Build the Earth
{{other uses|BTE (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Project to recreate Earth in the Minecraft video game}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox project
| name = BuildTheEarth
| logo =Build the Earth.gif
| logo size =
| type = 1:1 scale recreation of Earth in the video game Minecraft
| established = {{Start date and age|March 2020}}
| website = {{URL|https://buildtheearth.net/}}
| founder = PippenFTS
|abbreviation=BTE}}
BuildTheEarth (BTE) is a project dedicated to creating a 1:1 scale model of Earth within the sandbox video game Minecraft.
History
File:Build the Earth Modified Airocean Map Projection.png]]
BuildTheEarth was created by YouTuber PippenFTS in March 2020 as a collaborative effort to recreate Earth in the video game Minecraft.{{cite news|last=Cooke|first=Alex|accessdate=28 March 2021|date=21 October 2020|title=Halifax teen working to 'Build the Earth' in Minecraft|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-teen-working-build-the-earth-minecraft-1.5764364|publisher=CBC News|archive-date=2021-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429004710/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-teen-working-build-the-earth-minecraft-1.5764364|url-status=live}} During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the server aimed to provide players with the opportunity to virtually experience and construct the world. In a YouTube video, PippenFTS called for prospective participants to recreate man-made structures over a rudimentary model of Earth's terrain.{{Cite web|last=Clayton|first=Natalie|date=28 March 2020|title=Minecraft mod recreates the Earth to scale – and now it wants players to fill in the gaps|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/03/28/minecraft-mod-recreates-the-earth-to-scale-and-now-it-wants-players-to-fill-in-the-gaps/|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Rock Paper Shotgun|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205033145/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/03/28/minecraft-mod-recreates-the-earth-to-scale-and-now-it-wants-players-to-fill-in-the-gaps/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Gault|first=Matthew|date=2 April 2020|title=Thousands of People Are Building a 1:1 Recreation of Earth in 'Minecraft'|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7jykw/thousands-of-people-are-building-a-11-recreation-of-earth-in-minecraft|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Vice|language=en-us|archive-date=2020-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913074851/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7jykw/thousands-of-people-are-building-a-11-recreation-of-earth-in-minecraft|url-status=live}} A Discord server created to help coordinate the project{{Cite web|last=Kent|first=Emma|date=27 March 2020|title=Someone's built the entire Earth in Minecraft - to scale|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-03-27-someones-built-the-entire-earth-in-minecraft-to-scale|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Eurogamer|language=en|archive-date=2021-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417220525/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-03-27-someones-built-the-entire-earth-in-minecraft-to-scale|url-status=live}} attracted over a hundred thousand users by April 2020.{{cite news |last1=Cuthbertson |first1=Anthony |title=Tens of thousands of people are building the Earth on a 1:1 scale in Minecraft |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/minecraft-build-earth-discord-coronavirus-lockdown-a9452861.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=The Independent |date=2020-04-07 |archive-date=2021-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624235807/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/minecraft-build-earth-discord-coronavirus-lockdown-a9452861.html |url-status=live }} PippenFTS left the project entirely in 2024, but the project is still actively maintained by the community.
Following unsuccessful attempts to generate terrain using a Mercator projection, organizers opted for a modified version of the Dymaxion map projection. The alternative approach prioritized minimizing distortions in land masses, at the cost of highly distorted oceans.{{Cite web |last=Karel |first=Daniel |date=2022-03-10 |title=The 2,731-Person Project to Build New York City in Minecraft |url=https://www.curbed.com/2022/03/global-minecraft-team-building-new-york-city.html |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=Curbed |language=en}}
Minecraft developer Mojang Studios featured the project on their website on Earth Day (April 22), 2020.{{cite web|last=Dankis|first=Sofia|title=It's Earth Day Again!|url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/it-s-earth-day-again-|publisher=Mojang Studios|date=22 April 2020|access-date=23 September 2020|archive-date=2021-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411102616/https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/it-s-earth-day-again-|url-status=live}} In July 2020, YouTuber MrBeast released a video where he and 50 other people built his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina within the project.{{cite news |last1=Aldridge |first1=Bailey |title=North Carolina-based YouTube star MrBeast builds his hometown Raleigh in Minecraft |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article244033857.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=The News & Observer |date=6 July 2020 |archive-date=2021-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727020440/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article244033857.html |url-status=live }}
In 2020, a full sized recreation of the Taj Mahal was completed on the server by Daniel Tan.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-04 |title=Gamers Recreated the Taj Mahal in Minecraft With 1:1 Ratio & It Looks Stunning |url=https://www.mensxp.com/technology/games/90014-gamers-recreated-the-taj-mahal-in-minecraft.html |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=MensXP |language=en-IN}} In 2022, a team of over 2,000 players constructed a recreation of many places in New York City on a 1:1 scale, including many famous sites such as the 9/11 memorial, New York County Supreme Court, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Soho. A team of over 400 players has completed construction on multiple buildings from Portugal, including the Algarve International Circuit.{{Cite web |title=Building Portugal – Virtually |url=https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2023-11-14/building-portugal-virtually/82981 |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=www.theportugalnews.com |language=en}}
Software
Originally, the project primarily depends on two Minecraft modifications to function: Cubic Chunks and Terra++. Cubic Chunks removes Minecraft{{'}}s limitation on building structures beyond a certain height. Terra++ uses information from geographic data services, such as OpenStreetMap,{{Cite web |title=Home · BuildTheEarth/terraplusplus Wiki |url=https://github.com/BuildTheEarth/terraplusplus |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=GitHub |language=en |archive-date=2022-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313191902/https://github.com/BuildTheEarth/terraplusplus |url-status=live }} to automatically generate terrain to ease the building process.
However, with the introduction of new world height limits in Minecraft version 1.18, more regions around the world can fit into the vanilla range. {{As of|2025}}, the majority of the project has shifted to Minecraft 1.20+, with no modifications except for parts of the US and South America.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}