Atlas of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Атлас Грузинской Советской Социалистической Республики
Georgia · Главное управление геодезии и картографии Государственного геологического комитета СССР · 1964
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Cartography: Atlases
Unknown · 1964
This paper examines the unique cartographic and editorial challenges encountered in producing the first Hebrew edition of the Atlas of Israel (1964), a comprehensive work comprising 102 sheets and 720 large-scale maps. Although modeled on other national atlases, the Israeli atlas diverged significantly due to three primary factors: the country's rapid demographic and cultural transformations, its distinctive geographical position and elongated shape, and the uneven reliability of its documentary base. The most influential factor was the dramatic 600% population increase over two generations, which drove extreme changes in agriculture, economy, communication, and services. To capture this dynamism, the atlas employs time-sequence map series for most topics rather than single static representations, and includes supplementary maps to update content. Geographically, Israel's location on the arid zone boundary creates sharp north-south contrasts, with highly diverse physical, human, and economic elements in the north versus a monotonous south, compounded by varied topography over small altitude ranges. These spatial characteristics demanded specialized cartographic solutions. Finally, the area's political history under Ottoman, British, and Israeli administrations within 50 years resulted in data that differ greatly in coverage and reliability. The paper details how these interrelated problems shaped the atlas's content, design, and production.
Forum: Reviews and Comments: National Atlas of Georgia
Stadelbauer, Jörg · 2018
The publication of the English edition of the National Atlas of Georgia, a collaboration between Georgian and German geographical institutes, marks a significant contribution to the internationalization of Georgian geographical knowledge. Originally published in Georgian in 2012, this comprehensive revision includes updated maps and expanded thematic content. This review examines the atlas’s structure, content coverage, and cartographic quality, highlighting its strengths and identifying areas for improvement. The atlas systematically presents Georgia’s physical environment, including tectonic setting, geology, geomorphology, climate, hydrology, soils, and vegetation, emphasizing the country’s remarkable natural diversity and landscape richness. Notable features include the Likhi (Surami) Range as a critical hydrographic and climatic divide, high levels of endemism in flora and fauna, and extensive maps on natural hazards exacerbated by human activity. The socio-economic section, though limited due to data scarcity, incorporates recent population census (2014) and 2016 estimates, revealing demographic decline during the post-Soviet transformation. Special attention is given to the cartographic treatment of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are included in physical maps but largely omitted from socio-economic ones, reflecting a major political challenge. While minor deficiencies exist—such as insufficient explanatory legends, missing reference periods for climate data, and some outdated agricultural maps—the atlas stands as an impressive editorial and cartographic achievement. Its English edition makes Georgia’s spatial diversity accessible to a global audience, fostering scientific cooperation. Despite the relatively small number of socio-economic maps, the publication serves as an invaluable introduction to Georgia, meriting recognition far beyond geography.
Atlas of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Минц, А. А. · 1966
This paper provides a critical review of the *Atlas of the Georgian SSR* (1964), a major cartographic work containing over 220 maps and edited by the Vakhushti Institute of Geography. The study systematically examines the atlas’s thematic structure, cartographic design, and scientific accuracy, with particular attention to its physical-geographic section. Organized into seven groups—physical, geology‑geophysics‑geomorphology (31 maps), climate and agroclimate (over 60), hydrology (19), soils‑vegetation‑fauna (21), and landscape‑physiographic regionalization—the atlas is praised for its comprehensiveness and originality. The geological and climatic map series are especially strong, featuring innovative seismic, paleogeographic, speleological, and agroclimatic maps that vividly convey Georgia’s mountainous environment. Despite these merits, several shortcomings are identified. Nomenclatural inconsistencies appear: the Lesser Caucasus is omitted from the physical map; ranges are often labelled by Georgian rather than internationally recognized names (e.g., Meskhetian instead of Adzhar‑Imeretinsky). The term “Marine Plateau” is applied to a folded low‑mountain area, contradicting established geomorphological usage. Climate and soil maps fail to delineate the dry subtropical zone in eastern Georgia, misclassifying these areas. Temporal inconsistencies between the maps of Quaternary deposits and relief age are also noted. These critiques do not detract from the atlas’s overall excellence. It is judged superior to other Soviet‑era republican atlases in thematic breadth and cartographic finesse, and it remains a major contribution to geographical science and regional planning.
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