National Atlas of Brazil. General Part

Thematic Maps Record: Atlas Nacional do Brasil

Gerlach, Arch C. · 1967

This paper reviews the *Atlas Nacional do Brasil*, published in 1966, situating it within the context of national atlases. The atlas adopts standards recommended by the International Geographical Union to facilitate international data comparison, thereby contributing a massive block of territory to continental and world thematic mapping. Organized into five sections (Political-Administrative, Physical, Demographic, Economic, Socio-Cultural) with 50 map plates, it employs a standard polyconic projection at 1:12,500,000, leaving space for legends, data tables, and insets. The verso of each map provides supplementary analytical texts or statistical tables. Examples such as the road network map (IV-14) and hospital distribution map (V-4) illustrate the atlas’s layered integration of graphic, tabular, and cartographic information. The loose-leaf binding allows expansion and replacement of outdated sheets. The author praises the Conselho Nacional de Geografia for producing a valuable research and reference tool at minimal cost and in a short time, serving both national and international users. Minor shortcomings are noted: some topics need larger-scale treatment (e.g., double-page spreads), ocean colors lack uniformity, and the binding’s exposed screw-clamps are impractical. The review concludes that the primary future task lies in updating existing maps and adding new ones to cover additional characteristics, aspiring to an even more substantial work.