Global Administrative Areas (GADM) is a high-resolution database of country administrative boundaries. Researchers, cartographers, and data scientists use it for spatial analysis. While newer versions exist, version 3.6 remains a widely requested legacy dataset for project consistency and compatibility with older spatial models.
A classic format consisting of at least four files (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj). It is compatible with almost all GIS software.
Ensure you didn't download Level 0 by mistake if you are looking for city or state data. Level 0 only contains the country outline.
Best for local, regional, or high-accuracy mapping. Files are large and may slow down performance on weaker hardware. download gadm data version 36 work
Absolutely. Download the data in the KMZ format, which is natively supported by Google Earth. KMZ files can be loaded directly into the application for visualization.
When you open a GADM 3.6 file, you will find standard columns across all layers:
Once downloaded, you can import the vector boundaries into your software of choice to begin spatial analysis. Working in QGIS Open QGIS and create a new project. If you downloaded a Shapefile, extract the ZIP folder. A classic format consisting of at least four files (
This article guides you through the process to locate, , extract, and cleanly execute GADM data version 3.6 in various Geographic Information System (GIS) software and programming environments. What is GADM Version 3.6?
Smaller local governance levels like municipalities, communes, and wards (availability varies heavily by country). How to Work with GADM 3.6 Data in GIS Software
If you are creating a small-scale web map, the extreme detail of GADM coastlines is unnecessary. Use the Simplify tool (Douglas-Peucker algorithm) in QGIS or ArcGIS to reduce vertex count and speed up rendering times. Level 0 only contains the country outline
Because GADM data is highly detailed, files can be large and slow down your GIS software. Use these optimization strategies:
Use the tool (Right-click layer > Filter) to isolate specific regions using the attribute table columns (e.g., NAME_1 = 'California' ). 2. Working in Python (GeoPandas)
The gadm library on PyPI allows you to download and visualize shape data within Jupyter Notebooks using Folium.