Atlas of the Republic of Austria, issue 1

Summary

This paper reviews the publication of the first issue of the National Atlas of Austria and its academic significance. As a major achievement in international geography, the atlas aims to comprehensively reflect the state of geographical research on Austria in terms of nature, economy, and culture. The full project comprises 122 sheets, including 85 main maps at 1:1,000,000 and about 140 smaller-scale maps, organized into 12 thematic sections, with economic maps occupying the largest share (32%), particularly detailed in agriculture. The first issue contains 22 sheets and 41 maps, covering topography, Vienna land use, climate, agriculture, transport, tourism, and administration. The author acknowledges the atlas's rich content and fine design while pointing out several shortcomings, such as excessive contour intervals on the topographic map, insufficient generalization on some maps, uneconomical layout, and overly brief textual explanations. Overall, the atlas can be classified as a scientific reference atlas due to its comprehensive thematic coverage, large scales, and detailed content.