Valeria Alexandrescu; D. I. Oancea · 1974
This review examines the Atlas of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, published in Sofia in 1973 through cooperation among the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and geographical, geodetic, and cartographic institutions. Its 168 pages contain 212 maps, derived principally from a base map at 1:1,000,000. Physical and economic geography dominate its coverage, alongside historical, administrative, and cultural themes. The review discusses the general geographical, administrative, and hypsometric maps, and an economic regionalization map defining six regions using industrial and agricultural production indicators for 1969. The reviewers commend the coordination of thematic organization and cartographic representation, while noting the unspecified base-map projection, absent geographical graticules, the truncation of most maps at national borders, traditional place names for foreign territories, and excessive generalization in historical maps. They also recommend a detachable copy of the general legend.
И. П. Герасимов; А. И. Дворякин; Р. П. Зимина; Н. Ф. Леонтьев; М. И. Львович; О. А. Назаревский; Р. С. Нарских; Л. А. Чубуков · 1974
This article reviews the National Atlas of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, published in 1973, assessing its thematic structure, cartographic methods, scientific significance, and implications for the future development of national atlas cartography. Prepared collaboratively by 145 leading Bulgarian specialists, the atlas comprises 18 sections, 282 maps, plans of cities and Black Sea resorts, explanatory texts, reference data, diagrams, graphs, profiles, and other illustrations. Its coverage extends across history, the natural environment, population, the economy, culture, and social services. Maps of natural conditions and resources account for 51 percent of the total, while 83 percent of the atlas is devoted to the material conditions of social life, population, and the production of material goods, confirming its genuinely national and comprehensive character. The review particularly praises the systematic representation of geology, relief, climate, hydrology, soils, and vegetation. Its geomorphological series is regarded as especially innovative because it combines morphographic, morphogenetic, and morphostructural approaches, while maps of seismic tectonics, mineral waters, karst, and engineering geology possess clear practical value. The economic and social sections provide an extensive picture of industrialization, agriculture, transport, demographic patterns, health care, culture, recreation, and international tourism during Bulgaria’s socialist development. Most maps are original and were supported by specialized scientific investigations. Common geographical bases, careful editing, coordinated visual design, vivid color schemes, and high printing quality give the work substantial internal coherence and artistic distinction. The authors therefore characterize the atlas as a major national achievement that both draws upon and enriches international cartographic experience. It is expected to support research, education, administration, and practical planning while documenting Bulgaria’s economic and cultural transformation. Nevertheless, the review identifies two limitations: the absence of economic-geographical maps showing Bulgaria’s position and connections within the socialist community and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, and minor inconsistencies in map composition across thematic sections. Finally, the article formulates two broader priorities for national atlases. First, they should move beyond traditional coordination of themes toward a deeper synthesis of interactions within the nature–society system, including the mapping and prediction of anthropogenic environmental change. Second, they should become more accessible to non-specialists through fuller, purpose-oriented explanatory texts. This may eventually produce a hybrid scholarly form—an atlas monograph or monographic atlas—in which thematic maps and analytical prose have equal status.
Emil Mazúr; Ján Pravda · 1975
This article offers a systematic critical assessment of the Atlas of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, published in 1973, with the aim of determining its scientific, cartographic, technical, and organizational significance. Jointly produced by the Geographical Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the national geodetic and cartographic administration, with contributions from numerous academic, educational, and governmental institutions, the atlas comprises sixteen introductory pages and 168 pages of maps, graphics, and explanatory texts. The authors combine descriptive review with quantitative analysis, examining the thematic structure of 308 maps, the distribution of page space, the scale system, the map coefficient, cartographic space utilization, the balance between analytical and synthetic representation, and the range of visualization techniques. Physical-geographical maps account for 52.3 percent of the total and socioeconomic maps for 37.7 percent, while the remainder consists of introductory and historical materials. The atlas covers history, geology, geomorphology, climate, hydrology, soils, vegetation, fauna, population, settlements, industry, agriculture, transport, trade, education, culture, health, tourism, and sport. Particular praise is given to the inclusion of historical maps and to the establishment of separate chapters on physical-geographical and economic-geographical regionalization. These choices are regarded as important conceptual innovations because they illuminate the historical formation of contemporary Bulgaria and strengthen the synthetic function of a national atlas. The principal scale is 1:1,000,000, and the three largest commonly used scales occupy 65.1 percent of the atlas’s map volume, providing an effective balance between detail and legibility. Its map coefficient of 2.05, or roughly two maps per page, compares favorably with several major national atlases. However, its cartographic utilization rate of 68.5 percent is relatively low by international standards. Of the 277 physical and socioeconomic maps, 71.1 percent are analytical and 28.9 percent synthetic or complex, a ratio judged appropriate for combining detailed evidence with regional synthesis. The atlas employs all major cartographic methods, especially localized symbols, isolines, area differentiation, choropleths, and diagram maps, frequently in sophisticated combinations. Innovations include double-area and double-isoline techniques, combined choropleth-diagram representations, shaded relief, and two-color hypsographic tinting. Its varied symbols, carefully controlled color schemes, demanding raster combinations, printing, binding, and overall graphic composition are assessed highly. Minor weaknesses include inconvenient page orientation for some maps, overly generalized scales in certain sections, and insufficient tonal distinction in several agricultural choropleths. Overall, the article concludes that the atlas is a major contribution to atlas cartography, demonstrating Bulgaria’s advanced scientific, technical, printing, and institutional capabilities while offering valuable methodological guidance for future comprehensive national atlases.
