Book reviews: Atlas of the Netherlands

Summary

This review assesses the sixth installment (1969) of the Atlas van Nederland, which brings the national atlas to 55 published map sheets. The new material includes examples of topographic and thematic mapping, climatic analyses of winds and weather circulation, urban historical development, and the spatial distribution of 28 dialects, place names, and family names. Population maps depict natural increase, migration balance, and demographic change, although the reviewer criticizes their reliance on relative values and the absence of absolute measures or typologies. By contrast, the age-structure maps effectively illustrate dependency burdens, while the industry and commuting map combines proportional circles, sectors, and colors to present absolute employment and commuter flows. Bilingual explanatory texts, precise reproduction, and high-quality printing reinforce the atlas’s substantial scientific value.