"Geographic Atlas" of Professor Myron Korduba

The contents, structure and basic maps of the "Geographic Atlas" of Professor Dr. Myron Korduba (1876-1947) are analyzed. The Atlas had 3 publications (1912, 1914, 1922) in Kolomyia in the Halych waybill of Jakiv Orenstein. The "Geographic Atlas" of the scientist was the first Ukrainian cartographic publication for the needs of geographic education in high schools of Austria-Hungary with the Ukrainian language of teaching. According to its content and quality, the "Geographic Atlas" of Myron Korduba corresponded to the high pan-European level. The first Ukrainian school "Geographic Atlas" by prof. Dr. Myron Korduba, containing 24 main and 11 side maps, was issued in 1912 in Kolomyia in the Halych waybill of Jakiv Orenstein (in 1914 and 1922, this Atlas was reissued [;]). The geographic community of the region responded vividly and interestedly to the appearance of this publication: in 1912, approved reviews of well-known scientists and teachers Stepan Rudnitsky, Theodosius Stavnichiv and Ivan Yuschyshyn were published. Thus, in particular, Dr. Stepan Rudnitsky wrote: "With our need for the quantity and quality cartographic products, the appearance of the first not big atlas should be welcomed as a significant occurrence. And owes a gratuitous thanks to the Orenstein’s waybill that took for such a thing. … The Ukrainian school atlas has been a burning need of our youth for years, and a larger hand atlas would find so many buyers in our society, that it would be perfectly paid back". It is known that in the early twentieth century Ukrainian students of public schools could use a very limited list of cartographic publications. Among them are the Wall map of Europe in the Ukrainian translation of Myron Korduba himself, the small map of Ukraine with UkrainischeRundchau, the wall map of Austria-Hungary by O. Popovych, of Halychyna, Bukovyna and Ukraine by H. Velychko. The map products also included small maps of Austria-Hungary, Halychyna and Bukovyna, which were placed at the end of school geography textbooks. That is why the Ukrainian geographic community has shown, as it does today, a genuine interest in evaluating both the content and the shape of each of the 24 major and 11 side maps of the Geographic Atlas of Prof. Dr. Myron Korduba. The first map of the atlas is devoted to astronomical geography – "Sun, moon and stars". It summarizes and "very practically" presents: the distance of planets from the Sun; northern starry sky with stars of the third and fourth magnitude; solar and lunar eclipses ("Eclipse of the Sun" and "Eclipse of the Moon"); the path of the Earth around the sun; orbit and changes of the moon." Myron Korduba adds almost 3 pages of clear explanations to this map. Thus, in particular, it is noted that the distance from the Earth to the Sun – 148 million km (according to current data – 149.6 million km), the distance from Mercury to the Sun – 60 million km (now it is specified that 58 million km) . The "Physical Map of Europe" (scale 1:25 000 000) is very expressive. It is interesting to trace what were the Ukrainian names of geographical objects in the early twentieth century. Thus, in particular, the present-day Middle Danube lowland was called the Hungarian lowland in those years, the Middle Russian height was called the Left-side height, and the North-French lowland was the French lowland. The Southern Bug River was Bog. The highest peak of the Carpathian Mountains – Gerlakhovsky-Stit – 2655 m on the map of M. Korduba reached 2700 m, and Elbrus, which now has 5642 m, was determined by a mark of 5600 meters. The map of Mykola Korduba's "Atlas" of "Halychyna and Bukovyna" (scale 1: 2 500 000) is extremely important for geographic education and patriotic education of Ukrainian students. The physical surface of these lands is presented in detail. The main relief elements are described, in particular, Podilsky Plate, Pokutsko-Bessarabian Plate, Raztoche, Nadvysliansk Lowland, Naddnister Lowland; mountain ranges – Low Beskyd, High Beskyd, Gorgany, Chernogora, Vigorlyat; the main rivers – Sian, Dnister, Zbruch, Prut, Seret and others. In his "Geographical Atlas", Prof. Myron Korduba also includes maps of such European countries and their groups as: "Germany, Netherlands and Belgium" (scale 1: 5 000 000), "Balkan Peninsula" (1: 500000), "France, Spain and Portugal" (1:10 000 000), "Italy" (1: 7 500 000), "Great Britain and Ireland" (1: 5 000 000). Side map of "Scotland Islands", "Scandinavia" (1: 7 500 000), side maps: a) "Iceland" (1: 5 000 000) and b) "Denmark" (1: 5 000 000). Myron Korduba's last block of "Geographic Atlas" is dedicated to Asia, Africa, North America, the United States and the neighboring countries, South America and Australia. Professor Myron Korduba's "Geographic Atlas" became the first Ukrainian cartographic publication for the needs of geographic education in Austro-Hungarian high schools with the Ukrainian language of teaching. By the content, structure, volume and quality of the completed maps "Geographic Atlas" by Myron Korduba fully corresponded to the European requirements of the time, and, according to the contemporary experts of the scientist, "identical Polish publications do not stand above this, and the German, especially the Viennese, are only a little better". Myron Korduba's "Geographic Atlas" proved by its three publications its high authority among the Ukrainian geographic community. This scientist-geographer, teacher-practitioner and innovator embodied his advanced scientific ideas in geographic education and upbringing of Ukrainian youth. Key words: Geographic Atlas, Myron Korduba, Geography in Austro-Hungarian High Schools.