Cartopy
A Python library for cartographic visualizations with Matplotlib
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Cartopy is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard choice for map visualization in the scientific Python ecosystem. Medium install friction is typical for geospatial libraries with compiled components. The permissive BSD-3-Clause license poses no restrictions. Install it if you need to visualize geographic or geospatial data in Python.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a working C++ compiler and system libraries for shapely and pyproj; some platforms may need additional geospatial library dependencies.
- Medium install friction due to compiled C++ components and multiple binary wheels across platforms.
- Active maintenance with recent commits and a stable release cadence; requires Python 3.10 or later.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with attribution; no copyleft restrictions on derivative works.
last release 2025-08-01 (378 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-12 · 1,614 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 5,250,900 downloads/mo, #2,127 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install cartopy
import cartopy.crs as ccrs
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
ax = plt.axes(projection=ccrs.PlateCarree())
ax.coastlines()
plt.show()- Whether pre-built wheels cover all target platforms or if source compilation is needed on some systems.
- Performance characteristics when handling large shapefiles or high-resolution map data.
What it is and what it does
Cartopy is a Python library that simplifies drawing maps for scientific data visualization and analysis. It sits on top of Matplotlib and provides object-oriented map projection definitions, coordinate transformations between projections, and vector data handling through Shapely integration. The library lets you work with geographic data—points, lines, polygons, and raster images—and transform them between different map projections, then render them directly in Matplotlib plots.
You use Cartopy when you need to visualize geospatial data on maps: plotting weather data across regions, displaying geographic features like coastlines and borders, or overlaying scientific measurements on map backgrounds. It handles the projection math and Matplotlib integration so you can focus on your data rather than coordinate system details. The package depends on numpy, matplotlib, shapely, pyproj, pyshp, and packaging—all mature libraries in the scientific Python ecosystem.
Use it for
- Plot weather or climate data on map projections for meteorological analysis.
- Visualize geographic boundaries, coastlines, and administrative regions from shapefiles.
- Overlay scientific measurements (satellite data, sensor readings) onto map backgrounds.
- Create publication-quality cartographic visualizations for research papers or reports.
- Transform and display geospatial point, line, or polygon data across different map projections.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Cartopy is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard choice for map visualization in the scientific Python ecosystem. Medium install friction is typical for geospatial libraries with compiled components. The permissive BSD-3-Clause license poses no restrictions. Install it if you need to visualize geographic or geospatial data in Python.
Install
cartopy on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled C++ components and multiple binary wheels across platforms. Active maintenance with recent commits and a stable release cadence; requires Python 3.10 or later.
Requires a working C++ compiler and system libraries for shapely and pyproj; some platforms may need additional geospatial library dependencies.
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with attribution; no copyleft restrictions on derivative works.
Quickstart
pip install cartopy
import cartopy.crs as ccrs
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
ax = plt.axes(projection=ccrs.PlateCarree())
ax.coastlines()
plt.show()Verify before relying
- Whether pre-built wheels cover all target platforms or if source compilation is needed on some systems.
- Performance characteristics when handling large shapefiles or high-resolution map data.
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 6 packagesnumpymatplotlibshapelypackagingpyshppyproj |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 378 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 5,250,900 / month, #2,127 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaFramework :: MatplotlibOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXOperating System :: POSIX :: AIXOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: C++Programming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Topic :: Scientific/EngineeringTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: GISTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Visualization |
Evidence: cartopy-0.25.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp313-cp313-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp313-cp313-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; cartopy-0.25.0-cp313-cp313-win_amd64.whl
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See also pyproj · basemap · plotbin · descartes · basemap-data · geopandas · splot · xtgeoviz · staticmap · healpy