A motor driven globe disposed on a support surface. The globe includes a rotating globe shell and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the shell about a vertical axis of rotation. The rotation mechanism includes a motor concealed inside the rotating shell and a support platform disposed on the support surface and substantially concealed inside a recess formed in an outside surface of the rotating shell. An output shaft aligned with the axis of rotation connects the motor inside the interior of the rotating shell to the support platform. The motor includes a motor body nonrotatably coupled to the interior of the rotating shell. Surface interaction forces between the support platform and support surface are greater than or equal to a rotational drive force generated by the motor and applied to the output shaft causing the motor body and the rotating shell coupled thereto to rotate about the output shaft.