Atlas national suisse

Summary

This article introduces the background, content, and significance of the Swiss National Atlas project. Initiated by the Federation of Swiss Geographical Societies, the project aims to systematically present the complete physical and human geography of Switzerland. The atlas is planned to include approximately one hundred colored maps covering fifteen thematic groups—such as geology, climate, hydrology, population, economy, transportation, and culture—accompanied by trilingual (German, French, Italian) explanatory texts. The article justifies the project from eight perspectives: scientific value, national education, land-use planning, national culture, filling a gap in cartographic production, providing work opportunities, and international comparison. It concludes that preparations are largely complete, the main challenge being funding, with an estimated completion time of eight years.