Cartopy is a library which provides cartographic tools for python. It features:

• object oriented projection definitions
• point, line, polygon and image transformations between projections
• integration to expose advanced mapping in matplotlib with a simple and intuitive interface
• mechanisms for accessing specialist data such as those from the "Shuttle Radar Topography Mission" (SRTM) and the "Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Shoreline Database" (GSHHS)