Atlases and maps. Atlas of the BSSR

Summary

This review discusses the Atlas of the Byelorussian SSR, published in 1958, which is the first Soviet comprehensive national atlas of a union republic. Its purpose is to serve as a reference work for a wide readership. The review describes the use of up-to-date materials, including industrial, agricultural, cultural and health-care data up to the beginning of the sixth five-year plan, livestock statistics as of October 1, 1955, and political-administrative divisions as of August 1, 1958. It also outlines the cartographic specifications: scales from 1:2,500,000 to 1:8,000,000 for the whole republic and 1:1,000,000 to 1:1,500,000 for regional maps, and the direct equiangular conic projection. The atlas contains 140 pages of maps and 5 pages of introductory text, with sections on political-administrative divisions, physical geography, industry, agriculture, culture and health care, individual regions, and historical maps. The review emphasizes the atlas's significance as a milestone in Soviet cartography.