Introduction to the National Economic Atlas of China and Its Electronic Edition

This paper introduces the background, compilation process, main features, and international impact of the "National Economic Atlas of the People's Republic of China and Its Electronic Version." The project was led by the State Planning Commission, with the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences as the chief editor, and was completed over six years, with the Chinese edition published in 1993 and the English edition in 1994. The atlas contains 265 maps and 250,000 characters of explanatory text, comprehensively reflecting China's resources, population, economy, agriculture, industry, transportation, and other sectors, characterized by scientific completeness, systematicity, and spatial analysis. The electronic version, developed based on EA-ward software, is user-friendly, content-rich, and reaches a world-leading level, receiving high praise from the international cartographic community. The atlas is not only a significant achievement in China's economic geography research but also provides valuable materials for the international community to understand China's economy.