Greece希腊
Curatorial Note
AI-curated draftIn the mid-1960s, Greece's national statistical service undertook an ambitious cartographic project, producing three atlases within a three-year span. This effort emerged in a period of post-war reconstruction and rapid modernization, when the state sought to systematically document its social and economic landscape. The first, the Economic and Social Atlas of Greece (1964), was a trilingual publication based on the 1961 census, mapping demographic, agricultural, industrial, and transportation data. It was followed by the Atlas of Greece at 1:200,000 scale (1965), a topographical reference, and the Industrial Atlas of Greece (1966), which detailed the 1963 industrial census. These works were notable for their comprehensive scope and statistical rigor, reflecting a centralized approach to national self-knowledge. Contemporary reviews praised the economic and social atlas as a fundamental cartographic document, while later scholarship recognized the series as a milestone in Greek statistical cartography. Though limited in number, these atlases provided a cohesive snapshot of the nation at a pivotal moment, and their data-driven methodology influenced subsequent cartographic practices in Greece.
The Shelves
Economic and Social Atlas of Greece
1964 · Εθνική Στατιστική Υπηρεσία της Ελλάδος
Atlas of Greece 1:200,000
1965 · Εθνική Στατιστική Υπηρεσία της Ελλάδος
Industrial Atlas of Greece: Census 1963
1966 · Εθνική Στατιστική Υπηρεσία της Ελλάδος
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Article1965Cartographical progress: Economic and social atlas of Greece
Neil Smith
This review assesses the Economic and Social Atlas of Greece (1964), a comprehensive trilingual cartographic publication prepared jointly by the National Statistical Service, the Centre of Economic Research, and the Social Sciences Centre. Intended as a foundation for more detailed investigations, the atlas pairs maps at scales of 1:2M and 1:4.2M with supporting texts and statistics. A variety of cartographic techniques are applied, especially shading and dot methods for distribution maps, while layer tinting is reserved for relief and rainfall. Topics range from rural population density, age groups, and secondary education to crop production, livestock, industrial occupation, and non-metallic minerals. Although the color use is conservative, the reviewer finds the study thorough and clear. The trilingual format enhances accessibility, making the atlas an invaluable source for Greek geography and filling a previously notable gap.
- Article1966Atlas économique et social de Grèce
Fernand Joly
This paper reviews two books. The first, Economic and Social Atlas of Greece, is a fundamental cartographic document based on censuses from 1961. It maps demographic, agricultural, industrial and transport characteristics down to small territorial units, using trilingual annotations and various graphic techniques. The review praises its comprehensive scope but criticizes the lack of absolute-value references and misleading density maps. Overall, the atlas is seen as an excellent analytical tool for future research. The second book, Water Control and Agrarian Communities in Islam, explores how Islamic rules regulated water use and associated agrarian structures, highlighting the role of religion in overcoming aridity in dry regions.
From the Physical Collection
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