National atlas of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

Summary

This article presents a systematic account of the preparation, design principles, cartographic foundations, thematic organization, and institutional collaboration underlying the National Atlas of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The project originated in a resolution of the 1957 Congress of Czechoslovak Geographers, which identified publication of a new national atlas as a major task for national geography. Subsequent work was coordinated first by a geographical commission of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and later by an editorial board appointed by its Presidium. These bodies prepared and approved the map list, project plan, and atlas model, while the undertaking was incorporated into the state research program. The atlas was designed as a detachable-sheet volume containing more than 400 maps on 58 sheets. Each open sheet measures 86 × 50 cm, with a cartographically printed area of 80 × 43 cm. Its principal scale is 1:1,000,000, selected so that the entire state can be represented on one sheet while retaining sufficient detail, including municipal boundaries where required. Smaller nationwide maps use comparable integer scale sequences from 1:2,000,000 to 1:6,000,000, whereas selected regional details employ larger scales. The reverse of each sheet contains explanatory text, Russian and English summaries, and translated legends; a geographical-name index is also included. International comparison with major atlases from Canada, the Soviet Union, France, Sweden, Belgium, India, Australia, and Finland shows that the Czechoslovak atlas ranks among the largest in total cartographically used area, although the elongated and irregular shape of the country reduces sheet-space efficiency. The maps employ a normal-aspect equal-area conic projection with 49°30′ N as the standard parallel. This projection supports reliable comparison of territorial areas, especially on environmental maps, while linear and angular distortions remain negligible. The atlas follows five main divisions: Introduction, four sheets; Natural Environment, nineteen; Population and Settlements, seven; National Economy, twenty-two; and Living Standards, six. The economic section comprises industry, agriculture, transportation, communications, and foreign trade. Comparison with the pre-war Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic indicates both thematic modernization and more efficient use of map space rather than a simple reduction in content. The article highlights choropleth mapping, cartodiagrams, proportional symbols, continuous or graduated value scales, and dot mapping, especially for crops. Some maps distinguish urban and rural components within districts, while others use detailed municipality-level data. Preparation involved academy institutes, geodetic and cartographic authorities, university geography departments, specialized research institutions, and central administrative agencies. The concluding catalogue lists every sheet and scale, demonstrating comprehensive coverage of the natural environment, population, settlements, industry, agriculture, transport, commerce, housing, health care, education, culture, recreation, and protected areas.