Atlas nacionales, recursos naturales y medio ambiente

Summary

This article reviews the evolution of national atlases, from the 1899 Atlas of Finland to the new era of standardization initiated at the 1956 International Geographical Congress in Rio de Janeiro. The author argues that traditional descriptive atlases no longer meet contemporary needs, as nations urgently require modern cartography of natural resources and environmental conditions. The paper analyzes that a national atlas should integrate three functions: geographical information, natural resources, and environmental monitoring. It also discusses map production methods, highlighting the efficiency of automated cartography while emphasizing that geographers must oversee data generalization and final presentation to ensure accuracy and usability. Drawing on personal experience with the National Atlas of Spain, the author concludes that the primary purpose of a national atlas is to provide comprehensive geographical knowledge to decision-makers and the public, and that each atlas should be flexibly designed according to national circumstances.