Atlas of Algeria and Tunisia
Atlas d'Algérie et de Tunisie
Algeria · Gouvernement Général de l'Algérie avec la participation de la Tunisie · 1923
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National atlases: a summary
Yonge, Ena L. · 1957
This paper presents a comprehensive survey of national atlases produced worldwide up to the late 1950s. The author reviews the development, scope, and cartographic quality of more than two dozen national atlases, with an emphasis on those published after World War II. The study examines atlases across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, analyzing their thematic coverage, scales, symbolic innovations, and accompanying explanatory texts. Key findings highlight the leading role of European countries—particularly Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Sweden—in producing atlases that integrate physical, economic, and social geography with advanced graphic techniques. Outside Europe, emerging national atlas projects in Israel, Morocco, the Congo, Australia, and the United States are documented, though many regions remain underrepresented. The paper underscores the value of national atlases as tools for planning, education, and research, and notes the growing trend of bilingual map legends and summaries to serve international audiences. The survey reveals increasing ambition and scope in national atlas production, mirroring both rising nationalism and the demand for systematic spatial knowledge of individual countries.
Presentation of the atlas of Algeria and Tunisia
Flotte de Roquevaire, R. de · 1932
This paper presents the Atlas of Algeria and Tunisia, a comprehensive thematic atlas initiated by the Government General of Algeria with financial support from the Tunisian government. The project was driven by the recognized need for systematic cartographic documentation to optimize land use in this predominantly agricultural region, following the recommendations of geographers Bernard and Ficheur. The atlas is structured into seven sections: Geology, Hypsometry, Climatology, Vegetation, Demography, Economic Geography, and Administrative Geography. Methodologically, the hypsometric map was produced through a multi-stage reduction of topographic contours to preserve accuracy at 1:1,500,000 scale, while climatological maps rely on 45-year records from 377 stations, achieving a rainfall accuracy of 3.5%. The vegetation section, co-authored by botanist René Maire, presents a novel phytogeographic regionalization. Demography and economic geography maps trace population distribution and agricultural production, with the vine cultivation map already completed. Administrative maps will include both contemporary divisions and historical evolution since 1830. A key feature is the uniform scale across all plates, ensuring cross-map comparability; rainfall patterns emerge as central explanatory variables for demographic densities, agricultural production, and colonization patterns. Beyond its scientific inventory function, the atlas represents a significant instance of scientific and industrial decentralization, largely executed by Algerian administration and local industry. The completed work will offer an integrated visual synthesis of Algeria’s and Tunisia’s physical and human geography, serving as an indispensable tool for informed governance and development planning.
The Atlas of Algeria and Tunisia
Lespès, René · 1931
This review presents a critical overview and progress report on the _Atlas of Algeria and Tunisia_, a large-scale cartographic project initiated in 1910 by the governments of Algeria and Tunisia. The atlas aims to synthesize physical, demographic, and economic knowledge of the two territories into a coherent cartographic whole. The authors, Augustin Bernard and R. de Flotte de Roquevaire, are recognized for their expertise and for overcoming significant challenges, such as the selection and updating of source materials, the choice of a common base map at 1:1,500,000 scale, and the achievement of high-quality lithographic production in Algiers. The planned seven sections encompass geology, hypsometry, climatology, phytogeography, demography, administrative geography, and economic geography, comprising 19 large map sheets with numerous insets and accompanying explanatory booklets. By 1929, eight fascicles had been published, covering the first four sections and part of the fifth. The review details the content of each fascicle, highlighting advances in geological mapping, a clear hypsometric representation, innovative climatic maps (including temperature, rainfall distribution, aridity indices), and an original phytogeographic map dividing the region into botanical domains. The rural dwellings map is noted as a fundamental demographic document. The work is praised for its rich documentation, cartographic clarity, and practical utility, marking it as one of the most significant colonial atlas projects of its time, valuable for scholars, administrators, and the general public.
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