Applying real map to geographical globe and rendering

Hi all,

I would like to apply real map to 12" or 16" globe ball. It lookslike map file has to be very big and circumferce of the ball tomatch image size-width.
Can anyone advice me what is the best to avoid too big jpg file andcan this actually work?

Thanks,
Slavica Kutlic
Replogle Globes, Inc.SolidworksPhotoworks