Eartha, the World's Largest Rotating Globe

Eartha was constructed at a scale of roughly one to one million, meaning one inch on the globe stands for about sixteen miles on the real Earth. At that scale the model works out to more than 41 feet across.

Its surface is assembled from hundreds of printed map panels that combine satellite imagery, ocean-floor data, and elevation, showing mountains, deserts, forests, and sea depths without the cover of clouds that usually hides the planet from view.

The globe is mounted on a diagonal arm and set at the same 23.5-degree tilt as the Earth's axis, and it both rotates on its axis and revolves, so over time it mimics the planet's real motions.

DeLorme was a Maine company famous for its detailed atlases and gazetteers, the thick books of topographic maps that generations of travelers kept in their cars. Eartha was built as the centerpiece of its headquarters and a showcase of its mapping data.

Completed in 1998 after years of engineering, the globe earned a Guinness World Record as the largest rotating and revolving globe, a title it still holds.

DeLorme was later acquired by Garmin, the navigation company, which continues to keep Eartha on display in the building's atrium, where it remains free to visit.

The globe fills a glass atrium, and a viewing balcony lets visitors look at it from the equator up toward the poles, changing the perspective as you climb.

Because the whole planet is laid out cloud-free at a consistent scale, it is a striking way to grasp the true size and shape of oceans, continents, and mountain ranges that maps usually distort.

The visit takes only a few minutes, which makes Eartha a perfect road-trip curiosity, an unexpected wonder tucked right off the highway between Portland and Freeport.

Because Eartha is indoors, it is a reliable stop in any weather, particularly welcome on a rainy or snowy Maine day.

In summer and fall it pairs naturally with the nearby coast, Freeport's shops, and the Desert of Maine for a string of quirky and scenic stops.

Winter makes an indoor marvel like a giant spinning globe an easy and warm break between colder outdoor adventures, as long as the lobby is open to visitors.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Eartha, in the town of Yarmouth in southern Maine, is the world's largest rotating and revolving globe, an enormous three-dimensional model of the Earth that stands about forty feet across, housed in a glass atrium at the headquarters of a well-known mapmaking company. Built to a precise scale and covered in detailed satellite-based imagery of the planet's landforms, oceans, and features, Eartha slowly rotates and tilts just as the real Earth does. A remarkable feat of engineering and cartography, it awes visitors. With its enormous, detailed rotating globe, Eartha offers a fascinating destination in Yarmouth, Maine.

You can view the enormous rotating globe from multiple levels of the glass atrium, marveling at its size and the detailed depiction of the Earth's continents, oceans, mountains, and features, watch it slowly rotate and tilt as the real planet does, and appreciate the engineering and cartography behind it. Viewing the giant globe, especially from different heights and angles, is the whole experience, fascinating for all ages and free to see during open hours. With its massive, detailed rotating globe, Eartha offers a quick but memorable and educational stop in Yarmouth, Maine.

Yes, Eartha can typically be viewed for free during the open hours of the building that houses it, allowing visitors to step into the glass atrium and marvel at the giant rotating globe at no charge. Because it is located at a company's headquarters, viewing depends on the building being open, so checking current hours before you go is wise. It is a quick stop, often taking just a short time to admire the globe. This free, easy access makes Eartha a fun and worthwhile stop in Yarmouth, Maine.

Eartha can be viewed during the open hours of the building that houses it, so checking those current hours before you go is the key to planning a visit, and as an indoor attraction it is enjoyable in any weather year-round. It makes an easy, quick stop along the highway in southern Maine, convenient to pair with visits to nearby Freeport, Portland, or the coast. For the best chance to see the giant globe, plan around the building's open hours at Eartha in Yarmouth, Maine.

Eartha is in the town of Yarmouth in southern Maine, within reach of Freeport with the Desert of Maine and Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, Portland with its Old Port and Portland Head Light, and the southern Maine coast. That makes Eartha a fun stop to combine with the Desert of Maine, Freeport, Portland, and the other attractions of southern Maine on a visit to the state.