Natural Earth Roads
Natural Earth Roads provides a public-domain global road network that is lightweight and easy to import into QGIS or web mapping tools.
Format Shapefile
Coverage Global
Resolution 1:10m to 1:110m
License Public domain
Update Versioned releases
Format
Shapefile
Geometry
LineString
Coverage
Global
Resolution
1:10m to 1:110m
About this dataset
Global major road network lines derived from public domain cultural vector data.
Download Natural Earth roads for a lightweight global road network layer suitable for basemaps and transport visualization.
Road basemaps Transport overlay Quick global network preview
How to download
- 1 Open the Natural Earth downloads page.
- 2 Choose the 1:10m Cultural section.
- 3 Download the roads shapefile zip.
- 4 Extract and add the line layer to your map.
FAQ
Does Natural Earth Roads include local streets?
No. It focuses on major roads and highways at a global scale rather than detailed local street networks.
Can I convert Natural Earth Roads to GeoJSON?
Yes. The shapefile can be exported to GeoJSON with QGIS, GDAL, or online converters for web use.