Atlases published in Israel, 1980-1989

Summary

This paper surveys and critically reviews the major atlases published in Israel during the decade 1980–1989. It identifies key cartographic works encompassing national, regional, urban, and historical themes. The third edition of the Atlas of Israel (1985) stands out as a comprehensive national atlas, updating physical and human geography with data from the 1983 census, featuring bilingual Hebrew-English content, and contributions from some sixty experts. Notable regional atlases include the Atlas of Haifa and Mount Carmel (1980), which examines the urban geography of Israel's third-largest conurbation and its physical setting, with particular emphasis on land use and dual central business districts, and the Atlas of the Negev (1986), which analyses settlement patterns and resource development in the semi-arid southern district. The review also highlights a proliferation of historical atlases dedicated to Jerusalem, from collections of antique maps to archaeological surveys of the city’s spatial evolution. Additional general and educational atlases, as well as serial cartographic papers, demonstrate the breadth of Israeli cartographic output during this period. The paper concludes that the 1980s represented a productive era for atlas publishing in Israel, marked by advanced thematic mapping, bilingual presentation, and a strong interdisciplinary integration of geography, history, and planning.