The world map that I am using from NaturalEarth.com has France and French Guyana as one feature. I want to split these into two separate shapes. I'm sure there is a quick fix for this, and the others I'm sure to soon encounter. I am using ArcMap 10.2 and need to use a feature that will make it so that when I click on Guyana, France isn't also selected.
[GIS] How to split a shapefile feature
arcgis-10.2arcgis-desktopshapefilesplitting
Best Answer
If you have access to ArcGIS, this can be accomplished using the Explode Multipart Feature tool. Start an editing session on your feature, turn on the Advanced Editing Tools (Editor dropdown menu - More Editing Tools - Advanced Editing), select the France/French Guyana feature, and then click the Explode Multipart Feature tool from the Advanced Editing toolbar. This will create two separate features, with each maintaining identical attributes to the original feature. You may want to edit the newly split attributes as your workflow dictates.