Shapefile / GeoJSON
Natural Earth Countries
Public-domain global country boundaries and related admin layers for lightweight GIS basemaps and downloads.
Country boundary maps Reference basemaps
Boundary & admin data
Boundary & Administrative Data
Country, provincial, and administrative boundary datasets such as Natural Earth and GADM.
Natural Earth GADM GeoPackage Shapefile
Downloadable datasets in this category
8
Each dataset page captures official source links, access notes, and related GIS workflows.
Official sources and direct access
Mixed delivery
Pages combine official portals, direct downloads, and task-focused usage guidance in one canonical URL.
GEO coverage
Task-first content
Intros, FAQs, and workflows are written to answer real “where do I download…” searches.
Boundary pages target practical search intent such as downloading country borders, provinces, and multi-level administrative units.
The directory highlights sources that are widely reused in GIS tutorials, dashboards, and public data portals.
Downloadable datasets in this category
Category directory
Category pages aggregate the most useful entry points first, then push visitors into detailed dataset pages with richer steps and FAQ sections.
GeoPackage / Shapefile / GeoJSON
GADM Administrative Boundaries
Detailed national and subnational administrative boundaries with deeper hierarchy than most lightweight global basemaps.
Province mapping Administrative analysis
Shapefile / GeoJSON
World Bank Official Boundary Data
Official global administrative boundaries from the World Bank covering all countries with standardized ISO 3166 codes for policy and statistical mapping.
Development research mapping Policy analysis boundaries
Shapefile / GeoJSON
OSM Admin Boundaries (osm-boundaries.com)
Multi-level administrative boundaries extracted from OpenStreetMap, available as Shapefile and GeoJSON from level 0 (countries) to level 12.
Multi-level admin mapping Neighborhood boundary extraction
GeoJSON / Shapefile
ISO 3166 Country Shapes
Country boundary geometries matched with ISO 3166-1 codes, ideal for joining with tabular datasets that use standardized country identifiers.
Country-level data joining Choropleth maps with ISO codes
GeoJSON
中国行政区划 (DataV.GeoAtlas)
Chinese provincial, city, and county administrative boundaries from Alibaba DataV GeoAtlas, optimized for web mapping and China-focused dashboards.
China provincial maps City-level dashboards
Shapefile / GeoJSON
UN SALB (Second Administrative Level Boundaries)
United Nations standardized second-level administrative boundaries with ISO codes, managed by the SALB program for consistent international comparison.
International development mapping Cross-country subnational comparison
Shapefile / GeoJSON / GeoPackage
Eurostat NUTS Boundaries
EU NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) boundary polygons at levels 0–3 covering all EU member states for European statistical mapping.
EU regional statistics mapping NUTS choropleth maps
Recommended boundary workflow
How to choose a source
- Use Natural Earth for quick global country and admin layers when you need something lightweight.
- Use GADM when you need deeper administrative levels and more detailed national boundaries.
- Prefer GeoPackage when available, then export to GeoJSON only for web delivery.
Category FAQ
Category FAQ
What is the easiest free source for global country boundaries?
Natural Earth is usually the easiest because it is public domain, lightweight, and available without registration.
When should I use GADM instead of Natural Earth?
Use GADM when you need more detailed administrative hierarchies or national sub-units beyond the lighter Natural Earth products.