NEW SERIES OF
SCHOOL GEOGRAPHIC ATLASES AND MAPS
V.S.Tikunov, M.N.Gubanov, N.M.Kiselyova, E.C.Nokelajnen, N.N.Talskaja, L.F.Janvareva
tikunov@geogr.msu.su
System of teaching geography cartographical provision at school includes a row of aids: wall maps, complex atlases, globes, cartographical illustrations in textbooks. Comprehension of geographical situation in all variety of natural, social and economic, demographic and ecological processes developing in it and the phenomena are impossible without the cartographic information. Among the listed aids, the special place is occupied by complex geographical atlases. The significant volume of the information is concentrated in them promoting more successful assimilation by pupils of geographical knowledge.
Complex Map-making Research Laboratory of the Geographical Faculty Moscow State Lomonosov University, the Federal Agency of Geodesy and Cartography and Omsk Cartographical Plant have developed a new series of geographical atlases for 6 – 10 grades of a general education school:
6 grade. Geography. An initial course. 2004, 36p.
7 grade. Geography of Continents and Oceans. Nature. Population. Economy. 2004, 72p.
8 grade. Geography of
9 grade. Geography of
10 grade. Social and Economic Geography of the World. Natural Resources, Population, Economy (under publication).
Necessity of the school atlases new series compilation is explained by change of the political map of the world (disintegration of the USSR and Yugoslavia, unification of Germany, etc.), evolution of geographical science and acquisition of new knowledge, an aggravation of environmental problems and ecologyzation of school education.
On the basis of studying several textbooks on geography (for each grade), recommended by the Ministry of Education, the programs of atlases were developed. Their structure and content of thematic sections, the most expedient scales of maps were defined.
Compilers of atlases were aimed to realize three basic rules:
- To provide conformity of the atlases content and maps to training programs and textbooks on geography;
- To use advanced achievements of the geographical science and other sciences about the Earth;
- To follow methodical principles of geographical cartography.
Despite of atlases abundance in the market of school cartographical products, it is impossible to recognize any of them as quite matching the content of textbooks on geography. New school atlases, in comparison with earlier published, represent the cartographical products fullest on the content, in which fundamental knowledge of the geographical science on natural, social and economic characteristics of territories are reflected with optimum detail (the world, continent, Russia, regions), the theme of interacting of the nature and a society is highlighted. There are many new cartographical topics in them. They were absent in other atlases. Compilation of maps for atlases was conducted on the basis of modern computer production engineering.
Alongside
with geographical atlases, a series of wall world thematic maps in scale of