Where are the sample features located?

Near sixteen real cities on six continents, with small random offsets, so the result is easy to check on a map.

What is the MIME type of a GeoJSON file?

The MIME type is application/geo+json. The file extension is .geojson.

Is a sample GeoJSON file the same as a dummy or example GeoJSON file?

Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example GeoJSON files are different names for the same thing: a GeoJSON file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy GeoJSON file.

Free GeoJSON sample files

Geographic features encoded as JSON: points, lines and polygons with properties. Download valid GeoJSON test files in 4 exact sizes, from 1 KB to 1 MB, each with a checksum.

Extension: .geojson
MIME type: application/geo+json
Kind: Text
Category: GIS

GeoJSON files by size

Every file below is a valid GeoJSON file of exactly the stated size. Open a file's page for its checksum and contents, and to preview it in your browser before downloading.

GeoJSON sample files by size
File	Size	Contents	Download
1 KB GeoJSON samplesample-geojson-1kb.geojson	1 KB1,024 bytes	Features: 4	Download GeoJSON
10 KB GeoJSON samplesample-geojson-10kb.geojson	10 KB10,240 bytes	Features: 53	Download GeoJSON
100 KB GeoJSON samplesample-geojson-100kb.geojson	100 KB102,400 bytes	Features: 529	Download GeoJSON
1 MB GeoJSON samplesample-geojson-1mb.geojson	1 MB1,048,576 bytes	Features: 5,340	Download GeoJSON

What is a GeoJSON file?

GeoJSON describes geographic shapes using JSON. A Feature pairs a geometry, such as a point, line string or polygon, with a set of properties, and a FeatureCollection groups features together.

Coordinates are longitude first, then latitude, in the WGS 84 reference system. Getting the order backwards is the most common mistake made with the format.

How to recognise a GeoJSON file

No signature bytes. GeoJSON files are identified by parsing their content.

Extension	.geojson
MIME type	application/geo+json
Standard	RFC 7946
Coordinate order	Longitude, latitude, optional elevation
Reference system	WGS 84
Geometry types	Point, LineString, Polygon and their multi-part forms

What to test for

These are the behaviours that most often go wrong when software handles GeoJSON files.

Swapped latitude and longitude put points in the wrong hemisphere or the ocean. Test with locations you can recognise.
Polygon rings must be closed, with the first and last positions identical.

Strengths of GeoJSON

Readable by every mapping library and GIS package.
Plain JSON, so it can be inspected and edited by hand.

Limitations of GeoJSON

Verbose for large datasets compared with binary formats.
Only one coordinate reference system, WGS 84, is allowed.

Typical uses of GeoJSON test files

Testing map layers and spatial queries
Checking coordinate-order handling
Load-testing map rendering with many features

Software that opens GeoJSON

QGIS and ArcGIS
Leaflet, Mapbox GL and OpenLayers
PostGIS, GDAL and Turf.js
GitHub renders .geojson files on a map

Specifications

RFC 7946: The GeoJSON Format

GeoJSON sample files: questions

Where are the sample features located?: Near sixteen real cities on six continents, with small random offsets, so the result is easy to check on a map.
What is the MIME type of a GeoJSON file?: The MIME type is application/geo+json. The file extension is .geojson.
Is a sample GeoJSON file the same as a dummy or example GeoJSON file?: Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example GeoJSON files are different names for the same thing: a GeoJSON file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy GeoJSON file.