Soils in national atlases of different countries

An analysis of the contents and legends of soil maps (basic and soil-related ones) in the national atlases published in the last 25–30 years was performed. Only national atlases as integral cartographic products of high scientific level implementing the recent soil–geographic and classification concepts were considered. These were atlases of thirty countries, mainly of the European ones, published in traditional and electronic formats. Soil classifications used for the basic soil maps comprise the national classifications, sometimes with the synonyms of the FAO Soil Map legend or the World Reference Base, and rarely with those from American Soil Taxonomy. In most atlases, only dominant soils are shown on soil maps, sometimes soil-forming rocks are mentioned, and rarely natural zones are. Along with the basic soil maps, there are supplementary ones containing data on soil properties and regimes, as well as diverse maps compiled for agricultural and ecological purposes; in terms of methodology, the maps may be qualified as interpretation and factual ones. The integrity of all these maps provides a comprehensive insight into the ecological functions of the soils.