Printable Blank Map of South Carolina with Counties
Delineating all 46 counties across 32,020 square miles, this blank vector map of South Carolina captures the Palmetto State from the Blue Ridge escarpment south across the Fall Line to the coastal salt marshes and Sea Islands. Projected in South Carolina State Plane (EPSG:32133), it provides distortion-minimized geometry for Lowcountry wetland mapping, Santee River basin studies, and county governance analysis.
About this Blank Map of South Carolina
This printable blank map represents South Carolina on the authentic NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 ellipsoidal datum. All 6 interactive visual variants—including Blank Outline, Counties Boundaries, Centroid Labels, Capital City Marker (Columbia), and High-Contrast Printer B&W—are generated synchronously from identical coordinate geometry.
| Specification | Value | Compliance & Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction / Entity | South Carolina | US State |
| Subdivisions Rendered | 46 Counties | Verified Topological Polygon Mesh |
| Primary Capital City | Columbia | Marked on the capital variant |
| Cartographic Projection | SOUTH CAROLINA STATE PLANE | Distortion-Minimized Coordinate Map |
| Reference Datum | NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 | NOAA NGS / EPSG:32133 (State Plane Coordinate System) |
South Carolina Counties at a Glance
- Counties
- 46
- Capital
- Columbia
- Population (2020)
- 5,118,422
- Land area
- 30,061 sq mi
Most populous counties
- Greenville County (Greenville): 525,543 people, 10.3% of the state
- Richland County (Columbia): 416,147 people, 8.1% of the state
- Charleston County (Charleston): 408,481 people, 8.0% of the state
- Horry County (Conway): 351,032 people, 6.9% of the state
- Spartanburg County (Spartanburg): 327,992 people, 6.4% of the state
Largest counties by land area
- Horry County (Conway): 1,133.3 sq mi
- Orangeburg County (Orangeburg): 1,106.4 sq mi
- Berkeley County (Moncks Corner): 1,103.6 sq mi
- Aiken County (Aiken): 1,070.7 sq mi
- Colleton County (Walterboro): 1,056.5 sq mi
Neighboring states
Figures: US Census Bureau 2020 Census populations and Gazetteer land areas. The full sortable list with seats and FIPS codes is on the South Carolina county map & list page.
Geography Notes: South Carolina
South Carolina Single-Zone Lambert Conformal Geodesy
A single Lambert Conformal Conic projection covers all 46 counties with standard parallels at 32°30'N and 34°50'N.
Because South Carolina possesses a compact triangular shape spanning 260 miles east-to-west, a single-zone projection preserves metric scale tolerances across all county boundaries.
The South Carolina Geodetic Survey (SCGS) and Department of Transportation rely on this datum realization to maintain boundary legal integrity from Charleston Harbor to Greenville.
EPSG:32133 keeps horizontal scale error under 1:10,000 from the Savannah River border to the Grand Strand.
The Lowcountry vs The Midlands & Upstate
South Carolina is divided into three distinct cultural and geographical provinces.
The Lowcountry along the Atlantic coast features historic colonial port culture in Charleston and Beaufort counties, surrounded by maritime Sea Islands and historic tidal rice plantations.
The Midlands surrounds the state capital in Richland County (Columbia) along the Fall Line, while the Upstate encompasses manufacturing and automotive corridors in Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
Charleston County encompasses 919 square miles of land area along the Atlantic, standing as the largest county in the state.
Curated Classroom Activities & Spatial Labs for South Carolina
Pedagogical lesson plans and spatial analysis activities designed specifically for printable vector maps of South Carolina:
The Fall Line & Santee-Cooper River Basin Lab
Objective: Trace the Fall Line and map the Santee River freshwater drainage to the Atlantic.
Materials: Printed blank map of South Carolina, blue and green colored pencils, drainage atlas.
- Draw the Fall Line connecting Aiken, Lexington, Richland (Columbia), and Chesterfield counties.
- Trace the Saluda, Broad, and Wateree rivers meeting to form the Santee River, flowing past Lake Marion to the sea.
- Trace the Savannah River forming the entire southwestern border with Georgia.
Lowcountry Sea Islands & Port Demarcation Lab
Objective: Examine coastal barrier islands and port commerce across Lowcountry counties.
Materials: Printed South Carolina county outline map, fine-tip markers.
- Highlight Charleston, Beaufort, and Georgetown counties along the Atlantic coastline.
- Label Hilton Head Island in Beaufort County and the Grand Strand in Horry County (Myrtle Beach).
- Compare the population and economic growth of Upstate Greenville County against rural Calhoun County.
The 6 Synchronized Variants Explained
We generate 6 synchronized variations of South Carolina from the same master vector dataset. Each variant is aligned to identical coordinate geometry:
1. Blank Boundary Outline
The foundational boundary outline of South Carolina. Rendered with a clean exterior stroke and zero fill—the optimal version for in-class labeling exams, custom cartographic overlays, or clean graphic design.
2. With Subdivisions (46 Counties)
Displays the exterior boundary plus internal administrative borders for all 46 counties. Each subdivision possesses a unique SVG element ID for direct styling and choropleth shading in vector editors.
3. Labeled with True Centroids
Features authentic typographic labels positioned at each administrative territory's mathematical center of mass. Perfect as a master grading answer key or self-study reference sheet.
4. Adjacent-Contrast Color Fill
Filled using an adjacency-contrast pastel palette so neighboring jurisdictions never blend together. Excellent for tactile visual discrimination and regional geography units.
5. With Capital City (Columbia)
Pinpoints the official capital city of Columbia using a high-visibility star marker and typographic callout, positioned at precise geodetic coordinates.
6. High-Contrast Printer B&W
Optimized specifically for monochrome desktop laser and inkjet printers. Uses pure black vector paths (#000000) and ultra-clean white fills to prevent ink-bleeding and toner smudging.
Tools to Use With This Map
- Interactive US county mapZoom into county lines on a live map.
- What county am I in?Find your county from your device location.
- True size comparisonDrag South Carolina over other places to compare real areas.
- Map area calculatorDraw a shape and measure its area on the WGS84 ellipsoid.
- Color a mapShade regions online and download your own map.
South Carolina County Map & Full List
See 2020 Census populations, seats, land areas and FIPS codes for every county in South Carolina, with an on-page map and CSV export.
Need Definitions for Map Projections, SVG Vectors, or Centroids?
Explore our centralized Cartography Glossary for detailed definitions of national and global geodetic datums, equal-area vs. conformal projections, TopoJSON topological arcs, and choropleth classification standards.
Frequently Asked Questions About South Carolina Blank Maps
Authoritative answers to common questions regarding printing, licensing, vector customization, and curriculum use:
What is the largest county by land area in South Carolina?▼
Charleston County along the central Atlantic coast is the largest county by land area at 919 square miles. (Horry County covers 1,134 sq mi of total area including water).
Why does South Carolina have 46 counties?▼
The 1895 South Carolina Constitution established 46 counties to balance political representation among the Lowcountry, Midlands, and Upstate regions.
Where is the Fall Line located on a South Carolina map?▼
The Fall Line runs diagonally across central South Carolina through Columbia (Richland County), separating the rocky upland Piedmont from the sandy coastal plain.