Add a Layer

Geographic data is represented on a map as a layer.A layer might represent a particular type of feature,such as lakes, highways, etc. A layer defines how to display the geographic data it references and where that data is located in your database. A layer references the data stored in geodatabases, shapefiles, and so on, rather than actually storing the geographic data.

To Add a Layer to the Map

1.Click the Add Layer Icon on the tool bar or go to File menu -> Add Layer.
2. In Shape file name field, navigate to the folder that contains the layer.For Example:C:->ESRI->MOJ23->Samples->Data-> USA->uslakes.shp
3. Click the layer and click open.
4. In Select a layer window, click Ok. The new layer appears on your map.