Shom C World Chart – World Map

Introduction

The Shom C World Chart provides a global representation of the oceans, seas and continents. Unlike a Shom nautical chart designed for a specific coastal area, a world chart provides an overall view of the planet and its major maritime regions. It is particularly useful for understanding global maritime geography, planning a general route, studying major ocean passages or visualising the main navigation regions of the world.

Published by the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service, Shom cartographic documents are produced according to precise cartographic conventions. Within the Shom C range, the chart is presented flat and is generally rolled for transport and storage. Its format, close to A0, provides a sufficiently large surface to represent an extremely extensive geographical area while maintaining clear readability.

The Shom world chart is suitable for sailors, maritime professionals, schools, training centres, teachers, maritime geography enthusiasts and anyone wishing to have a comprehensive representation of the world's oceans.

A world chart for understanding major maritime areas

The Earth is made up of a complex network of oceans, seas, straits, gulfs and major coastal regions. A world chart makes it possible to place these areas within their global geographical context.

Depending on the projection and central meridian used, Shom world charts can be used to locate the major oceans:

• Atlantic Ocean;

• Pacific Ocean;

• Indian Ocean;

• Arctic Ocean;

• Southern Ocean or Antarctic Ocean.

They also make it possible to locate major seas and maritime areas such as the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, South China Sea, East China Sea, Sea of Japan, Philippine Sea, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and many other regions.

This global perspective is particularly useful for understanding the distances between continents, the main shipping routes and the relative position of major ocean passages.

A world chart suited to general voyage planning

The Shom world chart can be used to prepare a circumnavigation, study an ocean passage project or visualise the different stages of a maritime voyage.

A sailor preparing an Atlantic crossing can, for example, visualise the relationship between Europe, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, the West Indies, the Caribbean and the American coast. For a circumnavigation, the world chart makes it possible to place the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea within the same geographical framework.

It can also be used to compare major global shipping routes and understand why certain passages have particular strategic importance.

Major passages and straits that can be located on a world representation include:

• the Strait of Gibraltar;

• the Suez Canal;

• the Bab el-Mandeb Strait;

• the Strait of Hormuz;

• the Strait of Malacca;

• the Singapore Strait;

• the Lombok Strait;

• the Panama Canal;

• the Bering Strait;

• the passages between the Indonesian islands.

The world chart therefore makes it possible to understand the geography of major maritime routes before moving to much more detailed charting for actual navigation.

Major maritime ports around the world

A world map also makes it possible to locate the major ports that structure international maritime trade.

In Europe, these include Le Havre, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Southampton, Marseille, Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia, Algeciras and Istanbul.

In Asia, major port hubs include Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Busan, Yokohama, Tokyo, Port Klang and Colombo.

In the Indian Ocean and Middle East, maritime routes may be associated with Djibouti, Port Said, Suez, Jeddah, Salalah, Muscat and Dubai.

In Africa, major routes may involve Durban, Cape Town, Walvis Bay, Lagos, Abidjan, Mombasa and Tanger Med.

In North America, major ports include New York, Norfolk, Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Vancouver.

In South America, examples include Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Valparaíso and Callao.

These ports are examples of major global maritime hubs. Their position on a world chart helps illustrate the geographical distribution of international trade and major shipping routes.

World chart and major ocean routes

International shipping routes rarely follow a straight line between two continents. They depend on geography, straits, canals, weather conditions, prevailing winds, ocean currents, regulatory constraints and port infrastructure.

For a navigator, the world chart provides an overall understanding of this organisation.

A voyage from Europe to the Caribbean, for example, takes place across the North and tropical Atlantic. A route towards the Indian Ocean may pass through the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and Red Sea. A circumnavigation via southern Africa connects the Atlantic and Indian Oceans without using the Suez Canal.

For passages across the Pacific, the world chart makes it possible to locate the islands of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, as well as the main coastal regions of the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

Shom 0101HSA and 0102HSA world charts

The Shom range includes several world representations with different central meridians.

The 0101HSA is a world chart centred on 65° West. The 0102HSA is centred on 115° East. These different central meridians change the way continents and oceans are distributed across the chart.

This is important for a world representation: depending on the area intended to be placed at the centre, certain oceans or continents may be easier to visualise.

A 0101GSA variant is also available with magnetic declination information, associated with a specific edition year. These different versions therefore meet different cartographic requirements.

Shom C World Chart and navigation: an important distinction

A world chart should not be confused with a detailed coastal nautical chart.

A large-scale nautical chart designed for harbour approaches can show soundings, hazards, aids to navigation, channels, wrecks and other information required for navigation within a restricted area.

A world chart, by contrast, represents an extremely large geographical area. Its primary purpose is to provide an overall view of the world's maritime and geographical structure.

It is therefore particularly suitable for:

• general voyage planning;

• circumnavigation planning;

• maritime geography education;

• navigator training;

• understanding major ocean routes;

• locating seas and oceans;

• studying major straits and canals;

• visualising major world ports.

For actual navigation, it must be complemented by nautical charts appropriate to each area and the scale required.

Differences between Shom C, L, G, Z and Raster charts

Shom chart type	Support	Presentation	Main characteristic	Use
Shom C	Paper	Flat, generally rolled	Standard nautical charting	Navigation and route planning, depending on scale
Shom L	Paper	Folded to approximately A4, about A0 when unfolded	Standard nautical charting in folded format	Coastal navigation, route planning and on-board storage
Shom G	Paper	Folded	Additional information on seabed characteristics	Fishing, sediment studies and professional activities
Shom Z	Paper	Flat, generally rolled	Exercise and firing area overlay	Navigation in the relevant areas
Shom Raster	Digital	Digital file	Digital representation of a nautical chart	Use with certain compatible software

The Shom C chart is the traditional flat paper format. Depending on its scale, it can cover coastal areas as well as much larger maritime regions.

The Shom L chart contains standard nautical chart information in a folded format that is more compact for storage.

The Shom G chart provides additional information about seabed characteristics and sediment distribution.

The Shom Z chart includes a specific overlay concerning exercise and firing areas used by maritime forces.

Raster refers to a digital representation of a nautical chart intended for certain software environments. It is therefore a digital rather than paper format.

Cartographic projection and reading a world chart

Any representation of the Earth's surface on a flat chart requires the use of a cartographic projection. It is impossible to represent a sphere on a flat surface without introducing some degree of distortion.

Depending on the projection, distortions may affect distances, areas, directions or shapes.

For this reason, a world chart should be regarded as a generalised cartographic representation. It makes it possible to understand the relative position of continents and oceans and to study major routes, but it does not replace a nautical chart suitable for precise navigation.

This distinction is particularly important when moving from general voyage planning to the operational preparation of an ocean passage.

A tool for sailors and maritime training

The Shom world chart can be used in a wide range of educational and professional contexts.

In a navigation school, it can be used to introduce the oceans, major routes, straits and principal ports. For a sailor, it provides a way to visualise a voyage project before selecting the charts required for each stage.

It can also be used by maritime transport professionals, teachers, instructors, sailing clubs and maritime geography enthusiasts.

The global representation facilitates the understanding of concepts such as offshore navigation, ocean passages, maritime routes and the location of major port regions.

A global perspective complementary to regional charts

The main advantage of the world chart is the change of scale it provides.

A Mediterranean chart allows detailed study of a regional area. An Atlantic chart can be used to prepare an ocean crossing. The world chart places both areas within a global representation.

This complementarity is particularly relevant for major sailing projects: transatlantic crossings, Atlantic circuits, Panama Canal passages, Pacific navigation, Indian Ocean passages or circumnavigation.

The world chart therefore represents the most general level of cartographic documentation, before moving to ocean charts, coastal charts and then harbour and approach charts.

Conclusion

The Shom C World Chart provides a global representation of oceans, seas, continents and major maritime areas. It makes it possible to understand the geographical organisation of the planet, locate major ocean routes and place major ports, straits and canals within their global context.

The different central meridians offered by Shom, particularly the 0101HSA and 0102HSA world charts, provide representations suited to different ways of viewing the world. The 0101GSA variant provides additional information concerning magnetic declination.

The world chart is particularly relevant to general voyage planning, maritime training, education and understanding major ocean routes. It does not, however, replace nautical charts at the appropriate scale required for precise navigation in coastal areas, straits, harbour approaches or anchorages.

It therefore represents a complementary cartographic level: a global view that makes it possible to understand the overall picture before moving to the detailed charts required for each stage of a voyage.

FAQ – Shom C World Chart

What is a Shom C World Chart?

A Shom C World Chart is a flat paper representation of the world showing the major oceans, seas, continents and maritime areas. It provides a global view of the planet.

Is the Shom world chart a navigation chart?

The world chart is primarily a generalised world map. It can be used for navigation planning at a broad geographical level and for understanding major maritime routes, but it does not replace detailed nautical charts required for coastal navigation or harbour approaches.

What is the difference between a world chart and a conventional nautical chart?

A conventional nautical chart covers a much smaller geographical area and can provide detailed information on depths, hazards, aids to navigation, channels and ports. A world chart covers almost the entire world and focuses on the general geographical structure of the oceans and continents.

What is a world chart used for by a navigator?

It can be used to plan a circumnavigation, visualise an ocean passage, locate major shipping routes and understand the geographical relationship between the different oceans and continents.

Which oceans can be located on a Shom world chart?

The Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean or Antarctic Ocean can be located on a world chart.

Which major straits and canals can be studied on a world chart?

The Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal, Bab el-Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, Panama Canal and Bering Strait are among the major maritime passages that can be placed within their global context.

Which world ports can be located on a world chart?

Depending on the level of detail and representation, major port hubs such as Rotterdam, Le Havre, Marseille, Genoa, Istanbul, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Busan, Colombo, Durban, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Santos and Buenos Aires can be located.

What is the difference between the Shom 0101HSA and 0102HSA world charts?

These two references are world charts with different central meridians. The 0101HSA is centred on 65° West, while the 0102HSA is centred on 115° East. The choice of central meridian changes the arrangement of continents and oceans on the chart.

What is the Shom 0101GSA world chart?

The 0101GSA is a variant of the world chart centred on 65° West that includes information concerning magnetic declination, associated with a specific edition year.

What is the difference between a Shom C and a Shom L chart?

The Shom C is a flat paper chart, generally rolled, whereas the Shom L is folded to approximately A4 size and unfolds to a surface close to A0. Their physical presentation is the main difference when coverage and scale are comparable.

What is a Shom G chart used for?

A Shom G chart provides, in addition to standard nautical information, data concerning the nature and distribution of seabed sediments. It is intended in particular for activities requiring knowledge of seabed characteristics.

What is a Shom Z chart used for?

A Shom Z chart includes an additional overlay identifying the limits and names of exercise and firing areas used by maritime forces.

What is a Shom Raster chart?

A Shom Raster chart is a digital representation of a nautical chart in image format, intended for use with certain compatible cartographic software or systems.

Is a Shom world chart suitable for circumnavigation planning?

Yes, for general planning. It makes it possible to visualise the oceans, continents, major routes and principal maritime passages. For actual navigation, it must be complemented by ocean, coastal and approach charts appropriate to each stage.

Why use a paper world chart in the age of digital charts?

Paper provides an immediate global view that is independent of a screen or electronic system. For planning a major maritime voyage, this very small-scale perspective can make it easier to understand the overall route and the sequence of oceans to be crossed.