readshapefile changes background color

Question

The readshapefile method has been used and seems to be working fine:

    m = Basemap(projection='robin', lon_0=0, resolution='c') 

    m.drawmapboundary(fill_color='cornflowerblue')
    m.fillcontinents(color='white',lake_color='cornflowerblue', zorder=0)
    m.drawcoastlines()
    m.drawparallels(np.arange(-90.,120.,30.))
    m.drawmeridians(np.arange(0.,420.,60.))
    m.readshapefile(r'~/Desktop/ONGOING_PROJEKTS/MISC/PB2/PB2002_plates', name='PB2002_plates', drawbounds=True, color='orange')
    #m.bluemarble()

    lats = [38.3215, -55.285, -60.274]
    lons = [142.36929, -31.877, -46.401]

    x, y = m(lons, lats)
    focmecs = [[193, 9, 78], [301, 62, 84], [190, 89, -140]]
    eq_mw = [9.0, 7.4, 7.7]

    ax = plt.gca()
    for i in range(len(focmecs)):
        # Loop to set the tensor (beach ball) colors
        eq = eq_mw[i]
        if eq < 6:
            beachball_color = 'y'
        elif 6 <= eq < 8:
            beachball_color = 'orange'
        elif 8 <= eq:
            beachball_color = 'r' 

        b = beach(focmecs[i], facecolor=beachball_color, xy=(x[i], y[i]), width=1000000, linewidth=1, alpha=0.85)
        b.set_zorder(10)
        ax.add_collection(b)

However for a different map projection, for a different area (local not global), the background color of the map is changed:

    m = Basemap(llcrnrlon=west, llcrnrlat=south, urcrnrlon=east, urcrnrlat=north, resolution='h', area_thresh = 0.1, projection='tmerc', lat_ts=0, lon_0=center[0], lat_0=center[1])

            # Plot features
            m.drawcoastlines()
            m.drawcountries()
            m.drawstates(color='w')
            m.drawrivers(color='lightblue')
            m.shadedrelief()
            m.drawparallels(np.arange(-81., 81., 2),labels=[1,0,0,0], linewidth=0.0)    #-81., 81., 4
            m.drawmeridians(np.arange(-180., 181., 4),labels=[0,0,0,1], linewidth=0.0) #-180., 181., 10

m.readshapefile(r'~/Desktop/ONGOING_PROJEKTS/MISC/PB2/PB2002_plates', name='PB2002_plates', drawbounds=True, color='orange')

            m.drawmapscale(146.3, 33.2, 145, 40, 500, barstyle='fancy')

It is not clear why, but this orange boundary seems to persist with the code for the second plot, but not the first. Does anyone know why?

Answer 1

I figured it out. Instead of:

m.readshapefile(r'~/Desktop/ONGOING_PROJEKTS/MISC/PB2/PB2002_plates', name='PB2002_plates', drawbounds=True, color='orange')

change to drawbounds=False

By setting it to false, you can then draw the local boundaries anyway.