has 5 pages of world maps, 3 pages with historical maps, 76 pages with maps of the Soviet Union in 53 pages with maps of Western Europe – meaning in this case the part of Europe that is outside the Soviet Union. The non-Soviet part of Asia – here also named 'foreign Asia' – covers 53 pages, Africa 18, the Americas 57 and Australia-Oceania 12. In the end are 6 pages with maps of the Atlantic Ocean, the mediterranean Sea and the Polar regions. See also the list of map names in transliteration and translation. Most sections start with a physical map – with contour lines and hypsometric coloring – a political map and a map of the communications in the region in question. The rest of each section consists of physical maps at a larger scale; see the list of maps, inset maps and scale. On the reverse sides of many right-hand pages are enlargements of regions on the 'main map'. Contrary to the main maps, on these maps the relief is often indicated with shading, which gives a more spatial effect. In the section on the Soviet Union each Union Republic has a map of its administrative subdivision in political coloring. A political map is sometimes also given for other regions. On some maps the forests are indicated; details can be found in the list of types of maps. The size of the atlas is considerable and so is the number of maps. Many regions are therefore depicted in detail, often at a scale of 1:5,000,000, 1:2,500,000 or 1:1,250,000. This has been done in particular for the Soviet Union itself and the 'friendly' states in the world – Eastern Europe, China – but also for Western Europe and the United States. These detailed maps are missing for Yugoslavia and the Netherlands. The environs of metropoles are sometimes given in (inset) maps at a scale of 1:250,000. Curiously, for the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and China these city maps are absent. In the preface (see also the English translation) account is given of the composition of the atlas. There is also an overview and account of the map projections used in the atlas. Second Edition The second edition was published in Moscow in 1967 by the Chief Directorate of Geodesy and Cartography under the Council of Ministers of the USSR (GUGK; ). It was published simultaneously in Russian and