The National Atlas of the ČSSR

Abstract

The article contains basic data about the preparation of the Czechoslovak National atlas. The Congress of Czechoslovak geographers in the year 1957 emphasized the edition of the Atlas as one of the main tasks of Czechoslovak geography. As soon as the preparative work was done the presidium of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences nominated the editing board which elaborated the list of maps, the plan and the model of the Atlas. The size of the atlas, 86 x 50 cm, was determined in such a manner as to permit the displays of an area of the state at the scale 1: 1 mil. on one single sheet. The reserve of each map sheet will bear the text and a summary of the text and the explanations in Russian and English. In one table the space devoted to cartographs in the Czechoslovak National atlas is compared with other eleven of the greatest national atlases published abroad. The new Czechoslovak national atlas will be the third greatest atlas. Thus, the surface of the state in the scale of the main map represents 29,7 % of the surface of the map sheet. The atlas will contain more than 400 maps on 58 map sheets. The sequence of scales for the area of the state is 1: 1 mil., 1: 2 mil., 1: 3 mil., 1 : 4 mil., 1 : 5 mil., 1: 6 mil. Equal-area conic projection in normal position with the parallel line 49°30' pointing the length, was used. The composition of the map sheets is arranged in accordance with definite patterns. The atlas is classified as is customary in other national atlases. The individual sections contain the following number of sheets: Introduction 4, Natural surroundings 19, Inhabitants and Settlements 7, Economy 22 - of this: Industry 9, Agriculture 8, Transportation, Foreign Trade 5 and Living Standard 6. The article compares further the content of the new national atlas with the pre-war Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic. The wealth of the content is supplemented by the variety of cartographical means of expression. In several cases cartographs in the scale 1: 1 mil. are designed according to local communities of which there are 12,000 in the ČSSR. Some cartograms in the section "Inhabitants" present values separately for city and country inhabitants of a district in the divided area of that district according to the share of city inhabitants (inner part of the area) and that of country inhabitants (outer part of the area). The scales of relative values are usually equidistant, of absolute ones either gradual or continuous. In any case, the surface of the geometrical picture, usually circular, is proportional to the value - quantity - of the phenomenon. In the section "Agriculture" the point method was often used, mainly for expressing crop areas. Many geographical work centers - first of all the Geographical Institutes of Academies of Sciences, then, the Central board of Geodesy and Cartography and the departments of geography at universities - participated in the creation of the atlas. In addition to geographical work centers, many other institutions, research institutes and central boards participated significantly. As a conclusion, a list of maps of the Czechoslovak national atlas, with an indication of their scales has been added.