By Eric Losang· Abstracts of the International Cartographic Association 10: 181
The collapse of colonial empires after WWII led to the independence of 50 colonies by 1970, yet newly formed states often inherited former colonial administrative or demarcation boundaries, complicating nation-building and triggering numerous post-colonial civil wars. This paper employs a systematic multilevel analysis to compare the visualization modes, map language elements, narrative structures, and production processes of initial post-colonial national atlases, contrasting them with pre-independence atlases produced by colonial powers and with new editions published 25+ years after sovereignty. It unveils colonial and post-colonial narratives and explores different notions of the term "nation" as inclusive or exclusive constructions. The research shows that 80% of post-colonial states produced national atlases, often aimed at forging national identity and coherence.
By Zhaoxu Sui· Cartographic Perspectives 107: 73-76
This review examines John Rennie Short's *The Rise and Fall of the National Atlas in the Twentieth Century*, a comprehensive survey of official national atlases published worldwide during the twentieth century. Short interprets these atlases as rhetorical expressions of state 'cartographic power,' employed to legitimize territorial claims, consolidate national identities, and administer physical and social landscapes. Through case studies of Finland, Poland, Canada, Brazil, and several African nations, the book demonstrates how atlases reflect national agendas, contribute to nation-building, and evolve alongside political ruptures. The concluding chapter anticipates a digital future for the genre, proposing a 'Polyphonic Participatory Atlas' that offers a more inclusive platform. The reviewer praises the work's interdisciplinary depth but notes the notable absence of discussion on atlases from France, the UK, and Germany, and calls for a more thorough examination of the century's cartographic technological transitions.
This review presents John Rennie Short’s The Rise and Fall of the National Atlas in the Twentieth Century as an accessible, carefully contextualized study developed over twenty years. The book examines national atlases as instruments of state-building, sovereignty, territorial claims, and political power, addressing related questions of racism, imperialism, colonialism, and national identity. Historical discussion and case studies—including Argentina, China, Peru, Korea, and Finland—illustrate how atlas-making has served territorial disputes and projects of national renewal, making the volume relevant to readers of cartography, globalization, and the nation-state.
By Andrew Nicholson· Bulletin - Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives (ACMLA)(173): 37-38
In *The Rise and Fall of the National Atlas in the Twentieth Century*, John Rennie Short chronicles the global phenomenon of national atlas publishing, beginning with Finland's pioneering effort in 1899 and followed by over 70 countries. Through close reading of atlases from 40+ nations, Short examines them as coproductions of science and state, highlighting how governments used maps to define borders and assert sovereignty amid “cartographic anxiety.” The author traces the atlas's evolution from topographical surveys to include environmental and social data, peaking in influence between 1960 and 1980 before declining with thematic atlases and digital geotechnologies. Despite this, Short argues the national atlas's legacy endures. Richly illustrated and insightful, the book offers a vital contribution to cartographic and political history scholarship.
This review assesses John Rennie Short's "The Rise and Fall of the National Atlas in the Twentieth Century: Power, State and Territory." Employing a critical-theory approach, Short examines the production and content of national atlases as instruments of statecraft, interrogating the connections between nation-state, science, territory, and power. The book analyzes how atlases respond to "cartographic anxiety" and express national identities, and explores their representation of global discourses, the physical world, and the social world. Short argues that while the traditional national atlas has declined due to data overload, technological change, and rising costs, new technologies offer opportunities for reimagining the atlas as an interactive, participatory web-based portal to geo-information. The reviewer regards this as a provocative and comprehensive first attempt to grapple with this form of cartographic statecraft, likely to spur new research interest.
The Atlas Cookbook: Ten Ingredients How to Edit an Atlas is a guidebook published by the ICA Commission on Atlases, offering comprehensive advice to atlas authors from conception to publication. Using the metaphor of a cookbook, it compares atlas production to running a restaurant: users' need for geo-information corresponds to the fundamental need for food; the atlas concept and type correspond to the restaurant's concept and location; the project team corresponds to the cooking team; data quality corresponds to ingredient quality; workflow corresponds to recipes; map design and visualization correspond to food presentation; user interface and interactivity correspond to cutlery and table settings; user feedback corresponds to customer reviews; and financial and political sustainability corresponds to bill payment. The book is organized into ten chapters covering organization and marketing, editorial aspects, atlas use, thematic and geographic content, data management, multimedia elements, GUI and layout design, map design and visualization, interactive functionality, and prototyping and evaluation. Written at a management level rather than a technical one, it is applicable to both digital and printed atlas projects, emphasizing user needs, data reliability, team collaboration, sustainability, and effective dissemination. Drawing on the extensive experience of multiple cartographic experts, the book provides practical examples and recommendations to inspire and guide the initiation and execution of new atlas projects.
By René Sieber; Lorenz Hurni· Abstracts of the International Cartographic Association 5: 11
National atlases have a long tradition; first copies were published in the 19th century (e.g., National Atlas de Finlande in 1899), and they consisted initially only of a series of topographic maps. In the mid 1950s, the IGU/ICA commission under the lead of Prof. Salitchev propagated a rigid scheme for the map content, consisting of the five categories: Physical environment, Population, Economy, Culture, and Administrative structure (Ormeling 2022). Large format printed atlases were produced, the aim being to demonstrate the power and the beauty of the country. Still today, some national atlases follow basically this structure, sometimes slightly adapted or extended with new categories like Traffic and Ecology. Common to all of these national atlases are well curated atlas maps with a strict display order, and mainly addressing the people of the own country, sometimes also used for nation building.
With the emergence of electronic national atlases in the 1990s (e.g., Atlas of Canada, Atlas of Spain, Atlas of Sweden), the concept of interactivity was established in atlas GUIs and maps. The benefit of such an interactive design was achieved by changing the map layers, and through the combination of map layers. Around the year 2000, 3D visualizations became possible (e.g., Atlas of Switzerland). These features in digital atlases allowed users to create never-before-seen maps, and exploration of the map content with the help of free navigation, as well as compilation, analysis and comparison of maps and map elements (Hurni and Sieber 2018, Sieber et al. 2019).
At the same time, the focus of national atlases shifted from the (propagandistic) nation's viewpoint to a more individual socio-cultural perspective, which is determined by the interests and needs of atlas users.
However, with the transition from physical copies (book, CD-ROM, DVD) to publication on the Internet, the visibility of digital national atlases has decreased dramatically. Their use also stagnated because national atlases were not used as an everyday tool, as national and regional geo-browsers – some of which are competitors of an atlas – are today. The plan to install national atlases as an SDI frontend (Köbben 2017) has failed in large part, only the Atlas of the Ukraine is still following this strategy (Putrenko 2022). In addition, there are many internal challenges, inter alia static GUI design, an overload of atlas features, and repetitive visualization (Sieber and Losang 2020).
Now, what could be the solution to solve this dilemma? How can we make national atlases more visible, more attractive and more integrated into daily life?
We can try to solve this essential challenge with two propositions, one of them is basically a top-down approach, the other one a bottom-up approach. The goal of both approaches is to "tear down the firewall between the visualized data and the user", as Ian Muehlenhaus (2022) recently postulated.
In the Top-down Approach, we rely on a customized application, specialized in terms of content, tools and topicality. The maps of such an atlas should cover mostly current events and changes. Thus, people are getting interested and hopefully stay tuned. The thematic focus could be on didactics or geo-sciences, for example, presented in a popular way. This enables the visualization of actual data and current issues.
The Bottom-up Approach is apparently more user-driven.
By Eric Losang· Abstracts of the International Cartographic Association 5: 8
The publication of the Atlas de Finlande in 1899 is often praised as the manifestation of an atlas genre that spread over the course of the 20th century in the aftermath of two world wars and in the era of decolonisation. Nowadays the term "national" is often veiled by similar publications to avoid possible associations with fascist, revanchist or separatist motivations.
It is this term "national" that also inspires the discussion of whether the Finnish national atlas can be taken as the first of its kind. Several cartographic scholars have discussed and defined alternative origins of the concept. Based on a variety of explanatory approaches they end up in differing definitions.
How national atlases fit into the different approaches has been a topic of academic cartographic considerations that often merely touched the important technological, institutional, economic, societal, political and user-centric developments, especially in the past decades. In addition, approaches to categorise atlases, which focus solely on empirical or structural elements, such as the number and topics of maps and their temporal and spatial sequence, can reduce the scope of analysis.
This paper takes up a post-structuralist approach, asking questions about the changing national narratives that drive national atlases over time by employing a critical approach that situates national atlases in their respective contexts based on a wider systematic consideration of changes in the meaning of the term "national". Thus, not only historical contexts but their inscription as a "story" that atlases tell come to the fore in an analysis of production systems, self-definition and academic reception as well as aspects of how the use of toponyms drives and, inversely, is driven by national narratives.
In conclusion, the paper contributes to discussions of canonical definitions of national atlases. By situating them in their respective historical contexts, it unveils how and under what circumstances concepts have changed and explains why recent developments need to be considered when talking about the definitions and the further development of national atlases.
Between 1900 and 2000, more than seventy countries produced a national atlas, an official or quasi-official rendering of the nation-state in maps and accompanying text. This book considers the reasons behind and characteristics of this state-sponsored cartographic explosion. These national atlases mirror and embody some of the important themes of this turbulent century, including the complex connections between nation, state and territory, the rise of state-sponsored science; the growth of nation-states; colonialism and postcolonialism; and the geography of biopolitics.
By Eric H. Losang· Abstracts of the International Cartographic Association 1: 1-1
The publication of the first National Atlas in 1899 marked the emergence of an atlas category that thrived over the upcoming century. The "Atlas de Finlande", successfully presented at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900, used to coin this title and being published in Paris by the National Geographic Society of Finland, had a true nation-building function.
In the same year, following the US victory in the Spanish-American War, the Atlas of the Philippine Islands (Atlas de Filipinas) was published by the US Coastal and Geodetic Survey, containing two front pages, one in English indicating the USC&GS as publisher, the other in Spanish mentioning the supervision of the project by Father J. Algue, the director of the Manila Observatory. Never referred to as a national atlas, it comprises a series of maps on the Islands and a bilingual abstract on map conventions, a bilingual gazetteer and a thorough introduction into places, places names and their pronunciation. For these atlases, the publication circumstances remain somehow heterogeneous and cannot be compared with modern national atlases and even atlases published in the same period seem to have different hallmarks.
Why considering the Atlas de Finlande a national atlas but define the 1878 Statistical Atlas of the United States only a statistical Atlas? Because of the title? What atlases are more nationally defined than school atlases? Is an atlas published by a non-governmental executing agency a national atlas? Is governmental support and approval needed?
How national atlases fit into different approaches to thoroughly define them (e.g. Salischew 1967) has been subject to academic cartographic self-conception that ignored technological, institutional, economic and user-related developments over time. In addition, these approaches to categorise atlases solely focused structural elements, such as the number and topics of maps and their temporal and spatial sequence. The question of how atlases have been characterised by their publishers and have been perceived in closely following reviews is a possible approach to either situate national atlases as a strict category or a politically induced perception.
The article introduces a post-structuralist approach focussing the textual analysis of both, self-perception verbalized through introductions and prefaces in respective atlases and reviews, contemporarily published in the following years. Introducing common definitions and juxtapose the historical perception of national atlases tries to operationalize Harley's critical approach, that situates maps in their respective historical context. By regarding an atlas not only as a bound collection of maps but as a carefully organised selection of spatial information unveils the power of atlases, which maybe exceeds those of single maps. To analyse atlases in their historic context by including their self-definition and contemporary perception will identify so far unattended aspects and to alternative views on national atlases and their editing and production frameworks. Thus retrograde definitions can be reconsidered.
By Ana Cristina da Rocha Bérenger Resende; János Jeney
This volume presents the proceedings of the Joint Commission Symposium on Historical Maps, Atlases and Toponymy, held at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in Rio de Janeiro on 19–21 August 2015 as a pre-conference event of the 27th International Cartographic Conference. Organized by the International Cartographic Association’s commissions on the History of Cartography and Atlases and the joint ICA–IGU working group on Toponymy, the symposium brought together studies of atlas production, historical cartography, geographical names, ethnocartography, and cartographic heritage. Although Brazil constitutes the principal geographical focus, comparative material from Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Romania, Switzerland, and Central Europe broadens the collection’s international scope. Several papers examine the conception and development of national, regional, electoral, and statistical atlases. They address the long-term management of the Atlas of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the representation and consolidation of Brazilian territory in the National Brazilian Atlas and the 1940 Atlas, electoral change in post-1990 Romania, and the centenary reinterpretation of Switzerland’s graphical-statistical atlas. Together, these contributions emphasize atlases as research infrastructures, historical records, instruments of territorial governance, and accessible guides to social transformation. A second thematic cluster concerns ethnicity and Indigenous mapping. Studies reconstruct the distribution of Indigenous peoples in Central Brazil between 1700 and 1900, analyze István Györffy’s ethnic maps of Central Europe, and assess participatory mapmaking in Amazonian communities. These works demonstrate how ethnocartography can recover historical spatial patterns, preserve cultural memory, strengthen territorial management, and empower Indigenous peoples, while also requiring critical attention to sources and representational practices. Further contributions investigate the field collection, certification, and GIS-based analysis of geographical names, presenting toponymy as both spatial information and intangible cultural heritage. Historical studies reassess IBGE’s institutional role in modernizing Brazilian civil cartography, propose a revised configuration of the hereditary captaincies based on newly examined boundary evidence, and reveal the importance of interinstitutional and international cooperation. The concluding study surveys the rare cartographic holdings of the Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil, including editions of Ptolemy, Ortelius, Mercator, Blaeu, Portuguese manuscript atlases, maps of Brazil and overseas possessions, and French, Dutch, German, British, and American works. These materials trace the encounter with and representation of new territories, advances in printing, surveying, astronomy, geodesy, and state-sponsored mapping, as well as Brazil’s territorial formation. Overall, the proceedings show that maps, atlases, and place names are not neutral repositories of location. They are historically situated forms of knowledge that shape collective identity, political authority, cultural preservation, and understandings of social and territorial change. The volume therefore connects technical cartographic practice with historical inquiry and heritage stewardship, while highlighting libraries, statistical agencies, scholars, and local communities as key participants in producing, interpreting, and preserving geographical knowledge.
This edited volume presents the proceedings of the Joint Commission Seminar on Historical Maps, Atlases and Toponymy, held at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography in Leipzig on 22–23 August 2013 as a pre-conference event of the 26th International Cartographic Conference. The seminar was jointly organized by the International Cartographic Association’s Commission on the History of Cartography and Commission on Atlases, together with the ICA–International Geographical Union body on toponymy. With approximately forty participants and seventeen papers, the event developed from an intended small workshop into a focused conference whose contributions were connected by the common theme of place names. The volume examines how historical maps, atlases, and toponyms produce, organize, communicate, and contest geographical knowledge. It presents atlas making not as the simple compilation of maps but as a complex intellectual and editorial enterprise involving conceptual design, thematic selection, financing, author coordination, data transformation, cartographic methodology, integration of texts and images, attention to users, and dissemination. National, regional, and urban atlases are shown to contribute to community formation, representations of national identity, regional self-understanding, and place branding. Toponyms, meanwhile, are treated as far more than marginal labels. They preserve historical memory, express cultural identity, exercise symbolic power, and may become objects of political dispute; their selection, translation, standardization, and replacement therefore demand both scholarly care and sensitivity to social context. Across the collection, historical map interpretation, archival research, historical geography, GIS-based analysis, atlas studies, and critical toponymy are brought together to investigate the relationships between cartographic representation, territorial administration, ethnic and cultural patterns, and social change. The concluding study of colonial southern Africa illustrates these concerns particularly clearly. It traces how surveying, boundary making, land titling, and place-name inscription helped colonial authorities render territory administratively legible and reorder landscapes and societies. At the same time, it emphasizes that mapped categories and imposed names were never accepted passively: local communities could reinterpret, appropriate, preserve alternative meanings for, or resist colonial spatial classifications. Such afterlives remain relevant beyond the formal colonial period. Overall, the volume argues for sustained collaboration among geography, cartography, history, and toponymy. By treating maps and atlases simultaneously as technical artifacts, historical sources, cultural representations, and instruments of governance, it demonstrates that cartographic scholarship can illuminate not only changing spatial knowledge but also the identities, conflicts, and power relations embedded in the naming and mapping of places.
By M. I. Gerasimova; M. D. Bogdanova· Eurasian Soil Science 48(9): 911-922
An analysis of the contents and legends of soil maps (basic and soil-related ones) in the national atlases published in the last 25–30 years was performed. Only national atlases as integral cartographic products of high scientific level implementing the recent soil–geographic and classification concepts were considered. These were atlases of thirty countries, mainly of the European ones, published in traditional and electronic formats. Soil classifications used for the basic soil maps comprise the national classifications, sometimes with the synonyms of the FAO Soil Map legend or the World Reference Base, and rarely with those from American Soil Taxonomy. In most atlases, only dominant soils are shown on soil maps, sometimes soil-forming rocks are mentioned, and rarely natural zones are. Along with the basic soil maps, there are supplementary ones containing data on soil properties and regimes, as well as diverse maps compiled for agricultural and ecological purposes; in terms of methodology, the maps may be qualified as interpretation and factual ones. The integrity of all these maps provides a comprehensive insight into the ecological functions of the soils.
Geospatial Data infrastructures have been developed worldwide. Geoportals have been created as an interface to allow users or the community to discover and use geospatial data offered by providers of these initiatives. This study focuses on the development of a web national atlas as an alternative means to geoportals, when accessing a Geospatial Data Infrastructure (GDI). From usability studies undertaken during this study, it was apparent that interaction methods and information presented in many geoportals to help user review and make sense of the search results are far from optimal. The virtue of maps and graphics in order to stimulate visual thinking and to provide effective communication before and after 'a search' in current geoportals have not yet been considered essential. As a proposed solution, a national atlas metaphor was developed. The prospective use of the atlas schemata includes the prominent role of maps in the atlas and the organizational approach of the atlas were explored to transform design ideas into a working prototype of an atlas interface metaphor for improved accessibility of the GDI, called Aim4GDI. The Aim4GDI applied the atlas information structure (built as the realization of an adaptation of the atlas schemata) in order to organize thematic maps, images, graphics and information resources related to the GDI including metadata summaries. Metadata summaries are aggregated metadata of geospatial resources in the GDI such as offline data, WMS, and feature services (WFS). The Aim4GDI combines the metadata and query language for the Semantic Web with cartographic design templates in managing and visualizing metadata summaries. This prototype enables users to search and browse geospatial resources through developed visual methods. The table, thumbnail, bull's-eye, and Parallel Coordinate Plots (PCP) views are the visual methods that can help users indicate, compare, and associate the search results. The visual methods that are offered to help users browse and make sense of the geospatial resources include the topic directory and a map viewer, thumbnail, PCP, and in-focus views. In support of browsing interactions, the developed information structure is used as a narrative structure for providing an interactive storytelling presentation to users while browsing. To further demonstrate the usefulness of this approach, an extension of the atlas metaphor to support collaboration efforts via the GDI was developed. The usefulness of the visual methods of the Aim4GDI to help users search, browse, and collaborate with each other using geospatial data offered in the GDI were confirmed in a series of use assessments. It can be concluded that a national atlas metaphor is essential not only to represent a synthesis of knowledge of physical and geographic elements that characterize a country, but also to improve the discovery and use of geospatial resources offered via a GDI. Although this study focused on the use of a national atlas metaphor in the context of the national Dutch GDI, the results of this study are also applicable in order to help other countries advance the role of their national atlases in the world of GDI.
By László Zentai; José Jesús Reyes Núñez; David Fraser
This edited volume documents the Joint ICA Commissions Seminar on “Internet-Based Cartographic Teaching and Learning: Atlases, Map Use, and Visual Analytics,” held at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid on 6–8 July 2005 as part of the 22nd International Cartographic Conference. Bringing together five commissions of the International Cartographic Association, the seminar examines how web technologies, geographic information systems, multimedia, mobile computing, and interactive visualization were transforming cartographic education, atlas production, map use, and spatial communication. The contributions span curriculum design for Internet cartographers, open-source environments for education and research, search-engine mapping, distance and problem-based learning, field instruction with mobile computers, and institutional responses to the transition from traditional cartography toward integrated geospatial solutions. A major theme is the educational and technical development of national, regional, and school web atlases. Case studies from Canada, Quebec, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and other regions discuss atlas information systems, web-atlas engineering, cybercartography, animated maps, thematic mapping, military-history atlases, and the relationship between printed and digital products. Rather than treating new media as an automatic replacement for paper, several studies investigate their complementarity and compare web atlases, static maps, and animations in terms of reading, comprehension, usability, and learning effectiveness. Children’s cartographic cognition and spatial communication form another central strand. Research addresses pupils’ and teachers’ use of thematic maps, children’s preferred modes of spatial expression, world-map cognition, and map-supported instruction in Earth science and extraterrestrial geography. The volume also emphasizes user-centred evaluation and responsible design: usability methods, observation of computer-based mapping, cognitive specifications, modelling reliability, controlled flexibility in online systems, and the semiotics of WebGIS are presented as means of ensuring that technically sophisticated applications remain intelligible and educationally meaningful. Further contributions illustrate emerging applications, including augmented reality for landscape assessment, Internet visualization of seismic events, interoperable web services, interactive layer styling, spatial-information sharing, and sensor- or infrastructure-oriented geospatial technologies. Collectively, the proceedings portray cartographic learning as an interdisciplinary, international enterprise linking pedagogy, cognitive research, visual analytics, software engineering, and geographic information science. They argue implicitly for curricula that combine enduring cartographic principles with practical digital competencies, critical evaluation, and sensitivity to different users and learning contexts. The author biographies and multinational participant list further demonstrate the seminar’s broad professional network and its role in fostering collaboration among universities, government agencies, schools, and mapping organizations.
This report covers the International Conference on National and Regional Atlases, held in Kolkata, India, from February 22 to 24, 2003. Sponsored by the National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO) of India, the conference was co-organized with the ICA Commission on National and Regional Atlases and the Memorial Foundation to Prof. S.P. Chatterjee. The event commemorated Professor Chatterjee's outstanding contributions to geography and cartography, particularly his role in establishing the National Atlas Organization in 1956. Nearly 200 participants from government, academia, and the private sector attended, engaging in technical sessions on atlas products, automated cartography, and future directions. A panel discussion highlighted the need to balance traditional high standards with modern automated methods to meet growing mapping demands. The conference successfully shared past achievements and charted a path for future possibilities in atlas cartography.
This proceedings volume documents the Seminar of the ICA Commission on National and Regional Atlases held in Beijing in August 2001 and presents a broad account of atlas development at the turn of the twenty-first century. Jointly organized by the ICA Commission, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Cartography and GIS Committee of the Geographical Society of China, the seminar brought together specialists from China, the United States, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan, the Czech Republic, Poland, South Korea, and other countries. Its speeches and reports place particular emphasis on the modernization of Chinese cartography and on the compilation and publication of major works such as the National Physical Atlas of China and the National Economic Atlas of China. The contributions review the scientific organization of source materials, thematic design, scale selection, cartographic representation, and integrated synthesis, while highlighting the value of national atlases for understanding national conditions, assessing resources and environments, supporting regional planning, and informing sustainable-development policy. Other themes include the proposed ICA Demographic World Atlas, GIS-based urban mapping, environmental and health or disease mapping, and the construction and application of Chinese datasets for Global Map. A central concern throughout the volume is the transition from printed atlases to electronic, multimedia, and Internet-based atlas information systems. The reports examine the integration of geographic information systems, remote sensing, GPS, databases, telecommunications, and web technologies, with case studies on the electronic and online versions of the National Physical Atlas of China. They also describe EA-World, a Windows-based production environment whose ColorMagic, SymbolMagic, MapMagic, EA-Power, and EA-Viewer modules support color and symbol management, map compilation and editing, integrated processing, visualization, maintenance, and publication. Compatibility with common vector formats, including ARC/INFO coverage, E00, and shapefiles, and raster formats such as BMP, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, and PCX illustrates the growing importance of interoperable digital workflows. The extensive exhibition and appended bibliography of national, thematic, provincial, regional, and urban atlases demonstrate the breadth of Chinese achievements in physical geography, economics, population, ecology, disasters, land use, conservation, and urban development. Overall, the volume records a significant episode of international cartographic cooperation and shows how the atlas was evolving from a static collection of printed maps into an integrated geographic information system capable of retrieval, spatial analysis, dynamic updating, network dissemination, and decision support.
By Christian Witschel· Kartographische Nachrichten 50(6): 274-281
Since the end of the 19th century, more than 100 countries have published national atlases, some in multiple editions. According to the 1960 definition by the International Geographical Union (IGU), a national atlas is a "large, complex geographical atlas of individual countries, containing a summary and evaluation of current scientific knowledge of the physical, economic, and political geography of the country concerned." Based on an analysis of 56 atlases, this paper addresses three core questions: first, whether developmental periods can be derived from conceptual and design perspectives; second, how these periods correlate with the functions assigned to the respective atlases; and third, whether recommendations for future national atlas publication can be formulated. The study reveals that the developmental history of national atlases can be divided into several main phases. The atlases published before 1918 were exclusively bound volumes, focusing on physical geography and closely resembling the physical-statistical atlases of the 19th century. During the 1920s and 1930s, economic themes gained importance, loose-leaf formats emerged, and design became more heterogeneous; the Soviet atlas pioneered the inclusion of chorographic and synthetic maps. Between 1946 and 1960, boxed loose-leaf collections became the new publication form, economic themes played a central role, and offset printing significantly improved print quality. In the 1960s, format reductions occurred, indexes became common, and a clear East-West contrast in cartographic approaches emerged. Since the 1970s, new conceptual variants appeared, including multi-volume thematic sets and continuous loose-leaf works, with increased problem orientation and the use of aerial photographs. From the 1980s onward, multi-volume publication became standard, with equal emphasis on maps, images, and accompanying text; electronic versions were first undertaken at the end of the decade, and design increasingly catered to broad marketing needs and public comprehensibility. Regarding functional change, the first national atlases of Finland (1899) and Canada (1906) clearly served a politically motivated representational function to support sovereignty aspirations. The Soviet atlas (1937-1940) was the first to serve primarily as a decision-making basis for political and economic planning. The flood of atlases in the postwar period up to the late 1950s responded to global political and territorial changes and the immense need for information on economic and natural resources. Today, digital technology is fundamentally transforming national atlases. Canada has already established a "National Atlas of Canada Online" on the World Wide Web, offering customized map services. Electronic atlases based on multithematic databases offer significant advantages: considerable time and cost savings in map production, demand-specific map information, interactivity, easy updating, and substantial personnel savings. In the future, comprehensive national data collections may replace the classic paper atlas for certain target groups, and potentially also regional atlases, city atlases, and other special atlases, with a single database serving as the basis for thematic presentations at various scales, generalization levels, and degrees of complexity. Although a transition period with multiple publication forms is expected, the trend toward fully electronic national atlases, including communication via digital networks, is already underway and offers entirely new possibilities for information processing and dissemination.
By Agust Gylfason; Barend Köbben; Ferjan Ormeling; Tim Trainor
These proceedings document the ninth meeting of the ICA Commission on National and Regional Atlases, held at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík on 4–7 August 1998. Twenty participants presented eighteen papers on electronic atlases and national atlas information systems. The foreword identifies reports on national atlas developments in Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Russia, and Spain; commercial mapping tools and digital production; publication across different media; and links among national atlases, geospatial data infrastructures, Internet dissemination, and public data access. Other topics included atlas metadata, the National Atlas of the United States as an interagency portal, and collaborative checking of the Encarta World Atlas. The concluding visible paper argues that modifying or extending metadata standards with fields for atlas functions and intended uses would support systematic documentation and Internet access. Its Cartographic Meta-Information Tool (CMIT) supports entry, retrieval, and management of metadata, with the primary aim of describing and studying electronic atlases. The volume also commemorates Icelandic geography professor and seminar organizer Gylfi Mar Gudbergsson, who died shortly before the meeting; both the seminar and proceedings were dedicated to him.
This study presents a systematic comparative history of national atlases, examining their development, conception, cartographic design, and social and political functions from the emergence of the genre in 1899 to the mid-1990s. Motivated partly by renewed interest in a unified German national atlas after German reunification, it addresses the absence of a comprehensive comparison of these complex thematic cartographic works. The author defines the national atlas as a nationally oriented synthesis of spatial knowledge and analyzes 56 representative atlases from five continents, selected from publications issued by more than 80 countries. The investigation combines chronological comparison, conceptual and cartographic typology, and interpretation within the relevant historical and political contexts. Six principal phases are distinguished: the formative period from 1899 to 1918; development between the world wars; the postwar phase from 1946 to 1960; expansion during the 1960s; consolidation and diversification in the 1970s; and new approaches since the early 1980s. For each phase, the study considers thematic organization, intended readership, information content, modes of publication, map design, visual hierarchy, and the relationship between analytical, complex, and synthetic representations. It also assesses the influence of recommendations issued by the International Geographical Union and gives particular attention to Finland’s national atlases as a recurring benchmark within the general development of the genre. The comparison demonstrates that national atlases have never been merely neutral collections of maps. Their purposes have shifted in accordance with political conditions, scientific paradigms, planning requirements, educational objectives, and changing conceptions of national identity. Earlier works primarily inventoried territory and resources and contributed to national representation, whereas later atlases increasingly supported research, administration, regional planning, education, and public communication. Cartographic development likewise moved from relatively isolated analytical maps toward more integrated, typological, complex, and synthetic presentations. Examples from Finland, France, Canada, Cuba, the German Democratic Republic, and Sweden illustrate changing levels of thematic integration, graphic sophistication, explanatory text, and accessibility. On the basis of these historical findings, the study proposes a framework for future national atlases, with special reference to the planned Atlas of the Federal Republic of Germany. It emphasizes coherent conception, systematic thematic coverage, consistent cartographic standards, interdisciplinary collaboration, and adaptation to diverse user groups. The final sections document the German project’s planning between 1990 and 1994 and its reconceptualization after responsibility was transferred to the Institute for Regional Geography in Leipzig in 1995. The study concludes by identifying electronic media, digital databases, and networked forms of publication as major forces in the future transformation of national atlases, enabling more current, flexible, interactive, and widely accessible representations of national space.
The digital revolution will impose considerable change on atlas cartography. Traditional paper atlases will be produced and marketed for quite some time to come. However, their merit and viability will be increasingly challenged by innovative digital atlas products. These new atlas products will change the image of the atlas as we know it today. In fact, they may well advance the concept of "an atlas" towards that of a sophisticated atlas-based, integrated information system.
Today, we can only speculate what exact shape these new atlas information products will take; the digital technology revolution and the information revolution are still too young to forecast their exact impacts. A point made in this paper is that, in the process of visualizing innovative atlas products, it is not appropriate for atlas makers and cartographers to be guided by and drift with technology trends, adopting and adapting technology. We need to visualize the next generation of atlas products by looking beyond the limitations of today's technology capabilities. Instead of following technological innovations, we should identify what technological capabilities we need and direct the computing industry to deliver on our needs.
A second point elaborated in this paper is that we should start seriously to consult the atlas user community when visualizing the next generation of atlas products. We should ask the atlas readership to tell us what information contents and what query and analytical capabilities we should be adding to the future atlas, and we should give the users a chance to tell us their preferred methods of information access and retrieval.
A question that this paper has failed to address is: who should conceptualize, operationalize and maintain the next generation of digital atlases? It is anticipated that the future digital atlas information systems will be beyond the skills and capabilities of the traditional team of individuals putting together a paper atlas. The know-how, funding, administration, and technological requirements necessary to make the next generation of digital atlas information systems work will exceed the capabilities of any one individual or stakeholder group. These new atlas products will need to be conceptualized, developed, and administered by a consortium of experts from universities and research institutes, industry and government.
The biggest challenge facing any new atlas initiative in the 1990s is to secure the considerable financial support required to make it all work. The atlas research community needs to share information about how to politic and bid successfully to secure the necessary funds. One thing is for sure: having a well-defined and exciting product vision that has received endorsement from the atlas user community will lend credibility and weight to an effort to secure atlas funding.
This review examines the 1993 Proceedings of the Seminar on Electronic Atlases, situating the volume within the rapid transition from printed atlases to digital and multimedia mapping. The collection contains 22 papers organized around Hungarian atlas cartography, electronic-atlas production, and the use of spatial data in digital atlases. Particularly valuable contributions trace Canadian mapping systems, present Swedish and Dutch production approaches, and describe a North American statistical boundary project. Other cases address emergency mapping, policy support in China, historical-atlas digitization, multimedia education, and hypermedia development. The reviewer notes that arranging papers by presentation order may obscure important discussions, including a late definition of electronic atlases. Nevertheless, the volume is praised for its rapid publication, strong illustrations, and practical value to cartographic professionals and prospective electronic-atlas developers.
National atlases play multiple roles. In addition to providing a coherent summary of a country's physical and human geography, the national atlas has been a symbol of national unity, scientific achievement, and political independence. The first national atlas, Christopher Saxton's Atlas of England and Wales (1579), not only represented the unity of the English state but also celebrated Elizabeth I's patronage of astronomy and geography. Although governments have commissioned single-county atlases intermittently since Saxton's time, the national atlas did not emerge as a distinct cartographic genre until the late nineteenth century. Cartobibliographies and other enumerations of national atlases reveal noteworthy increases during the 1920s and 1930s and again in the 1950s and 1960s, when many former colonies gained independence.
This volume documents the May 1992 meeting in Madrid of the International Cartographic Association’s newly renamed Commission on National and Regional Atlases, hosted by Spain’s National Geographic Institute. It presents the meeting as both an institutional renewal and a response to the rapid technological transformation of cartography. Taking the National Atlas of Spain—assigned to the Institute by the Spanish government in 1986—as a central case, the proceedings emphasize that contemporary atlases can no longer be conceived solely as printed collections of maps. Computer-assisted production, audiovisual media, databases, automated systems, electronic publishing, hypermedia and dynamic visualization were already creating new ways to compile, update, distribute and use geographic information. The contributions combine reports on atlas projects with methodological and technical discussions. Papers concerning Spain examine the current status and future development of its national atlas, demographic information, differences between the 1965 and contemporary editions, computer-supported cartographic editing, stereoscopic-image generation and landscape representation. Comparative reports describe national or regional atlas work in Mexico, Germany, Chile, Panama, Austria, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary and Sweden, as well as preparations for an atlas of Jalisco. These studies address the adaptation of cartography to territorial realities, synthetic mapping of economic organization, representation of social problems, maintenance of base maps and differing national concepts of atlas design. Thematic seminars focus on editorial organization, production management, cartographic information systems, publication and marketing policies, and the technical challenges of revision and standardization. Particular attention is devoted to databanks and automated map-production environments, including multiple production systems, the Intergraph–Optronics workflow used for the Spanish atlas and emerging forms of electronic map publishing. A major section explores electronic atlases through projects from Bizkaia, the Netherlands, the southern North Sea, Arkansas, Madrid and Canada. These examples illustrate desktop atlas systems, transport modelling, dynamic depictions of urban growth, hypermedia representations of territorial change, global-change encyclopedias and multimedia design philosophies. Educational applications are considered through Finnish national atlases, the new Swiss school atlas and comparisons between traditional and digital atlas structures. Overall, the proceedings portray atlas-making as an interdisciplinary, internationally collaborative activity linking geographic interpretation, editorial judgment, cartographic principles and information technology. The meeting’s multilingual discussions, simultaneous interpretation and advanced presentation facilities reinforced its central message: systematic exchange of knowledge can prevent duplicated effort, promote tested methods and help institutions solve common production and communication problems. The concluding acknowledgements and participant directory further reveal a broad professional network involving national mapping agencies, universities and atlas specialists from Europe and the Americas, united in seeking technologically innovative yet cartographically rigorous forms of geographic communication.
By S. Jaatinen· Proceedings of the 16th International Cartographic Conference 1: 585-593
This paper examines the theoretical and practical issues of integrating regional, national, and international atlas cartography. The author argues that modern thematic cartography overemphasizes technical processing while neglecting data quality, result validity, and integration problems, leading to an overly narrow scope. Drawing on the experience of compiling the Atlas of Finland (especially the fifth edition), the paper analyzes challenges of integrating maps at different scales, addressing both technical aspects (e.g., adapting choropleths and symbols) and scholarly consistency (truthful content, logic, comparable structures). The KALSKE computer-assisted system developed in Finland for cataloging and retrieving thematic maps is introduced. The paper also discusses integration at national and international levels, noting problems such as lack of cooperation among cartographic bodies and inconsistent data interpretation. Finally, the author advocates a shift toward problem-oriented thematic cartography, emphasizing integration at both local and international extremes, and calls for enhanced cooperation among cartographers to improve the quality and efficiency of thematic information dissemination.
By F. P. Dammerer· Kartographische Nachrichten 43(6): 236-238
This article reassesses the origins of the national atlas and challenges the widely repeated claim that Finland’s 1899 Suomen Kartasto was the world’s first example. Defining a national atlas as a coordinated publication of maps, explanatory texts, and supplementary illustrations that systematically represents the natural and social complexity of an entire state, the authors identify two earlier works: the Physikalisch-Statistischer Atlas des Deutschen Reichs (1876–1878) and the Physikalisch-Statistischer Hand-Atlas von Oesterreich-Ungarn (1882–1887). Both combined physical, demographic, and economic mapping and significantly influenced the later Finnish atlas. Drawing on archival and collection research as well as detailed analysis of cartographic objects, the study focuses on the Austrian cartographers Josef Chavanne and Franz Ritter von Le Monnier. Chavanne’s scholarship encompassed climatology, polar research, Africa, and physical mapping; as editor of the Austro-Hungarian atlas, he produced most maps in its physical section. Le Monnier specialized in population statistics, electoral geography, linguistic and ethnic distributions, and constructed most of the atlas’s statistical maps. Their collaboration yielded a scientifically sophisticated and technically advanced thematic atlas that represented a high point of late nineteenth-century Austrian cartography and shaped atlas production in the twentieth century. The findings therefore relocate the emergence of the national atlas to Central Europe in the 1870s and 1880s, rather than Finland in 1899.
This volume presents the principal outcomes of the 1990 Beijing meeting of the International Cartographic Association’s Commission on National Atlases. More than fifty specialists attended, including Commission members and participants from China, Sweden, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Spain, India, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and other countries. Thirty-five papers were collected and twenty-six were presented. Their main subjects included national reports on atlas development, electronic atlases, national atlas information systems, and the planning, design, implementation, production, publication, and financing of atlas projects. The proceedings therefore document both international technological innovation and China’s extensive achievements in national, regional, and thematic cartography. China’s national atlas program is shown as the product of long-term comprehensive regional surveys, demographic and resource statistics, remote-sensing applications, ecological observation, and geographic information system development. Its broader purpose is to provide a scientific basis for resource use, environmental protection, and socioeconomic planning. Technical case studies illustrate the transition from conventional compilation toward computer-assisted and data-oriented mapping. Population-density mapping experiments examine the gridding of demographic data, the combined use of accurately located and evenly distributed dots, continuous density classification, and the selection of grid size according to map scale, regional extent, accuracy, and intended use. A microcomputer-based method links settlement population data with elevation zones, aggregates population and area values by grid, and produces classified density maps. Results for the Beijing–Tianjin–Tangshan region show a strong concentration of population below 100 meters, where 91.1 percent of the population occupies 67.2 percent of the land and densities generally exceed 500 persons per square kilometer. Another major example concerns the aerial remote-sensing map series for the Tarim River. Using 1983 aerial photography, specialists compiled thirty-eight 1:100,000 maps covering geomorphology, hydrology, vegetation, grassland, poplar resources, land use, desertification, land resources, imagery, and geographic base information. The project emphasizes unified specifications, interpretation keys, classification systems, coincident feature boundaries, cartographic generalization, prototype-map testing, accuracy assessment, and coordination among disciplines. The concluding catalogue of Chinese atlases and map series demonstrates a broad cartographic system encompassing physical geography, agriculture, population, health, history, climate, geology, environmental quality, territorial resources, and regional development. Overall, the volume argues that modern national atlases depend on integrating traditional cartographic principles with computers, remote sensing, and geographic information technologies, while maintaining standardization, data consistency, interdisciplinary cooperation, quality control, and sustained international exchange.
By B. Winid· Mapping the Nations: Proceedings 1: 130-135
The paper reviews the necessity for improved map-user orientation in production of National Atlases in developing countries. The low level of knowledge of geography and mathematics causes by the average atlas user difficulties in understanding and use of maps in his office or education-related activities.
Not only the signs and colours should be adjusted to the "customs" of each country, but also the scales should be easily understandable, and comparable with other thematic maps in the atlas. The topics presented should be characteristic and relevant to the country in question. Changes of administrative boundaries and urban systems should be marked. The relatively recent gaining of independence by these countries forces us to pay some attention also to historical, geopolitical and geoeconomic factors, and to show the three stages of pre-colonial, colonial and independent periods. Presentation of absolute figures should be made clearer. Geographical name changes, as well as local-geographical definitions or products names, should receive more attention.
By Tomáš Beránek; Krysia Rybaczuk; Michael Blakemore· Mapping the Nations: Proceedings of the 15th Conference and 9th General Assembly of the International Cartographic Association 1: 334–339
This article examines the definition, classification, and role of synthetic maps in national atlases. A synthetic map provides an integrated characterization of a phenomenon or system by analyzing and synthesizing the properties and interrelations of its elements. Such maps may be classified by subject, scope, form—typology or regionalization—and depth of synthesis. The author reviewed at least 86 national atlases published worldwide between 1960 and 1989 and identified 450 synthetic maps, representing 12.3% of all maps examined. Physical-geographical themes accounted for 69.6% of synthetic maps, especially vegetation, relief, and geology, while population and agriculture predominated among socio-economic themes. Their share generally increased over time, reaching 20.6% in 1985–1989. By presenting extensive knowledge through simplified, legible graphics, synthetic maps improve information accessibility and are becoming indispensable to modern national, regional, and complex atlases.
By Robert B. Kent· Internationale Schulbuchforschung 9(2): 143-153
Atlases are unique educational resources, and national atlases can prove to be excellent tools for assisting in a variety of educational tasks ranging from the preparation of classroom materials to the production of textbooks. National atlases exist for nearly 80 countries throughout the world, and new atlases and new editions are constantly being produced. The size and quality of most national atlases seem to bear a direct relationship to the economic status of the nation which it represents. Western and Eastern Bloc countries have the largest and most sophisticated national atlases, whereas nations from the Third World have smaller, less complex national atlases. However, the thematic content of national atlases varies very little among nations. Economic activity consistently dominates the content of national atlases, followed by an emphasis on the physical environment ? together representing between 50 and 60 per cent of thematic content. They are followed in order of importance by culture, population, regional, introductory material, and miscellaneous material. This consistency in content among national atlases recommends them as comparative, as well as simply descriptive educational resources. Because of the unique characteristics of all atlases, not just national atlases, and the range and amount of information they include, educators need to consider their more frequent utilization in the preparation of class materials, teaching units, and textbooks. Les atlas nationaux se sont av�r�s efficaces dans l'enseignement de la g�ographie de presque 80 pays du monde. De nouvelles �ditions nationales sont constamment produites. Evidemment, la grosseur et la qualit� des atlas d�pendent de la situation �conomique du pays respectif. Tandis que les atlas �dit�s dans les pays occidentaux et dans les Etats du bloc oriental sont volumineux et tr�s d�taill�s, ceux des pays du Tiers Monde sont moins complexes. Cependant, il n'y a pas de diff�rence fondamentale en ce qui concerne leur contenu. Dans tous les atlas nationaux c'est l'�conomie qui tient le premier rang devant la g�ographie physique, les deux domaines constituant 50?60 % du contenu total, suivis de la culture, la population et la g�ographie r�gionale et, enfin, des mat�riaux d'introduction et divers. Cette structure pareille des atlas permet de les employer comme des instruments non seulement descriptifs mais aussi comparatifs. En raison des caract�ristiques communes de tous les atlas et vu la quantit� d'informations qu'ils comportent, un emploi plus fr�quent par les enseignants et par les auteurs de manuels scolaires serait souhaitable.
Maps can be used to both represent and distort reality. National governments are one of the most prolific producers of map products and a nation's mapping policy determines what will be mapped, when, and how. In some instances, national governments intentionally modify maps to suit political and strategic goals. National atlases are demonstrations of a nation's character and pride and portray a nation to its own people and the world. This study examines the size, use of language, and subject content of 30 national atlases from among four groups of nations broadly representing distinct political and socioeconomic orientations: the West, the Eastern Bloc, the Independent Third World, and the Colonial Third World. Significant differences exist among the four groups, with the wealthier groups producing larger, more complex atlases in more languages. Subject content varies little among the four groups, suggesting that political orientation and wealth have little influence on the subject content of national atlases. Government mapping policy, in all countries, plays a critical role in the map products available to the public and invites careful study and scrutiny by cartographers and geographers.
By Ernst Benedict· Ergebnisse und Perspektiven geographischer und kartographischer Forschungen: 45-62
This paper explores the relationship between national atlases and geographic information systems (GIS), reflecting on the further development of the national atlas concept. It first reviews the phenomenon, conception, and development trends of national atlases, highlighting their significant role in science, economy, planning, and education. The paper then analyzes the application of computer-assisted information processing in national atlas compilation, particularly its role and limitations in producing publication originals and design work. It emphasizes that while computer-assisted cartography has advanced in simple map production, it still cannot replace manual work in the high-quality design of complex thematic maps. Finally, the paper introduces the GIS developed by the Institute of Geography and Geoecology (IGG) and illustrates with examples how it supports national atlas compilation, proposing that national atlases should be regarded as a component of GIS and constitute an ongoing task.
This paper examines the sources and compilation methods of thematic maps, with a focus on the development, objectives, and content structure of national and regional atlases. It points out that thematic map compilation requires scale transformation and redesign of representation methods based on existing topographic maps, supplemented by literature and historical archival materials. The article traces the evolution from Finland's first national atlas to the atlas compilation efforts of various countries after World War II, with particular attention to Szaliscsev's recommendations, including the ratio of physical to economic maps (1:1 for national atlases, 1:2.5 for regional atlases). Additionally, the paper reviews the development of geological mapping in Hungary, from early surveys by foreign scholars in the 19th century to the establishment of the Hungarian Geological Institute and its systematic mapping work, demonstrating the significant role of geological thematic mapping in serving national economic construction.
By Mark S. Monmonier· The American Cartographer 8(2): 161-168
Planning for a second edition of the National Atlas of the United States is aided by interactive computing and a system of codes and computer programs for displaying schematic layouts of map sheets. This form of computer-assisted cartography is particularly useful when editing a table of contents for an atlas with individual sheets that are to be sold separately. Electronic mail and computer-managed information exchange promote communication among collaborators on the National Atlas Project.
A national atlas is a systematic and comprehensive cartographic work compiled by authoritative national institutions, reflecting a country's natural, social, and economic conditions, with origins dating back to the late 17th century. This paper systematically reviews the development history of national atlases, identifying the Finnish National Atlas of 1899 as the world's earliest recognized national atlas, and outlines the context of competitive national atlas production among European countries during 1950–1970. The main body of the paper presents a detailed tabular inventory of 83 representative national atlases from Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania, providing information on each atlas's compiling institution, publication year, scale, format, and annotations. This serves as a valuable reference for cartographic research and national atlas compilation practice.
By Nikolai Fjodorowitsch Leontjew· Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen 124(4): 293-296
This article examines the conceptual and cartographic problems involved in compiling national atlases for developing countries. The dissolution of the colonial system after the Second World War and the emergence of numerous independent states stimulated atlas production, because national atlases offered an economical and comparatively rapid means of organizing knowledge about territory, environment, natural resources, population and labour. Such atlases can support economic and social planning, assist in training national geographers and cartographers, guide further research and territorial development, and enable developing countries to contribute more fully to international geographical science. Although organizations such as the International Geographical Union and the United Nations promoted the exchange of atlas-making experience, principles derived from countries with mature geodetic, cartographic and statistical systems cannot simply be transferred to states lacking comparable institutions, data and research traditions. National atlases are therefore not neutral collections of facts: their themes and representational methods must reflect each country’s natural conditions, historical development, economic structure, settlement patterns, cultural traditions and political priorities. Particular emphasis should be placed on the inventory and spatial organization of strategically important resources, the natural and socioeconomic foundations of agriculture, and the industries shaping national specialization. Inadequate theoretical research, especially concerning tropical and subtropical environments, may produce competing classifications and mapping concepts; the Cuban national atlas illustrates how alternative scientific interpretations can be represented when no generally accepted system exists. The article argues that atlases should also experiment with integrated representations of natural-technological systems and territorial industrial complexes, although successful precedents remain scarce. Applied maps are especially important. Their legends should be designed for practical use rather than follow exclusively genetic or academic classifications—for example, mineral resources may be grouped by economic use, quality and development potential. Component-based natural regionalization maps should combine inventories with forecasts and recommendations for land and resource use. Because information changes rapidly, loose-leaf publication is preferable to exclusively bound editions: obsolete sheets can be replaced, while several related maps can be compared simultaneously. Traditional atlas conventions likewise require revision. Maps need not always cover the entire state; larger-scale regional maps should portray areas targeted by irrigation, intensive livestock production, specialized cropping or other development programmes. Historical maps should also be included, particularly because developing countries often lack separate historical atlases. Overall, the author calls for a flexible, country-specific approach attentive to both the available level of knowledge and urgent development needs. Solving these conceptual and design problems would enhance the scientific and practical value of national atlases and contribute substantially to the broader advancement of atlas cartography.
This paper, based on the proceedings of an international seminar sponsored by the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH) and held in Ottawa in March 1979, systematically explores the purpose, value, uses, and future directions of national and regional atlases. The article begins by noting that despite criticism of national atlases, the production and popularity of world and regional atlases have grown significantly, making this seminar timely. The seminar focused on the utility of national atlases in the electronic age, the application of computer technology, and ways to better serve the user community. Canada was an ideal host due to recent major evaluations and changes in its National Atlas program, as well as new projects such as the Historical Atlas of Canada proposed by the University of Toronto and the Atlas of the North proposed by the Royal Society of Canada. The paper emphasizes that atlases are vital for planners, administrators, researchers, and educators, and reviews Canadian cartographic history, from Juan de la Cosa's 1500 map—the first to depict Canada—to Alexander von Humboldt's rediscovery, highlighting the interdisciplinary and transnational nature of national cartographic studies. The concluding section deeply analyzes the multiple functions of national atlases: supporting natural resource renewal, national wealth utilization, economic planning, and cultural environment planning; while also serving as educational tools and cultural ambassadors, fostering patriotism and international understanding. Drawing on experiences from the Soviet Union, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and Hungary, the article notes applications in higher education, commercial publishing, media, political decision-making, market surveys, national prestige display, and information dissemination. However, planners typically require a broader range of map products, and national atlases often lack prognostic maps. The paper discusses the importance of users' map-reading skills (termed 'cartogracy' or 'graphicacy') and suggests enhancing training through education systems, while also bringing atlases closer to the public via exhibitions and user guides. Finally, it raises eight critical questions for future national atlases, including the need for new editions, subject selection, presentation methods, technical specifications, and user targeting, along with cost considerations, emphasizing the challenge of balancing quality, utility, and economy in the digital age.
By R. Habel· Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen 118(4): 319
This review examines the first four volumes of Cartographica: Monographs on Cartography, a Canadian series supplementing The Canadian Cartographer. The volumes address seventeenth-century maps of Newfoundland, the influence of map users on cartographic design, Russian maps and atlases as historical sources, and the history and standardization of national atlases. Drawing on historical map examples, symposium papers, methodological studies, and translated scholarship, they demonstrate the expansion of geographical knowledge, the importance of adapting maps to users with differing educational and professional backgrounds, and the value of cartographic materials as historical evidence. Particular praise is given to the symposium volume for its user-oriented research and to the national-atlas handbook for its enduring guidance on mathematical foundations, geographic content, and design. Overall, the series is judged a valuable contribution to Canadian cartography with substantial international relevance.
By N. F. Leont'yev· Soviet Geography 15(2): 109-116
The concept of national atlas is reviewed in light of experience gained since such a specific category of cartographic production was first suggested in 1958 by K. A. Salishchev. On the basis of analysis of the structure and content of 14 atlases, a set of definitions and criteria is drawn up that would qualify an atlas as truly national. Aside from being limited to the territory of a single country, such an atlas should devote roughly 70 to 85 percent of its total space to maps of the physical environment, population and ecomnomy. The atlas content should be on a scholarly level reflecting the state of the art, for use principally as an aid in the evaluation of territory, of the production base and of manpower resources for purposes of economic and social planning. Among the principal map sections, greater weight given to economic maps is justified in highly developed, industrial countries, while more attention to the physical base tends to be given in countries where agriculture is still the basis of the nation's economy. The atlases of Colombia and Kenya devote less than 50 percent of their space to environment, population and economy and therefore would not qualify. Neither, in the author's view, does the atlas of Salvador, which allocates 68 percent of space to agriculture and only 12 percent to the physical base.
By Н. Ф. Леонтьев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(2): 98–105
This article re-examines the feasibility and proper scope of unifying national atlases in light of the rapid postwar expansion of atlas production and the experience accumulated by international cartography. The unification agenda arose from the expectation that national atlases could support comparative geographical research and provide reliable source material for international thematic maps. Yet national atlases primarily serve domestic economic, social, scientific, and cultural needs. Their contents and methods therefore reflect differences in national conditions, territorial size, levels of geographical knowledge, statistical systems, scholarly traditions, and practical priorities. The central problem is consequently how far national and international purposes can be reconciled within a single cartographic work. The article argues that certain formal and technical features are relatively amenable to standardization, including map projections, scales, coordinate grids, atlas formats, printing conventions, and basic graphic methods such as colors, areas, dots, and flow lines. A broadly comparable thematic structure may also be possible; the Soviet five-part model—nature, population, economy, culture, and political-administrative organization—is presented as useful, with the National Atlas of Cuba demonstrating that cultural maps are indispensable for addressing national development. By contrast, the unification of legends, classifications, and mapping indicators is highly problematic. Large-scale national maps permit detailed classifications shaped by national or regional scientific schools, which cannot easily be reconciled. Soil mapping in Cuba illustrates this difficulty: attempts to combine Russian genetic soil science with American soil-series principles required multiple versions of the legend and still failed to achieve full consistency, despite abundant field observations and source materials. Comparability is likewise constrained by unequal territorial knowledge; thematic mapping in developing countries may even advance ahead of adequate general geographic base mapping. Similar obstacles occur in socioeconomic cartography. Industrial centers, agriculture, and livestock can be represented through different physical, labor, monetary, technical, or social indicators, each selected according to country-specific data and objectives. Statistical dates also differ among atlases, further limiting comparison. The article therefore rejects comprehensive top-down standardization of national atlases, especially for socioeconomic subjects whose purpose is to reveal national specificity. It proposes reversing the conventional relationship between national atlases and international maps. Rather than first standardizing national atlases so that they can supply international products, international thematic maps covering continents or the world should become the main arena for developing integrated classifications, comparable indicators, and unified legends. Because their small scales require high-level taxonomic categories, such maps naturally synthesize different national approaches. Their results may subsequently inform national atlases, although adoption must remain the sovereign choice of each country. International scientific cooperation and exchange of experience can thus improve atlas quality and promote partial—not absolute—unification while preserving the national functions and intellectual diversity of cartography.
This review article examines three national or regional atlases. First, it discusses the English translation of National Atlases, a seminal work by the International Geographical Union's Commission on National and Regional Atlases, which systematically reviews the history of national atlases up to 1960 and offers detailed recommendations on cartographic methods, scale, projection, and content organization. Second, it critiques the Metrolina Atlas, which focuses on the urban region centered on Charlotte, North Carolina, covering twelve counties; the reviewer notes shortcomings in its treatment of regional interconnections, agricultural analysis, and data granularity. Third, it evaluates Character of a Conurbation: A Computer Atlas of Birmingham and The Black Country, which employed computer-generated mapping, reflecting contemporary technological advances. Together, these reviews illuminate the practices, technological developments, and scholarly standards of atlas compilation in the mid-to-late 20th century.
This is a review of the book *National Atlases: Their History, Analysis, and Ways to Improvement and Standardization*, edited by G. Fremlin and L. M. Sebert. Originally published in French in 1960 by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the work was later translated and edited into English. The review notes that the national atlas as a new genre began with the *Atlas of Finland* in 1899 and proliferated between the world wars due to the emergence of new countries in Eastern Europe. The book is organized into three sections: historical analysis, mathematical basis, and subject matter and contents, concluding with a list of recommended map topics. The reviewer praises the work as exhaustive and a basic reference, but criticizes the twelve-year delay in English publication and the incomplete translation of some tables and figures. Overall, the book is deemed valuable for historians of cartography.
By R. A. Orr· The Geographical Journal 139(1): 176-177
This review discusses the monograph "National Atlases" (Cartographica Monograph No. 4), edited by G. Fremlin and L. M. Sebert, published by York University, Toronto, in 1972. It notes that the book, based on the 1960 French edition edited by Professor K. A. S. Salichtchev, serves as an authoritative guide in the field of national atlases. The new edition offers clearer and more helpful sections on mathematical foundations and content, proving valuable to prospective atlas publishers. However, despite comprehensive surveys, few countries have produced national atlases. The author emphasizes that while standardization in cartography is desirable, it should not suppress individual initiative, as the art of cartography must remain a personal endeavor.
By Н. Ф. Леонтьев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(4): 21–28
This article examines the evolution of the concept of the “national atlas” and seeks to establish more precise criteria for identifying this distinctive type of cartographic publication. Its argument is based on a comparative analysis of the thematic structures of fourteen comprehensive atlases of individual countries that have commonly been classified as national atlases. The author first reviews definitions proposed in 1958, 1960, and 1966. Although these definitions emphasize territorial correspondence with state boundaries, comprehensiveness, scientific authority, national importance, and prestige, they do not adequately distinguish genuinely national works from educational or popular atlases, narrowly sectoral compilations, or publications shaped by colonial interests. The institutional origin of an atlas is likewise insufficient as a criterion: foreign participation may impose metropolitan priorities, but international cooperation can also support national goals. The National Atlas of Cuba is presented as a positive example in which cooperation advanced geographical research, cartographic production, and the training of national specialists. The thematic comparison reveals a notable structural regularity: in most of the atlases studied, maps of natural conditions and resources, population, and the economy account for approximately 70–85 percent of all maps. These themes therefore constitute the substantive core of a national atlas, while introductory, political-administrative, social, cultural, and historical sections generally play supplementary roles. On this basis, the atlases of Colombia and Kenya are questioned because less than half of their maps address the central themes, while the Atlas of El Salvador is judged structurally unbalanced by its overwhelming concentration on commercially oriented agriculture and limited treatment of the natural environment. The Tanganyika atlas meets the quantitative ratio but remains colonial in its selection and representation of social information, demonstrating that interpretation and ideological orientation matter as much as formal structure. The Australian publication is more accurately characterized as a resource atlas. The author consequently defines a national atlas as a comprehensive scientific geographical atlas covering a country within its state boundaries and presenting the contemporary state of knowledge and development of its territory, population, resources, and economy. Four principal criteria are proposed: national territorial coverage; comprehensive organization with priority given to nature, population, and economy; a scientific level consistent with current knowledge; and a scientific-applied function supporting territorial assessment, use of natural and labor resources, organization of productive forces, and national socioeconomic development. A national atlas should thus be understood not merely as a repository of knowledge or an emblem of prestige, but as an explanatory instrument that communicates geographical ideas and assists in solving major national problems. Clarifying the concept is especially important for developing countries seeking to overcome colonial cartographic traditions and employ modern science and technology in autonomous territorial research, resource use, and social, economic, and cultural progress.
By S. J. K. Baker· Bulletin of the Society of University Cartographers 8(1): 11-12
This comment examines the role of the national atlas in cartography and its implications for school atlases and geographical education. The author highlights the national atlas as a comprehensive representation of a country's geographical knowledge, setting high cartographic standards and serving as a cultural ambassador. The paper discusses the challenges of adapting national atlas content for school use, emphasizing the need for collaboration with educators. It also questions the suitability of continental sub-regional atlases as school counterparts. Finally, the author challenges the notion that the world atlas is obsolete, arguing its continued value in providing a global framework and fostering spatial concepts.
By Brigadier M. O. Collins· Bulletin of the Society of University Cartographers 7(1): 45-46
This paper examines the role of national atlases in cartography. Traditionally, atlases served as compendiums of topographical knowledge, but over the past two decades, driven by the needs of rapidly developing countries, they have evolved to incorporate economic and social data against a topographical backdrop. This shift has made world atlases increasingly impractical due to inconsistent national statistics, thereby promoting the rise of national atlases. Concurrently, changes in geography education, emphasizing in-depth study of one's own country, have heightened the demand for simplified national atlases for schools. Despite publishers' preference for universally marketable reference books, the author argues that the trend, particularly in Southern Africa, points toward national reference books combining maps with textual and tabular data, tailored to educational levels and extending to university and planning needs.
By Tore Ouren· Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift 23(1): 33–38
This article reviews the development, purposes, and publication formats of modern national atlases and uses international experience to formulate recommendations for a future Norwegian national atlas. National atlases are conceived as comprehensive collections of predominantly thematic maps describing a country’s natural and cultural conditions; beyond research and education, they can provide essential evidence for rational national planning. Drawing on comparisons among more than twenty atlases, including those of Finland, Sweden, Britain, France, Canada, and several smaller European states, the study examines page dimensions, map scales, binding systems, publication schedules, and explanatory texts. It shows that territorial size and shape strongly determine cartographic design. Small countries can generally be represented at relatively large scales, whereas elongated countries require subdivision, page rotation, or reduced scales. Modern reproduction methods nevertheless allow smaller-scale maps to convey increasingly nuanced information. Loose-leaf publication over several years offers a major advantage over a single bound volume because stable physical-geographical sheets can appear early while cultural and demographic maps can incorporate recent statistics; this flexibility is particularly valuable for planning, although secure storage and organization remain necessary. The article also emphasizes that source documentation, contributor credits, interpretive commentary, illustrations, and multilingual explanations substantially increase scientific and international utility. Because Norway lacks both national and regional atlases and has an unusually elongated form, the author recommends drawing chiefly on Swedish, Finnish, and British practice: a principal scale of 1:2,000,000, supplemented by divided maps at 1:1,500,000 and whole-country maps at 1:3,000,000. Norway should prioritize a national atlas and begin production once financing is secured.
By Christian Clauß· Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen 112(3): 222-237
Maps of transport and tourism in 63 national atlases were analyzed in preparation for the "Atlas of the GDR," which is currently being compiled. The atlases are divided into six groups, which are described and evaluated. As a result of the analysis, the degree of complexity is determined as an index and criterion for the comparative evaluation of the traffic maps in the individual national atlases. This index is based on the application of thirteen possible methods for the cartographic representation of the accessibility of a region. The ranking of the atlases in relation to their degree of complexity is discussed, illustrated in a map, and discussed in the text. Finally, suggestions are made for further possibilities of a comparative evaluation of national atlases with regard to their maps of traffic and tourism.
By E. C. Willatts· 20th International Geographical Congress Proceedings: 197
At the Exhibition of National and Regional Atlases, Congress members examined 84 atlases from 39 countries, assembled to stimulate comparisons of thematic and technical presentation. The exhibits included previews of unpublished atlases from Czechoslovakia, Indonesia, Switzerland, the USA, and a regional atlas from Poland, alongside new map series for Australia and India. Newly completed atlases from Great Britain, Israel, France, the USA, and the USSR were shown for the first time. Countries like Cameroon, Morocco, and the Netherlands displayed published sections of their serial national atlas projects. The exhibition illustrated the work of the National Atlases Commission, where experimentation and systematization must accompany rapid production. Despite criticisms of loose-leaf serial atlases, their value was evident, as many displayed atlases could not have been completed otherwise. The wide range of themes rekindled discussions on suitable topics for national and regional atlases. Organizers expressed deep gratitude to national committees, publishers, and libraries for providing the expensive exhibits.
This volume records the plenary session of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in Budapest from 7 to 12 September 1962, together with the associated Exhibition of National Atlases. Bringing together commission members, corresponding members, cartographers, geographers, government officials, and atlas editors from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, the meeting reviewed the rapid expansion of national and regional atlas production since the Commission’s establishment in 1956. The opening addresses emphasize that national atlases had become more than specialized cartographic publications: they were increasingly important instruments for scientific research, economic planning, resource assessment, education, public administration, and international understanding. Reports from the United States, Austria, India, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Morocco, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Soviet Union, Belgium, Spain, and Great Britain describe atlases already published or under preparation, their institutional organization, editorial principles, thematic scope, source materials, scales, production methods, and progress. Comparative contributions also examine state, provincial, and regional atlases in the United States, Canada, and the Federal Republic of Germany. Across these case studies, the proceedings identify major methodological issues: the selection and coordination of physical, demographic, economic, and cultural themes; the geographical conception of industrial maps; the representation of population and industry; the harmonization of legends and symbols; procedures for revision and continuous updating; and the relationship between comprehensive national atlases and more detailed regional works. Particular attention is given to contemporary technological change, including the transition from manual compilation to automatic plotting of thematic maps, as well as to the need for reliable statistics, comparable classifications, and close cooperation among geographers, cartographers, statistical agencies, academies, and state surveying organizations. Broader discussions assess current trends in atlas development, the future responsibilities of the Commission, the preparation of a revised international bibliography of national atlases, and the significance of the International 1:1,000,000 Map of the World. The concluding resolutions seek to strengthen international exchange, promote common professional standards without erasing national particularities, improve accessibility and comparability, and encourage the regular modernization of atlas content. A catalogue of the Budapest exhibition documents a wide range of national, regional, economic, planning, census, and resource atlases from numerous countries, demonstrating both the global diffusion of atlas-making and the diversity of its institutional and cartographic traditions. Overall, the volume presents national atlases as integrated syntheses of territorial knowledge and as practical foundations for planning and development, while defining international collaboration, methodological refinement, and technological innovation as central tasks for their future advancement.
By Carleton P. Barnes· Geographical Review 52(3): 465–466
This article comprises three book reviews from the Geographical Review journal. The first reviews the collected volume Oceanography, highlighting L. H. N. Cooper's new theory on subsurface water density distribution, which proposes that ocean waters are arranged in thick layers of 'resident water' separated by shallow discontinuity layers—a concept with significant implications for deep-sea circulation, radiocarbon dating, and vertical distribution of marine life. The second reviews a Soviet monograph on national atlases, systematically elaborating the definitional criteria, compilation principles, and content classification for national atlases. The third reviews Kartografia Ekonomiczna, the first Polish work on economic cartography, introducing its classification system for economic maps and technical cartographic methods.
A complete climate section of a national atlas should contain maps, tables and graphs presenting data on climate-forming factors, the temperature regime, moisture supply, climatic regions and typical weather situations. Published national atlases are analyzed and recommendations for the treatment of climate are made. Particular importance is attached to the integrated presentation of several climatic elements on a single map. The value of climatic maps for various segments of the economy (agriculture, construction, transportation) is emphasized.
By N. V. Krasil'nikova· Soviet Geography 2(5): 33-41
This article reviews the group of geological maps in national atlases, comparing the form and content of geological-stratigraphic, tectonic, mineral-deposits, lithological-petrographic, and Quaternary-deposits maps, and offering recommendations for greater uniformity. The author notes significant variations among published atlases in the number and headings of geological maps, base-map compilation principles, representation methods, and completeness, attributing these to both natural and socio-economic conditions and subjective compilation approaches. To ensure comparability and integrated regional study, the article emphasizes the need for consistency within the geological map group and with other physical maps regarding mathematical and geographical bases, content complementarity, classification detail, and generalization degree. It discusses how stratigraphic detail varies with map scale and geological knowledge, and addresses issues of legend logic, color standardization, and international indexing. The article recommends that mineral-deposits maps be compiled at the same scale as geological maps to facilitate studying deposit distribution and structural associations. It also suggests including supplementary maps tailored to national characteristics, such as hydrogeological maps for arid countries and structural maps for platform regions, while noting the need for further work on Quaternary deposit classification and tectonic map legends.
By Juan Manuel López de Azcona· Notas y Comunicaciones del Instituto Geológico y Minero de España(61): 193–198
The various maps that should appear in a national atlas are considered, covering geology and related sciences, as well as the mineral processing industries, both in their mining and beneficiation aspects. The article is completed with some comments on the particular case of Spain.
By Т. Г. Сваткова· Вестник Московского университета(2): 27-33
This article outlines principles for designing and organizing inland-water maps in national atlases. Hydrographic-network maps should use the same scale as other physical-geography maps, because drainage patterns reveal key characteristics of relief, watersheds, and terrain dissection. Runoff and discharge maps should be coordinated closely with precipitation maps to support analysis of regional water balances. Seasonal runoff, for example, should be accompanied by corresponding seasonal precipitation data, with comparable indicators, representation methods, detail, and scale. Hydrological regionalization should be developed in conjunction with maps of climate, relief, soils, and vegetation, preferably at a somewhat smaller but readily comparable scale. Flood maps should also include information on causal factors such as ice conditions, snowmelt, precipitation, wind-driven surges, and earthquakes. Because economic activity substantially alters surface-water and groundwater regimes, hydrographic maps should depict reservoirs, canals, and related infrastructure, while the economic section should provide fuller coverage of water use. A map of integrated multipurpose water utilization is particularly valuable for arid regions and for linking the atlas’s physical and economic sections. The article concludes that inland-water maps should be arranged compactly on two or three atlas sheets and placed immediately after the climate-map section.
In this article, which is part of a series on national atlases, the author makes recommendations for the selection of maps and map content to be incorporated into the atlas section devoted to the water resources of the land. She divides the maps into two major classes: maps of drainage patterns, and maps of the characteristics of stream regime.
By G. R. Crone· The Geographical Journal 127(2): 255-255
This article reviews the conceptual foundations and international comparability of national atlases. Against the backdrop of the 1961 IGU Congress in Stockholm and the work of the Commission on National Atlases, it argues that rigid uniformity in atlas compilation is impractical; instead, comparability should be achieved through scale, projection, generalization, and thematic organization. The author distinguishes between analytical approaches (e.g., mapping individual resources) and synthetic approaches (e.g., representing complex physical, economic, or social interrelations), citing the Atlas of Australian Resources and the Atlas of Canada as examples of how data availability and production contexts shape outcomes. The article also discusses Salishchev's monograph on national atlases, which criticizes the lack of maps on financial and social structures. Overall, it advocates for methodological coordination rather than standardization, aiming to enhance the scientific value and international utility of national atlases while respecting national diversity.
By В. Г. Чуркин· Известия Всесоюзного географического общества(1): 83-85
This article examines the concept of national atlases and the various approaches to their compilation across different countries. It traces the origin of the term "national atlas," clarifying its relationship with the broader concept of "complex atlas," and reviews the evolution from I.K. Kirilov's initial idea in 18th-century Russia to early practical implementations in Finland, Egypt, France, and other nations. The author focuses on the 1958 plenary session of the Commission on National Atlases under the International Geographical Union, held in Moscow and Leningrad, and identifies three main models of atlas compilation: the state-centralized planning model exemplified by the Soviet Union, the government-agency-led model seen in Belgium, and the decentralized voluntary cooperation model adopted in the United States. The article concludes that national atlases hold significant practical and scientific value for natural resource assessment and economic planning, and that different compilation approaches reflect national circumstances, with the Soviet model demonstrating notable advantages in systematic coordination.
This paper discusses the principles of compiling population maps in national atlases. The author argues that population, as society's principal productive force, should be mapped from at least four aspects: population numbers and density, settlement geography, socio-economic characteristics, and ethnographic characteristics. Through an analysis of existing atlases, it is noted that most national atlases tend to favor strictly demographic features while neglecting the socio-economic aspects. The article proposes a minimum set of population maps and discusses how their content should vary between countries with different socio-economic systems, such as capitalist and socialist states. It also addresses the logical placement of these maps within the atlas structure. The author emphasizes that a comprehensive and integrated treatment of all population aspects is essential for the scientific and practical value of any national atlas.
By Н. С. Виноградова· Вестник Московского университета(1): 43-48
This article discusses the principles and methods of compiling agricultural maps in comprehensive national atlases. It first points out that agricultural maps occupy a significant place in national atlases, and their content is influenced by factors such as the social system, the level of development of productive forces, and the degree of study of the mapped territory. The author classifies agricultural maps into three categories: maps of agrarian relations, maps of productive forces in agriculture, and maps of the location and scale of agricultural production, and elaborates on the key points of compiling each category. The article emphasizes that the compilation of agricultural maps should focus on reflecting the dynamics of agricultural production, adopt cartographic methods that truly reflect geographical distribution patterns (such as the dot method and improved cartograms), and maintain coordination with other thematic maps (nature, population, industry, etc.). Finally, the author recommends that the agricultural map section be supplemented with textual explanations, diagrams, and photographs.
By N. S. Vinogradova· Soviet Geography 1(9): 56–61
This paper discusses the compilation standards for agricultural maps in national atlases, emphasizing that such maps should be accompanied by explanatory text, diagrams, photographs, and references to methodology and data sources. It cites numerous national and agricultural atlases published between the 1930s and 1950s, including the Atlas of the Belorussian SSR, the Great Soviet World Atlas, the Atlas de Belgique, and the Atlas of American Agriculture, as reference examples. Additionally, the paper includes a translated excerpt by A. I. Spiridonov on geomorphic mapping abroad, noting that several countries have produced general geomorphic maps at medium and small scales (1:500,000 and smaller) based on existing textual and cartographic materials, commonly found in regional geomorphic monographs, articles, and atlases. The aim is to provide cartographers with international experience to enhance the standardization and scientific rigor of agricultural and geomorphic thematic mapping.
By И. Н. Гусева· Вестник Московского университета(6): 26-32
This article examines the role, content, and design principles of climate-map sections in comprehensive national atlases. Because climate shapes natural landscapes and strongly affects agriculture, industry, transport, and other economic activities, such sections must combine scientific accuracy with practical utility. Drawing on comparative analysis of national and specialized atlases from Europe, the Soviet Union, the United States, Australia, and other regions, the author argues that a comprehensive atlas should present a selective yet coherent set of approximately 30–40 climate maps rather than reproduce the much larger scope of a specialized climatic atlas. Selection and design should emphasize relationships between climate and other natural components, comparability with other atlas maps, interdependence among climatic elements, and temporal dynamics. A well-developed section should cover climate-forming factors, temperature regimes, moisture conditions, wind, climatic regionalization, and typical weather. Recommended materials include maps, graphs, tables, and explanatory text on solar radiation, day length, atmospheric pressure, cyclone and anticyclone tracks, cloudiness, long-term mean and extreme temperatures, threshold-temperature dates, frost-free periods, precipitation, snow cover, humidity, evaporation, soil moisture, and wind frequency and velocity. Indicators should be adapted to national geography, data availability, atlas scale, and economic needs; for example, accumulated temperatures above 10°C or 15°C are especially relevant to crop cultivation in different climatic zones. The article stresses the use of common time periods and comparable scales, as well as the joint representation of two or three related variables on one map to improve information density and reveal causal connections. A climatic-regions map is considered essential as a synthesis of multiple indicators and should be coordinated in scale with other physical-geographical maps. Station-location maps, regional graphs, synoptic charts, phenological materials, and methodological notes can further clarify data reliability and practical meaning. The study concludes that climate sections should not follow a rigid universal template: their content and representational form must reflect each country’s size, location, climatic diversity, level of observation, and planning priorities. Nevertheless, internal consistency, cross-sectional comparability, integrated cartographic representation, and an explicit connection between climatological theory and socioeconomic application are fundamental principles for constructing scientifically valuable national atlases.
By Н. В. Красильникова· Вестник Московского университета(3): 30-36
The article examines the compilation of geological map groups in national atlases. It notes significant differences among published atlases in the number, content, legend principles, and representation methods of geological maps, which hinder international comparison. Based on an analysis of atlases from several countries (e.g., Belgium, Italy, France, the USSR), the author systematically reviews the current state and problems of key map types, including geological, tectonic, mineral resource, lithological-petrographic, and Quaternary deposit maps. The article emphasizes the need to unify legend principles, coordinate scales, and standardize representation methods to ensure map comparability and facilitate comprehensive territorial studies. Finally, it offers specific recommendations for improving the content and design of geological map groups, such as adopting a unified stratigraphic legend, strengthening the linkage between tectonic and mineral maps, and adding auxiliary maps based on national geological characteristics, aiming to provide a scientific basis for enhancing national atlases.
By А. И. Преображенский· Известия высших учебных заведений. Геодезия и аэрофотосъемка(3): 113–123
This article examines the principles, thematic structure, and cartographic methods appropriate for representing industry in comprehensive national atlases. Drawing on examples from the Great Soviet World Atlas and national or economic atlases of the Byelorussian SSR, France, Italy, and Czechoslovakia, the author demonstrates that existing atlases differ markedly in the space devoted to industry, the balance between general and sectoral maps, the degree of thematic detail, and the techniques used to depict industrial location. To improve scientific consistency and permit international comparison, the article advocates a systematic yet adaptable framework. The number of industrial maps should depend on a country’s level of industrialization, diversity of production, economic characteristics, and the overall scale and design of the atlas. An industrially advanced country might require sixty or more maps, although these need not occupy an equal number of sheets because full spreads, partial pages, inset maps, and varying scales can be combined. The industrial section should be divided into two broad groups: general industrial maps and maps of individual sectors. General maps should portray the distribution and agglomeration of industrial centers, historical stages of industrial development, the territorial intensity of industrialization, social ownership, foreign-capital participation, enterprise concentration, unemployment, mechanization, electrification, labor productivity, new construction, and the sectoral composition of industrial centers. A principal national map should represent every significant industrial center with continuously scaled proportional symbols based on a consistent indicator, preferably the value of fixed assets or industrial employment, while transport networks, hydrography, administrative boundaries, and enlarged insets provide geographic context. Historical map series should combine dates important to each country with internationally standardized benchmark years, thereby revealing industrial growth and spatial change over time. Sectoral maps should show extraction, processing, transportation, productive capacity, output, technological linkages, and facilities under construction or in planning. More than forty proposed themes encompass electric power; petroleum and gas; coal, peat, and shale; ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy; several branches of machinery production; inorganic and organic chemicals; construction materials; forestry, woodworking, pulp, and paper; printing; textiles and other light industries; and numerous food-processing branches. Particular attention is given to energy maps, which should connect generating facilities and fuel bases with transmission systems and major consumers. The author stresses that the proposed inventory is not a rigid universal template: maps may be omitted, combined, expanded, or subdivided according to national economic conditions. The resulting reference scheme—twenty-five general themes and forty sectoral themes—is intended to provide a comprehensive account of industrial history, spatial organization, internal structure, production relationships, and future development while enhancing the comparability and practical value of national atlases.
By О. А. Евтеев· Вестник Московского университета(4): 20-25
This article examines the compilation of population maps within comprehensive national atlases. The author argues that depicting the geographical distribution and characteristics of the population, as society's primary productive force, is a central task of such atlases, particularly for countries with planned economies. The paper systematically outlines four fundamental aspects of population characterization: demographic (size, natural and mechanical movement, sex-age structure), socio-economic (social class and occupational composition, labor participation, living conditions), ethnographic (ethnic composition, language, culture, anthropological differences), and settlement geography (distribution and types of settlements). Through an analysis of numerous atlas examples, the author notes that most atlases overemphasize demographic and ethnographic features while socio-economic aspects are commonly neglected. Early Soviet atlases (e.g., the Moscow Oblast Atlas) provided a good model but this approach was not continued. The article proposes a minimum set of four core map types for the population section and discusses thematic differences between countries with different social systems, as well as the placement of population maps within the atlas and the necessity of accompanying explanatory text. It concludes that only a balanced and comprehensive representation of all population dimensions ensures the scientific and practical value of the atlas as an integrated work.
By Miroslav Blažek· Abstracts of Papers, International Geographical Congress, Norden 1960: 28-29
This paper addresses the compilation of industrial maps in national atlases, drawing on the experience of the Atlas of Czechoslovakia. It examines base maps for industrial location, the distinction between geographical and administrative-statistical units, international industrial classification, and the mapping of economic-geographical relations. Geographical units should be based on population distribution and production concentration, and may be merged by functional unity and spatial proximity. Industrial classification should adopt international categories such as energy, mining, engineering, and chemicals, rather than geographical ones. Mapping economic relations risks overcrowding; the Soviet regional atlas method, though effective, is limited to planned economies. The paper concludes that a uniform base is essential for international comparability and peace.
By L. D. S.· Scottish Geographical Magazine 76(3): 185-186
This is an academic review of K. A. Salichtchev's work "National Atlases: History, Analysis, Paths of Improvement and Unification," published by the USSR Academy of Sciences Press in 1960. The book systematically examines the status of national atlases in sixteen countries, including Finland, the Soviet Union, Egypt, Czechoslovakia, Italy, India, Canada, Australia, Sweden, France, the United States, Morocco, Poland, and Israel. Based on this analysis, it offers detailed critiques and recommendations concerning atlas content selection, projection choices, and format design. The review notes that this report, as a key output of the IGU Commission on National Atlases, provides timely and practical reference value for atlas projects in many countries, including Scotland, and recommends reading it in conjunction with relevant Polish Academy of Sciences literature.
By Ш. Радо; Т. Бермат· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(6): 135–146
This article examines the role of national atlases in the national economies of socialist countries, with a particular focus on the place of economic-geographic maps within them. It begins by noting that a key task of modern geographical sciences is the comprehensive study of nature, population, and economy, with economic geography's core mission being the study of the geographical distribution of social production. Under socialist planned economies, scientifically addressing issues related to production location, the optimal conditions for various industries and enterprises, and the integrated development of regional economies holds significant practical importance. Economic-geographic maps and atlases are identified as the most suitable format for presenting research results, making them accessible and useful for the national economy. The article criticizes the contemporary practice where most atlases were mere collections of statistical cartograms, failing to demonstrate the interconnections between geographical phenomena. Citing the 1958 'Atlas of the Byelorussian SSR' as a positive example, the author praises its innovative methods in complex economic-geographic mapping, which successfully depicted the economic characteristics of various regions. The discussion then turns to the practical application of such maps in planning, noting a historical dominance of sectoral planning over regional approaches, with the latter gaining increasing importance. Finally, the article underscores the necessity of economic cooperation among socialist countries, particularly within the framework of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON). The author argues that coordinated national atlases would greatly facilitate the assessment of natural and economic resources, aiding in the coordination of production plans, deepening international specialization, and rationalizing the distribution of productive forces. The article concludes by proposing the establishment of a coordinating commission to unify the themes, legends, scales, and cartographic methods of national atlases, thereby laying the groundwork for a future comprehensive international atlas of the socialist camp, serving the common developmental goals of these nations.
Based on the practical experience of the Soviet Union in compiling large-scale comprehensive national atlases, this paper systematically discusses the key issues in the compilation of national atlases. It first emphasizes the significance of comprehensive atlases in reflecting a country's natural, economic, and social characteristics, and points out that the core task of editorial work lies in revealing the interrelations among various phenomena. The paper then elaborates on the main components of editorial preparation, including the formulation of a general plan, collection and processing of cartographic materials, experimental work, determination of technological procedures, staff training, and scientific-technical summarization. It highlights the importance of collective leadership by an editorial committee, collaboration among multiple institutions, and systematic data collection. Specific methods are proposed to unify symbols and colors through experimental work and to reduce costs by optimizing printing processes. Finally, it concludes that timely scientific-technical summaries serve as valuable references for accumulating experience and improving the quality of future cartographic works.
By G. R. Crone· Maps and Their Makers: An Introduction to the History of Cartography: 169–170
National atlases emerged as a significant development in cartography, systematically presenting the physical and human geography of individual countries. Early examples were often produced by young nations or those with strong national sentiment, such as the Atlas of Scotland (1895) and the Atlas of Finland. Comprehensive national atlases followed in Canada, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union, covering topography, climate, geology, population, and economic activities. Effectively representing population distribution remained challenging: the dot method proved arbitrary at small scales, while layer-colouring of density zones was generally preferred. Although Britain possessed the necessary materials—compiled by the Ordnance Survey at 1:625,000—no official national atlas had yet been published. During the war, innovative projections like Harrison's orthographic 'Look at the World' promoted a spherical worldview, reflecting the transformative impact of aviation on geographical perception.
By Javier Enrique Somoza· Revista Cartográfica(1): 107-114
This article examines the necessity and feasibility of producing national atlases (Atlas Nacional) for American countries, highlighting the significant deficiencies in current American cartography and the urgent need for official publications that accurately reflect each nation's geographical and historical reality. It proposes a systematic organizational and implementation framework, including the establishment of a central coordinating body (such as a National Atlas Commission), a division of labor among official, autonomous, and private sectors, and principles for arranging historical and geographical content. The article also addresses supplementary materials (e.g., statistical data, gazetteers, photographs) and financing challenges, and advocates for the compilation of a 'Great Atlas of America' (Gran Atlas de América) under the coordination of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH) to foster regional cooperation and cultural advancement.
This report reviews significant volumes of maps representing twenty-six nations and territories. A national atlas aims at the cartographical representation of the physical, biogeographical, economic, cultural and political features of a national territory. Several of the works include descriptive texts in one or more languages and gazetteers. Canada, France, Italy and Russia are represented in the report, but it has been the smaller countries such as Czechoslovakia, Belgian Congo, Indonesia, Denmark and Switzerland that have produced outstanding atlases.
Looking for studies on a specific country? Country-specific literature is listed on each national atlas page.
