Putin issues instructions to make World Atlas that will not distort 'geographic truth'

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued instructions to make a World Atlas that would not distort the "historical and geographic truth" about the real names of certain sites and locations, TASS reported.

"The idea is to draft, with the Russian Geographic Society taking the most active part, a new Russian atlas of the world in which all such cases (of changing originally Russian geographic names) would have the correct interpretation," he said at a meeting of the board of trustees of the Russian Geographic Society. Putin addressed his instructions to the specialists of the Russian Register, Geogrpahic Society and Defense Ministry. "The latter should open its map making-related materials to the Atlas editors and to travelers, hickers and motorists in various forms, including modern computer online technologies."

Putin believes that the secrecy mark on many maps "is obsolete and looks archaic."

In his opinion the issue of geographical names needs special attention.

"These days we see a situation where Russian names that our explorers and travelers gave to certain sites in the past decades and centuries are being erased from the maps of the world. The same happens to the memory of Russia’s contribution to exploring the globe and developing science," he said. In particular, he pointed out, this can be seen in the Antarctic, where toponyms selected by the first discoverers, Mikhail Lazarev and Faddey Bellinsgauzen, are almost out of use."

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President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Russian Geographical Society (RGO) to create a new atlas of the world under the guidence of the Russian Defense Ministry.

“With the most active participation of the RGO, it is proposed to prepare a new geographical atlas of the world … I ask the experts of the Russian Geographical Society, with the participation of the Defense Ministry,” Putin said on Friday at a meeting of the Russian Geographical Society’s Board of Trustees.

He noted that the Ministry of Defense should ensure the availability of its cartographic materials for the compilers of the atlas, as well as for travelers, tourists, motorists, including “in the format of modern computer technologies”, online.

The head of state paid special attention to the fact that the classification of secrecy on many maps is now outdated and looks archaic.

Earlier at the meeting, Putin said that Russian-language toponyms were unfairly removed from the world map. According to the president, this is especially noticeable in Antarctica, where some place names given by the discoverers of the continent, Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, almost ceased to exist.

The head of state noted that today only a few people know that the original historical name of Smith Island in Antarctica is Borodino, that Snow Island is originally Maloyaroslavets, and Livingstone is actually Smolensk.

The President stressed that in 2020 the anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica, made possible by Russian seafarers, will be celebrated.