# Simple highlighting of countries **URL:** \ **Category:** Showcase\ **Created:** [April 28, 2022, 7:30am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857 "2022-04-28T07:30:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Andreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Andreas](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Andreas)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 7:30am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/1 "2022-04-28T07:30:55Z")
```auto #!/usr/bin/env bash # one or more comma-separated countries # see https://docs.generic-mapping-tools.org/dev/coast.html#e countries="NO,UA,IS,IE,DE" gmt begin highlighted-countries png gmt set GMT_THEME minimal gmt grdimage @earth_relief_10m -JM20c -R$countries -t50 gmt coast -E$countries+C gmt basemap -B+gblack@40 gmt coast -Q gmt coast -Na -Baf -B+t"Highlighted countries" gmt end ``` ![highlighted-countries](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/uploads/gmt/original/2X/f/ffff737568fcba32ac13f47131704b666ef76dd9.png) ---
**Author:** ![PlanetGus](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/planetgus/32/303_2.png) [@PlanetGus](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/PlanetGus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/2 "2022-04-28T14:40:56Z")
Is there a way to smooth the borders? ---
**Author:** ![pwessel](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/pwessel/32/30_2.png) [@pwessel](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/pwessel)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/3 "2022-04-28T14:52:23Z")
No, the DCW comes in one resolution. ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/4 "2022-04-28T15:30:03Z")
What do you mean? To reduce the numbers of points that define the borders (i.e. to have a lower resolution line)? ---
**Author:** ![PlanetGus](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/planetgus/32/303_2.png) [@PlanetGus](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/PlanetGus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/5 "2022-04-28T20:58:25Z")
Nah, more like a fuzzy contour (maybe some gaussian filtering near the border or something) …Or just some shading using a slightly different -J, -X and -Y? ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/6 "2022-04-28T22:40:49Z")
I think I don’t fully understand you. Would you share an example? ---
**Author:** ![Andreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Andreas](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Andreas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 6:42am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/7 "2022-05-05T06:42:49Z")
I thought I was doing groundbreaking stuff here. Guess not. See also: - [(34) Using country polygons for plotting and shading](https://docs.generic-mapping-tools.org/dev/gallery/ex34.html#example-34) - [(53) Building subplots and using per-country shading](https://docs.generic-mapping-tools.org/dev/gallery/ex53.html#example-53) ---
**Author:** ![PlanetGus](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/planetgus/32/303_2.png) [@PlanetGus](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/PlanetGus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 7:37am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/8 "2022-05-05T07:37:59Z")
Yours is better 👍 ---
**Author:** ![Andreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Andreas](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Andreas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 8:01am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/simple-highlighting-of-countries/2857/9 "2022-05-05T08:01:56Z")
Thanks PlanetGus 🙂