Cartography: Atlases

Summary

This paper presents the report of the International Geographical Union (IGU) Working Group on National Atlases, comprising members from the USSR, Australia, and Spain. Its primary objective is to formulate recommendations for the standardization and compilation of water resource maps in national and regional complex atlases. Following a preliminary programme presented in Paris in 1966, the research was conducted at the Geography Department of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR. Through a comprehensive analysis of over 100 atlases published worldwide, the Working Group recommends that an independent “Hydrology” section be incorporated, consisting of five essential maps: (1) surface water resources, (2) groundwater resources, (3) water use and water consumption, (4) present economic water balance, and (5) future economic water balance. These maps capture the most critical aspects of water resources and their utilization. Depending on a country’s specific conditions, supplementary maps may be added, while related thematic information such as precipitation, evaporation, runoff, and hydrogeological conditions can be placed in other atlas sections. Standard legends for the recommended maps have been developed based on materials from the mountainous areas of Armenia. The work underscores the value of international collaboration in establishing cartographic standards for integrated resource atlases.