Color axis

The values on a choropleth  geo map or heat map are plotted against a color axis. The Highcharts Maps color axis is a special case of an axis that is drawn inside the legend, displaying a gradient or single items depending on whether the axis is scalar or has data classes. See detailed reference and live examples in the API .

Scalar axis

A scalar color axis is represented by a gradient. The colors either range between the minColor  and the maxColor , or for more fine grained control the colors can be defined in stops . Often times, the color axis needs to be adjusted to get the right color spread for the data. In addition to stops, consider using a logarithmic axis type , or setting min  and max  to avoid the colors being determined by outliers.

Data classes

When dataClasses  are used, the ranges are subdivided into separate classes like categories based on their values. This can be used for ranges between two values, but also for a true category. However, when your data is categorized, it may be as convenient to add each category to a separate series.