The state of mapping in the former satellite countries of Eastern Europe

Since the breakup of the former Eastern Bloc and the emergence of newly independent states from the former Soviet Union, there has been a more liberal approach to the publication of maps. Types and scales of maps which had formerly been available only to the military or planners are now being sold freely to the general public and to foreigners. Freed from the straitjacket of military requirements and censorship, a number of the former Eastern Block countries are also producing a much wider range of map types. This paper explores both the types of maps formerly produced in the satellite countries of Eastern Europe and those being produced under the new, more liberal regimes.