Azerbaijan阿塞拜疆

This paper examines the unique cartographic and editorial challenges encountered in producing the first Hebrew edition of the Atlas of Israel (1964), a comprehensive work comprising 102 sheets and 720 large-scale maps. Although modeled on other national atlases, the Israeli atlas diverged significantly due to three primary factors: the country's rapid demographic and cultural transformations, its distinctive geographical position and elongated shape, and the uneven reliability of its documentary base. The most influential factor was the dramatic 600% population increase over two generations, which drove extreme changes in agriculture, economy, communication, and services. To capture this dynamism, the atlas employs time-sequence map series for most topics rather than single static representations, and includes supplementary maps to update content. Geographically, Israel's location on the arid zone boundary creates sharp north-south contrasts, with highly diverse physical, human, and economic elements in the north versus a monotonous south, compounded by varied topography over small altitude ranges. These spatial characteristics demanded specialized cartographic solutions. Finally, the area's political history under Ottoman, British, and Israeli administrations within 50 years resulted in data that differ greatly in coverage and reliability. The paper details how these interrelated problems shaped the atlas's content, design, and production.

З. И. Мартынова; А. А. Минц

This article reviews the Comprehensive Atlas of the Azerbaijan SSR, published in 1963 as part of the Soviet series of regional atlases. Compiled by the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR and cartographers of factory No. 2 of the GUGK, the atlas contains 210 maps covering physical geography, economy, culture and history. It is compared with earlier atlases (especially the Armenian SSR atlas). The review highlights the atlas's strengths: a well-balanced structure, extensive use of graphs and diagrams, and innovative maps such as the Caspian Sea complex, seismic zoning, thermal waters, atmospheric circulation, and soil erosion. However, it also notes weaknesses: population mapping is inadequate, with density shown by administrative districts and urban population included in a way that distorts settlement patterns; some sections lack logical consistency; and there are omissions such as agro-climatic and yield maps. Overall, the atlas is judged a successful contribution to Soviet cartography, reflecting both economic changes and advances in scientific research.

A. F. Aslanikashvili; A. B. Baghdasaryan; S. G. Rustamov

The geographical atlases of Armenia (1961), Azerbaijan (1963), and Georgia (1964) were published in the respective national languages and Russian. The scales and formats vary by country: Armenia's atlas is in album form at 1:1,000,000/1:1,500,000, while the other two are in book form at 1:1,500,000/1:2,500,000. The content broadly follows the recommendations of the 1960 Moscow "National Atlas," supplemented with thematic maps reflecting local natural and socio-economic characteristics. Each of the three volumes includes introductory maps, natural conditions and resources, population, national economy, culture and health, and historical maps, comprising 143, 177, and 168 maps respectively, with natural conditions and resources maps accounting for 49%–57% of the total.

Salishchev, K. A.

The author reviews work on atlases of Soviet republics and oblasts published in 1961-64, containing maps on physical geography, population, economy and culture. He finds that these atlases suffer from a lack of practical purposefulness and inadequate coordination. These weaknesses are to be remedied in a new coordinated project of natural-resource atlases of the major republics and economic regions of the USSR initiated in 1963.)

Chatterjee, S. P.

This paper reports on the institutional framework and progress of national and regional atlas production in India. Two government bodies bear primary responsibility: the National Atlas Organization under the Ministry of Scientific Research & Cultural Affairs prepares the National Atlas of India, while the Office of the Registrar General under the Ministry of Home Affairs oversees regional census atlases. Additionally, the National Council of Applied Economic Research and the Indian Statistical Institute have contributed regional economic atlases, including an atlas of the resources of Mysore (1960) and an Economic Atlas of Madras State (1962). Since the Hindi preliminary edition of the National Atlas in 1957, the National Atlas Organization, with a staff of approximately 175, has been compiling the main English edition. Following the recommendations of the IGU Commission on National Atlases, the 300-map series covers population, physical, administrative, and transport themes. As of the review period, 16 maps had been printed, 55 were in press, and 75 were under compilation. Detailed village-level data are first plotted on one-inch maps and subsequently reduced for publication. Concurrently, regional census atlases are being developed by the Superintendents of Census Operations of various states, directed by the Registrar General. Compilation for Orissa, Bihar, and Rajasthan has reached an advanced stage, while maps for other states—except Mysore and West Bengal—are in various phases of compilation. Close cooperation between the National Atlas Organization and state census offices underpins the entire endeavor, ensuring methodological consistency and comprehensive spatial coverage of India’s demographic and physical landscape.

Р. С. Нарских; Г. А. Правоторова

The article reviews the comprehensive Atlas of the Azerbaijan SSR, published in 1963 in Azerbaijani (10,000 copies) and Russian (20,000 copies). The atlas was compiled by scientists from the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR and other academic institutions, with the participation of specialists from ministries and departments. It contains 176 principal maps, 28 inset maps, numerous profiles, diagrams, tables and explanatory texts, with data mainly as of January 1, 1961. The atlas consists of an introduction and sections on introductory information, natural conditions, economy, cultural construction and history; the main map scales are 1:1,500,000, 1:2,500,000 and 1:3,000,000. The introductory section shows the geographical position of Azerbaijan, its share in the national economy, administrative divisions, the growth of Baku and population distribution. The natural conditions section includes six subsections: physical maps, geological and geomorphological maps, mineral resources, groundwater, climate and hydrology. Special attention is given to the 33 climatic maps, which reflect radiation, thermal, moisture and circulation conditions, as well as to detailed hydrological maps characterizing river networks, runoff, mudflows and water chemistry. The economic section covers industry, agriculture, transport and economic ties; ten economic-geographic regions are distinguished, and maps of agricultural specialization, mechanization, irrigation and mineral fertilizer application are presented. Cultural construction and history sections include maps of education, health care, resorts, archaeological and architectural monuments, showing the high cultural level and historical heritage. Alongside a positive assessment, the author notes some shortcomings: inconsistencies in showing mud volcanoes on geological and geomorphological maps, questionable boundaries of runoff zones on hydrological maps, occasional illogical ordering of maps within the agricultural subsection, lack of coordination between the Azerbaijan and Armenian atlases concerning similar natural maps, and unexplained local terminology in the Russian edition. Nevertheless, the atlas is characterized as a valuable scientific reference work, standing among the best domestic regional atlases, suitable for studying the nature and economy of the republic and for preliminary economic planning.

И. Н. Гусева; З. Ф. Котлова

This article is a scholarly review of the Atlas of the Azerbaijan SSR, published in late 1963. The atlas contains 218 pages of maps and text in five main sections—introductory, natural conditions, economy, cultural construction, and history—and uses scales of 1:1,500,000, 1:2,500,000 and 1:3,000,000 to combine maps, text, diagrams, and profiles into a comprehensive description of the republic's nature, population, economy and achievements. The review particularly appreciates the atlas's coverage of geology and mineral resources, underground heat, radiation and climate, the Caspian Sea and its coast, agricultural specialization, economic regions, and cultural facilities. At the same time, it identifies shortcomings: the absence of a separate population section; over-generalized population, soil and vegetation maps that are poorly coordinated with relief; some industrial maps lacking raw-material bases; thin transport maps; excessive use of cartograms that weakens geographical content; mismatches between map content and scale; and non-standardized symbols among special maps. The review concludes that, despite these partial defects, the atlas is a major cartographic work demonstrating the high level of geographic science in Azerbaijan and of considerable practical value to planning and government agencies.

A. Götz

This paper reviews two regional atlases of the Caucasus published in the Soviet era: the Atlas of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1961) and the Atlas of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (1963). It notes that both atlases represent a significant advance over earlier Soviet regional atlases in terms of content breadth and cartographic expression, particularly in their treatment of physical geography (e.g., engineering geology, mineral springs, agro-climatic zones) and economic geography (e.g., crop structure, irrigated areas, freight transport intensity). The review also identifies shortcomings, including the general absence of population geography and demographic maps, and the lack of quantitative explanations and dating on some economic maps. Overall, the atlases serve as valuable resources both for studying the geographical conditions of the two Transcaucasian republics and for methodological reference in regional atlas compilation.

Ewelina Kłos

This review discusses the 1963 Atlas of Azerbaijan, part of the Soviet regional atlas series. Produced by the Institute of Geography of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, it contains 132 maps and 29 schematic maps and cartograms organized in five chapters. The atlas covers natural conditions, economic geography, population, and culture, with notable sections on the Caspian Sea, offshore oil and gas, climate, and irrigation. The author praises its comprehensive content and high cartographic quality, suggesting it can serve as a regional geography textbook. Criticisms include weak population coverage, absence of yield maps, and industrial centers shown by population rather than output. Overall, the atlas is highly rated.