National Atlas of Germany – A Portrait in Maps

 On June 24th 2005, Professor Dr. Sebastian Lentz (Director of the Leibniz Institute of Regional Geography, Leipzig) will present a project entitled the “National Atlas of Germany” at an event hosted jointly by Meiji-University and the DIJ.

The National Atlas of Germany – A Portrait in Maps
Spatial Division of Work – The Example of The Automotive Industry

After German reunification, it was decided that there should be a common geographical publication which documented both the current situation as well as the development of the new Germany, while also showing regional differentiation. A scientific advisory council and the German Association of Geography assigned this task to the Leibniz Institute of Regional Geography (IfL) in Leipzig, the only non-university research institute for geography in Germany. The “National Atlas” comprised 12 printed and digital volumes, with twenty five renowned experts agreeing to work as academic co-editors. The IfL’s compilation and cartography teams coordinated about 500 authors from universities, research institutes, non-governmental organizations and governmental institutions, both at central government and local level. The first volume was introduced at the end of 1998, and the last volume will be released in the middle of 2006; each volume will also be released as a digital version on CD-Rom. The volumes are funded by supporting foundations and the IfL’s budget.

In Germany, it being a highly industrialized country with a very well extended infrastructure, industry is organized into a variety of specialized locations. In particular, the example of the automotive industry highlights how the production principals of concentration on core competencies (lean-production), outsourcing of modular production, and just-in-time deliveries led to networked production that was regionally very intense. Due to economic integration within Europe, the build-up and extension of a high-capacity Europe-wide infrastructure has allowed  integrated network companies and their supply relationships to spread all over the European Union. This lecture will point out the requirements for the build-up of infrastructure after German reunification, and the allocation of  production locations. It will also show the consequences of the spatial division of work, namely an increasing transport of goods for company purposes only.

The lecture will be given in English, translation into Japanese is provided.

Information about Professor Dr. Sebastian Lentz

Born: December 31st,1957
Director of the Institute for Regional Geography and Full Professor for Regional Geography at the University of Leipzig, Institute of Geography
Specialized Fields: Social Geography, Urban Geography, High Mountains Research, Comparative Regional Geography of Europe, Transformation of Post-Socialist Regions