National Atlas of Hungary, Vol 3: Society
Hungary · MTA CSFK Geographical Institute · 2021
Related Reviews & Articles
Book Review Section: National Atlas of Hungary Vol. 3: Society
Peter Jordan · 2021
This review assesses Volume 3 (Society) of the English edition of the new National Atlas of Hungary, published by the Geographical Institute in Budapest in 2021. The reviewer places the atlas in the context of declining map use and emphasizes its role as a demonstration of the communicative efficiency of maps. The volume has twelve chapters, each dedicated to a major theme: Hungary at a glance, history of population, population number and density, natural population change, migration, population structures (including age, ethnicity, religion, education, and economic activity), settlement history, settlement system, urban settlements, Budapest and its region, rural areas, and living conditions. A major strength is the coverage of the entire Carpathian Basin, which permits cross-border comparisons and highlights the historical continuity of Hungarian settlement and minority populations. The maps combine thematic areal colors with relief shading, facilitating spatial interpretation. Particularly innovative are presentations of Roma population distribution comparing self-identification with external estimates, and time-series maps revealing historical stability of suicide rates and religious patterns. The reviewer also notes some methodological difficulties, such as varying administrative aggregation levels across countries and occasional naming inconsistencies in landscape classification. Despite these caveats, the volume is praised as an ideal combination of maps, tables, diagrams, concise texts, and photographs, and as a highlight of modern atlas cartography that sets high expectations for the remaining volumes on the state and economy.
Book Review Section: National Atlas of Hungary Vol. 2: Natural Environment
Peter Jordan · 2019
This review assesses Kocsis et al.'s National Atlas of Hungary Vol. 2: Natural Environment, the first published part of a new four-volume national atlas series. It outlines the atlas's organizational structure, cartographic design, multilingual naming approach, and thematic breadth across 13 chapters covering geology, geophysics, relief, climate, waters, soils, vegetation, animals, landscapes, environmental protection, nature conservation, and natural hazards. The reviewer highlights the atlas's success in embedding Hungary in the wider Carpathian-Pannonian context, integrating explanatory texts and photos with maps, and applying innovative cartographic methods. Minor criticisms concern occasional typographic choices, map author attribution, and naming consistency. Overall, the atlas is praised as an outstanding scientific and national symbol that effectively replaces traditional written regional geography.
The new National Atlas of Hungary – volume Society
Gábor Gercsák; Károly Kocsis; Zsombor Nemerkényi; László Zentai · 2021
The new volume Society of the National Atlas of Hungary, published in 2021, is Part 3 of the four-volume series. It presents the spatial structure and regional diversity of demographic and social processes in Hungary and, wherever data permit, the Carpatho–Pannonian Area, from a historical perspective. Combining statistics, geography and cartography, the 194-page atlas contains twelve chapters covering population history, population number and density, natural population change, migration, population structures, settlement history, settlement systems, cities, Budapest and its agglomeration, rural areas, and living conditions and quality of life. Compared with the previous edition, the number of maps has increased fourfold; 92 maps (30% of all maps) focus on the Carpathian Basin, explanatory texts, figures, tables and photographs now account for half of the content, and a wholly new synthesizing chapter examines living conditions and quality of life. Compiled by a large inter-institutional team, the atlas is also available in an interactive digital English version, making Hungarian society and its regional embeddedness accessible to international readers. It is a major reference not only for geographers but also for historians, economists and policymakers.
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