Nagorno-Karabakh纳戈尔诺-卡拉巴赫

Curatorial Note

This gallery presents the national atlas tradition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent state that existed from 1991 to 2023, though its territorial claims and political status remained internationally contested. The three atlases in our collection, all published in 2009–2010, mark a concentrated effort to codify the republic's geography, demography, and infrastructure in a standardized cartographic form. The earliest works, both issued in 2009, include one in English and one in Armenian, reflecting the state's bilingual aspirations for international and domestic audiences. The 2010 atlas, produced by the State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre, signals a shift toward official governmental cartography, emphasizing cadastral and administrative data. These atlases share a common editorial structure: thematic sections on physical geography, administrative divisions, population, economy, and cultural heritage, with detailed reference maps and statistical appendices. Their significance lies not only in their cartographic content but in their role as tools of state-building—asserting territorial integrity and national identity through visual representation. As historical artifacts, they offer a snapshot of a contested region's attempt to define itself on the map, and their legacy persists in ongoing debates over sovereignty and borders.