Here, you can download the continental divide as a Shapefile (.shp) or GeoPackage (.gpkg) and incorporate it into your own project. You will need a GIS software to use the shapefile (e.g. QGIS). From here, you can add your own features or map backgrounds.
The shapefile can also be used within mobile GIS apps. Map Plus is a good choice for iPhone and MapItGIS Spatial or QField work well for Android. These apps are particularly useful for hiking along the continental divide, since the GIS shows the precise GPS location on a specific trail. A very useful combination is the Thunderforest Outdoor as background combined with the continental divide shapefile. You can sign up for a free API key, which is more than sufficient for a personal project. You can also download map backgrounds to your phone for a specific area, so that you can continue navigating even in remote locations without reception. With this combination, you have a detailed topographical map, marked hiking trails, a GPS location and a clear view as to the location of the continental divide.
As each GIS tool varies in functionality, we do not provide any instructions on how to use. Please consult the documentation of the particular software to set up your own project.
You can read more about how the shapefile was constructed on the methodology page.
Download the European Continental Divide as Shapefile:
Download the European Continental Divide as GeoPackage:
(WGS 84 / Pseudo-Mercator, EPSG: 3857)
Download the European Continental Divide Documentation:
| Version | Comments |
|---|---|
| WS_EU_MAIN_20220216 | – Corrected the Italian Continental Divide along the border between France and Italy. The previous version depicted the sources of Valle Stretta, La Doire and Lac du Mont-Cenis on the Mediterranean as opposed to the Adriatic side of the divide |
| WS_EU_MAIN_20210511 | – Added data field LENGTH_KM in the features which depicts the feature length of each section of the divide |
| WS_EU_MAIN_20210218 | – Updated the divide in Norway, better depicting the separation between the North Sea and Norwegian Sea – Added a new SELECTION field in the features to document the criteria used to select the detailed drainage basins from the underlying dataset |
| WS_EU_MAIN_20210203 | – Updated the divide using detailed watershed maps in Scotland, England, Poland, and Greece from local agencies – Standardized the divide through the Balkans using the CEO River Mandate source for the Danube River watershed – Added detailed agency information on the Methodology page |
| WS_EU_MAIN_20210112 | – Updated the divide in Slovenia, now based on detailed watersheds provided from the Agencija Rs Za Okolje – Corrected an error along the border between Spain and France that had depicted the Garonne river source on the Mediterranean side of the divide |
| WS_EU_MAIN_20190610 | First version published |
About Divides
A Continental Divide is formed by drainage basins for individual rivers.
Methodology
The map of the Continental Divide is assembled from publicly available datasources for water management and cartography.