United States

Walter S. Dix

The Committee on a National Atlas was established on December 17, 1954, by the Earth Sciences Division of the Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, with 13 members from agencies including the Agricultural Research Service, Army Map Service, Bureau of the Census, and Geological Survey. The committee was organized to investigate ways and means of producing a national atlas similar to those of France and the forthcoming one of Canada. Previous committees of the Association of American Geographers and the American Geographical Society had concluded that a loose-leaf atlas presents the only feasible type at that time.

This report, submitted by the Committee on a National Atlas established under the Division of Earth Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, aims to explore the feasibility and specific plans for producing a loose-leaf national atlas of the United States. Formed in December 1954 with members from federal map-making and issuing agencies and the American Geographical Society, the Committee proposed assembling a unified national atlas by standardizing sheet dimensions (16 by 22 inches) and other cartographic specifications for maps otherwise issued by federal agencies in varied formats. The report provides detailed specifications covering scales (with 1:10,000,000 and 1:5,000,000 as standards), projections (recommending Albers equal-area or Lambert conformal), treatment of territories and possessions, grouping of small maps, sample and index maps, folding methods, binding margins, explanatory text layout, sheet numbering, border formats, and maintenance of a central depository. The Committee concluded that the plan is both advisable and practicable with little or no increased publication expense, and strongly recommended that agencies consider conforming to these standards before finalizing publication plans to facilitate inclusion in the national atlas assembly.

Ena L. Yonge

This article provides a comprehensive review of national atlases published worldwide up to the time of writing. It notes that since the Geographical Review first coined the term 'Age of National Atlases' in 1940, the surge of nationalism after World War II has greatly accelerated the production and scope of such atlases. The author surveys 26 published national atlases and 3 in preparation. The article first emphasizes that a national atlas aims to portray all aspects of a country—physical, economic, and social—and highlights a welcome trend: the inclusion of map titles, legends, and text summaries in English or French for atlases published in less familiar languages. The review is then organized by region. For Europe, it details atlases from Austria (Atlas von Niederösterreich), Belgium (Atlas de Belgique), France (revised Atlas de France), and Germany (Deutscher Planungsatlas, specifically Atlas von Berlin), among others, discussing their institutional backing, content structure, scales, cartographic techniques, and unique features, such as Berlin's depiction of wartime damage and postwar development, and Belgium's detailed demographic and agricultural maps. Atlases from Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Norway are also mentioned. For Africa, the planned Atlas du Maroc is described. For Oceania, the Atlas of Australian Resources is reviewed, highlighting its origin in post-war resource assessment, its effective use of a large scale, and its focus on water resources and population distribution. For North America, the article reports on the progress of a Canadian national atlas and the initiation of the National Atlas of the United States, a collaborative federal effort to compile standardized thematic maps from various government agencies. The article concludes that these national atlases represent significant achievements in geographic and cartographic scholarship, serving as invaluable resources for students, planners, and businesses.

David H.K. Amiran; N. Kadmon

The Atlas of Israel, authored by David H.K. Amiran and N. Kadmon of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, reviews the completion of its first Hebrew edition in 1964, comprising 102 sheets and 720 large-scale maps. Although modeled on other national atlases, it differs due to Israel's rapidly evolving cultural landscape, unique geographical position and form, and a changing documentary base. To address extreme transformations in agriculture, economy, and services from a 600% population increase, the atlas employs time-sequence map series for most subjects, with a final folder adding updated maps. The country's northern half exhibits high geographical diversity contrasting with the monotonous south, and varied topography over small altitude ranges, necessitating tailored cartographic methods. Additionally, the region's inclusion in three political frameworks (Ottoman, British, and Israeli) over 50 years led to inconsistent scientific data coverage and reliability, posing editorial challenges. The atlas thus serves as a model for national mapping in dynamic contexts, balancing comprehensive representation with adaptability.

Arch C. Gerlach

This paper reviews earlier plans and work on a National Atlas of the United States and describes the purpose, scope, and characteristics of the new edition being prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey following a recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences. It details and justifies specifications for map content, scales, type, symbols, colors, paper quality, and binding style, summarizes a marketing study based on 8,000 questionnaires, analyzes the atlas's relation to regional and general reference atlases, and outlines electronic computer methods used for indexing.

Arch C. Gerlach

When the National Atlas was completed in loose-leaf form in 1961, the National Atlas Committee, established by the National Academy of Sciences, recommended that the Geological Survey of the United States be entrusted with the task of publishing a new atlas. A group of technicians began work in 1963 by preparing map layouts and base maps, and established contacts with federal agencies, professional associations, universities, commercial cartography companies, and specialists. Although many organizations and numerous individuals are to contribute to the preparation of the new atlas, the Geological Survey of the United States alone will be responsible for its publication, with a view to ensuring uniformity of style and format. The Atlas will comprise approximately 400 plates, of which 300 will contain social maps at scales of 1:7,500,000, 1:17,000,000, and 1:34,000,000, covering physical features, history, economic and social conditions, educational achievements, and administrative divisions. It is anticipated that this atlas will be completed in 1967.

Fritz Bartz

This review discusses the National Atlas of the United States, published in 1958 by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington D.C. Building on earlier achievements of various U.S. government mapping agencies, the atlas is intended for public information and study, with plans for continuous additions that users may bind or keep loose. Each sheet, measuring 56.5 × 41 cm, presents one or more phenomena, including climate maps covering the entire U.S. and the distribution of climatic factors, overviews of soil surveys and aerial photography, and notably maps by the Bureau of the Census on agricultural development and regional differentiation. These include numerous small maps (mostly using dot distribution) of key products, as well as those on overall land-use patterns, farm sizes, ownership, and related aspects, often supplemented by cartograms illustrating growth or relative significance. The reverse sides provide explanatory text. Overall, it constitutes an excellent cartographic compilation, valuable for those engaged with New World issues.

Arch C. Gerlach

The National Atlas of the United States project, initiated in 1963 under the leadership of the U.S. Geological Survey, aims to systematically compile comprehensive geographic information on the nation's physical features, history, economy, society, administration, and international relations. Despite challenges such as funding interruptions and inter-agency coordination, the project plans to produce a bound volume of approximately 400 pages, featuring multilingual legends and an extensive index. The atlas utilizes high-quality acid-free paper and specialized binding, with data contributed by over 40 federal agencies, universities, and scholars. Scheduled for completion in 1968, it fills a significant gap in national cartographic documentation and serves as a vital resource for geographic information integration and public access.

С. Е. Благово́лин

This is an academic review of the Soviet Atlas of the USA, published in 1966. As the first comprehensive Soviet atlas of a capitalist country, it was produced by the Main Administration of Geodesy and Cartography in collaboration with several research institutes and the Geography Faculty of Moscow State University, involving over 50 scholars. The review notes that the atlas focuses primarily on socio-economic content, covering physical geography, population, industry, agriculture, economic regions, and foreign economic relations. Its overall quality is high, with particularly innovative maps on population density, transportation, and agriculture. However, the review also identifies several shortcomings, including insufficient general geographic maps, the absence of detailed city plans, unclear industrial classifications, and the failure to distinguish between aviation and rocket industries. The article concludes that the atlas represents a significant contribution to economic cartography and serves as a model for future national atlases, while recommending improvements for subsequent editions.

М. Б. Волсф

This paper is a collection of two book reviews. The first reviews a work on landscape-geographical zoning of Georgia, noting that the author divides Georgia into 6 landscape regions, 11 sub-regions, and 30 districts, and emphasizes the book's focus on detailed comprehensive physical-geographical descriptions, its vivid academic style, and its inclusion of zoning maps. It also suggests that the Russian edition should add sections on the national economic significance of landscape components, development prospects of regions, and bibliographies. The second review provides a detailed analysis of the 1966 Soviet-published 'Atlas of the USA', pointing out that it is the first Soviet economic atlas of a foreign country, with generally good quality but several shortcomings, such as issues with cartographic methods, terminology, and data comparability. The review offers suggestions for improvement and concludes that the atlas is suitable for school geography teachers and students, but insufficient for specialized research.

Arch C. Gerlach

This article examines the problem-solving utility of national atlases, with a particular focus on the creation, design, and application of the National Atlas of the United States. It highlights that national atlases, as official government publications, integrate diverse data across physical, historical, economic, and socio-cultural domains, offering intuitive spatial distribution references for government agencies, commercial firms, research institutions, and planning organizations. The paper details the atlas's content structure, including general reference maps, thematic maps, administrative division maps, and map coverage indexes, and illustrates its practical applications in education, urban planning, resource management, and market analysis. It also addresses technical challenges encountered during compilation, such as data reliability, cartographic generalization, paper selection, binding methods, and index design. The author concludes by envisioning the impact of remote sensing and computer technology on future atlas production, underscoring the significance of national atlases in fostering national development and international cooperation.

Rátóti Benő; Görög Ágnes

This paper introduces two maps from the National Atlas of the United States. The first is a groundwater map published in 1967 (scale 1:7,500,000), which uses different colors to indicate unconsolidated and consolidated aquifer rocks and marks springs with an annual yield of 100 million cubic meters, providing a comprehensive overview of the country's hydrogeological conditions and water-supply potential. The second is a population map published in 1968, which, using both county-level and state-level scales, employs multicolored maps and diagrams to illustrate urban and rural population changes between 1950 and 1960, types of population change from 1940 to 1960, and selected socio-economic indicators from the 1960 census. Both maps combine substantial scientific content with excellent cartographic and printing quality.

R. A. Gardiner

This article reviews the National Atlas of the United States of America (published 1970), situating it within the historical development of national atlases. The author notes the atlas's rich content—756 maps and an index of 41,000 place-names—but criticizes the relatively small scale of its reference maps and the omission of relief. The relative merits of loose-leaf versus bound formats are discussed, with a hybrid approach recommended. The thematic maps are praised for clarity and breadth, though fine lines and excessive administrative detail draw criticism. The article concludes by urging Britain to produce its own national atlas with official support, following the US example.

George F. Jenks

This is an in-depth review of The National Atlas of the United States. The author highly praises the atlas's comprehensive coverage, thoughtful design, and high-quality printing, considering it a model of cartographic art as well as a valuable reference. The review details both the reference and thematic sections, with particular appreciation for maps contributed by renowned scholars in the thematic part. However, the author also objectively points out several shortcomings, including conflicting symbolization, poor color choices, and registration errors on some maps. Despite these flaws, the author concludes that this is one of the best national atlases ever published and deserves the attention of every citizen.

Arnold Court

This article reviews The National Atlas of the United States, published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1971, with a focus on its climatic map section. Of the atlas's 335 map pages, 24 are devoted to climate, covering solar radiation, sunshine, precipitation, temperature, wind, air pollution, and storm tracks. Most maps are based on data from the 1931–1960 WMO Climatological Standard Normal period, though some employ varying time frames. The review notes that while the atlas is visually impressive, it has notable omissions: no maps depict cloudiness, fog, hail, drought, or visibility, and year-to-year variability is not addressed. A climatic regions map was also excluded, as experts deemed existing classifications inadequate for detailed national analysis. The author recommends that a future edition include these missing elements and adopt a loose-leaf format for greater flexibility. Overall, the atlas represents a valuable addition to U.S. climate documentation.

Richard W. Stephenson

This article reviews significant atlases published in the Western Hemisphere (including North America, South America, and Central America and the Caribbean) since Ena L. Yonge's summary survey in 1962. The survey is divided into two parts, with this part focusing on the Western Hemisphere, covering 147 volumes of general and thematic atlases of the entire hemisphere, continents, major regions, and individual countries, as well as atlases of individual states and provinces of the United States and Canada. Notable atlases mentioned include the 'Alpha Map Transparencies' series for teaching regional geography, Theodore R. Miller's 'Graphic History of the Americas,' David K. Adams and H. B. Rodgers' 'An Atlas of North American Affairs,' and the 'Oxford Regional Economic Atlas: United States & Canada.' The Canadian section details the fourth edition of 'The National Atlas of Canada,' the 'Atlas and Gazetteer of Canada,' historical atlases, and the 'Atlas of Alberta.' The South American section covers atlases from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Surinam, and Venezuela, such as the 'Atlas nacional do Brasil,' 'Atlas histórico geográfico y de paisajes peruanos,' and 'Atlas de Venezuela.' The article aims to describe the contents and features of these atlases rather than provide critical evaluations, and concludes by suggesting that the next decade may see an increase in the production of high-quality atlases by Western Hemisphere nations.

William G. Dean; Geoffrey J. Matthews; F. Kenneth Hare

This is an academic review of the 1970 'National Atlas of the United States,' edited by Arch C. Gerlach and published by the U.S. Geological Survey. The review outlines the atlas's structure, including general reference maps and special subject maps, with economic maps being the most significant in both quantity and content. The authors criticize the atlas for inconsistencies in logic, uneven design quality, and a lack of comprehensive synthesis of the national economy and its relationship with environmental factors. Despite technical excellence, the atlas's practical utility in planning and socioeconomic management is questioned, as it serves more as a national monument than a functional tool. The review concludes that the atlas's strengths lie in the cartographers' patience, skill, and integrity, while its weaknesses reflect the conservatism of the geographical discipline.

James R Anderson

This article reviews the background, costs, and distribution of the first edition of The National Atlas of the United States of America (published in 1970), and introduces its Separate Sales Editions program as well as the development of regional and state atlases. The paper focuses on key decisions made in planning the second edition: adopting a looseleaf format to facilitate updates and distribution, and extensively employing computer-assisted cartography to establish a National Atlas Data Bank. It also outlines planned deletions and additions for the second edition, such as removing administrative and urban street maps while adding thematic maps on climate, land use/land cover, and energy/environment. The article underscores the atlas's significant role in information dissemination, education, and decision support.

华奎元

This paper reviews The National Atlas of the United States, published in 1970, from the perspective of cartographic technology. Compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey with over eighty federal agencies and more than twenty academic societies, this is a large comprehensive atlas. The paper reviews its compilation history spanning nearly twenty years from the 1952 sample to official publication, outlines its structure comprising general reference maps, special subject maps, and a geographic name index, and analyzes its mathematical foundations (format, scale system, projection) and issues of unification and coordination (geographic base maps, content and indicators, data, representation methods, and cartographic design). It also points out defects in its topic selection for physical and socio-economic maps, while introducing its strengths in both general reference and thematic maps. Finally, it emphasizes the value of studying this atlas for the compilation of China's national atlas.

李海晨

This article reviews two significant American atlases. The first is The National Atlas of the United States of America (1970), compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey with 84 cooperating agencies, containing 765 maps that comprehensively depict the nation's physical geography, history, socio-economic activities, and global standing. The article details its structure: general reference maps (1:2,000,000), thematic maps (physical, historical, economic, socio-cultural, maritime, etc., at scales from 1:5,000,000 to 1:34,000,000), transparent overlay sheets, cartographic sample maps, and bird's-eye views. It evaluates its projection choices (Albers equal-area conic) and the quality of various thematic maps, noting the lack of coordination among them as a serious flaw. The second is Goode's World Atlas, a renowned American school reference atlas now in its 15th edition. The article summarizes its features: the Goode homolosine projection, prominent city maps, and a balance of general reference and thematic maps, while offering suggestions for improving its projection system, relief shading, and symbolization. Both atlases reflect American cartographic standards and characteristics.

В. Г. Плешков; А. В. Ребрий; Я. В. Степанова

This article reviews the online versions of national atlases from Australia, the USA, Sweden, and Canada, analyzing their functional features, technical implementations, and information organization. The study reveals that modern national atlases have evolved from static paper publications into dynamic online geoinformation platforms, integrating interactive mapping, geographical name catalogs, metadata standards, data download, and search services. Based on these international experiences, the article proposes recommendations for developing the Russian national atlas online version, emphasizing the need for rich interactive functionality, standardized metadata, open data access, and robust search capabilities to meet contemporary technological standards and user needs.