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<span style="color: #17aded">'''The Geographical Statistical Geographical Atlas (1930)'''</span>

In 1930, a A Royal Order was issued establishing in 1930 pointing out the need to publish the Geographical Statistical Geographical Atlas, of Spain on an annual basis, and this work . This task was assigned to the Permanent Commission for the Economic Map of Spain, which belonged to the Higher Geographical Council of the Spanish Geographical and Cadastral Institute (formerly the Geographical and Statistical Instituteas it was called in those days). After the change of the political system in 1931, from a monarchy to a republicin 1931, the Higher Geographic Geographical Council disappeared and the Interministerial Inter-Ministry Commission for Cartography and Economic Geography was created, set up with the aim of producing the Economic Map or and the Economic Geographic Yearbook of in Spain. The production of this This Economic Map could not be carried out due to problems some issues in relation to the formation of working groups, the complexity of difficulties in obtaining data, a shortage of technical resources and the outbreak of the civil warin 1936.

The need to have works of synthesis of on the national geography had encouraged several countries in the first half of the 20th century to elaborate their own national atlases, each one under the criteria of the respective work teamsatlas. In order to unify criteria and thus make the work of in different countries comparable, the International Geographical Union (IGU) established set up a working group on national atlases in 1956 a Working Group on National Atlases, which would later give way to the Commission on National Atlas Commission. These atlases were then defined as "fundamental and complex geographical atlases of specific countries, containing a recapitulation summary and generalisation of contemporary scientific knowledge in the field of physical, economic and political geography of the country concerned". In accordance with these ideas, a National Atlas Commission had been set up at the Geographic and Cadastral Institute with the aim of tackling the creation of the National Atlas of Spain. The Commission, made up of a group of renowned geographers with a good knowledge of cartographic language, tried to replace the old concept of written text with the modern concept of the map as a graphic image.

In accordance with these ideas, a Commission on National Atlas was set up at the Spanish Geographic and Cadastral Institute (as it was called in those dates) with the aim of tackling the creation of the National Atlas of Spain. This Commission, made up of a group of renowned geographers with a good knowledge on cartographic language, tried to replace the old concept of written text with the modern concept of the map as a graphic image.By 1965, the national atlases of Finland, France, Canada, Egypt, Czechoslovakia, USSR, Italy, Australia, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Belgium, UK and Israel had been published, and those of Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland were being delivered as a loose-leaf collection. This The latter was the model adopted by the Spanish Commission on National Atlas Commission.

The cartographic techniques used in that for this edition contributed to the learning and practice of a new working methodology, different from the one that had been used until then, obtaining a considerable improvement in the quality of the final product.

[[File:L 40 horas sol.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Map from sheet 40 showing the average time of annual sunshine a year hours at a scale of 1:4,000,000]][[File:L 87 nucleos comerciales.jpg|right|thumb|300px|: Map on sheet 87 showing the zones or commercial areas of commercial attraction and the main commercial shopping centres of importance at a scale of 1:2,000,000]]The technique, engraved glass, was used in very few countries at that time and it was necessary to import the patent from Switzerland. The team gained considerable experience and quality in their work. A further advance was the use of the stabilene technique. For the first time, a 1:500,000 scale representation of the entire national territory was achieved. The data were obtained from the National Topographic Map at a scale of 1:50,000, which was completed prior to this work.

Despite the many difficulties The technique, engraved glass, was used in very few countries at that hindered the completion of the project, the 28 geographical sheets time and 24 of it was necessary to import the 72 thematic sheets patent from the original 100 projected, were published Switzerland. The team gained considerable experience and quality in 1965their work. A Geographical Review further advance was the use of 227 pages and the stabilene technique. For the first time, a Toponymic Index consisting of 176 pages and approximately 401:500,000 toponyms were published laterscale representation of the entire national territory was achieved. The last updates of some of the (non-thematic) geographical sheets data were produced in obtained from the 1980sNational Topographic Map at a scale of 1:50,000, which was completed prior to this work.

Despite the many difficulties that hindered completing this project, the 28 geographical sheets and 24 -out of the initially 72 proposed- thematic sheets were published in 1965. A Geographical Review of 227 pages and a Toponymic Index comprising 176 pages and approximately 40,000 toponyms were published later. The last updates of some of the (non-thematic) geographical sheets were produced in the 1980s.Although the Atlas remained unfinished due to circumstances beyond the control of the work team, and the tools used for the elaboration of drawing up the maps have been were considerably improved, the scientific approach with which the this work was promoted was well conceived and even ahead of its time. For the first time in Spain , there was a work that synthesised through cartographic language the physical and human geography of the country, essential material for the governmental management of the territory, among amongst other aspects.

[[File:Estructura tematica 1986.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Thematic structure of the National Atlas of Spain from 1986]]In 1986, the management of the The National Geographic Institute of Spain considered in 1986 the possibility of producing a new National Atlas to complete and update the previous publication. Thus, with the approval of the Council of Ministers on 13 June 13, 1986, the National Atlas project was prepared and structured, drawing up a general index that would cover covered the different aspects and topics to be dealt with. In 1987, this multidisciplinary project was launched, organised into thirteen sections comprising 48 working groups, in which all aspects of the physical and human geography of our country were dealt with through mapping.Different ministries and bodies of the General State Administration, Regions Administrations, and different specialists who provided the necessary information for the preparation of the thematic cartography, took part in the creation of the new National Atlas.

The work This multidisciplinary project was made up of XIII thematic Sections which were launched in turn divided 1987. It was organised into Groups, thirteen sections comprising 48 working groups in which all aspects of the physical and the Groups human geography of our country were published both in 45 independent fascicles dealt with through mapping. Different ministries and grouped in large format volumes (5 volumes plus 1 volume that included bodies of the toponymic index, with more than 2,200 pages and more than 4,500 maps in total)National Administration, the Regional Authorities and which covered all different specialists provided the themes that made up needed information for preparing the geographical reality of the countrythematic mapping and took part in creating this second National Atlas.

In 1991The work was made up of 13 thematic sections which were in turn divided into groups. The groups were published both in 45 independent fascicles and grouped in large format volumes (5 volumes plus 1 volume that included the toponymic index, with over 2,200 pages and more than 4,500 maps in total), which covered all geographical aspects of the Spanish territory.The first group, on Environmental ProblemsIssues, was publishedin 1991. The first complete edition of the this work was completed in 1997.The thematic structure and format of this Atlas meant a renovation with respect to the unfinished Atlas from 1965. A large-scale work was achieved, and this meant a huge qualitative and quantitative leap with respect to previous stages.