National atlas of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

Summary

This review evaluates the 1966 National Atlas of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the first major national atlas produced among socialist countries in accordance with—and as a practical development of—the recommendations of the International Geographical Union. Comprising 433 maps and diagrams on 68 sheets, the atlas covers introductory material, the natural environment, population, industry, agriculture, transport, and cultural and public services. Its preparation integrated numerous research and production institutions under state planning, while its thematic structure gives particular prominence to socioeconomic conditions and living standards. The review highlights the atlas’s detailed cartography, extensive use of large-scale sources, commune- and settlement-level statistics, cartometric and field investigations, bilingual Russian-English legends, and internationally standardized classifications. Particularly innovative features include maps of ploughing difficulty, water and atmospheric pollution, soil nutrients, research-station coverage, and changes between 1930 and 1960. Numerical data, dynamic indicators, practical orientation, and refined graphic techniques strengthen its scientific and applied value. Nevertheless, the atlas lacks synthetic physical-geographical and economic-geographical regionalization maps, limiting an integrated understanding of the country. Some individual maps also suffer from overly complex symbolization, poorly differentiated colour scales, awkward urban-rural cartograms, and minor editorial inconsistencies. Despite these shortcomings, the review concludes that the atlas represents an outstanding achievement in thematic cartography and a valuable model for subsequent national atlases.