Ein thematischer Atlas der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Summary

This article reviews the atlas "Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Karten", published jointly by the Federal Statistical Office and the Federal Research Institute for Regional Geography and Regional Planning. Based on census data from around 1960 (population, occupation, buildings, and workplaces), the atlas presents the natural, social, and economic conditions of West Germany in five sections (general overviews and administrative divisions, nature, population and cultural affairs, economy, and spatial structure), using scales of 1:1 million, 1:2 million, and 1:2.7 million in a loose-leaf format. The review analyzes representative maps and their cartographic methods, noting both strengths and shortcomings, such as missing topics, unwieldy sheet sizes, and a lack of textual linkage between analytical maps. Overall, it is praised as a remarkable achievement in methodology, cartographic technique, and organization.