Information about neighboring areas is included in the base map to enrich the map and give the theme's context. The oceans are also represented to make the map look better.

Configuring Neighbor_R layer

1. In the Layer Manager, double click the Neighbor_R layer or choose Layer Style... from its context menu to display the Styles dialog box.
2. Set the fill color to white (RGB: 255, 255, 255) and outline color (RGB: 158, 158, 158) to gray so that the base map matches the theme map. Set the width of the outline to 1 (0.1mm).

Configuring neighboring country labels

1. Click Neighbor_R in the Layer Manger.
2. Click Thematic Mapping tab > Label group > Uniform to create a uniform-style label thematic map based on the layer Neighbor_R. The created thematic map will be added to the layer manager as a layer and shows on the topmost of the map window.
3. Change settings for the uniform label map in the Thematic Map manager.
   • Expression: On the Properties tab, set Expression to COUNTRY.
   • Set label style: On the Styles tab, set the text style by referring to the figure below.
4. Place the neighboring area layer below the administrative division layer to avoid displaying the labels for neighboring countries within China territory.
5. Rright click the unique value thmatic map and select Thematic Map Template > Export... to save the thematic map as a template (*.xml) for further use.

Set Ocean Color and Label

1. Set a color for the map background as ocean color. Click Maps tab > Properties group > Map Properties button to open the Map Properties window. In the Basic panel, set Background to (RGB: 181, 220, 255 ).
2. Set the text layer SeaLabel_T visible. The SeaLabel_T layer contains the labels of ocaean around the world.

Note

NeighborLabel.xml, the thematic map template for the neighboring area layer is provided under Installation Directory\SampleData\China. You can directly apply it to the Neighbor_R layer through the Load Thematic Map Template command in the context menu.