– Etymology:
– The word “atlas” in a geographical context dates back to 1595 by Gerardus Mercator.
– Mercator defined “atlas” as a description of the creation and form of the whole universe.
– The neologism was a mark of respect for the Titan Atlas, considered the first great geographer.
– Initially, atlases were a wide-ranging text but evolved into collections of maps.
– The first modern atlas is attributed to Abraham Ortelius in 1570.
– History of Atlases:
– The first systematically arranged maps of uniform size were by Italian cartographer Pietro Coppo.
– The first modern atlas was “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” by Abraham Ortelius in 1570.
– States began producing national atlases in the 19th century.
– Early printed atlases were not bound; customers could select and customize the contents.
– Atlases published today differ significantly from those in the 16th–19th centuries.
– Types of Atlases:
– Travel atlases are designed for easy use during travel, often with spiral bindings.
– City atlases have specific scales, like 1:20,000 to 1:25,000.
– Desk atlases are similar to reference books and come in hardback or paperback form.
– There are atlases for other planets in the Solar System.
– Atlases of anatomy map out human body organs and organisms.
– References:
– Mercator’s definition of “atlas” is detailed in the preface of the 1595 atlas.
– The first modern atlas was “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” by Abraham Ortelius in 1570.
– States began producing national atlases in the 19th century.
– Early printed atlases were not bound; customers could select and customize the contents.
– Atlases published today differ significantly from those in the 16th–19th centuries.
– External Links:
– Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlas.
– Online atlases like World Atlas and ÖROK-Atlas Online are available.
– Resources for historical atlases are accessible through the US Library of Congress site.
– Tools like Google Earth, NASA’s World Wind software, and Wikimapia offer interactive mapping features.
– Various historical atlas collections are digitized and available online for exploration.
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today, many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographical features and political boundaries, many atlases often feature geopolitical, social, religious, and economic statistics. They also have information about the map and places in it.