Atlas (cartography)

An atlas is a collection of maps, usually bound into book form. As well as geographic features and political boundaries, many often feature geopolitical, social, religious and economic statistics. The name "atlas" derives from the custom of adorning the cover or title page of such collections with a picture of the Atlas of Greek mythology holding the Earth on his shoulders.

This usage of the term dates from Gerardus Mercator[?]'s Atlas Sive Cosmographicae, (Atlas, or Description of the Universe) of 1585-1595. The earliest atlas was Ptolemy's Geography[?] of c. 150 AD. The the first modern atlas was issued by Abraham Ortelius on May 20, 1570.

See also:

• Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
• Cartography
• Geography