{"id":1292,"date":"2026-07-25T22:03:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T22:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/?p=1292"},"modified":"2026-07-25T22:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T22:05:03","slug":"geteach-com-layer-directory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/25\/geteach-com-layer-directory\/","title":{"rendered":"geteach.com Layer Directory"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/geteach.com\" target=\"_blank\">geteach.com<\/a> has 320+ interactive map layers across 33 mapsets, organized under three top-level categories: <strong>Physical Geography<\/strong>, <strong>Human Geography<\/strong>, and <strong>Special Collects<\/strong>. This page is a full directory of every layer and exactly how to find it, so you never have to hunt for a map mid-lesson.<\/p>\n<p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"1440\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 2560 \/ 1440;\" width=\"2560\" controls src=\"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/layersOption.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n<\/p>\n<h2>How to load a layer<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Click <strong>Select Map<\/strong> at the bottom-right corner of a map canvas<\/li>\n<li>Choose a top-level category: <strong>Physical Geography<\/strong>, <strong>Human Geography<\/strong>, or <strong>Special Collects<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Click a mapset name to reveal its individual layers<\/li>\n<li>Click a layer name to load it onto that canvas<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Every path in this directory follows the same format: <strong>Select Map \u2192 [Category] \u2192 [Mapset] \u2192 [Layer]<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Physical Geography<\/h2>\n<h3>Blue Marble (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Blue Marble \u2192 [month]<br \/>\nOne NASA true-color satellite image per month, showing seasonal shifts in vegetation, snow cover, and exposed land.<br \/>\nJanuary \u00b7 February \u00b7 March \u00b7 April \u00b7 May \u00b7 June \u00b7 July \u00b7 August \u00b7 September \u00b7 October \u00b7 November \u00b7 December<\/p>\n<h3>Carbon Dioxide Concentration (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Carbon Dioxide Concentration \u2192 [month]<br \/>\nGlobal atmospheric CO2 concentration by month.<\/p>\n<h3>Climate (15 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Climate \u2192 [layer name]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Climate Regions<\/strong> \u2014 12 simplified global climate zones (ESRI)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bivariate Climate<\/strong> \u2014 blends temperature and precipitation (2004\u20132023) into a single dual-variable map<\/li>\n<li><strong>Climate Graphs<\/strong> \u2014 interactive climograph generator, 0.25\u00b0 resolution, 2003\u20132023 normals<\/li>\n<li><strong>NOAA-DEM<\/strong> \u2014 elevation, for orographic\/rain shadow analysis<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ocean Currents<\/strong> \u2014 warm\/cold surface circulation<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wind Currents<\/strong> \u2014 trade winds, westerlies, polar easterlies, pressure belts<\/li>\n<li><strong>El Ni\u00f1o Temperature Anomaly<\/strong> (Nov. 2015 SST departures)<\/li>\n<li><strong>La Ni\u00f1a Temperature Anomaly<\/strong> (Nov. 2011 SST departures)<\/li>\n<li><strong>El Ni\u00f1o Summer<\/strong> \/ <strong>El Ni\u00f1o Winter<\/strong> \u2014 seasonal global impact patterns<\/li>\n<li><strong>La Ni\u00f1a Summer<\/strong> \/ <strong>La Ni\u00f1a Winter<\/strong> \u2014 seasonal global impact patterns<\/li>\n<li><strong>Human Climate Niche\u20132020<\/strong> \u2014 current habitability zones<\/li>\n<li><strong>Human Climate Niche\u20132070<\/strong> \u2014 projected habitability under RCP 8.5<\/li>\n<li><strong>Climograph Challenge<\/strong> \u2014 gamified location-guessing from climate data<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Forest Change 2000\u20132014 (4 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Forest Change 2000\u20132014 \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nForest Extent \u00b7 Forest Loss \u00b7 Forest Gain \u00b7 Forest Gain\/Loss<\/p>\n<h3>Land Cover (1 layer)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Land Cover \u2192 Land Cover<br \/>\nNASA global land cover classification.<\/p>\n<h3>Land Temperature (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Land Temperature \u2192 [month]<br \/>\nGlobal mean surface temperature by month.<\/p>\n<h3>Ocean Maps (4 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Ocean Maps \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nSea Surface Temperature \u00b7 Sea Surface Salinity \u00b7 Sea Surface Density \u00b7 Ocean Currents<\/p>\n<h3>Physical Maps (6 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Physical Maps \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nNatural Earth \u00b7 NOAA Physical \u00b7 NOAA-DEM \u00b7 Topographic NASA \u00b7 USGS Topo \u00b7 World Topo-Bathy<\/p>\n<h3>Plate Tectonics (9 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Plate Tectonics \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nTectonic Plates \u00b7 Plate Boundaries \u00b7 Seafloor Age \u00b7 NOAA-DEM \u00b7 Natural Earth \u00b7 Earthquakes \u2013 4.5+ (30 days) \u00b7 Tsunamis \u2013 From 2000 B.C. \u00b7 NOAA-Volcanoes \u00b7 World Topo-Bathy<\/p>\n<h3>Precipitable Water (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Precipitable Water \u2192 [month]<br \/>\nGlobal atmospheric moisture by month.<\/p>\n<h3>Sea Surface Temperature (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Sea Surface Temperature \u2192 [month]<\/p>\n<h3>Vegetation Index (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Physical Geography \u2192 Vegetation Index \u2192 [month]<br \/>\nNASA NDVI vegetation greenness by month.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Human Geography<\/h2>\n<h3>Anthropocene (7 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Anthropocene \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nAnthropocene \u00b7 City Background \u00b7 Air Traffic \u00b7 Shipping Traffic \u00b7 Roads \u00b7 Transmission Lines \u00b7 Global Human Modification<\/p>\n<h3>Earth at Night (3 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Earth at Night \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nEarth at Night \u2013 2016 \u00b7 Earth at Night \u2013 2012 \u00b7 Earth at Night \u2013 2002<\/p>\n<h3>Economy (11 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Economy \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nGNI\/capita (2021 PPP$) \u00b7 GDP\/capita (2021 PPP$) \u00b7 Gini Index \u00b7 Informal (Shadow) Economy \u00b7 Agriculture Labor \u00b7 Industry\/Mining Labor \u00b7 Service Labor \u00b7 Exports \u00b7 Imports \u00b7 Poverty (% of Population) \u00b7 Economic Freedom Index<\/p>\n<h3>Energy (13 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Energy \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nElectricity \u2013 Production \u00b7 Electricity \u2013 Consumption \u00b7 Electricity \u2013 Nonrenewable \u00b7 Electricity \u2013 Renewable \u00b7 Electricity \u2013 Fossil Fuels \u00b7 Electricity \u2013 Nuclear \u00b7 Electricity \u2013 Hydroelectric \u00b7 Electricity \u2013 Other Renewable \u00b7 Crude Oil \u2013 Reserves \u00b7 Oil Exports \u00b7 Oil Imports \u00b7 Petroleum Consumption \u00b7 CO2 Emissions (per capita)<\/p>\n<h3>Gender Inequality Index \/ 2021 (6 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Gender Inequality Index (2021) \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nGender Inequality Index \u00b7 Maternal Mortality Ratio \u00b7 Adolescent Birth Rate \u00b7 Parliament Seats (%) \u00b7 Some Secondary Education (%) \u00b7 Labor Force Participation Rate<\/p>\n<h3>Geography Land (10 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Geography Land \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nArea \u00b7 Arable Land \u00b7 Agricultural Land Use \u00b7 Permanent Crops \u00b7 Permanent Pastures \u00b7 Forest Land Use \u00b7 Other Land Use \u00b7 Cropland \u00b7 Pastureland \u00b7 Food v. Feed<\/p>\n<h3>Historic Maps (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Historic Maps \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\n1492 \u2013 Behaim \u00b7 1544 \u2013 Agnese \u00b7 1570 \u2013 Ortelius \u00b7 1589 \u2013 Jode \u00b7 1595 \u2013 Hondius \u00b7 1630 \u2013 Hondius \u00b7 1670 \u2013 de Wit \u00b7 1691 \u2013 Sanson \u00b7 1720 \u2013 de L&#8217;Isle \u00b7 1744 \u2013 Bowen \u00b7 1786 \u2013 Faden \u00b7 1794 \u2013 Dunn<\/p>\n<h3>Human Development Index (6 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Human Development Index \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nHDI (2023) \u00b7 Life Expectancy (UN) \u00b7 School Life Expectancy \u00b7 Mean Schooling (years) \u00b7 GNI\/capita (2021 PPP$) \u00b7 Gini Index<\/p>\n<h3>Population Density (5 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Population Density \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nPopulation Density\u20132025 \u00b7 Population Density\u20132000 \u00b7 Population Density\u20131975 \u00b7 Arithmetic Density \u00b7 Physiological Density<br \/>\n(2025, 2000, and 1975 layers are interactive \u2014 clicking returns population count, density per km\u00b2, and a 50-year growth chart. Source: Global Human Settlement Layer, P2023A, European Commission Joint Research Centre.)<\/p>\n<h3>Society (14 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Society \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nFreedom Index \u00b7 World Languages \u00b7 Religion \u00b7 Physicians Density \u00b7 School Life Expectancy \u00b7 School Expectancy \u2013 Female \u00b7 School Expectancy \u2013 Male \u00b7 Mean Schooling (years) \u00b7 Mean Schooling \u2013 Female \u00b7 Mean Schooling \u2013 Male \u00b7 Literacy \u2013 Total \u00b7 Improved Drinking Water \u00b7 Improved Sanitation \u00b7 Daily Caloric Supply<\/p>\n<h3>Demographics (National) (15 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 Demographics (National) \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nPopulation (Total) \u00b7 Total Fertility Rate (TFR) \u00b7 Birth Rate \u00b7 Death Rate \u00b7 Natural Increase (per 1000) \u00b7 Growth Rate (%) \u00b7 Migration (Net) \u00b7 Life Expectancy \u00b7 Infant Mortality Rate \u00b7 Child Mortality Rate \u00b7 Median Age \u00b7 Total Dependency Ratio \u00b7 Youth Dependency Ratio \u00b7 Elderly Dependency Ratio \u00b7 Urban Population (%)<\/p>\n<h3>UN Quick Facts (4 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Human Geography \u2192 UN Quick Facts \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nUN Country Facts \u00b7 UN Sub-Region Facts \u00b7 UN Region Facts \u00b7 UN World Facts<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Special Collects<\/h2>\n<h3>Africa Project (7 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Africa Project \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nBlue Marble \u00b7 NOAA-DEM \u00b7 Climate Regions \u00b7 Land Cover \u00b7 African Rivers \u00b7 African Mines \u00b7 Freedom Index<\/p>\n<h3>Brexit Results 2016 (8 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Brexit Results 2016 \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nUnited Kingdom (Simple) \u00b7 UK Nations (Simple) \u00b7 UK Regions (Simple) \u00b7 UK Local (Simple) \u00b7 United Kingdom (Complex) \u00b7 UK Nations (Complex) \u00b7 UK Regions (Complex) \u00b7 UK Local (Complex)<\/p>\n<h3>Continental Drift (14 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Continental Drift \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\n300 Ma \u00b7 275 Ma \u00b7 250 Ma \u00b7 220 Ma \u00b7 200 Ma \u00b7 175 Ma \u00b7 150 Ma \u00b7 125 Ma \u00b7 100 Ma \u00b7 75 Ma \u00b7 50 Ma \u00b7 25 Ma \u00b7 Present \u00b7 Fossil Species<\/p>\n<h3>Earth\u2013Sun Relationship (12 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Earth-Sun Relationship \u2192 [month]<br \/>\nGeochron-style layers showing the solar terminator, day-length by latitude, and the subsolar point for each month.<\/p>\n<h3>Settlement Patterns (8 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Settlement Patterns \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nPopulation Density\u20132025 \u00b7 Earth at Night \u2013 2016 \u00b7 Natural Earth \u00b7 NOAA-DEM \u00b7 Climate Regions \u00b7 Land Cover \u00b7 Cropland \u00b7 Global Human Modification<\/p>\n<h3>Historic \u2013 HDI (6 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Historic &#8211; HDI \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nHDI (2023) \u00b7 HDI (2020) \u00b7 HDI (2010) \u00b7 HDI (2000) \u00b7 HDI (1990) \u00b7 HDI (1980)<\/p>\n<h3>Human Modification (2 layers)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Human Modification \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nAerosol Earth \u00b7 Global Human Modification<\/p>\n<h3>Demographics \u2014 Global, Regional, and Sub-Region (15 layers each)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Global-Demogr. \/ Regional-Demogr. \/ Sub Region-Demogr. \u2192 [layer name]<br \/>\nSame 15 indicators as Demographics (National), at world, regional, and sub-regional scale: Population (Total) \u00b7 Total Fertility Rate (TFR) \u00b7 Birth Rate \u00b7 Death Rate \u00b7 Natural Increase (per 1000) \u00b7 Growth Rate (%) \u00b7 Migration (Net) \u00b7 Life Expectancy \u00b7 Infant Mortality Rate \u00b7 Child Mortality Rate \u00b7 Median Age \u00b7 Total Dependency Ratio \u00b7 Youth Dependency Ratio \u00b7 Elderly Dependency Ratio \u00b7 Urban Population (%)<\/p>\n<h3>Mr. Lewis&#8217; (Grade 6) (1 layer)<\/h3>\n<p>Path: Select Map \u2192 Special Collects \u2192 Mr. Lewis&#8217; (Grade 6) \u2192 Earth&#8217;s Continents<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Quick reference: commonly requested layers<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Looking for&#8230;<\/th>\n<th>Path<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>HDI (current)<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Human Development Index \u2192 HDI (2023)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>HDI, historical (1980\u20132020)<\/td>\n<td>Special Collects \u2192 Historic &#8211; HDI \u2192 HDI ([year])<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>GDP per capita (PPP)<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Economy \u2192 GDP\/capita (2021 PPP$)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>GNI per capita (PPP)<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Economy \u2192 GNI\/capita (2021 PPP$)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gini index<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Economy \u2192 Gini Index<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Poverty rate<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Economy \u2192 Poverty (% of Population)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gender Inequality Index<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Gender Inequality Index (2021) \u2192 Gender Inequality Index<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Literacy rate<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Society \u2192 Literacy &#8211; Total<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Freedom index<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Society \u2192 Freedom Index<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Life expectancy<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Demographics (National) \u2192 Life Expectancy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Population growth rate<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Demographics (National) \u2192 Growth Rate (%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Urban population %<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Demographics (National) \u2192 Urban Population (%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>CO2 emissions per capita<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Energy \u2192 CO2 Emissions (per capita)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Global human modification<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Anthropocene \u2192 Global Human Modification<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Earth at Night<\/td>\n<td>Human Geography \u2192 Earth at Night \u2192 [year]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Climate regions<\/td>\n<td>Physical Geography \u2192 Climate \u2192 Climate Regions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Plate tectonics \/ earthquakes<\/td>\n<td>Physical Geography \u2192 Plate Tectonics \u2192 [layer name]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr>\n<h2>A few notes on the menu structure<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The top-level menu always has exactly three categories: <strong>Physical Geography<\/strong>, <strong>Human Geography<\/strong>, <strong>Special Collects<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Human Development Index<\/strong> is its own mapset \u2014 it includes HDI scores <em>and<\/em> Life Expectancy, Schooling, and GNI layers, not just HDI<\/li>\n<li><strong>Economy<\/strong> includes GDP, GNI, Gini, poverty, trade, and informal-economy layers<\/li>\n<li><strong>Society<\/strong> includes literacy, sanitation, water, caloric supply, religion, languages, physicians, and freedom index<\/li>\n<li>Gini Index appears in both <strong>Economy<\/strong> and <strong>Human Development Index<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Africa Project<\/strong> is a curated regional collection under Special Collects \u2014 not a general &#8220;development&#8221; category<\/li>\n<li>Layer names are exact and punctuation-specific (e.g. &#8220;GNI\/capita (2021 PPP$)&#8221;)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For the full curriculum alignment of every layer to AP Human Geography, NGSS, and Geography for Life standards, see <a href=\"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/16\/map-layers-curriculum-alignment\/\">Map Layers &amp; Curriculum Alignment<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>geteach.com has 320+ interactive map layers across 33 mapsets, organized under three top-level categories: Physical Geography, Human Geography, and Special Collects. This page is a full directory of every layer and exactly how to find it, so you never have to hunt for a map mid-lesson. How to load a layer Click Select Map at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1292"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1298,"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions\/1298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geteach.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}