National Atlas of Afghanistan
Afghanistan · Scientia Bonnensis · 2014
Related Reviews & Articles
Book reviews: National Atlas of Afghanistan
Stadelbauer, Jörg · 2015
This review evaluates the *National Atlas of Afghanistan* (2014), edited by Andreas Dittmann, as a landmark product of long-standing German–Afghan scientific cooperation. The atlas integrates thematic maps with explanatory texts, creating a comprehensive regional compendium. The review examines the work’s structure: physical geography (geology, soils, climate, hydrography, vegetation, ecoregions, and an extensive faunal distribution) precedes a larger socio-economic section. It highlights the cartographic challenges, especially the scarcity and unreliability of socio-economic data, exemplified by unrecorded informal trade and the need to derive agricultural information partly from satellite imagery. While acknowledging the diligent use of scattered sources and historical research traditions, the review notes limitations such as the absence of qualitative health and education assessments, neglect of historical dimensions, and some minor editorial flaws. Nevertheless, it commends the attractive computer-cartographic design. The review concludes that the atlas transcends a mere inventory of conditions; it represents a model of engaged international collaboration, a foundation for modern, spatially differentiated regional studies, and a vital instrument for fostering national consciousness, supporting state consolidation, and guiding development planning in Afghanistan. It strongly affirms the value of the invested resources and the exceptional dedication of the German and Afghan teams.
Book reviews: National Atlas of Afghanistan
Ehlers, Eckart · 2015
The National Atlas of Afghanistan, edited by Andreas Dittmann, represents a bold scholarly undertaking given the country’s prolonged warfare, acute data scarcity, and sensitive ethno-linguistic divisions. This review evaluates the atlas’s ambitious compilation of regional information, its cartographic excellence, and its dual role as both a reference work and an instrument of nation-building. The atlas comprises 43 large-format maps organized into six thematic sections: natural conditions and resources (the largest), economy and agriculture, public and private services, culture and history, human dimensions, and city plans. Statistical data, largely spanning 2001–2009, are presented on a provincial basis alongside facing-page explanatory texts enriched with additional diagrams and historical comparisons. Noteworthy innovations include detailed maps on health infrastructure, educational provision, and urban expansion, as well as language maps that cautiously address ethnicity, though coverage of nomadic tribal distributions is minimal. The cartography is consistently praised for its clarity, colour choice, and legibility. Criticisms centre on uneven depth in some textual explanations and an underutilization of pre-war French and anthropological scholarship. Despite these minor shortcomings, the atlas is hailed as an indispensable source for planning, administration, education, and the fostering of Afghan national identity. Published through German-Afghan cooperation under the Stability Pact Afghanistan, it stands as both an academic milestone and a political document, affirming the intrinsic link between geographic knowledge and statehood.
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