An atlas is a book of maps.
It shows our world. Some show stars too. You can see where places are. It helps us learn. Do you like maps?
An atlas is a group of maps.
Most atlases show our Earth. Some show parts of the world. Others show the stars in space.
Some atlases are like books. You can hold them. Today, many are on screens.
They can show many things. They show where lines are drawn. They also show facts about people.
Long ago, people picked their own maps. They could add colors to them. Then they made a book.
Some atlases are for trips. These are easy to fold. Other books stay on a desk.
There are even maps of the body. These show our parts. Atlases help us see our world.
An atlas is a group of maps.
Most atlases show the Earth. They might show a whole continent or just one region. Some show the stars or other planets too.
Many atlases are made like books. Today, many people use digital ones on screens. They show more than just land. They can show facts about money, religion, or people.
Long ago, atlases were different. A man named Abraham Ortelius made a famous one in 1570. In the past, people did not always buy a finished book. They could pick their own maps. They could even choose to have them colored or gilded. Then, someone would bind them together.
There are many kinds of atlases today. A travel atlas is often called a road map. These are easy to fold for trips. A desk atlas is like a thick reference book.
Some atlases even map the human body. They show our organs and how they sit inside us. These tools help us learn about our world and ourselves.
An atlas is a collection of maps. Most of them show parts of the Earth. They might show a whole continent or just a small region. Some atlases even show the stars in the sky. These are called star atlases. You can also find atlases of other planets in our solar system.
Some special atlases even map the human body. They show where organs are located.
Modern atlases do much more than show land. They can show political boundaries between countries. They often include facts about religion, money, and people. These facts are called statistics. Some atlases are made for use on a computer or phone. These are multimedia formats.
A travel atlas is often called a road map. These usually have spiral bindings so they fold flat. A desk atlas is more like a heavy reference book.
The word "atlas" has a very old history. A man named Gerardus Mercator used it in 1595. He published a book about the whole universe. He named it after the Titan Atlas. He called Atlas the "King of Mauretania." Mercator thought he was the first great geographer.
By the middle of the 1600s, the word just meant a collection of maps. This is how we use it today.
In the past, buying an atlas was different. Most were not sold as finished books. Instead, people bought maps separately. A customer could pick the maps they wanted. They could even choose to have them colored or gilded with gold. Then, the maps were bound together into a book.
In the 1800s, countries began making their own national atlases. This helped people learn about their own lands more clearly.
Many famous atlases have been made over the years. Abraham Ortelius printed a famous collection in 1570. The Klencke Atlas from 1660 was one of the largest books ever made. In the United States, the Rand McNally Atlas has been around since 1881. The Times Atlas of the World started in the United Kingdom in 1895. There are even many digital tools now. You can use Google Earth to see a 3D atlas of our world.
An atlas is a comprehensive collection of maps. Most atlases focus on the Earth, covering specific continents or entire regions. However, the concept extends beyond our planet. Advances in astronomy have allowed for atlases of the celestial sphere, which map the stars. There are also atlases designed to show other planets and their satellites within our solar system. Some specialized versions even map the human body, showing the location of organs through anatomical atlases.
Modern atlases provide much more than just physical geography. They often display political boundaries that separate different countries. Many versions include complex data known as statistics. These statistics cover geopolitical, social, religious, and economic information. They might also provide specific details about the maps themselves and the places they represent. Today, many of these collections exist in multimedia formats, meaning they are accessed through digital devices rather than just paper.
Historically, the term "atlas" has a specific origin. The Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator used the word in 1595. He published a work titled "Atlas or cosmographical meditations upon the creation of the universe and the universe as created." Mercator did not use the word to mean a book of maps. Instead, he used it to describe the form and creation of the entire universe. He chose the name to honor the Titan Atlas, the "King of Mauretania." Mercator believed this figure was the first great geographer.
By the middle of the 17th century, the definition of the word began to change. It shifted from Mercator's cosmic description to the modern meaning: a collection of maps. This evolution was driven by how these books were produced. In the 16th through 19th centuries, most atlases were not sold as finished, bound books. Instead, map components were often kept on shelves separately. A customer could select specific maps to suit their needs. They could even choose to have the maps colored or gilded with gold before the book was bound.
Different types of atlases serve different practical purposes. A travel atlas, sometimes called a road map, is designed for use while moving. These often feature spiral bindings so they can be folded completely flat. Desk atlases are built more like traditional reference books. They are typically found in hardback or paperback formats for study. Scale is also a key difference between these types. National atlases in Europe often use scales between 1:250,000 and 1:500,000. In contrast, city atlases use much larger scales, such as 1:20,000 or 1:25,000, to show more detail.
Cartography has a long history of significant publications. While Pietro Coppo prepared a systematic collection of maps in the early 16th century, it was not published. Therefore, the title of the first printed atlas is usually given to Abraham Ortelius, who printed his collection in 1570. Other notable historical works include the Klencke Atlas of 1660, which was one of the largest books in the world. In the 17th century, Joan Blaeu produced famous works in the Netherlands. In the 19th century, nations began producing their own national atlases to document their territories more formally.
Many famous atlases continue to be used around the world today. The Rand McNally Atlas has been published in the United States since 1881. In the United Kingdom, the Times Atlas of the World has been a standard since 1895. Other long-running collections include the Soviet Union's atlas and the National Geographic Atlas of the World. We have also moved into a digital age of mapping. Tools like Google Earth allow users to interact with a 3D atlas of the globe. These digital systems connect traditional cartography to modern computer technology.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (6)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.