A Resource Atlas of Papua New Guinea

Summary

This is an academic review of the 1974 'Papua New Guinea: Resource Atlas', compiled by Edgar Ford over more than a decade. The atlas contains 28 pages of colored maps and 28 pages of explanatory text, comprehensively covering the country's physical geography, geology, climate, resources, population, languages, and economic geography. The reviewer highly praises the atlas's craftsmanship and content value, considering it not merely an atlas but a textbook on the economic geography of the area. However, the reviewer also points out several shortcomings, such as excessive use of color on some maps, poor legibility of river names, and a lack of biological and ethnographic maps. The reviewer particularly emphasizes that while the atlas presents geographical information, it fails to adequately capture the diversity and cultural identity of the people of Papua New Guinea, and also questions certain treatments of political boundaries. Overall, the atlas is regarded as a valuable reference work for the newly independent nation.