Israel以色列

This article reviews the first two issues of the Atlas of Israel, published in 1957. The atlas is compiled by the Department of Surveys, the Bialik Institute, and the Jewish Agency, with editors including Prof. D. H. K. Amiran of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is published in Hebrew with an English table of contents, and will comprise about 100 map sheets, issued in two installments annually, priced at $60. The initial content covers cartography, geomorphology, history, population, agriculture, industry, transportation, and climate. The climate section presents temperature maps of the Middle East and Palestine, using refined isolines and up to 14 color gradations. The reviewer concludes that the atlas promises to be a highly valuable reference work.

W. P. G. Thomson

This review describes the initial folders of the Atlas of Israel, published by the Israel Department of Surveys and Bialik Institute in 1956. The atlas uses a loose-leaf format allowing large folding maps, with sections covering cartography, physical geography, history, demography, economics, and education. Each sheet includes a scholarly essay and bibliography on the reverse. The publication is praised for its excellent production and comprehensive scope, although it is published only in Hebrew, limiting its accessibility to non-Hebrew readers. It promises to be a valuable resource for geographers familiar with Hebrew.

D. H. K. Amiran; N. Kadmon

The Atlas of Israel, edited by D. H. K. Amiran and N. Kadmon of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, follows the tradition of national atlases initiated by Finland in 1899. Despite the country's small area of only 20,700 sq km, the extremely rapid pace of geographical change—nearly a 500% population increase, a shift from extensive to intensive irrigated agriculture, and rapid expansion of settlements and infrastructure—makes a full-scale national atlas worthwhile. The atlas employs relatively large scales (1:500,000 to 1:2,000,000) and adopts a distinctive guiding principle: time-sequence maps illustrate the development of as many geographical features as possible, using historical dates such as 1887–1953 for population and 1895–1956 for Jewish settlements. Compilation faces special problems: complex political changes in Palestine (Ottoman rule, British mandate, Jordanian and Israeli statehood), unreliable and uneven statistical sources, the location across a major aridity boundary, and the need to represent a vertical range from nearly 400 m below sea level (Dead Sea) to over 1,600 m, while preserving continuity in relief representation. The atlas contains 15 sections covering cartography, geomorphology, geology, climate, hydrology, phytogeography, zoogeography, landscape evolution, history, population, settlement, agriculture, industry and commerce, communications, and services. Published since 1956 in loose-leaf folders for easy updating, it is a dynamic cartographic record of the evolving geography of Israel and Palestine.

Libault, André

This paper reviews two major geoscientific publications: the ongoing *National Atlas of Israel* and the first volume of Erich Bruns’ *Ozeanologie* (Oceanology). The Israeli atlas, produced in large‑format fascicles under an expert editorial team, adopts a flexible cartographic design that eschews rigid scale series in favor of scales adapted to each thematic content. It encompasses fifteen sections, with particularly rich treatment of history, cartographic representation, and retrospective economic maps. Noteworthy innovations include a physiographic geomorphology with typological landscape classification, a correlation map combining drainage networks, watersheds and isohyets, biogeographical maps that place Israel within the wider distribution ranges of fauna, and detailed chorochromatic representations of vegetation change in the nineteenth century. Population maps use point symbols distinguishing Jewish and non‑Jewish inhabitants from 1922 to 1953, while settlement classification relies on topographic site types. Traffic intensity and long‑distance taxi isochrones offer an original view of communications. The atlas is published in Hebrew with English title lists; an English edition is planned, and the review regrets the current linguistic barrier. Bruns’ *Ozeanologie* treats oceanography in a narrow sense—submarine morphology, navigation, sounding methods, and a systematic regional description of the world’s oceans and seas. The first volume incorporates abundant Soviet data on tides, salinity, wave regimes, and the hydrology of Russian Arctic and Far Eastern seas, the Caspian and Aral Seas, and Lake Baikal, making it a valuable regional oceanographic reference for non‑Russian readers. Both works represent significant contributions: the atlas through its integrative, evolutionary approach to national geography, and the treatise through its compilation of otherwise inaccessible data. The paper underscores their scholarly utility while noting the inconvenience of language restrictions in the atlas.

The Atlas of Israel, a national atlas of one of the world's smallest countries (20,700 km²), uses unusually large map scales (1:500,000 to 1:2,000,000) to represent the country in detail. Its compilation faces distinctive cartographic problems: rapid social and economic change requires time-sequence maps; uneven documentary sources before and after 1947 complicate coverage; extreme contrasts of aridity, population, and altitude—from the Dead Sea (400 m below sea level) to mountains over 1,600 m—demand careful symbolization and altitude tints. The atlas, issued in folders since 1956, covers cartography, physical geography, history, population, settlements, agriculture, industry, communications, and services, providing a comprehensive and dynamic portrait of Israel's geography.

Ena L. Yonge

This article is a comprehensive review of regional atlases, written by Ena L. Yonge. The author begins by noting that, given the ever-increasing flood of atlases from around the world, individual reviews of each publication are impossible; therefore, a summary survey is adopted. She also stresses that no single reviewer can be sufficiently expert in all aspects of geography, cartography, and linguistics to render sound critical judgments. The roughly one hundred regional atlases discussed are grouped primarily by continent or large region and then arranged alphabetically by country. In the European section, the author evaluates national and thematic atlases from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, and other countries, covering topics such as road transport, historical geography, climate, population, economy, and land use. She comments in detail on cartographic quality, scales, printing techniques, and practical utility. For example, the Austrian national atlas, directed by Hans Bobek and Erik Arnberger under the Commission for Land Planning of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, was published in five annual parts and demonstrates excellent cartography and printing. The Atlas de Belgique and the Atlas du Survey National supplement each other with plates on hydrogeology, phytogeography, agriculture, basic industries, waterways, and railways. The Climatic Atlas of Czechoslovakia is praised for its beautiful large-scale maps of temperature and precipitation. The article then turns to North America, focusing on state atlases in the United States, including Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. These atlases cover agriculture, forestry, economic resources, historical geography, and population, often compiled by universities or state agencies for educational and planning purposes. In the South American section, the author highlights notable publications such as the Atlas do Brasil, the Atlas de economía colombiana, and Venezuelan climatic and forest atlases. Throughout the review, the author acknowledges the scholarly value and cartographic achievements of many works while also pointing out occasional problems such as overly large formats or inappropriate scales. Overall, the article provides a broad and informative reference guide to regional atlases for scholars in geography, cartography, and related fields.

J. S. Keates

This review compares the Atlas of Brazil and the Atlas of Israel, illustrating the contrasting problems confronting national cartography in a vast, underdeveloped country and a small, highly developed state. The Brazilian atlas, produced by the Conselho Nacional de Geografia, is essentially a geographical sketch organized by regions, national themes, and states; its maps cover relief, climate, vegetation, population, economy, and transport, using physiographic diagrams as the only novel technique, and remain simple and legible despite modest drafting. The Atlas of Israel, edited by J. Elster and M. Gordon, provides a detailed examination of physical, historical, demographic, economic, and educational distributions, incorporating a facsimile of the Madaba Map and modern topographic series. Its drafting and reproduction reach a high standard, with an experimental combination of hill-shading and coloured contours, placing it among the best national atlases.

F. Steinhauser

This review introduces the 8th and 9th deliveries of the Atlas of Israel (Jerusalem, 1963), which add 22 map sheets to this lavishly produced, content-rich publication. Several sheets are of particular interest to climatologists and geophysicists. Notably, a new climate map at 1:2,000,000 scale presents, for the first time for this region, the distribution of mean annual relative humidity, cloudiness at 08:00, 14:00 and 20:00 observation times, daily mean values, and vapor pressure, supplemented by histograms showing the annual cycle at selected stations. Additional maps depict the seasonal and annual distribution of nights with dew and the number of Sharav days (extremely hot, dry weather). The Hebrew explanatory text includes graphs of diurnal humidity variation, annual air-pressure variation, and January/July pressure curves. Four geographic sheets at 1:250,000 portray Palestine and surroundings with color-coded elevation zones, constituting a valuable cartographic contribution.

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.

Niels Nielsen

This is an academic review of the Atlas of Israel, published in 1970 by the Survey of Israel and Elsevier. The atlas contains some 550 maps and extensive texts covering physical geography, population, economy, and history. The review highlights its treatment of freshwater resources, climate, and the impact of Jewish immigration on land use and regional restructuring, concluding that the atlas serves as an essential reference for understanding Israel’s development and contemporary conflicts.

Bentwich, N.

This review examines the English edition of the comprehensive Atlas of Israel, originally published in Hebrew a decade earlier. The paper evaluates the atlas’s scope, cartographic quality, and content organization. It highlights the atlas’s detailed treatment of the land’s physical geography—including geology, climate, hydrology, and land use—and human geography, covering population, settlement, agriculture, industry, and culture. Special attention is given to the atlas’s innovative use of color and symbol variation to depict dynamic processes such as agricultural development and the settlement patterns of both Jews and Arabs. The review commends the work as immensely informative and splendidly produced. However, it identifies significant omissions: the absence of any map for the British Mandate period (1918–1948) and the lack of a pre‑1967 border depiction with Syria, despite the political relevance of the demilitarized zones. Additionally, the inclusion of transient subjects like tourism and trivial cultural indicators (cinemas, swimming pools) is questioned for an academic atlas. The review concludes that while the atlas represents a remarkable scholarly achievement, its selective historical coverage and some superfluous content detract from its objective completeness.

Kolodny, Émile

This paper surveys and critically reviews the major atlases published in Israel during the decade 1980–1989. It identifies key cartographic works encompassing national, regional, urban, and historical themes. The third edition of the Atlas of Israel (1985) stands out as a comprehensive national atlas, updating physical and human geography with data from the 1983 census, featuring bilingual Hebrew-English content, and contributions from some sixty experts. Notable regional atlases include the Atlas of Haifa and Mount Carmel (1980), which examines the urban geography of Israel's third-largest conurbation and its physical setting, with particular emphasis on land use and dual central business districts, and the Atlas of the Negev (1986), which analyses settlement patterns and resource development in the semi-arid southern district. The review also highlights a proliferation of historical atlases dedicated to Jerusalem, from collections of antique maps to archaeological surveys of the city’s spatial evolution. Additional general and educational atlases, as well as serial cartographic papers, demonstrate the breadth of Israeli cartographic output during this period. The paper concludes that the 1980s represented a productive era for atlas publishing in Israel, marked by advanced thematic mapping, bilingual presentation, and a strong interdisciplinary integration of geography, history, and planning.

Soffer, Tamar; Shachar, Arie

The Atlas 2000, currently in preparation, represents the fifth edition of the esteemed Atlas of Israel, scheduled for publication in 2004—nine years after the fourth edition. This paper outlines the major innovations distinguishing the new edition along two primary axes: content and information sources. Regarding content, the Atlas 2000 integrates emerging national priorities that have gained prominence over the past decade. Two focal areas are highlighted: first, the implications of global climatic change for Israel, including regional warming, increased drought frequency, and consequential transformations in agriculture, water supply, and recreation, as well as potential geopolitical tensions over water resources; second, the impact of economic globalization, driven by advances in high-tech and bio-technology, which is reshaping the spatial distribution of industry, transportation networks, and socio-economic regional disparities. In terms of information sources, the editorial team now benefits from a sophisticated statistical database and a university GIS laboratory, enabling efficient, wide-ranging analyses and the testing of numerous thematic maps before final selection. High-resolution satellite imagery allows a complete redesign of physical maps, while the 1995 national census offers vast new possibilities for demographic mapping. The proliferation of GIS across public agencies, educational institutions, and infrastructure bodies has facilitated an expansion of the atlas to nearly double its predecessor’s size. The paper concludes that upon publication, Atlas 2000 is expected to profoundly influence the geography curriculum in the Israeli educational system, reflecting state-of-the-art cartography and geographic thought for the early 21st century.

Haim Srebro

The New Atlas of Israel – The National Atlas, published in English in 2011 by the Survey of Israel and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is based on the 2009 Hebrew edition and updates the 1995 first edition. Designed primarily as a geography teaching tool, it also expands into an authoritative national reference. The atlas was produced through a fully GIS-based cartographic workflow, integrating the National GIS, thematic data from government agencies, satellite imagery, aerial photography and statistical data. A prior legibility and learning-effectiveness study involving university students informed the redesign, leading to improved symbols, color schemes and layout. The atlas contains hundreds of maps and diagrams covering physical landscapes, population, economy, transport, urbanization, boundaries, desert frontier development and environmental quality. Innovations include paired maps and satellite images, orthophoto backgrounds, oblique aerial views, three-dimensional symbols, and new thematic maps such as hi-tech industry distribution and Israel’s international border status. The project demonstrated that GIS-based production enhances accuracy, detail and maintainability. Future work plans to transform the atlas into a digital interactive product and employ 3D/4D GIS to monitor temporal changes, especially urbanization and spatial pressures. The New Atlas of Israel thus functions as an educational, scientific and national reference work.