NATIONAL ATLAS OF RUSSIA:
PROGRESS IN TWO RECENT YEARS
Zhukovsky, V.E.1 and Sveshnikov, V.V.2
1
Federal Service of Geodesy and Cartography of Russia. ul. Krzhizhanovskogo, 14,
Block 2, 117801 Moscow, Russia. Tel/Fax: +7-095-124-3535. E-mail: [email protected]
2
State Research and Production Center Priroda. Verkhnyaya Pervomayskaya ul. 4-b,
105264 Moscow, Russia. Tel/Fax: +7-095-164-6623. E-mail: [email protected]
During the period of time, which elapsed after the 20th International Cartographic Conference in Beijing, the work at
the National Atlas of Russia has entered a new stage. Chief Editorial Board of the National Atlas of Russia has been
founded and editorial boards for each volume are now being formed. They will be responsible for scientific and
methodological guidance of work at the atlas and control of its quality.
In agreement with the concept of the National Atlas of Russia approved in 2001, the atlas will include four volumes
sized 43 x 29.5 cm. These will be the general geographic atlas “General Description of the Territory”, “Nature.
Ecology”, “Population. National Economy”, and “History. Culture”. Intensive research for development of a unified
technology for making both printed volumes and the electronic form of the atlas is now conducted.
The first volume will be completed in 2003. It includes five sections: the introduction – “Formation, Exploration, and
Mapping of the Russian Territory”, “Federative Structure of Russia”, “Geographic Regions and Seas Adjacent to the
Russian Territory”, “Information for Reference”, and the Index of geographic names. At the present time, work at the
first volume nears completion. The largest section – “Geographic Regions and Seas Adjacent to the Russian Territory”
has been practically finished. Test pages of the entire first volume will be printed in color by December.
In addition to a printed version of the atlas, an electronic form of the first volume is also being prepared using the same
vectored cartographic materials.
In the past year, we started designing three other volumes of the atlas: “Nature. Ecology”, Population. Economy”, and
“History. Culture”.
Each particular volume of the atlas will be a special complex work giving cartographic, textual, tabulated, graphic and
illustrative information on Russia.
The second volume will include description of natural conditions and resources of the country and its ecology. It will
give information on the main components of nature, geology, relief, climate, inland waters, seas, land, soils, vegetation,
animal kingdom, landscapes, and mineral, aquatic, climatic, terrestrial, woods and other kinds of resources. It will
include information on major problems associated with natural phenomena, including prognostication of natural
disasters and extreme situations, environmental protection, etc. The concept of the second volume has not been fully
completed by now and we shall not therefore consider its content in detail.
In 2003, the conceptual model of the 3rd volume (“Population. Economy”) was adopted, according to which this
volume will be intended for wide use in the sphere of management of social, economic, scientific, educational, and
other spheres. Radical changes in population and economy of Russia occurred during recent years. The current state is
characterized by increased uncertainty and instability, by growing differentiation in social and economic development,
as well as by renewal of the entire system of territorial connections.
The third volume will show the changes that occurred in the country during the past 10–15 years as well as the pressing
problems, which the country faces at present, namely demographic, ethnic, confessional, financial, economic, social,
and political, which are associated with reconstruction of the national economy, the change of the property category,
democratization of social life, etc.
While preparing the volume, the following cartographic principles of imaging will be used:
! adherence to the federal structure of Russia as defined in the Constitution. Based on this principle, the territory of
the Russian Federation and its subjects shall be considered as the main levels. Groups of Russian subject territories
and municipal formations can also be given in the volume;
Proceedings of the 21st International Cartographic Conference (ICC)
‘Cartographic Renaissance’
ISBN: 0-958-46093-0
Durban, South Africa, 10 – 16 August 2003
Hosted by The International Cartographic Association (ICA)
Produced by: Document Transformation Technologies
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!
!
!
conformance of significance (scale, importance) of the depicted object to the regional level of the map. This
principle rules out undue duplication while distributing information by the volume sections;
taking into consideration the volume status, and also the information ageing factor, the thematic component of the
volume shall include mostly generalized materials showing current tendencies, proportionality, and ranking;
the volume shall describe subjects and topics disclosing social, economic, and geographic mechanisms determining
stable structures and trends of the object.
The first (introductory) section of the volume will be dedicated to maps characterizing the current position of Russia in
the world as regards its various social and economical parameters, the changes which occurred in Russia’s position in
global economy and politics, and also the territorial aspects of its structure and geographic factors of population
distribution and national economy.
The second (social) section of the volume will deal with population, the social medium of its habitation, and social
development. The section will have three sub-sections: population and its distribution, social sphere, and socio-political
development.
The first sub-section will mainly disclose “classical” topics, such as distribution and composition of population, its
demographic characteristics and migration processes, urbanization, cities, labor market and employment. The topics
will be supplemented with relatively new subjects characterizing quality of life – well-being and health of population.
The second sub-section will describe the social sphere. It will characterize the current state and development of major
segments of the social sphere, both traditional for geographic atlases (health care system, education, science, culture)
and other segments, such as public and municipal utility systems, recreation, tourism, and sports.
The small third sub-section will describe quality of population life and social development of the Russian province. The
sub-section will end with maps showing the administrative division of the Russian territory.
The third (economical) section of the volume, titled “National Economy and Development” will contain an introductory
sub-section and four major sub-sections.
The structure of the section is based on a logical transition from the general characteristics of national economy to
successive characteristics of the main spheres of economy, such as production – infrastructure – investments.
The sub-section titled “Production Sphere” will contain topics on the major branches of “primary” (agriculture, forestry,
fisheries, hunting) and “secondary” (industry and building) spheres of economy. The section will end with maps
illustrating domestic and foreign trading, through which goods produced in various branches of industry are sold in the
internal and foreign markets.
The sub-section titled “Services” describes the sphere of services, which in conditions of the market economy, give
about half the gross domestic product of Russia.
The last sub-section “Infrastructure” is dedicated to the branches of tertiary and quaternary spheres of economy.
Transport is characterized in the aspect of transport networks and separate transport branches (railway, motor, water
transport, etc.). Description of communication means is supplemented by characteristics of telecommunication
infrastructure. New subjects, which have not yet become universal subjects of cartography, include infrastructure of the
informational and market systems (banking included).
Investment sphere will be described in the last sub-section. It will contain topics characterizing not only geography,
structure, and dynamics of investments and important investment programs, but also conditions (including legal ones)
for investments in various regions of the country. The last subject requires the most objective methods and criteria for
estimation of advantageous and encouraging factors of the Russian province.
The third sub-section will also describe effects, which various industries produce on the environment. The maps will be
used to estimate the integral and elemental anthropogenic (technogenic) load on a particular territory.
The fourth section will be dedicated to the regional component of population and national economy. It will give series
of complex socio-economic maps of large geographic areas showing the socio-economic structure of various regions
and the major characteristics of regional economy.
This section will present key problems of development of the Russian province. It is planned to show the main types of
various Russian regions (as regards their socio-economic development, main issues, stability, long-term prospects of
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growth, the level of intervention and assistance on the part of the state, including the federal budgeting aspect). The
main economic bonds between Russian regions will also be characterized.
Materials of the National Census 2002 and other updated materials will be used in the volume.
The fourth volume will describe history of Russia from ancient times till nowadays, the most important events in the
Russian history connected with formation of its territory and its population, wars and political events, social
movements, development of national economy. The second part of the volume is dedicated to cultural and natural
heritage of Russia and the state of culture today.
The cartographic object of the first part of the volume is History of the Russian State from the ancient times till
nowadays. The volume will disclose successively the course and the results of the historical process of origination and
development of the Russian state. The maps of the volume will show the whole territory or its separate parts for relevant
periods of the Russian history.
Development of the volume section related to the National Heritage is based on the concept of heritage as a
fundamental category determining possibility of formation of a unique, stable, and diversified cultural and landscape
space. National heritage is considered in the functional integrity of its cultural and natural components, as stipulated by
the convention adopted by UNESCO and other authorities of the world community concerning protection of heritage.
The section “History” will describe the main stages of country’s historical development. The section will be divided
into six sub-sections.
The first sub-section titled “The Period Preceding Formation of the Ancient Russian State” will give archeological
materials illustrating formation of human settlements during the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Eneolithic
Periods, during the Bronze and Iron Ages. It will also illustrate distribution of tribes early in the first millennium, the
great human migration, distribution of East and West Slavs in the middle and the 2nd half of the millennium, routes of
Slavic colonization of the North and North-East lands, formation of the first states on the territory of Ancient Rus.
The second sub-section called “Ancient Russian State (Kievan Rus). Ninth – Early Twelfth Centuries” will show the
habitat of East Slav tribes and their aggregation into the state, Christianity and its spread over the entire Ancient Rus;
development of culture.
The third sub-section will give the most important events of the period of feudal division of the Russian state in the
12th – 14th centuries. It will show struggle of Russian princedoms against Mongols, tells about the process of land
aggregation around Moscow.
The fourth sub-section will show the History of Formation and Growth of the Russian State in the 15th – 17th
Centuries. It will describe the continuing process of land accumulation around the Moscow princedom and liberation
from Mongol dependence. This and subsequent sections of the volume will show the history of Russia in maps
illustrating the following: the administrative system of the state, its population, social life, economy, wars and people’s
movements, culture, and geographic discoveries.
The fifth sub-section will be dedicated to the Russian Empire in the First Half of the 18th Century – Early 20th
Century.
The sixth sub-section “Russia after 1917” will show the period of the Soviet rule. The section ends with a map
illustrating disintegration of the USSR and formation of the Russian Federation (1991).
The section “Culture and National Heritage” will include five sub-sections.
The sub-section “Russia in the Cultural Space of the World” will show effects of ancient civilizations and cultures on
the Russian culture, cultural bonds of Russia with other countries, objects of world cultural and natural heritage located
on the territory of Russia.
The sub-section “Conditions and Factors of Formation of Cultural and Natural Heritage” will contain maps
illustrating historical, cultural, natural, and ecological conditions of formation, existence, and protection of heritage
objects.
The sub-section “Cultural and Natural Heritage” will include maps showing monuments of archeology, architecture,
sculpture, memorial sites of political and military history, etc. Some important objects, especially those belonging to the
cultural and natural heritage of world importance and protected by UNESCO will be shown in more detail.
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The section “Modern Culture” will show artistic culture, the system of services offered to population by cultural
institutions, public cultural organizations, etc.
The second half of the volume ends with the section titled “Protection and Use of Heritage and Cultural Objects”. It
will be supplemented with maps showing the system of management of culture and heritage, organization of protection
and restoration of the heritage objects, use of objects of culture and heritage for cultural enlightenment, recreationtourist purposes, etc.
The work at development of the atlas is carried out by scientists and experts from more than 30 ministries, scientific and
research institutions, educational institutes, and cartographic enterprises. The number of thus involved institutions will
soon increase to more than 100. Unfortunately, inadequate financing of the project makes it difficult to determine the
date of publication of the atlas.
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NATIONAL ATLAS OF RUSSIA:
PROGRESS IN TWO RECENT YEARS
Zhukovsky, V.E.1 and Sveshnikov, V.V.2
1
Federal Service of Geodesy and Cartography of Russia. ul. Krzhizhanovskogo, 14,
Block 2, 117801 Moscow, Russia. Tel/Fax: +7-095-124-3535. E-mail: [email protected]
2
State Research and Production Center Priroda. Verkhnyaya Pervomayskaya ul. 4-b,
105264 Moscow, Russia. Tel/Fax: +7-095-164-6623. E-mail: [email protected]
Biography
Vladimir Egorovich Zhukovsky, b. 1943. Engineer cartographer. Expert in making, editing, and publishing maps.
Former worker of Dunaev Plant producing military maps. Since 1998, head of department for cartography and
geographic names of the Federal Service of Geodesy and Cartography of Russia. Author of seven publications. Member
of the Chief editorial board of the National Atlas of Russia. Participant of the 20th International cartographic
conference.
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