Criticism and bibliography. Atlas of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic

Summary

This article provides a comprehensive review of the Atlas of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, published in 1961. As the second comprehensive national atlas of the USSR and the first medium-scale atlas of a country with highly complex mountainous terrain, it was compiled by the geography sector of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences in collaboration with numerous research institutions, under the chief editorship of Prof. A. B. Baghdasaryan. Published bilingually in Armenian and Russian, the atlas comprises 120 pages and 182 maps (143 principal and 39 supplementary), organized into sections on natural conditions, population, economy, and history, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Soviet power in Armenia. The article highlights several distinctive features: (1) broad structural coverage encompassing all relevant themes; (2) strong practical orientation, introducing for the first time in comprehensive atlases such maps as phenological, agro-climatic, seismic-tectonic, engineering-geological, mudflow, and energy resource (hydro, solar, wind) maps; (3) complex mapping of phenomena, combining multiple interrelated aspects on single maps, e.g., the transport map showing railways, highways, air routes, and freight intensity simultaneously; (4) pioneering depiction of integral territorial-production complexes, exemplified by the "Sevan-Razdan Hydropower Complex" map; (5) extensive use of cross-sections, diagrams, tables, and explanatory texts enriching the main maps; (6) inclusion of generalizing maps facilitating holistic understanding; (7) reflection of the historical fate of the Armenian people through historical and population distribution maps, particularly illustrating the demographic consequences of the 1915 genocide; (8) relatively large map scales, setting a precedent for future large-scale atlases of Soviet republics. The article further analyzes each section, noting that agricultural maps effectively demonstrate the influence of vertical zonation on farming systems, with irrigated land expanding from 97,000 hectares in 1913 to 225,000 hectares by 1959. The review concludes by praising the high printing quality of the Minsk Cartographic Factory and characterizes the atlas as a landmark in Armenian scientific culture, embodying Lenin's methodological directives for creating a truly Soviet atlas.