Recenzje: Atłas Armjanskoj Sovetskoj Socialističeskoj Respubliki

Summary

This review examines the *Atlas of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic*, published in 1961 to mark the republic's 40th anniversary. The atlas exemplifies the Soviet school of comprehensive regional atlases, designed to integrally characterize the geographical environment, population, economy, and history. Compiled by a multidisciplinary team from the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR under the editorship of Academician A. B. Bagdasarian, the work comprises six sections: an introductory overview of Armenia’s development and administrative context; maps of natural conditions (geology, tectonics, climate, hydrology, soils, vegetation, wildlife, and physical-geographical regionalization); demographic maps (ethnic composition, density, urban settlement, labor resources, and diaspora); economic maps covering industry, agriculture, and regional economic divisions; and a historical section tracing territorial changes and cultural heritage. The natural environment section, comprising 72 maps on 46 plates, provides a detailed synthesis of Armenia’s mountainous terrain, vertical zonality, seismicity, and arid climate, while demographic and economic maps highlight high natural increase, Soviet-era industrialization, and specialized production (e.g., 90% of USSR volcanic tuff, 50% of mobile power stations). The review notes the atlas’s logical structure, rich cartographic design, and its utility as both a scientific reference and a tool for economic planning. Despite minor shortcomings in the economic-geographic portion, the atlas is commended as a valuable source of knowledge and a model for national atlases, contributing to the broader Soviet program of comprehensive cartographic synthesis for union republics and regions.