Nemzeti és regionális atlaszok

Summary

This article, authored by Dr. Sándor Radó and Ödön Bereczky, systematically analyzes the differences and interrelations between national and regional atlases. It first reviews the historical development of these atlas types, noting that the Atlas of Finland (1899) is regarded as the first modern national atlas, and that after World War II, the establishment of the Commission on National Atlases within the International Geographical Union spurred a global boom in atlas production. The article emphasizes that national atlases aim to provide a scientifically synthesized cartographic representation of a country's natural and socio-economic conditions through a coherent map system, while regional atlases focus on detailed depictions of specific areas, often serving practical planning purposes. The authors argue that although some scholars view national atlases as purely scientific works and regional atlases as purely practical tools, in reality the two concepts often overlap, especially in developing countries where atlases serve both scientific synthesis and resource development. The article thoroughly compares the two atlas types in terms of depicted area characteristics, thematic systems, and publication objectives, and proposes a classification based on compilation motives: scientific-synthetic, resource-oriented, planning-oriented, and thematic. It concludes that national and regional atlases are not substitutes but complements: the former offers a uniform-depth overview of the entire country, while the latter highlights local specifics and details, jointly serving geographic understanding and economic planning.