Historical, Geographic, and Peruvian Landscapes Atlas

Reviews: Atlas del Perú

Gonzalez, Alfonso · 1994

This review evaluates the new "Atlas del Perú," a state-sponsored encyclopedic national atlas directed by Carlos Peñaherrera del Aguila and produced under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense and the Instituto Geográfico Nacional. It substantially updates the previous 1963–70 atlas. The work integrates extensive textual exposition with a wide array of multi-scale maps, tables, photographs, and Landsat/Spot satellite imagery. Organized from introductory astronomy and cartography through historical, political, and physical landscapes to economic and population themes, the volume concludes with departmental maps and a substantial 100-page supplementary text section. The atlas is distinguished by its remarkable thematic breadth: beyond standard physical and socioeconomic topics, it includes notable maps on poverty indicators, pathology and health, desertification and reforestation, old maps and engravings, and Peru's Antarctic presence. The detailed text, statistical tables, and comprehensive place-name index greatly enhance its utility. Nevertheless, the review identifies organizational weaknesses: satellite images are interspersed with prefatory material before the table of contents, climatic discussions interrupt geological sequences, and thematically linked topics such as urban development, migration, and spontaneous settlements are scattered, while related educational and literacy data appear in isolated sections. A closer integration of the lengthy closing text with the corresponding maps and images in the earlier part would improve coherence. Despite these structural shortcomings, the atlas constitutes a major contribution to Peruvian studies, offering a rich compendium of high-quality cartographic, visual, and descriptive information essential for understanding the country.