOpacity: 0.05, // a faint tint for the ocean
  strokeOpacity: 0 // no outline
});
// one polygon that covers the whole Earth: the ocean
backgroundSeries.data.push({
  geometry: am5map.getGeoRectangle(90, 180, -90, -180)
});

// Satellite view: NASA's picture of the Earth by day, under the grid lines and the countries. Hidden at first
// (visible: false): make it visible for the satellite view
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/map-chart/map-raster-series/
var satelliteSeries = chart.series.push(am5map.MapRasterSeries.new(root, {
  visible: false,
  // the map fits the countries, not the whole picture
  affectsBounds: false
}));

// Create graticule series
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/map-chart/graticule-series/
var graticuleSeries = chart.series.push(am5map.GraticuleSeries.new(root, {}));
// faint grid lines in the theme's text color
graticuleSeries.mapLines.template.setAll({ strokeOpacity: 0.08, stroke: root.interfaceColors.get("alternativeBackground") });

// Create main polygon series for countries
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/map-chart/map-polygon-series/
var polygonSeries = chart.series.push(am5map.MapPolygonSeries.new(root, {
  geoJSON: am5geodata_worldLow // country shapes from the low-detail world map
}));

polygonSeries.mapPolygons.template.setAll({
  tooltipText: "{name}", // hover a country for its name
  interactive: true,     // the countries react to the pointer (the click handler below picks one)
  strokeWidth: 0.5       // thin borders
});

// Hover and active fill the country; over the satellite picture they turn to a bright outline instead (see below)
polygonSeries.mapPolygons.template.states.create("hover", {
  fill: root.interfaceColors.get("primaryButtonHover"), // the theme's button hover color
  fillOpacity: 1
});

// The clicked country stays highlighted
polygonSeries.mapPolygons.template.states.create("active", {
  fill: root.interfaceColors.get("primaryButtonActive"), // the theme's pressed button color
  fillOpacity: 1
});

// The image credit
var credit = chart.children.push(am5.Label.new(root, {
  text: "Imagery: NASA Earth Observatory",
  fontSize: 12,              // small print
  fill: am5.color(0xffffff), // white, over the dark picture
  fillOpacity: 0.6,          // a little see-through
  x: am5.p100,               // at the chart's right edge...
  centerX: am5.p100,         // ...lined up by the label's own right side
  dx: -10,                   // 10px in from the edge
  y: 10,                     // 10px from the top
  visible: false             // shown only with the satellite picture
}));

// The countries' own look, to go back to
var landTemplate = polygonSeries.mapPolygons.template;
var landLook = {
  fillOpacity: landTemplate.get("fillOpacity", 1),
  stroke: landTemplate.get("stroke", root.interfaceColors.get("background")),
  strokeOpacity: landTemplate.get("strokeOpacity", 1)
};

// Hovered and active countries: their own look on the map, only a bright outline over the satellite picture
var outlineLook = { fillOpacity: 0, strokeOpacity: 1, strokeWidth: 2 };
var hoverState = landTemplate.states.lookup("hover");
var hoverLook = stateLook(hoverState);
var activeState = landTemplate.states.lookup("active");
var activeLook = stateLook(activeState);

// the settings of a state that the outline changes, as they are on the map
function stateLook(state) {
  return {
    fillOpacity: state.get("fillOpacity", landLook.fillOpacity),
    strokeOpacity: state.get("strokeOpacity", landLook.strokeOpacity),
    strokeWidth: state.get("strokeWidth", landTemplate.get("strokeWidth", 1))
  };
}

// The picture loads the first time it shows. Then the countries turn to white outlines over it, the grid lines
// turn white, the credit shows and the map sits in near-black space
satelliteSeries.on("visible", function(visible) {
  if (visible) {
    satelliteSeries.set("src", "https://cdn.amcharts.com/lib/5/geodata/images/earthDay2048.jpg");
  }
  credit.set("visible", visible);
  chart.get("background").set("fillOpacity", visible ? 1 : 0);
  var look = visible ? { fillOpacity: 0, stroke: am5.color(0xffffff), strokeOpacity: 0.6 } : landLook;
  landTemplate.setAll(look);
  hoverState.setAll(visible ? outlineLook : hoverLook);
  activeState.setAll(visible ? outlineLook : activeLook);
  // a country hovered before kept the look it had then as its own and as its default one: give it the new look
  polygonSeries.mapPolygons.each(function (polygon) {
    var defaultState = polygon.states.lookup("default");
    if (defaultState) {
      defaultState.setAll(look);
    }
    polygon.setAll(polygon.get("active") ? (visible ? outlineLook : activeLook) : look);
  });
  graticuleSeries.mapLines.template.set("stroke", visible ? am5.color(0xffffff) : root.interfaceColors.get("alternativeBackground"));
});

// Rotate animation
var spin = chart.animate({
  key: "rotationX", // spin around the vertical axis...
  from: 0,
  to: 360,          // ...one full turn
  duration: 30000,  // every 30 seconds
  loops: Infinity   // forever
});

// Zoom control
// https://www.amcharts.com/docs/v5/charts/map-chart/map-pan-zoom/#Zoom_control
var zoomControl = chart.set("zoomControl", am5map.ZoomControl.new(root, {}));

// the home button is hidden by default
zoomControl.homeButton.set("visible", true);

// going home also stops the spin
zoomControl.homeButton.events.on("click", function () {
  spin.stop();
});

// Turn the globe to a country and zoom in on it
function showCountry(dataItem) {
  spin.stop(); // the globe stops spinning
  var to = -am5map.getGeoCentroid(dataItem.get("mapPolygon").get("geometry")).longitude;
  // after a few turns rotationX can be far past 360: start from the same view, the short way round to the country
  var rx = chart.get("rotationX", 0);
  chart.set("rotationX", to + ((rx - to) % 360 + 540) % 360 - 180);
  return polygonSeries.zoomToDataItem(dataItem, true); // true: turn the globe to the country as it zooms in
}

// One country at a time: a click turns the globe to it and zooms in, a second click on it goes back home
var activePolygon;
polygonSeries.mapPolygons.template.events.on("click", function (ev) {
  var polygon = ev.target;
  var wasActive = polygon.get("active");
  if (activePolygon) {
    activePolygon.set("active", false); // the country picked before loses its highlight
  }
  activePolygon = undefined;
  if (wasActive) {
    chart.goHome();
  } else {
    polygon.set("active", true);
    activePolygon = polygon;
    showCountry(polygon.dataItem);
  }
});

// Make stuff animate on load
chart.appear(1000, 100);

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