Surviving a turbulent year

The National Atlas of the United States now on the Web and in print

The National Atlas of the United States of America ® was published in 1970 as a book, with more than 400 pages and 765 maps. Since then, many people have called for a new edition, and many maps have been published as single sheets using the classic National Atlas 1:7,500,000-scale format. Work began in 1997 on a new, web-based edition of the National Atlas of the United States ® . Accessible at http://nationalatlas.gov, the new atlas features an interactive mapmaker with more than 1,000 data layers. Developed as a coordinated package of dynamic webbased map products and services, and printed and printable maps for selected themes, the National Atlas of the United States of America ® has grown beyond a book. Yet, the cartographer’s fundamental job remains the same as it was in 1970—to translate national-level geographic data into an understandable view of the nation.