Atlas of France
Atlas de France
France · · 1951
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Regional atlases: a summary survey
Ena L. Yonge · 1962
This article is a comprehensive review of regional atlases, written by Ena L. Yonge. The author begins by noting that, given the ever-increasing flood of atlases from around the world, individual reviews of each publication are impossible; therefore, a summary survey is adopted. She also stresses that no single reviewer can be sufficiently expert in all aspects of geography, cartography, and linguistics to render sound critical judgments. The roughly one hundred regional atlases discussed are grouped primarily by continent or large region and then arranged alphabetically by country. In the European section, the author evaluates national and thematic atlases from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, and other countries, covering topics such as road transport, historical geography, climate, population, economy, and land use. She comments in detail on cartographic quality, scales, printing techniques, and practical utility. For example, the Austrian national atlas, directed by Hans Bobek and Erik Arnberger under the Commission for Land Planning of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, was published in five annual parts and demonstrates excellent cartography and printing. The Atlas de Belgique and the Atlas du Survey National supplement each other with plates on hydrogeology, phytogeography, agriculture, basic industries, waterways, and railways. The Climatic Atlas of Czechoslovakia is praised for its beautiful large-scale maps of temperature and precipitation. The article then turns to North America, focusing on state atlases in the United States, including Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. These atlases cover agriculture, forestry, economic resources, historical geography, and population, often compiled by universities or state agencies for educational and planning purposes. In the South American section, the author highlights notable publications such as the Atlas do Brasil, the Atlas de economía colombiana, and Venezuelan climatic and forest atlases. Throughout the review, the author acknowledges the scholarly value and cartographic achievements of many works while also pointing out occasional problems such as overly large formats or inappropriate scales. Overall, the article provides a broad and informative reference guide to regional atlases for scholars in geography, cartography, and related fields.
La deuxième édition de l'Atlas de France
Georges Chabot · 1959
This article reports the presentation of the second edition of the Atlas de France to the Minister of National Education in March. The first edition (1931-1946) had won worldwide acclaim; however, France had changed and cartographic techniques had improved, so from 1946 onward a new edition was prepared, recently honoured by the Commission on National Atlases of the International Geographical Union. The atlas is presented as a collective enterprise, initiated by Robert Perret, with Emmanuel de Martonne and Albert Demangeon directing physical and human geography, and André Libault of the French Cartographic Society perfecting the cartographic techniques. Severe postwar financial obstacles were overcome thanks to Jean Majorelle and final CNRS support. The article emphasises that an atlas is necessarily a continuing creation.
Présentation de nouvelles planches de l'Atlas de France
André Libault · 1952
This paper presents new plates of the Atlas de France, published by the National Committee of Geography. The first edition, initiated in 1931 and completed shortly after the Liberation, comprised 54 plates and quickly went out of print. In preparing the second edition, the committee initially assumed that only human geography plates required updating. However, consultation with specialists revealed that although geographical facts had not changed, the manner of interpreting and representing them had been profoundly transformed. The author emphasizes the crucial role of cartographic representation in grasping the evolution of human phenomena, as its inexorable precision measures the true scale of change that daily experience tends to underestimate. The article illustrates the needs for revision or complete redesign through several examples: the geological map required the addition of petrographic indicators through additive graphic synthesis to overcome the misleading uniformity of chorochromatic coloring; the population structure map demonstrates how statistical methods (cumulative frequency curves, median construction, inflection points) can determine rational class intervals that reveal coherent geographical regions; distribution maps adopt the dot method, with a statistically determined unit value of 200 inhabitants for population and transparent spheres for cities; the agricultural land distribution map employs symbols differentiated by color and shape, machine-drawn for efficiency. Finally, an entirely new energy map assembles all French energy sources and their transport infrastructure, distinguishing genuine energy creation from mere transformation. These examples demonstrate the considerable evolution of cartographic expression, reflecting both France's transformation during a troubled period and the international progress of cartographic technique.
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