Atlas is a collection of maps usually displayed in a printed book or viewed on a computer. Most printed atlases also contain charts and tables. Many have photographs, including images taken by cameras on satellites. Most atlases show places on Earth, but there are also atlases of the moon, other planets, and the stars.
Typical maps in atlases show countries, cities, and towns as well as land features, such as rivers and mountains. Some maps show the distribution of a particular feature, such as population or rainfall, over an area. An index lists the place names shown on the maps. The index also tells where to find the places on the maps.
Many atlases contain text related to information given in maps, charts, tables, and photographs. An atlas that covers a small area, such as a state, or a special subject, such as agriculture, often has a relatively large amount of text. A general atlas of the world has little text.
Electronic atlases
provide rapid access to maps. The user of an electronic atlas can type in a place name, and a map will show the location of the place. Some electronic atlases have audio clips that describe the location.
History.
In the A.D. 100’s, Ptolemy, an astronomer and geographer who lived in Egypt, published what some historians consider the first atlas. This work contained a variety of maps as well as information on cartography, the study and making of maps.
In the late 1500’s, the Dutch cartographer Abraham Ortelius and the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator developed more accurate atlases. These books contained maps of vast regions that were unknown to Ptolemy. Ortelius’s work, published in 1570, is considered the first modern atlas. Mercator’s work, which followed, was the first to use the title Atlas for a collection of maps. At the front of the book was an illustration of the Greek god Atlas supporting Earth on his shoulders.
Before printing was invented, cartographers had to draw all the maps in each individual atlas by hand. The invention of printing boosted the production of atlases. However, cartographers still had to produce by hand the woodcuts and metal engravings for the maps. Later, cartographers hand-drew maps that were photographically transferred to printing plates. Today, cartographers use computers to create maps.
