Atlas of Sweden: Account of its creation and some observations on the cartographic presentation

Magnus Lundqvist recounts the compilation of Atlas över Sverige and explains its editorial and cartographic choices while publication was still underway. Following earlier Swedish plans inspired by Finland’s national atlas, the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography revived the project in 1940; Lundqvist submitted a detailed proposal in 1943, and work began in 1945 with Wallenberg Foundation support, state lottery funding and Esselte’s financial guarantee. He describes continuing financial difficulties and institutional collaboration supplying statistical, geological, climatic and settlement material. The planned atlas comprised 150 map sheets, roughly 1,000 maps and 200–300 pages of text in 14 sections on Sweden’s nature, culture and economy. Recruitment difficulties prompted publication in 25 loose fascicles as sheets became ready. Lundqvist explains the exclusion or postponement of rapidly changing subjects and the use of 1935–1939 yield averages and 1937 crop-area figures, which the editors considered representative of normal conditions. His methodological examples cover relief analysis using 25 km² grid cells, geological maps relevant to soil fertility, elevation-adjusted temperature mapping, growing-season climate and frost frequencies, and population maps distinguishing uninhabited areas and urban settlements. Agricultural maps combine absolute and relative representations, proportional dots and contours generalized from old-municipality statistics; a smaller scale for Norrland saves space and moderates the apparent uniformity produced by its large municipalities. Colour sequences and graphic design aim at legibility for a broad readership. Forestry, industry and trade sections remained pending, while some income and wealth mapping had begun.